This is the 15th year that I’ve helped with the R.C.I.A. program, and all except one, with Fr. Hilton. Looking back over time, I can see the changes and the sameness.
The sameness: the Holy Spirit continues to call, thanks be to God, and there’s no point in trying to guess who will come forward to learn more about the Catholic Faith. The two most unusual were women, well, at least one of them was; the other was a seven-year old girl who announced to her parents that she wanted to know more about the Catholic Church. Thank God, the parents were open, and brought her to the R.C.I.C. classes (for children from 7 to 16). But… the parents did not want to leave her alone, so they took turns staying with her. You guessed it, the one who was not Catholic joined the R.C.I.A. the following year, and the entire family began seriously practicing their Faith (“and a child shall lead them”).
Coordinators of Bell Ringers
Gerry Gerk, coordinator and Ken Lovato, coord. assistant, have agreed to organize the ringing of the bells which will happen every weekend before all of the Masses. I want to thank both of them for their generosity! Towards the end of this month, Gerry and Ken will begin to sign up bell ringers and then schedule an organizational meeting in April. Keep an eye on the bulletin for more information.
Our school is now registering children for next year and although we are already quite full, there are some spaces still available, especially in the upper grades. Catholic education is a wonderful gift that you can give to your children that will reap a rich reward throughout their lives. For more information, call the school at 303-427-5632.
We have almost 100 Candidates for Confirmation on retreat this weekend, so please keep them in your prayers that God grant them a deep love and fidelity for Him and their Holy Catholic Faith!
Registration Begins for New Families
Registrations for new families for the 2010-2011 school year is now underway. Some classes are full or nearly full so the time to register is now. Holy Trinity is close to capacity and serving Holy Trinity parish families is our priority. You can pick up registration forms from the school office or ask to have them mailed to you. If you would like a tour of the school contact the office at 303-427-5632 to schedule an appointment.
Classes average about 24 students and the curriculum includes religion, language arts, reading, math, science, social studies, Spanish, art, music, physical education, and computer technology.
When we talk of “The Media” we usually mean TV, radio and newspapers. But the media includes books, magazines, billboards, the internet, anything and everything that is used to communicate with a large audience. So, Catholic Media has been around for millennia. From the first letters written by the Apostles to the Encyclicals promulgated by the popes, to EWTN and Catholic blog sites, all a Catholic has to do to know what the Church believes and proclaims is to look for it, it’s everywhere.
But, although Catholic Media is everywhere, it’s not as loud or intrusive as the rest of the stuff that’s out there. We have to be selective, because there is a lot of misinformation about the Catholic Church. For instance, I was once looking for saints on the Internet, and I ran across dozens of sites that were misleading at best, and blasphemous at worst. Now I have a few organizations that I trust, and stick to them.
Stations of the Cross and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament continue on each of the Fridays of Lent and will be in the church at 6:30 pm (English) and 7:30 pm (Spanish). Come and join in this beautiful prayer where we walk beside our Lord Jesus as He carries His saving cross for us!
Jesus instituted the beautiful Sacrament of Confession for the health and salvation of our souls and when we go to Confession, we actually hear the comforting words of Jesus: “Go in peace, your sins are forgiven!” In addition to our regularly scheduled times for Confessions, there is a special afternoon opportunity next week for you to receive the Sacrament of our Lord’s forgiveness:
- Friday, March 12, from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
“If I knew that I was dying soon, how would I spend my last Lent on earth?” I know that I would desire to say at the end of Lent: “There is nothing that I love more than I love You, my Lord. There is no one that I desire to be with more than You. There is nothing that I would rather be called than a good servant of Jesus Christ.”
Whether we live for two months or 50 years, we want the goal for this Lent to be the same, don’t we? We need a goal to motivate our prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Let’s make our goal nothing less than life with Christ: may He be our greatest friend and love! I know that we are two weeks into Lent, but it’s not too late to adopt one or more of the following Lenten penances:
- Unplug the TV, cover it with a blanket, and ignore it until Easter. What do you do with the time you save?
- Offer the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary each day of Lent for the conversion of sinners and an end to the terrible sin of abortion in our beloved country.
- During the Masses of the year 2010, the entire Church reads the Gospel of St. Luke. Read this Gospel on your own during Lent, slowly and prayerfully, a bit each day, and talk about it with your family.
- Give the good people at Samaritan House or Seton House a call and volunteer to help them one day a week. This would be a memorable experience that you will not soon forget.
- Look at your family finances, and ask yourself this question: “Are we giving our first 10% to the Lord, from whom all our blessing come?”
“My Good Shepherd, who have shown Your very gentle mercy to us unworthy sinners in various physical pains and sufferings, give grace and strength to me, Your little lamb, that in no tribulation or anguish or pain may I turn away from You..” (St. Francis of Assisi)
Ok ladies. There has been a lot of discussion (and confusion) about marriage and the role of women, especially in the last few years. Most of it seems directed to diminishing the importance of the traditional family as the first building block of a solid, stable, peaceful society. If you are older than 30, you will probably remember the slogan of the day: “Marriage is just a piece of paper?” So more and more couples decided to skip that “piece of paper.”
Lent begins on February 17th, with the solemn celebration of Ash Wednesday. Ashes will be distributed at each of the Masses, scheduled for 6:30 am, 8:00 am, 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm (Spanish). The ashes will be distributed with the words “Remember, O man, that you are dust and unto dust you shall return”. What a powerful reminder that God alone is our hope, our salvation and our promise of eternal life. Make your Lent a powerful time of conversion and spiritual renewal; I encourage you to come to daily Mass, to spend extra time in prayer, and to observe the laws of fasting and abstinence as a powerful way of uniting yourself to our Lord Jesus who prepares the way for our salvation by spending forty days in the desert dedicated to prayer and fasting.
