2nd Year CONFIRMATION
2° año de Confirmación
January 10th Mass & Class 11am-2pm
January 16th Service Day 9am-3pm
January 17th Mass & Class 11am-2pm
January 24th Mass & Class 11am-2pm
- Parent meeting to follow. Details to come.
- Junta obligatoria después de clase. Más detalles se darán al estudiante.
January 31st NO CLASS
The other day I was talking with a young mother. Although she was raised as a Catholic, she is no longer practicing her Faith, and her children have not been baptized. Yet, she still calls herself “Catholic.” She voluntarily brought up the question of her children’s Baptism, saying that she always intended to have her children baptized, but “I don’t know anyone who is a practicing Catholic, so I can’t find a godparent.” Biting back the instinctive response “You would if you went to Mass on Sundays,” I invited her to start practicing her Faith one more time and she seemed very willing to do so.
Throughout the years that I worked and volunteered at the parish, I heard the same story many times, but somehow I never really understood the real difficulty that our young people face. This time, when I left the home of the young mother, I took a good look at the neighborhood, and finally my eyes were open.
As I drove through the streets of this new subdivision, I took in the environment in which this family lived. You know the style, there are many similar developments throughout the greater Denver area: Large new homes (little trees), nice cars (three-bay garages), few children, and no church of any denomination. On the other hand, there’s a neighborhood recreation center with a swimming pool and all the other amenities and two or three parks with attractive playgrounds. “Ahah!” I thought, “here’s the rub: where is the presence of God? Who is talking to these poor folks about Him?” Let’s think about it: our young families are bombarded with ads about what they “need”: at work, their co-workers talk of vacation plans, the promotion that they hope to receive, the party that they will attend on the week-end, the new gym that will make them slim and attractive, the new, improved boy/girl friend etc.
At home they collapse on the sofa watching TV after a stressful day at work. Commercials parade the latest gadgets, and they look at their old refrigerator thinking how they would like to trade it in for a beautiful “stainless steel” model, just like the one of their neighbor. Come Sunday, rush to the kids’ little league game: Can’t miss it, or they’d be struck off the team. And so they miss Mass. The first time they feel a bit guilty, but then it becomes easier, finally… Mass becomes a thing of the past, a leftover tradition that is no longer relevant to the “lifestyle” that they have embraced: the lifestyle of those who are (or who wish to be) rich and famous. All this was going through my mind as I drove home from the Yuppie neighborhood.
Then I thought: “Where do we fit in? Those of us who still practice our Faith. Why are we so invisible to our friends and neighbors? Why have we thrown-in the towel and no longer ‘dare’ to evangelize? To be ‘salt of the earth’?” I really did not come up with an answer: we’ve forgotten how to speak about God with those around us; it’s not “polite,” after all.
Then the other day I read an article in one of my favorite websites – Chiesa. The title was pretty discouraging: In Holland There Is No More Room for the Child Jesus. Or Then Again, There Is. I was not sure I wanted to read it: it sounded pretty discouraging, and in the beginning, it was. Holland, the home of many missionaries, including Saint Damiano of Molokai, has become thoroughly secularized. Churches have been transformed into condominiums, mosques or nigh-clubs. Only 7% of Catholics attend Sunday Mass etc. etc. In 1968, Holland did not ordain one single priest! No wonder young people wonder around not knowing why they are alive, not knowing what to do with a life that seems pointless. Statistics show that 56% of the population does not know what Christmas is. How grim!
But then, just as I was thoroughly bummed, the article offers us a burst of hope. The Sisters of St. Theresa of Calcutta have a home there, with perpetual Adoration. There are now 45 seminarians in Holland, and the writer of the article, in an interview with the retired Cardinal of Utrecht tells him:
“Did you know, Your Eminence, that a short time ago in the little town near here, Drunen, I saw a hundred children come out from the Catholic church where there had been a Christmas ceremony?” One hundred children, it seems so little in light of the millions who live in Holland. But the Cardinal’s answer was all that we need to hear to keep us hopeful, and to encourage us never to stop our witness of Christ. This is the Cardinal’s marvelous answer: “It must be that young priest who just arrived, who’s hard at work . . .” And the article, which started out so sadly, concludes with these hope-filled words, for Holland and for us: “So the story starts over, again. To start over, all it takes is the face of a Christian.”
That’s right. Just as Jesus conquered the world with 12 frightened men, He starts all over again with a handful of believers, one at a time. Are we willing to be that Christian face that brings hope to the world? Are we willing to approach our neighbors, not with sermons or accusations, but with the love that Christ requires of His followers? We can take back our neighborhoods. Let’s do it this year!
Due to the snow storm all Religious Education classes for the evening of January 6, 2010 are canceled.
This Christmas we look with wonder upon a truly beautiful mystery: The sight of the Christ-child born in a simple manger stall. The sight of the Virgin Mary whose eyes are lit with love for her holy Child. The sight of Saint Joseph embracing his newborn son who is in truth, the Lord of Joseph and the God of us all. The sight of shepherds hurrying over hillsides to tell this Child how much they love him. The sight of a brand-new star – a star that brought three kings through the night and onto their knees before Jesus.
2nd Year CONFIRMATION
2° año de Confirmación
* January 3rd CLASS 11am-2pm
* This class is only for those students that have not completed their assignments.
January 10th Mass & Class 11am-2pm
Those of us who are a few years more than 12 will remember Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. I was in Italy when his TV show was the most popular in the United States, but we heard of him; and he was on national TV, NOT on EWTN! Of course, today no one would dare give him the time of day. After all, he was faithful to the Church and today, the usual suspects would scream “division of church and state!” as though the secular airwaves were state-sponsored (or are they?).
| Date | Time | Service Type |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Eve | 5:00 pm | Mass for Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God |
| 7:00 pm | Mass for Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God(Spanish) | |
| New Year’s Day | 7:30 am | Mass for Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God |
| 9:00 am | Mass for Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God | |
| 1:00 pm | Mass for Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God(Spanish) |
During the last few days leading up to Christmas, Fr. Carlos and I will be available to hear your Confessions. What a beautiful way to prepare yourself to welcome our dear Savior’s birth. Here is the schedule:
Monday, Dec. 21 7:30-7:50 am and beginning at 6:30 pm
Tuesday, Dec. 22 7:30-7:50 am and beginning at 6:30 pm
Wednesday, Dec. 23 7:30-7:50 pm and beginning at 6:30 pm
Our annual Christmas Novena is underway and there are many evenings left for you to join in this beautiful time of preparation for Christmas. The Novena is on Saturday and Sunday at 6:00 pm and on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:30 pm, and on Christmas Eve we will pray the Novena prayers at 3:30 pm and again at 11:15 pm.
Christ is born, no need to mourn. Christ is here, no need to fear. Rejoice every heart! As we celebrate Christ’s birth, once again, we repeat to you, with all our hearts: “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy … for today in the city of David a Savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord!” Your priests pray that you and your family will embrace the holiness and joy that the Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, alone can give.
