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When you bring children to mass
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Call to prayer
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Mass Requests for loved ones
When requesting more than one Mass, keep in mind we can schedule only one weekend mass and two weekday masses per year.
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The Six “Be-Attitudes” for Inviting Someone to Come to Mass
People who come to Mass infrequently tend to “PACE” themselves by going to church on Palm Sunday, Ash Wednesday, Christmas, and Easter (P-A-C-E). So how can we reach out to our friends, family members, and those we work with who are not practicing their faith? The answer is surprisingly simple.
According to Lifeway Research, 51% of unchurched Americans say the most effective way to get them to visit church would be through a personal invitation from someone they know. Other methods were not as effective: only 21% said an invitation from someone knocking on the door would get them to visit a church; postcards only slightly more effective (23%), on par with TV commercials. Facebook ads were the least effective—only 18% said they would visit a church after viewing a Facebook ad.
Easter is a beautiful time to invite someone to Mass, but the idea of asking someone to come to church with us does not come easy. Here are six “be-attitudes” for inviting someone to Mass, which may help overcome some of that discomfort.
1. Be prayerful.
Before you invite your friend or family member back to Mass, spend time in prayer for that person and her or his family. Pray about the wounds that might be causing him or her to stay away. Reflect upon how much this person means to you and ask God to give you the right words and the right time to extend the invitation.
2. Be natural.
You don’t have to schedule a separate meeting to have this conversation. Keep it authentic and casual. If you see this person often—for example, if you go on daily walks together or meet for coffee every week—look for a window in the conversation to bring up the subject of coming back to Mass.
3. Be compassionate.
Share with this person how much you love him or her. Explain that his or her presence in your life has been a gift to you. If you know the reason for this person’s absence, acknowledge that reason. Many people who are not practicing their faith do not consider themselves to be without faith.
4. Be honest.
Rather than listing all of the reasons why this person should come back to Mass, talk about how much you get out of going to Mass. Talk about how important your faith and Jesus are to you. For example, if you know that this person is spiritual, acknowledge this and bridge the conversation from their faith to Mass. You could say something like: “My faith has held me together during the most important and difficult times of my life. You might find that same kind of support. Would you like to come to Mass with me?”
5. Be specific.
People who have been away from Mass for some time may not find it easy to start going back. Invite your friend to come with you and your family. State when you are going, which parish you are going to, and what time you are going. Include an opportunity to socialize afterward, and offer a ride if necessary. A simple example of an invitation would be as follows: “Our family always looks forward to Easter Sunday. I remember going as a child and loving the music and the sense of hope all around me. Our family would love for you to come with us. We are going to the 10:30 Mass at St. John Parish on Easter Sunday; you are welcome to come with us and for lunch afterwards. If you need a ride, let me know!”
6. Be respectful.
If the person is not ready to come to Mass or shuts down the conversation, don’t take it personally. Maybe he or she is not ready. If that happens, keep the door open by saying something like, “Thank you for talking with me about this. If you ever want to talk about your faith, I am always here for you.”
Have you found a good way to invite someone to Mass? If so, please share it with me in the comments; I would love to hear from you!
LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE REGULATIONS
The Lenten Fast and Abstinence Regulations are, as follows:
1. Fasting and abstinence from meat, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
2. Abstinence from meat on all Fridays of Lent. The law of abstinence from meat is required of all those fourteen years of age and older.
3. The law of the fast means only one full meal may be taken during the day. Two light meals are permitted, but are not to equal one full meal. The consumption of solid food between meals is prohibited, but liquids may be taken at any time.
4. The law of fast binds those who have completed their 18th year and have not yet reached their 60th year.
5. Those, who by reason of their young age, are not bound by the laws of fast and abstinence, should be taught the true meaning of penance.
It is a traditional doctrine of Christian spirituality that a constituent part of repentance, of which is turning away from sin and returning to God, includes some form of penance, in order for a Christian to remain on the narrow path and be saved. As our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has written: “Dear brothers and sisters, may this Lenten season find the whole Church ready to bear witness to all those who live in material, moral and spiritual destitution the Gospel message of the merciful love of God our Father, who is ready to embrace everyone in Christ. We can so this to the extent that we imitate Christ who became poor and enriched us by his poverty. Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.”
Apart from the special Lenten activities of individuals and parishes, Lent also affords a special opportunity for families to grow deeper in their commitment to Christ. Within the family, penitential practices and devotions can be conducted, including the use of Scripture, the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and other forms of family prayer and devotion.
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Mass Times
- Sunday: 8:00 AM BilingualBilingualBI San Luis 9:30 AM EnglishEnglishEN Holy Cross
- Tuesday: 8:00 AM EnglishEnglishEN Holy Cross
- Wednesday: 8:00 AM EnglishEnglishEN Holy Cross
- Thursday: 5:00 PM EnglishEnglishEN Holy Cross
- Friday: 10:00 AM EnglishEnglishEN All other Fridays Yorktown Manor Nursing Home
- 1st Friday: 8:00 AM EnglishEnglishEN First Friday at Holy Cross
- Saturday: 5:00 PM EnglishEnglishEN Holy Cross
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Sunday Gospels
Happy New Year in the Church!
The first week of Advent also marks the first week of the new Liturgical Year in the Catholic Church. This week, the Church moves its focus from the Gospel of Luke to the Gospel According to Matthew. During the rest of the calendar year and into 2020, Catholics will hear Matthew’s account of the mission and teachings of Jesus Christ.
FROM OUR EDITORS— December 1, 2019 – 1st Sunday of Advent
Happy New Year! We begin a new Liturgical Year on the First Sunday of Advent. You’ll notice that our Advent Gospel Weeklies lessons focus on joyful anticipation, which is the spirituality of the season of Advent. We delay the celebration of Christmas to, well, Christmas and the Christmas season.
Our culture seems to push us to celebrate Christmas before Christmas and skip over the season of Advent altogether. The Church encourages us to slow the pace and take time to focus on preparing our hearts to celebrate the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. During Advent, we also consider how well we are preparing for Christ’s Second Coming.
We pray that your weeks of Advent will be ones of joyful anticipation and that you remember the joyful part! We pray that you don’t let the trappings of the “perfect” Christmas become a trap that prevents you from truly celebrating the most perfect gift of all—God’s Son become man—and the promise of redemption and eternal life he brings!
SUNDAY’S GOSPEL— December 1, 2019 – 1st Sunday of Advent
Posted by David Dziena Sunday Gospel
The Church’s three-year cycle of Lectionary readings begins again on the First Sunday of Advent. We start reading from Year A, which is organized around Matthew’s Gospel. The prophet Isaiah’s words are used prominently in Advent. They are read as the First Reading each week and are quoted by Matthew in the Gospels. We begin the new Church Year by hearing Jesus speak of his coming in glory. He cautions us to always be ready for him and to live each day in the light of God.
SUNDAY’S GOSPEL—November 17, 2019 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Posted by David Dziena Sunday Gospel
Jews connected the very spirit of their faith to the Temple with its incense-filled, prayerful inner courts and its shaded outer courts where people met and talked. They celebrated their holy days at the Temple; it was the center of their faith community. But Jesus’ assessment of the times in this Sunday’s Gospel proved accurate. The Jews’ rebellion against Roman occupation that began in A.D. 66 ended in the destruction of the Temple by the Roman forces in A.D. 70.
When Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple to his disciples in Sunday’s Gospel, they are shocked. Jesus both scares and assures his listeners, past and present. He explains that wars, disasters, and persecutions will continue in the world. He assures us that we can endure these and other troubles that occur in our lives. He promises to put words in our mouths so no one can put us down. He promises to be with us always.
SUNDAY’S GOSPEL—November 10, 2019 – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Posted by David Dziena 2 Sunday Gospel
The Sadducees in Sunday’s Gospel challenge Jesus to take a stand on resurrection, a notion they did not accept. They cited a law that required a man to marry his brother’s widow in order to preserve the brother’s name. The law assumed a physical notion of living on through one’s children. Jesus argues, “God is God of the living.” He quotes God’s words to Moses, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Exodus 3:15) to emphasize that these people are alive to God. God is God of all who have lived as well as all people living now. The lesson here is to trust the future to the God who has given all life and who raised Jesus from the dead.
FROM OUR EDITORS—November 3, 2019 – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
New pastors always bring new ideas—some we like and others, well, we learn to accept.
Our parish’s new pastor (as of July 2018) is getting parishioners involved in praying for vocations. Father Vince does this through a parish prayer for vocations and a vocations prayer chalice. We pray a vocations prayer at every Mass. Every week at one of the Sunday Masses, Father Vince presents a vocations prayer chalice to an individual or family. They take the chalice home as a focus for prayer that week and return it the following weekend. (This happens to be one of his new ideas that I like.)
We celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week (11/3–11/9) this week. It’s a good time to consider how we are fostering vocation awareness in the young people in our care. The article “Encouraging Young People to Discern God’s Call” by Lisanne V. Jensen appeared in Catechist magazine last fall. Lisanne offers age-specific suggestions for incorporating vocations into catechesis—from preschool through high school. Go to the websites of the National Religious Vocation Conference and Catholic Extension for additional resources.
Loving God, through Baptism, you call each of us to the vocation to love. Help us to encourage the young people in our lives to discover your plan for them—how you are calling them to share your love with others. Make us good role models of commitment and loving service. We pray in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.
SUNDAY’S GOSPEL—November 3, 2019 – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus enters the life and home of Zacchaeus. Although Zacchaeus’ neighbors see him as an outsider, Jesus knows him to be a human being deserving of love and dignity. Zacchaeus’ story reminds us that all people are worthy of God’s love. We imitate Jesus by opening up our lives to people in the community and the wider world who may be hungry or feel isolated.
FROM OUR EDITORS—October 27, 2019 – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
This weekend, the Catholic Church celebrates two important dates: The Solemnity of All Saints (Nov. 1) and The Commemoration of All the Faithfully Departed (Nov. 2). During these celebrations, we remember our journey as God´s people traveling through the three states of the Church:
- The Church Militant consists of all of us who are still living on Earth. When we celebrate these two important dates in the Church’s calendar, we remember our goal and objective as Christians: to be with Jesus in Heaven.
- The Church Penitent is comprised by all the souls living in Purgatory. On November 2, we pray for the souls of our faithfully departed, so they can get to Heaven and enjoy God’s presence for all eternity.
- The Church Triumphant consists of all the souls that now live in the presence of God in Heaven whom we remember on November 1st, on the Solemnity of All Saints. This day, we not only remember those who the Church has officially declared saints, but all the souls who have reached the finish line and are enjoying the Glory of the Lord in Heaven.
Let us ask the Lord that we can live our journey on Earth without loosing sight of our calling to become saints. Amen.
SUNDAY’S GOSPEL—October 27, 2019 – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Pharisees were the religion teachers of Jesus’ time. They taught the Jewish people their religious traditions and challenged them to apply the Law to their lives. Jesus had more in common with the Pharisees than with any other religious group of his day. In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is not criticizing the values and beliefs of a whole religious group. He is criticizing an individual Pharisee’s self-righteousness. In Jesus’ time, few people liked tax collectors because they collaborated with the Roman government. Jesus’ story challenges us to examine how we view others and how God views us. In God’s eyes, everybody is somebody.
October 20, 2019 – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
.On October 15, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus (Ávila), the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church. This 16th-century Spanish mystic, writer, Carmelite sister, and reformer was a woman of both rich prayer and bold action.This writing of hers is one of my favorites. It reminds me of our call to be the Body of Christ for the world.
Christ has no body now but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.
Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.As catechists, religion teachers, and parents, we embody Jesus Christ as we share our faith with the children in our care. May the fire of our faith help brighten the flame of their own faith, so that they will also embrace the awesome responsibility and opportunity to be the Body of Christ for the world.
SUNDAY’S GOSPEL—October 20, 2019 – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Posted by David Dziena Sunday Gospel
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus exalts a widow who persistently petitions for her needs. The unjust judge’s softening of heart dramatizes God’s willingness to respond to our frequent prayers. Asking God for what we want and need will help us clarify what is really important. This week provides a good opportunity to review how your family lives and prays together.
FROM OUR EDITORS—October 6, 2019 – 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Posted by Joan McKamey From Our Editors, Uncategorised
In Sunday’s Gospel, the apostles say to Jesus: “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). Who among us hasn’t felt as if his or her faith is too small—for trying times or for even the challenges of everyday life? Jesus assures them—and us—that even a little faith can be very powerful. One small act of kindness, one courageous voice saying no or yes, one baby step of trust in God—all of these small acts of faith can have significant impact on ourselves and others.
In the Second Reading, Saint Paul encourages us to “stir into flame the gift of God that you have. . . . For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord . . . ; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God” (2 Timothy 1:6–8).
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Month of the Most Holy Rosary, and Respect Life Month. Find a short video from Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for Respect Life Month here. The Synod on the Amazon begins this Sunday and continues through 10/27. We have a lot of concerns to pray for. May our faith inspire us to witness to the dignity of all human life—whether that be the unborn, the elderly or infirm, those in abusive relationships, the indigenous people of the Amazon region, or the children we teach.
Let us pray… May our faith in God, who loves all of his Creation, be enough to effect change in a world that is so desperately in need of our Christian witness. Amen.