Pastor’s Corner 8.09.2024

Dear Parishioners and visitors to the Parish,

I thought of using this space in the bulletin to give you some information about the feasts that we will be celebrating this week. The importance of these feasts may not be the same everywhere, and thus you may not find it mentioned in the liturgical calendars in some places.  

Saint Peter Claver, Apostle of the Slaves: 9 September

Saint Peter Claver was a Spanish Jesuit priest and missionary who dedicated his life to serving African slaves brought to the New World. He was born on June 26th, 1580, in Verdu, Catalonia, Spain, and died on September 8th, 1654, in Cartagena, Colombia. His feast day is celebrated on September 9th.

Saint Peter Claver's life was a testament to his selflessness and compassion for the most marginalized and oppressed members of society. His example serves as an inspiration for all those who seek to fight against injustice and stand in solidarity with those who suffer.

Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary: 12 September

The feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary honors the Virgin Mary and marks the very mention of her name as holy and deserving of respect and devotion.

It takes place each year on September 12th, four days after the feast of the Birth of the Blessed Mother. The feast day encourages us all to pray for her intercession to deepen our love of Christ and our relationship with the Lord.

The Most Holy Name of Mary originated in Spain in the sixteenth century. In 1683, Pope Innocent XI extended the feast day to the universal Church and gave it the September 12th date. The date is significant because it marks a battle victory for Christian Europe against the Muslim Turks. The Christians prayed for the intercession of Mary throughout their long and arduous campaign before achieving victory.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross: 14 September

This feast is celebrated on September 14 to honour the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The Exaltation of the Holy Cross also commemorates the discovery of the True Cross. Legend holds that the relic was found by St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land about 326. The Chapel of St. Helena inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built by the Crusaders in her honour, and below it lies the Chapel of the Finding of the True Cross, in which the cross of Christ’s crucifixion was reportedly discovered.

However, the feast, more than anything else, is a celebration and commemoration of God's greatest work: his salvific death on the Cross and His Resurrection, through which death was defeated and the doors to Heaven opened.

 The entrance antiphon for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is: "We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he is our salvation, our life and our resurrection: through him we are saved and made free.”

The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows: 15 September 

This devotion to Our Sorrowful Mother originated in the thirteenth century. It recalls the Sorrows the Virgin Mother of God endured in compassion for the suffering and death of her Divine Son.

Interestingly, in 1482, the feast was officially placed in the Roman Missal under the title of Our Lady of Compassion, highlighting the great love our Blessed Mother displayed in suffering with her Son. The word compassion derives from the Latin roots cum and patior which means to suffer with. Our Blessed Mother's sorrow exceeded anyone else's since she was the mother of Jesus, who was not only her Son but also her Lord and Savior; she truly suffered with her Son. 

Therefore, as we honor our Blessed Mother, our Lady of Sorrows, we honor her as the faithful disciple and exemplar of faith. Let us pray as we do in the opening prayer of the Mass for this feast day: Father, as your Son was raised on the cross, His Mother Mary stood by Him, sharing His sufferings. May your Church be united with Christ in His suffering and death and so come to share in His rising to new life. Looking to the example of Mary, may we too unite our sufferings to our Lord, facing them with courage, love, and trust.