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Weekly Bulletin April 21, 2024
by Terrie Evans
On this 4th Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the 61st Anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, a day for all of us to promote and invoke special prayers for vocations. The purpose of this day is to fulfill the Lord’s instruction: “The harvest is abundant that the laborers are few; so, ask the Master of the harvest to send our laborers for his harvest” (Mt 9:37-38). We hope that our young people receive the call to become followers of Jesus, possibly using their gifts and talents for the priesthood or a religious vocation. God’s call to a distinctive state of life, married, single, religious life with the Sacrament of Matrimony and Holy Orders that are designated Sacraments of Vocation. On this day, we pray for the communities of men and women who have professed solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and for all those young Seminarians who are candidates for the Priesthood. These young men are working to prepare themselves spiritually, intellectually, and apostolically before becoming sacred ministers for the worship of God and for the sanctification of all people. When receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders, one of the Seven Sacraments, the Bishop will pray over those men to confer spiritual power and grace to conduct their ordained ministry of the Church, to be sacred ministers for the worship of God and for the sanctification of all people. A Prayer for Vocations: “Bountiful Father, your Son Jesus, urged us to pray for laborers for your harvest. We pray for an abundance of priests and consecrated men and women to care for the needs of your Church. Through the intercession of Our Lady, Queen of Apostles, pour out your Holy Spirit upon our families. May we encourage each person to discern and follow the vocations to which you have called them. We ask through Christ our Lord. AMEN.”
On Monday, April 22nd, we celebrate Earth Day, the annual event that was established on April 22, 1970. The Theme this year is Planet vs. Plastics to promote and support the protection of the environment and for all of us to get involved in community service. There is also an unofficial Earth Flag “The Blue Marble” taken from a photo taken by the crew of Apollo 17. On Earth Day, many schools, communities and garden clubs plant trees, flowers, and shrubs in their communities.
On Saturday, April 27, 2024, the 55th Annual Earth Day will be celebrated in Cincinnati at Summit Park in Blue Ash. The free event will run from Noon until 5:00PM with over 125 exhibitors highlighting local music, local vegetarian foods, activities, and presentations.
On Tuesday, April 23rd, we honor the legend of St. George, also known as George of Lydda, venerated as a saint in Christianity who lived during the 3rd Century. The legend about St. George occurred when a dragon caused panic in the city of Silene, Libya. To keep the dragon at bay, 2 sheep were sacrificed and when they were not enough, then 4 were sacrificed. Humans were then offered to calm the dragon with the citizens choosing who would be offered up. The King’s daughter was then chosen to be sacrificed until George saved the girl by slaying the dragon with a lance. For his efforts in saving the girl, the King offered George treasures which he used to help the poor. The legend of the dragon changed the hearts of the town with the residents so appreciative and thankful at what they had witnessed, were baptized, and became Christians. When George slayed the dragon, his lance was referred to as Ashkelon after the Levantine city in Israel. During World War II, Winston Churchill used the name Ashkelon for his personal aircraft. St. George has been venerated as a Military Saint since the Crusades and is highly respected by not only the Christians, the Druze and within some Muslim Communities. He is considered the patron saint of England, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Ukraine, Malta, Ethiopia, cities in Spain, and Moscow, Russia and is renowned throughout the Middle East with Arab Christians seeking his intercession for an illness or problem at his shrine at Beit Jala in the Christian Quarter in Jerusalem. He is also the patron saint of Lebanese Christians, Syrian Christians, Lebanese Christians and those Christians in Israel and Palestine. The Church of Saint George in Lydda, Israel contains a sarcophagus believed to contain the remains of St. George. George is honored by the Eastern Orthodox Church where he is hailed as a Great Martyr and in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria in Egypt where he is called the Prince of Martyrs. In the Church of England George is remembered with a festival on April 23rd every year. He was beaten and tortured for many years until his martyrdom, and it is said 40,000 pagans converted to Christianity during this time and also, the Empress Alexandra.
On April 23rd we also celebrate Adalbert of Prague a Czech Missionary to the Hungarians, Poles, and Prussians, becoming Bishop of Prague, and a Christian Saint. He is venerated in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church and is the patron saint of Poland and the Czech Republic. He was terribly ill as a child and after he survived this serious illness, his mother and father dedicated him to the service of God. In 982 at the age of 26, Adalbert was ordained a Catholic Priest and when the Bishop of Prague died, Adalbert was chosen as his successor despite being under canonical age. He devoted his life to preaching and evangelizing while opposing those Christians who participated in the slave trade. Adalbert proposed reforms and was met with opposition from those who rejected any reference to God or religion (secularism) and the clergy. He was forced into exile and for five years he lived as a hermit in the benedictine Monastery of Saint Alexis in Rome. In 993, Pope John XV requested his return to Prague as a Bishop. On his return from Rome, Adalbert brought a group of Italian benedictine monks and then founded the Monastery in Brevnov, now the second oldest Monastery on Czech territory. There was a lot of controversy between Bohemian clans and when Adalbert tried to protect a noblewomen accused of adultery hiding her in a convent. When she was killed, Adalbert excommunicated the killers and knew he had to flee his archdiocese. He requested to be an itinerant missionary and set out to preach to the families near Prussia. He was not well received because of his style of preaching, reading from a book. The group of Prussians had a society where communication was face to face when conversing. Adalbert, reading from a book, came off as an evil action and the chieftain of the village struck him on the back of the head with an oar. When he tried to preach at the next village, the locals called for the death of Adalber and his companions. Wherever they went they received the same resistance with pagan mobs attacking them. After saying Mass on April 23, 997, Adalbert along with his companions were attacked and killed by a pagan priest. He was canonized as Saint Adalbert of Prague a few years after he was martyred with two shrines dedicated to him, the Prague Cathedral, and the Royal Cathedral of Gniezno. The 1,000th Anniversary of Adalbert’s martyrdom was held on April 23, 1997, in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Russia and many other nations. To celebrate his life and work, there were representatives from the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Evangelical Churches who made the journey to visit Adalbert’s tomb in Gniezno. There were heads of seven European Nations when Pope John Paul II visited the Cathedral and celebrated the liturgy as 1,000,000 faithful who attended also participated.
On Wednesday, April 24th the Catholic Church celebrates the life of Mark Rey who became known as Fidelis of Sigmaringen. Born in a town in Germany (1577-1622) went on to attend the University of Freiburg teaching philosophy before going on to earn his law degree and wanted to use his knowledge to help the poor. He developed a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, visited hospitals and churches all while offering his services as a counselor or advocate to those in need. Serving those who could hardly pay him Mark- Fidelis became known “as the lawyer of the poor”. He was a man of high morals and was regarded as a modest and meek man who soon learned that the law profession was not for him. His brother George was a member of the Capuchin Friars and soon he entered the order taking the religious name Fidelis, Latin for faithful. After studying for the priesthood, he presided over his 1st Mass at the Capuchin Friary on October 4, 1612, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the order. He became Guardian of the Capuchin Friary Weltkirchen, present day Austria where he not only preached and heard confessions but cared for the sick when an epidemic hit the city. Because of his good works, many people were converted, especially the Calvinists. The other Calvinists became incensed and threatened his life and those of his companions were with him in his missionary efforts. He knew his life would end soon and signed his letters to his closest companions “P. Fidelis, prope diem esca vermium “Father Fidelis, in days ahead to become food for worms”. While he was preaching to those who wanted to convert to Catholicism, Father Fidelis was told to flee for his own safety but was soon confronted by 20 Calvinists who demanded he renounce the Catholic faith Fr. Fidelis said: “I am sent to you to confute, not to embrace your heresy. The Catholic religion is the faith of all ages, I fear not death.” When Fr. Fidelis refused, he was beaten with his last words “Pardon my enemies, O lord: blinded by passion they know not what they do. Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. Mary, Mother of God, succor me!” After he was slain, Fr. Fidelis was buried the next day. He was Beatified by Pope Benedict XIII on March 24, 1729, and Canonizes on June 29,1746, by Pope Benedict XIV with his Major Shrine located at the Capuchin friary in Austria.
On Thursday, April 25th we celebrate the feast day of Mark the Evangelist venerated in all Christian Churches that venerate saints. Mark who was not an Apostle, was born in Cyrene, in North Africa now Libya. He was one of the servants at the Wedding Feast at Cana who poured the water that Jesus turned into wine. Mark was converted by Peter and accompanied him to Rome as an interpreter and wrote about the accounts of Peter’s talks on our Lord’s life and wrote down the sermons of Peter, composing the Gospel according to Mark. He became the voice of St. Peter reflecting the views of the great Apostle. His Gospel showed the demands of Jesus on his followers and how Jesus had suffered. But it also showed that those who can endure such sufferings will be greatly rewarded. Mark wrote the second Gospels in Greek for those Gentile who converted to Christianity. Mark the Evangelist was sent on a missionary journey with Paul and Barnabus throughout the island of Cypress, after the Council of Jerusalem and would later be sent to Egypt to establish the Church of Alexandria and later set up the first Christian School. He was seen as a brilliant Christian who was the first person to write a Gospel and was known to invent this form of religious writing. He is often depicted writing or holding his Gospel and symbolized by a winged lion and is the patron saint of Notaries. He died at age 66 in Alexandria, Egypt with his Major Shrine, St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. There is also a Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral located in Alexandria, Egypt. A Prayer to St. Mark the Evangelist: “God, our Father, You helped St. Mark the Evangelist with Your grace so that he could preach the Good News of Christ. Help us to know You well so that we may faithfully live our lives as followers of Christ.” St. Mark The Lion, Pray for us!
Today is the last day to make your reservation to “The Mussie Fest”. Those interested in attending call Dave Sabatelli at 513-405-6444 or email SAQUEENCITY@Gmail.com to reserve your seat $20 per person.