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In commemoration of the Feast of St. Blaise this week, priests will give the Blessing of Throats at all Masses this weekend by extending their hands over the entire congregation for the blessing, instead of the traditional use of crossed candles, in order to stay in COVID-19 compliance.
As we conclude the month of January and begin the month of February, we are reminded and encouraged through the sacred scripture of God’s desire to save us. During these cold, dark days of winter, we can easily become discouraged and depressed. As we face the unrest in our nation and the long suffering of the corona virus, we can forget that we are not alone in our struggles. The Lord Jesus is the light shining through the darkness.
February 1st is the World Day for Consecrated Life. The day’s
purpose is to help the entire church show our esteem for the
virtues of those who follow Christ by the means of the evangelical counsels of obedience, chastity and poverty. We are blessed in our parish to have been served and continue to be served by men and women in consecrated life. Presently, Sr. Annie Bremmer, our pastoral associate, represents the life of those consecrated to Christ. We especially thank Sr. Annie for her selfless service on a daily basis to our parish and especially those most in need. We thank God for her and the gift of her ministry in our midst. May the Lord continue to bless her with good health, mind, body and spirit. And we pray that the Lord will raise up more willing women and men to serve Him in religious life.
We wish to thank Seminarian Merv Knieriem for his service to the parish, and we wish him well in his continuing discernment at St. Vincent Archabbey. (Cards of encouragement may be sent to:
Merv Knieriem, St. Vincent Archabbey, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650) We also pray for Chris Baker, our seminarian, studying at St. Paul Seminary for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Chris, as you know is an amazing young man and we are truly blessed by his desire to serve the Lord as a priest. We pray for his vocation and for all who are pursuing a life of service to the Lord in sacred ordination.
On February 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, we bless all the candles to be used throughout the liturgical year. These candles symbolize the light of Christ scattering the darkness and gloom of sin and death. They also symbolize His passion and love for us. As we light these candles, they remind us of a living presence. The love and passion of our Lord for us is symbolized by the light and heat of the flame.
Soon, we will begin the holy season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is February 17th. It is not by accident that Lent occurs—at least in the Northern Hemisphere—during the cold and dark days of winter. We know we have to hold on during the short days because soon the sun will overtake the darkness, the days will lengthen and the warmth of spring and summer is surely just ahead. In our spiritual lives, it is an opportunity to reconnect with our faith and our Savior. The warmth of his mercy and the sacrament of Reconciliation can renew our spirits and give us new life. May our fasting and abstaining from the things that we do not need inspire us to greater acts of charity for those who are in need. By doing this, we spread the light of Christ and share in the warmth of Christ’s love.
God love you,
