Greetings from Joy Valley! As always, we hope our little weekly email finds you doing well.
Quick Reminder: Today we will celebrate the Feast of the Archangels at the Marian Center with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and a blessing of the new statue of St. Juan Diego. If you can join us, Mass will be at 9 am followed by the blessing and brunch. If you are unable to be with us here, please join with us in prayer for the Marian Center, our families, our country and our Church.
Do you ever have one of those weeks where it seems like you are busy from sun up to sundown every single day?! Whether it be an evening meeting, a doctor’s appointment, attending a child/grandchild’s ballgame, or any number of other things, those kind of weeks can be exhausting!
Well, we have the antidote to that! Our Catholic heritage and identity has given us a wonderful gift! Starting today, there is an amazing feast celebration almost every day this week! So, if you are looking at a 7-day stretch that has a daunting to-do list, we’re hoping to insert just a little lightness and celebration into your hectic schedule!
So, without further ado, let’s get into this!
Our Lady, Undoer Of Knots
To start things off, today is the feast of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots! The devotion to Mary under this title has German roots and is a favorite of Pope Francis. To learn more about the devotion and the novena, click here!
Archangels
While tomorrow is a Sunday and the main liturgical celebration is the resurrection of the Lord, it is also the feast of the Archangels- Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael! These angels are mentioned by name in Holy Scripture and are powerful allies against the forces of evil. Think you know a thing or two about these great intercessors? Check out this article, 5 Things You Need To Know About Archangels, to keep you up on your knowledge!
The Flower
This coming Tuesday is the feast of the beloved St. Therese of Lisieux. She is a modern saint who gave us the childlike or “little way”- a simple, gentle, and humble path to the Heart of Jesus. Even though she was only 24 when she passed on to her eternal reward, she left a collection of letters and her autobiography, “The Story of a Soul,” that theological scholars and academics still marvel at today. She is a Doctor of the Church and a favorite saint for many people. We found a beautiful piece about Therese and the Blessed Mother written by Fr. John Hardon. It is a little long, but it gives insights as to how the Blessed Mother had a large role in Therese’s quick growth in holiness.
Guardian Angels
Wednesday of the coming week (Oct 2nd) is the feast of the Guardian Angels! As you probably know, each and every soul has been given a Guardian Angel to watch over them and to intercede for them. Guardian Angels are oftentimes unsung heroes and don’t get mentioned as much as saints or the archangels, but their role is crucial! We found an info page from CatholicCulture.com that explains the feast day and gives suggestions on how to celebrate it. Check it out!
St. Francis of Assisi
Friday, October 4th, is the feast of another beloved saint in the Catholic Church – St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was a humble, holy mystic that practiced asceticism (severe self-discipline and penance). Unfortunately today, there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings about the man that he was and what he actually did. If you want to get the real scoop on St. Francis, check out St. Francis of Assisi – Setting the Record Straight.
Ways to Celebrate This Week’s Feasts!
You remember that above we said we wanted to give you some ways to inject some holy fun and celebration into your week! So whether it’s just you or you have a house-full of kiddos, here are some ideas for celebrating:
- One way to celebrate St. Michael is through a traditional making of the Michaelmas blackberry pie! To learn more and for the recipe, click here!
- If you have children at home, teaching them about not always getting their way (or sacrificing) is valuable. St. Therese sacrifice beads, also called “good deed beads”, are an easy hands-on way to remind them that they can offer not getting what they want to Jesus!
- If you have a friend who could use some encouragement and prayer, buy a single rose and give it to them on St. Therese’s feast day!
- For the feast of Guardian Angels, eat angel food cake with your favorite topping and say a prayer of thanksgiving for your angel! This link provides some great information about angels, too!
Marian Conference XXVIII
As we mentioned last week, we are pleased to welcome Marcus Grodi to our speaker lineup for the conference this year! You may have heard of him through his program, The Coming Home Network, whose goal is to share the truth and beauty of the Catholic Faith and walk with folks on their journey. To see a video of Marcus’ own journey home, click on this link:
In other news, we have a tentative schedule for the conference in case you are interested in seeing how things are shaping up. Of course, all things are subject to divine providence, but the schedule is pretty well set as far as we can tell!
Sunday Readings
The readings for Mass this Sunday seem to be a call to repentance. In the first reading from Amos, we hear the prophet admonishing the complacent and the comfortable. They have rested and enjoyed the finer things in life and have paid little attention to the things of God. This sentiment is echoed in the gospel when we hear the story of the rich man who ignores the poor man, Lazarus, at his front door. To get a full reflection from Scott Hahn and the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, click here.
Marian Center Update
Moms’ Rosary Group – We meet every Tuesday from 10 am to 12 pm. Bring the kids and a snack and we’ll serve some tea and coffee and pray together for our families and the Church.
Feast of the Archangels Mass and Dedication of St Juan Diego
Fr. Christopher Jarvis will be with us on TODAY, to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at 9:00 am. Following the Mass, he will dedicate and bless our new statue of Saint Juan Diego in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Memorial Garden and bless our new playground. After that, we’ll have brunch together to celebrate. Please bring a dish to pass.
Marian Conference XXVIII, “Mary, the Cause of Our Joy — Facing the Future With Hope.” October 25-27, 2019. For more information or to register online go to marianconference.org (make sure to use Firefox and Chrome browser).
To Christ Through Mary,
Katie Moe and Lori Mercer
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