Fr. Rick’s Pastoral Messages 3/27/22
Lenten Season: Remember that all Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence from meat for all Catholics 14 years of age and older.
Annual Collection for Catholic Relief Services will be taken up THIS weekend. CRS is well placed in Eastern Europe to help give immediate aid to those evacuating Ukraine. See crs.org for more info on how CRS is helping the people in Ukraine and the growing refugee crisis in the area. Thank you in advance for your usual generosity.
CRS Rice Bowls are also available at the entrance of the church.
Strengthen your Lenten Prayer with Lectio Divina: See our website:
Bishop Solis on Stewardship of Time and Prayer. Also see direct link on our website. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soV6gWl-lRc
“Oremus!” Saturday April 2, from 9:30-12:30, the South Western Deanery of the SLC Diocesan Council of Catholic Women will present a Lenten retreat at St. George Catholic Church, 259 W. 200 N. St George, Utah. The focus of the retreat will be on developing one’s prayer life. Light refreshments will be served. Suggested donation: $10.00. For more information or to register, contact Mary LeBaron: text/call 435.632.1572. or email: mflebaron@yahoo.com
Bishop Solis on the World Meeting of Families: Hear how the role of marriage and family is the basic cell of society and must remain strong:
https://www.dioslc.org/world-meeting-of-families
LUCKY YOU!! You just may be one of the lucky ones who receives a complimentary copy in your bulletin today of the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the needs of Russia and Ukraine. The Pope, Bishops, Priests and Faithful from all over the world joined together at the same hour on March 25, Feast of the Annunciation to participate in this consecration. It is a very powerful prayer. Please read it and pass it on.
Synod on Synodality – We have completed our scheduled sessions for this Synod. A total of eight different people attended the live sessions locally over the two week period. Others may have submitted a written reply to the various questions to Fr. Bittmenn in St. George or Bishop Solis in Salt Lake City which was an option. While the turnout locally was a bit underwhelming, to put it mildly, it does give us a sort of new baseline for realistic pastoral planning. The very nature of our Sunday Eucharistic Celebrations proclaim that we are a people ‘Becoming One Body; One Spirit in Christ.’ This of course does not happen magically when everyone plops a consecrated host in their mouths at roughly the same time, but rather requires real community building with real people who have a real desire to actually get to know each other and who have a real appreciation of the Church’s meaning and mission. It’s almost always a good time for renewal and increased religious formation.
A Father and His Children – Today’s Gospel, Luke 15:11-32, tells of a Father who wants to give His children everything. One son demands his share of the inheritance immediately and then goes off and squanders the riches in the most irresponsible way. The second son has lived in His father’s prosperity all his life and fails to recognize and appreciate all that has been given to him. In his lack of appreciation and understanding the second son likely under interprets his responsibility to others as well; how to optimally utilize his wealth for the good of others. The first son realizes his sinfulness and restores his relationship with the father. We don’t yet know how the second son responds.
Our response to the Synodal process might be some indication of our appreciation for what has been passed on to us from thousands of years of Religious Tradition. How are we passing along the riches of the Father?
Easter Schedule: Holy Thursday: 7:00 PM; Good Friday 3:00 PM Stations of the Cross; Good Friday Liturgy 7:00 PM, No Easter Vigil Mass; Easter Sunday Mass of the Resurrection at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be held at selected hours on Friday and Saturday. More in next week’s bulletin.