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AS OF APRIL 2, 2020
ALL NOTES FROM OUR PASTOR FR. MC SWEENEY ARE POSTED ON FLOCKNOTE AND ALL THOSE PARISHIONERS WHO SIGNED UP FOR FLOCKNOTE ARE RECEIVING FATHER MC SWEENEY'S POSTS IN THEIR MAILBOX.
TO SIGN UP FOR FLOCKNOTE: CLICK ON THE LAMB -- LINK IS ON THE ST. AUGUSTINE R.C. CHURCH SECTION ABOVE.
April 1, 2020
“God walks among the pots and pans” - St. Teresa of Avila
While thinking of my “parish family in exile” and how life has changed for
so many, I recalled a prayer that hung in the kitchen of my childhood, and now in our parish rectory. The duties of family care can seem
overwhelming at times, but remember they can be a form of prayer, “God walks among the pots and pans”.
The Divine Office of the Kitchen
Lord of the pots and pipkins, since I have no time to be
A saint by doing lovely things and vigilling with Thee,
By watching in the twilight dawn, and storming Heaven's gates,
Make me a saint by getting meals, and washing up the plates!
Although I must have Martha's hands, I have a Mary mind,
And when I black the boots, I try Thy sandals, Lord, to find.
I think of how they trod our earth, what time I scrub the floor.
Accept this meditation when I haven't time for more!
Vespers and Compline come to pass by washing supper things,
And, mostly I am very tired; and all the heart that sings
About the morning's work, is gone, before me into bed.
Lend me, dear Lord, Thy Tireless Heart to work in me instead!
SPECIAL MESSAGETues. 3/31/20
FROM FR. MC SWEENEY
click to see entire message
What if everyone
on Sunday, April 5th,
in the morning,
puts a branch
on the door of their house
or on the window,
to celebrate Palm Sunday?
It seems, as of this writing, that because of fear of contaminating others, we will
not be distributing palms this Palm Sunday. However, that does not mean we
cannot still be part of the celebration in our homes.
What if everyone on Sunday April 5 in the morning, puts a branch on the door
of their house or on the window, to celebrate Palm Sunday?
It could be any green branch you can get. Some traditions even use pussy
willows. This would help, despite the social distancing, to be connected as we
enter into the Holiest of Weeks.
Want to join? We may be physically isolated, but not separated. We are united
as the body of Christ.
We are the Church.
Or we could make our own palm leaves!
https://thehousethatlarsbuilt.com/2019/09/diy-palm-leaves.html/
Sat. 3/21/20
Laetare! Rejoice!
Who could have imagined when we entered the great season of
Lent that the desert we entered was not the one we would have chosen.
Yet the Psalm this Sunday reminds us that:
“He guides me in right path’s for His name sake. Even though I
walk through the valley of darkness I fear no evil; for You are
at my side with Your rod and Your staff that give me courage.”
The Holy Gospel this Sunday gives us the story of the man born
blind. We see in this account the stages of recognizing who Christ truly
is. At first the man born blind, after he is cured, describes Christ as a
man, then as a prophet, and finally as his Lord. We
begin our faith journey where the man born blind ends his:
Knowing that Christ is our Lord, and that without Him we are
lost. This Lent teaches us that there is so much in this world
beyond our control; but if we trust in Him, the Good Shepherd
will see us through.
Laetare ! Rejoice!
Thurs. 3/19/20:
Blessed and Happy Feast of Saint Joseph!
Our dear Saint Joseph, earthly father of the child Christ, patron
of the University Church, is always there to guide us through troubling
times. Though Sacred Scripture records no words that
he may have spoken, he is always found in the background
caring for our Blessed Mother and the Holy Child. Saint Joseph reminds
us not to be afraid to take Mary into our home, to
prepare our homes for Christ, and to always do what the Lord
has commands of us.
During these troubling times, powerful Saint Joseph teaches us
of the domestic church and the mystery of caring for each other,
and doing what must be done. The prayer “To thee O Blessed
Joseph” was given to us by Pope Leo XIII, who also gave us the prayer
to Saint Michael The Archangel.
To Thee, O blessed Joseph
To thee, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation, and
having implored the help of thy most holy Spouse, we confidently
invoke thy patronage also. Through that charity which bound
thee to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal
love with which thou embraced the Child Jesus, we
humbly beg thee to graciously regard the inheritance which
Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with thy power and
strength to aid us in our necessities. O most watchful Guardian
of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most
loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be propitious to us and from
heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness; and, as
once thou rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect
God's Holy Church from the snaresOr dear Saint Joseph earthly father
of the child Christ patron of the universe of church always there to guide
us through what’s troubling times. The few words of the enemy and
from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by thy constant protection,
so that, supported by thy example and thy aid, we may be able
to live piously, to die holy, and to obtain eternal happiness in
heaven. Amen.
LAETARE SUNDAY COOKIES -- click for recipe
(If you do not have ingredients, save recipe
and make them when restrictions are lifted.)
During the occupation of the Holy Land in the late Middle Ages,
when pilgrims were prevented from visiting its sacred sites, the
custom arose of making replicas of those holy places, where the faithful
might come to pray. One of the most popular of these devotions was the
"Stations of the Way of the Cross," which were imitations of the "stations,"
or stopping places of prayer on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem.
Traditionally the Stations are prayed in a special way on the Fridays of
Lent, for they portray the events of Good Friday.
While we are prevented from gathering in the church to pray the stations,
we can still do so at home.
liturgies.net/Lent/Sta...
On our website: VIA DOLOROSA WITH MONSIGNOR FRANCO
and
St. Augustine's Outdoor Stations of the Cross
Mon. 3/16/20:
For all our peace of mind, the company that cleans our beautiful church
and school is being trained and certified by Mount Sinai Hospital on how
to deal with the coronavirus.
Healthy body, healthy soul...
Sun. 3/15/20:
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever!
Until further notice, all public celebrations of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
have been suspended. All scheduled Mass Intentions will be remembered
in the Private Masses celebrated by the priests of Saint Augustine.
Kindly check up on elderly family, neighbors and friends.
Please pray for our Church, our Nation, and our World.
Sat. 3/14/20:
This just in... In light of the cancellation of all Sunday Masses
throughout the archdiocese, baptisms, stations of the cross and
other religious services and social events are also canceled. For all
practical purposes, no sacraments or services shall be provided until further notice. Our Church will remain open for private prayer.
A Note from Our Pastor
Fr. McSweeneyPraised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
These are trying times for us all. Our spiritual loss at not gathering as a parish family for Sunday Holy Mass has hit us all. Combined with that will be the loss of the collections that keep our parish running. Perhaps, if you haven’t already, you might consider enrolling in WeShare:
WeShare is an alternative means of support for St. Augustine Parish instead of using envelopes. In lieu of weekly collections, the WeShare program will collect monthly contributions via your checking, saving, or credit card account. There is NO cost to you to participate in the program.
How do I enroll?
To safeguard your personal information, enrollment can be done directly at the WeShare website: https://staugny.churchgiving.com or
by calling
WeShare Customer Care at
1-800-950-9952.
The process takes less than 5 minutes.
OR --
Mail a weekly check to our
PARISH FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR: Mary Anne Dempsey
St. Augustine Parish Office
381 North Highland Avenue
Ossining, NY 10562