Next Sunday: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr. Tharp celebrates all Masses
Remember
St. Ann Festival takes place on July 28th and 29th. Sacred Heart’s festival is August 11th, 12th, and 13th. As “One Family,” let us support each other’s festivals.
Beacons of Light
The next phase of the Beacons of Light process calls us to envision our identity by choosing a name for our Family. The Combined Parish Council now has produced four possible Family Names that they would like to present to parishioners to vote on:
- The Family of the Divine Jesus
- Mary, Mother of Grace Family
- Immaculate Heart of Mary Family
- The Family of Christ our Light
The combined Parish Council is planning to vote on the possible names at all the precept Masses on the weekend of August 5 and 6. Please prayerfully consider your preference.
The New Sunday Mass Schedule
Precept Masses on Sunday Morning for the Parish Family of St. Ann / Sacred Heart are 8:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart, 9:30 a.m. at St. Ann, and 11:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart. I (Fr. Tharp) will celebrate all the Sunday morning Masses:
8:00 a.m. Mass at Sacred Heart worship space
9:30 a.m. Mass at St. Ann worship space
11:00 a.m. Mass at Sacred Heart worship space
Remember: The Saturday evening Masses (4:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart and 5:15 p.m at St. Ann) remain unaltered.
Children’s Mass Bags
Our new Director of Evangelization and his wife who is our new Coordinator of Religious Education have put together Children’s Mass bags which you will find displayed in the Narthex at Sacred Heart and soon at St. Ann. Each bag is filled with age appropriate materials for your child. After the items in the bags are used to entertain your child during Mass, please place the items back in the bag and place the bag back on the display frame. You may have noticed the steps and other items for children in place in the restrooms at Sacred Heart. This is all part of the process to make our churches and services more “child friendly.”
Catholic Conference of Ohio
The Catholic Bishops from the State of Ohio have asked faithful Catholics throughout Ohio to oppose the proposed ballot initiative for the November ballot which would enshrine and expand legal abortion in the State of Ohio. In addition, the amendment could mean that parents would no longer need to give consent or even be informed if their minor child is seeking an abortion, redefined gender assignment, or reproductive reassignment. Catholics of good conscience are encouraged to read the Archbishop’s communications, speak out, and stay informed.
The Sacrament of the Sick in Hospitals
Please remember that even Catholic Hospitals are not permitted to tell me when my parishioner enters their hospital. If two or three people tell me about their loved on in the hospital after Mass, I will not keep it straight in my weak brain long enough to get it on paper. Therefore, if your loved one enters the hospital (if it is not an emergency) and would like me to provide the Anointing of the Sick; please leave a clear and accurate message on my daytime voice mail at (513) 858-4260 or email me at frtharp@sacredheart-fairfield.org. Please also remember that you cannot text me at the above number as it is a land line and does not receive texts.
If an emergency arises during the evening or night after the secretaries leave and you need me for an emergency Anointing of the Sick, you must call (513) 858-4210, and press option number 2 to leave a paging voicemail for Fr. Tharp. This is the only way to be sure I will receive your message when I am away from my desk until the next morning. I suggest you use this emergency procedure only at the times when the secretaries are not available to answer the telephone.
Precious Blood at Communion
We have distributors lined up for two cups at all three Sunday morning Masses; two at Sacred Heart and one at St. Ann.” For the moment, we do not have cups lined up for the either of the Saturday evening Masses. Again, we can only offer both species to the degree we have enough Eucharistic ministers willing to do cups at the various precept Masses. We hope to have cups offered at the Saturday Masses very soon.
DO NOT FALL FOR SCAMS!!!!
I keep running this article because there are new scams everyday
Remember I NEVER solicit funds, donations, favors, or any request of any kind over the telephone, text, email, carrier pigeon, drone, etc. NEVER! Do not allow yourself to be taken in by scammers. Even if they have my recorded voice, be assured it is computer generated fake! It is not me!!!
Reminder for volunteers who work with or around children
Please be aware that failure to register with and complete the requirements of Safe Parish will result in your inability to continue to work with or around children in any parish and/or school setting. We have been informed by the Archdiocese that there can be NO EXCEPTIONS.
Live Streaming for Precept Masses
As we move to the new reduced Sunday Mass schedule, it has been recommended that I continue to live stream the 4:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart, and consider not live streaming the 5:15 p.m. Mass from St. Ann but instead live stream the Sunday Mass at 9:30 from St. Ann. We will experiment with this for a time and see which arrangement is more favored.
Please remember to access the Sacred Heart / St. Ann Pastoral Region You Tube site by clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVLLqbEY5hKWinwz069MVcg
Reflection on Scripture:
The parables of the 1) weeds and wheat, the parable of the 2) mustard seed and the parable of the 3) yeast in the dough; are all contained in today’s gospel. All three reveal one reality: namely that there is in reality objective good and objective evil. Modern science typically speaks in relative terms such as proportions or perhaps in percentages. Good is the unmatched superlative. It comes into us by God’s grace. Sin is the unparalleled abysmal. It is the antithesis of God’s life in us.
There are those in the world today who deny the objective reality of good. Choosing this fallacy is the direct result of denying God. Jesus encourages us to seek the good, embrace the good, and draw life from the good. Is “close enough” our idea of good? Moral mediocrity is relativism. It denies the purity of God and God’s grace. Seek the moral superlative. Don’t fall prey to moral mediocrity.
NEXT WEEK Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12
Rom 8:28-30
Mt 13:44-52
Theme: Predestination