Next Sunday: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Visiting Priest
Monday, July 5 is a Federal Holiday
Due to July 4 falling on a Sunday, July 5, 2021 is a Federal Holiday. At St. Ann, we will follow the “holiday schedule” and move the 6:30 a.m. Mass to 9:00 a.m. The 7:30 a.m. Mass at Sacred Heart will remain at the same time. Please remember: No 6:30 a.m. Mass at St. Ann on Monday, July 5. Mass at St. Ann will be at 9:00 a.m. Mass at Sacred Heart will be at the regular 7:30 a.m. time.
Sunday Mass Schedule should remain the same for a time
As Fr. Schmitz has moved on to a “hopefully” less physically demanding Sunday morning schedule, (and please remember that Fr. Schmitz has gone above and beyond the call of duty in retirement to serve our pastoral region) I have been assured by Archdiocesan Priests’ Personnel that on most Sundays between now and when our permanent “Sunday Help Replacement priest” arrives in late July or early August, that the Archdiocese will provide a one-time visitor priest during the interim weekends. Today for example, Fr. Endres who is a son of Sacred Heart parish will celebrate today’s three Sunday morning Masses at Sacred Heart. Until the permanent replacement priest for Sunday mornings arrives in the area, if there is no visitor, I will celebrate all five Masses. I have done it before when emergencies have arisen, and the permanent replacement will be here soon.
Again, I want to reiterate how grateful I am to Fr. Schmitz for accommodating our strenuous schedule during his first few retirement years. We never retire from being a priest. We only retire from the administrative duties of a pastor. Fr. Schmitz has absolutely earned the right (especially in these his early years of retirement, to request a less strenuous Sunday assignment.
Beacons of Light
The future planning process to determine the changes in parish organization structure of the entire Archdiocese of Cincinnati (to be implemented on or before 2025) continues to move forward. Please reference the Beacons of Light web page at: https://catholicaoc.org/beacons-of-light. Another option is to type “Beacons of Light” into your favorite search engine. It is expected that the beginnings of the discussions with the general parishioner population of the Archdiocese will begin this Fall.
I encourage everyone to check this website out now and frequently as the process moves forward; and pray for this important initiative.
Live Streaming a precept Mass from St. Ann and Sacred Heart each week
Even though the dispensation for the precept of Sunday Mass attendance has now been revoked, live streaming will continue for the sick, shut-ins, and others unable to come to Mass. 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:
We have all heard the proverb from Chaucer, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” In today’s gospel selection, Jesus enters his “hometown synagogue” and receives a similar welcome. Our credibility is always depleted a bit when we encounter people who have known us since we were children. They remember us as we were; and at time are blinded to who we are as adults. It is rarely a matter of vicious disapproval. The human tendency is however to use diminutive words to describe the now adult we once knew as a child.
This kind of prejudice is never productive, as it erodes enthusiasm. Why do professional athletes enjoy playing at home? I submit part of the answer to be that more people cheer for them when they are home. When you see a young person struggling, an encouraging word may be all he or she needs to find new confidence. I honestly feel that we would have more vocations to the priesthood and religious life if we encouraged young people. I don’t mean the “everybody gets a trophy” mindset! I mean genuine encouragement that may prompt a young person to examine options otherwise dismissed out of hand. When we pray asking Giod to seen us more vocations, I wonder if Jesus whispers back, “Why don’t you encourage the ones you have?”
Next Week: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ex 2:2-5
2 Cor 12:7-10
Mk 6:1-6a
Theme: You don’t need a lot of special equipment to be an Apostle.