Next Sunday: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Celebrant : Fr. Tharp
CMA: Catholic Ministries Appeal 2023
Today is commitment weekend for CMA. Your generosity gives the Church “strength in
charity” it could otherwise never achieve. If you donated to the CMA last year, you
should have already received a personal CMA mailing and pledge card. If you wish to
put a stamp on the envelope and return it by mail, that is fine. If you prefer, you may also
place it in the collection basket at church this weekend; or weeks to follow. We have
plenty of blank cards if yours was lost in the mail.
Please remember that although generosity is important, and the amount of the donation
moves us closer to our parish target, the percentage of parishioners participating by
making even a small donation is equally beneficial in assuring the Archdiocese that we at
Saint Ann have been and continue to be “team players” and all parishioners try to do their
best. Please know that the Archbishop, the Archdiocese, and I (as pastor) genuinely
appreciate your continuing generosity.
Disciple Maker Index
I am imploring each family in St. Ann and each family in Sacred Heart to complete the
10-15 minute survey. The survey will only be available from January 21- February
27 and will ask you to reflect on your own spiritual growth and enable you to provide
feedback on what our parish is doing (or not doing) to help you grow spiritually. The
survey is available online and in paper format. All responses will be confidential and the
parish will only receive information about the community as whole. The “internet link” to
the survey is https://portal.catholicleaders.org/d/y8c99y. You can type this into your
browser, scan the QR Code, or use one the paper copies available at the church doors.
The survey results will be invaluable to me as pastor and to every parishioner committee
member working on this project as we seek ways to best support each parishioner in their
discipleship journey. Additional details are elsewhere in this bulletin.
Director of Evangelization for the St. Ann/Sacred Heart Family
A search committee of nine (two are St. Ann staff, two others are St. Ann parishioners,
two are Sacred Heart parishioners, two are Sacred Heart staff, and one is staff to both
parishes) are joining me in conducting interviews of the top four of the seven applicants.
This is only the first step of the interview process.
The recommended Beacons of Light organizational structure requires a Family of
Parishes to have a Director of Evangelization, a Director of Worship, and a Director of
Administration. The structure I envision will also include a Director of Real Estate and
Physical Assets. (This is due to the reality that our Family needs both churches to
accommodate our Sunday attendance, and both schools to accommodate our existing and
anticipated students.) Together with the two principals, all four directors will serve as
an extension of the pastor in their specific areas of expertise. “Beacons” foresees an
environment not simply focused on maintaining what is, but directed to outreach,
evangelization, and growth.
The symmetry of all this organizational structure is not based on the clerical model I, and
most priests of my age, have grown up with! Rather it operates on a model of assumed
delegation, so that the younger priest who replaces me when I retire will feel comfortable
assuming the role of pastor in an organizational model normative throughout the
Archdiocese. In other words, my oversight in this process is to establish a manner of
operation designed not for me personally, but for my successors in the long term future.
The reality is that priests my age (70 plus) have functional and canonical “expiration
dates.” Beacons is creative structuring for where we are going; not for where we have
been.
Review of Mass Schedules
There are “five Phases” of the implementation of Beacons of Light. Family C-4
(comprised of Sacred Heart and St. Ann) has been designated a “one priest/pastor
region.” This means that there is no assisting priest envisioned. In the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati no one priest is canonically permitted to celebrate more than three Masses on
any one day. At present we have two Sunday morning precept Masses at St. Ann and
three Sunday morning precept Masses at Sacred Heart. Five Masses may not be
celebrated by any one priest. Also every precept Mass at any parish must adhere to
“space utilization requirements.” We have a declining Sunday attendance based on St.
Ann and Sacred Heart’s October Count numbers. At least three of the five existing
Sunday Masses are not well enough attended to meet these utilization requirements.
After we have the data from the survey currently taking place, we will empanel an ad hoc
utilization committee representing St. Ann and Sacred Heart in order to study, discuss,
and reconcile our Sunday numbers with Archdiocesan utilization requirements. In the
meantime, please remind parishioners that their presence each week at either St. Ann or
Sacred Heart will result in a tremendous impact on the recommendations that the ad hoc
committee will be required to bring to the Archdiocese.
Catholic History Podcast
Dr. Kevin Schmiesing, co-host of the Sunrise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio has
asked us to inform you of his new podcast.
Interested in learning more about our Catholic heritage? The Catholic History Trek
podcast covers a wide range of topics: the history of Catholic schools, foods, and prayers;
religious orders such as the Franciscans and Norbertines; the Mass and liturgical music;
the origins of Catholicism in each of the fifty states; and much more. It is co-hosted by
Scott Schulze and Kevin Schmiesing and available on all popular podcast platforms such
as Spotify, Google, and Apple, with some video episodes also available on YouTube.
Eucharistic Display created by Blessed Carlo Acutis
The Women of Faith group is sponsoring Eucharistic Miracle posters created by Blessed
Carlo Acutis, who died of Leukemia at age 15, but had created a website displaying these
accumulated Eucharistic miracles from throughout the world. There is little doubt that
when canonized, he will almost certainly become the patron of the internet and social
media. Remember that the three stages or “cause of sainthood” to having one’s name
placed on the “list” or “canon” of Saints in Rome starts with the title “Venerable, “
moves to the title “Blessed, ” and then after miraculous interventions is verified by the
Holy See, the pope may name the person to the “list” or “canon” of titled “Saint.”
To encourage especially the young to take note of these posters, the Women together
have created a raffle for those who take note of each poster throughout the next year.
Re-introduction of Precious Blood at Communion
I may have been too quick to announce that we have distributors lined up for two cups at
“all three Sunday morning Masses at Sacred Heart.” So far we have not been able to
schedule cups for the 8:00 a.m. We will keep trying.
For the time being we only have distributors for the cup at the 11:00 a.m. Mass at St.
Ann. Again, we can only do this to the degree we have enough Eucharistic ministers
willing to do cups at the various precept Masses.
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
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:
Today’s gospel calls us all to practice an evangelistic way of life. Jesus is the Good
News. Jesus is the truth. The sanctifying grace we receive when we experience the
sacraments, especially the Eucharist, transforms us individually, allowing us to become
not just “receivers” but “transmitters.” Jesus uses the analogies of the “salt of the earth”
or the “light on the hill.” Like a mirror, we receive the life giving message and graces
from Christ, and (like a mirror) we also reflect the light back and become an evangelical
beacon as we redirect the light into the darkness. This is how a spotlight works. The
light from the electric arc bounces back and forth inside a cavity of mirrors where it is
redirected into a beam of intense light shining miles into the sky. If Christ comes to us
through the Eucharist, we can then become beacons of the message of Christ to all the
world.
NEXT WEEK Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sir 15:15-20
1 Cor 2:6-10
Mt 5:17-37
Theme: Obedience reveals a change of heart