In the past few months, members of our linked parishes of St. Cecilia and Our Lady of Peace have been meeting with me to assist me in addressing the daily and weekend Mass schedule. We have already addressed the daily Mass schedule and now it is in place and working well. Currently, our daily Mass is scheduled for 8:00 AM and Funerals at 10:00 AM.

Since the linkage of these two parishes which took place last July, where one pastor would be shared with two active parishes, to say that it has been a tremendous challenge for me and for you, is an understatement! I soon became aware that a new vision and a new way of looking at how to do effective parish ministry with two distinct communities both in size and in culture, had to be realized.

A new vision, to me, is to “think outside the box,” that is to creatively meet the needs in a new way, while using all the resources available to us. It means that we need to look at needs and demands that a community has and what one priest can realistically do, week in and week out, “without burning him out” of ministry.

A new vision means to do what’s best for most and not just please a few. A new vision looks at the facts at hand in our own local community and in the larger community of the entire Church of Syracuse – the Diocese – and ask the question: where is she heading, before making any final decisions.

A new vision means change when change is needed in order to bring about a greater good. As you and I know: nobody likes change! Once someone said to me that “only wet babies like change.” Change, at times, brings division and arouses angry and disappointed feelings, and in some instances, it even drives people elsewhere. I pray that the changes that I am submitting today and in the future will not trigger any of these things, because I can honestly say to you that these changes were not made hastily or without considerable reflection, consultation and much prayer.

What are some facts we cannot ignore that went into making changes where two parishes share one pastor?

1. Currently we do not have the assistance of a priest or a deacon on a regular daily and weekly basis. I am grateful to Frs. Linus and Donovan who have graciously helped when they are asked and when they are available. Also, I am grateful to Dc. Tony who helps out weekly for a Communion Service at St. Cecilia’s and, when his schedule permits, to do a Wake Service or offer his gift of preaching on a weekend.

At Our Lady of Peace, I have not yet been able to get a schedule from Dc. Frank to make a commitment since the change of pastors and their losing of a deacon.

2. Financially we cannot afford a priest or religious, even after the Diocese has offered to make a foreign priest available to us.

3. As a result, changes are being made based on what we have available and not on what we had or wished we had. Healthy decisions are made on facts and the reality of the situation in a particular parish. In other words, “It is what it is.”

Some of you here had to make decisions like putting your spouse or your parent in a nursing home, or had to sell their home and belongings, and this I am sure, nearly killed you to do it. Others had to downsize and go and live in a smaller home or an apartment or an assisted living facility because it was not feasible to stay in your home, even though you had lived there for dozens and dozens of years! Decisions were made because they had to be made whether we like them or not! We are making decisions in these two parish communities based on facts. One sobering fact that the Diocese recently released is the number of active priests now as well as in the years to come.

Currently we have 132 parishes served by 122 priests. By 2020, only eight years from now, we will have only 80 priests serving in the diocese. This is only an estimate and could be fewer priests–due to priests suddenly getting sick, dying or leaving the active ministry. How many more parishes can a priest serve effectively at once? So, my decisions are proactive. I am looking at what’s ahead of us! The more decisions we can make now and begin to live with them, fewer we will be forced to make in 5 or 10 years from now.

The final decisions were ultimately made by me with the support of the committee. There are specific reasons as to why the final schedule ended up this way. Is perfect? No! Is everyone going to like it? NO! But it makes good sense.

For example, on Saturday, we will keep two Vigil Masses. One in each parish but the time will change for both parishes because of the following reasons.

At St. Cecilia, I have numerous funerals, all the weddings coming up and most of the baptisms are scheduled here, and most of the time weddings run late, and I am finding myself running late for Confessions and the 4 o’clock Mass at Our Lady of Peace. A number of times, people were left waiting outside the confessional for 20 minutes. This is not an acceptable pastoral practice for me. It bothers me tremendously. Then, after celebrating Mass I rush down to St. Cecilia and arriving there most of the time 5 to 7 minutes before Mass and, of course, no time for Confessions.

The other important reason for me to change the times for the Vigil is that Our Lady of Peace has always been very active with Saturday night dinners and currently they have to wait until Mass is over before serving. Based on these facts and the fact that I want to be able to utilize the Rectory at Our Lady of Peace more regularly, I have decided that the Saturday Vigil will be as follows:

4:00 PM – St. Cecilia
6:00 PM – Our Lady of Peace

Thus, I will be able to attend the dinner and remain for the night at the rectory until Sunday morning.

The Sunday morning schedule will also change to accommodate the activities of Religious Education classes, parent and teachers meetings, baptisms and anointings for those who are sick or facing surgery, and coffee hours.

Currently, with the three Masses on Sunday, there is little or no time for anything else and most of the time I am running late for the 9 AM and 11 o’clock Masses because I am conducting important parish ministry that I do not get the chance to do during the week. It can very easily survive with two Masses, one in each place! Therefore, the new Sunday schedule is as follows:

8:30 AM – Our Lady of Peace
10:30 AM – St. Cecilia

These changes will take place on the first weekend in June, on the
Solemnity of the Holy Trinity ~ June 2 – 3

Conclusion
I would like to close by thanking you for your prayers and support and I ask you to dwell on what we have in these two parishes and not what we would like to have or wish we could have.

What you have and should be grateful for are the following:
1. You have a committed and spiritual priest who wants to see both parishes grow and thrive. I am committed to two parishes and NOT just one!

2. You have active dedicated people in both parishes. New families and individuals are joining every month in both parishes.

3. You each have your own church building and rectory that are in good shape and will be used for parish ministry to meet current and future parish needs.

Thank you for your attention and prayerful support!
May God and Our Lady continue to bless us all!

Saturday Vigil Masses
4:00 PM – St. Cecilia
6:00 PM – Our Lady of Peace

Sunday Masses
8:30 AM – Our Lady of Peace
10:30 AM – St. Cecilia

Read the full text of Father Guida’s presentation regarding the Mass changes

May they always remember God’s love through the Eucharist.

Author: Catalina Rivas

Conclusion

The following is taken from the writings of the Bolivian mystic Catalina Rivas. The visions described below are the product of divinely inspired mystical experiences. Through these moving images, God seeks to underscore the importance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and tell the whole truth about what transpires during every Holy Mass.

On returning to my seat, I knelt down, and the Lord said to me: “Listen!” A moment later, I heard the prayers of the woman seated in front of me. She had just received Communion… Jesus said in a sad voice: “Did you hear her prayer? Not once did she tell Me she loved Me. Not once did she thank Me for the gift of bringing My Divinity down to level of her poor humanity, that I might then raise her up to Myself. Not once did she say, ‘Thank You, Lord.’ It was merely a litany of requests. So it is with almost all those who receive Me. I died out of love for you, then rose again. Out of love I wait for each of you. Out of love I remain with you. But you do not realize that I too need your love. Remember that in this sublime hour of the soul I am the Beggar of Love.”

When the celebrant was about to impart the Blessing, the Holy Virgin said: “Be attentive, take care. Instead of the Sign of the Cross, you make any old sign. Remember that this blessing might be the last one you will ever receive at hands of a priest. You do not know, upon leaving this place, if you will die or not… Those consecrated hands are blessing you in the Name of the Blessed Trinity. Therefore, make the Sign of the Cross with respect, as though it were the last you make in your life.”

At the end of Mass, Jesus asked me to stay with Him a while longer. He said: “Do not be in such a hurry to leave. Stay a while in My company. Take delight in it and give Me an occasion to take delight in yours.” Then I asked Him, “Lord, tell me truly, how long do You stay with us after Communion?” The Lord replied: “For as long as you wish. If you speak to Me throughout the day, exchanging words with Me during your daily chores, I will listen to you. I am always with you. It is you who leave Me. You leave the Mass and the day of obligation is behind you. You have observed the Lord’s Day and now it is over… I read the deepest secrets of your hearts and minds. But I enjoy your telling Me about your life, your allowing Me to be a member of your family, being your closest friend. If you only knew how many graces you lose by not giving Me a place in your life!”

Jesus said to me: “You should exceed the angels and archangels in virtue, because, unlike you, they do not have the joy of receiving Me as nourishment. They drink a drop from the Spring, but you, who have the grace of receiving Me, have an entire Ocean to drink from.”

The Lord also spoke to me with pain in His heart about those who meet Him out of habit, who have lost their sense of awe at each encounter with Him. Routine makes many people lukewarm so that they have nothing new to tell Him when they receive Him. He also told me that there are many consecrated souls who have lost their enthusiasm over loving the Lord. They have turned their vocation into a job, a profession to which nothing is given beyond the minimum demanded of them.

Then the Lord spoke to me about the fruits that ought to come from frequent reception of Communion. There are people who receive the Lord daily, but whose lives do not change. They spend many hours at prayer, doing many works, yet they do not continue to grow in love. A life that does not mature cannot bear true fruits for the Lord. The merits received in the Eucharist should yield fruits of conversion in us. They should bear fruits of charity toward our brothers and sisters.

May 17 – 19

We are hoping the new dates will increase the number of families being included in the new directory. Parishioners who signed up will have their sitting time transferred to the new dates.

There is NO cost. You will receive a free directory and need not make any purchase to have your photo appear in the directory. You will find the sign up sheets at all entrances before and after Mass. You may also call the Parish Office at 487-6832 for a convenient time.

Author: Catalina Rivas

Part 4

The following is taken from the writings of the Bolivian mystic Catalina Rivas. The visions described below are the product of divinely inspired mystical experiences. Through these moving images, God seeks to underscore the importance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and tell the whole truth about what transpires during every Holy Mass.

The moment of the Consecration – that most marvelous of Miracles – drew near. Another great multitude appeared in a diagonal line behind the Bishop, this time to his right. They were similarly clad, but in various shades of pastel: rose, green, light-blue, lilac, and yellow. Their faces were blissful and shone radiantly. All seemed to be of the same age. Somehow you knew they were of different ages, but their faces looked the same – without wrinkle and joyous. They too knelt down at the intoning of the Sanctus, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord…” Our Lady said: “These are the Saints and the Blessed of Heaven. Among them you will find the souls of your relatives who already enjoy the Beatific Vision.” Then I saw Her, at the Archbishop’s right elbow, one step behind him. She hovered over the floor, kneeling on an exquisite piece of fabric, clear and bright, like pellucid water. Hands joined, she looked attentively and respectfully at the celebrant. From that position, she murmured directly into my heart, without looking at me: “It surprises you to see Me standing behind the Archbishop, does it not? This is as it should be. For all the love that My Son bestows upon Me, He has not accorded Me the honor of confecting the daily Miracle with My hands as priestly hands do. Because of this, I feel a deep respect for priests and for the miracle that God accomplishes through them. This compels Me to kneel behind them.”

Before the Altar, shadows of people appeared, all in gray, their hands raised. The Holy Virgin said to me: “These are the blessed souls of Purgatory, who await your prayers in order to be refreshed. Never cease to pray for them. They pray for you, but they cannot pray for themselves. You must pray for them, in order to help them leave Purgatory, that they may be with God and enjoy Him for eternity.” Mary added: “Now you have seen it; I am here all the time. People go on pilgrimages to the sites of my apparitions. That is good, because they will receive many graces there. But at none of my apparitions, at no other site, am I more present than at the Altar during Holy Mass. You will always find Me at the foot of the Altar, where the Eucharist is celebrated. I remain at the foot of the Tabernacle, with the angels, because I am always with Him.”

To see Our Blessed Mother’s beautiful face at the intoning of the Sanctus, to see all those others present, faces radiant, hands joined, eagerly awaiting the Miracle that is ever made present – to see this was to be in Heaven itself. “And to think there are those who can be distracted in conversation at such a moment. It hurts me to say that many remain standing, arms crossed, paying homage to the Lord as if they were His equal. Tell men especially that they are never more manly than when they bend their knee to God.”

The celebrant pronounced the words of the Consecration. Though he was a man of average height, he began suddenly to grow in stature. A supernatural golden-white light seemed to suffuse him. It proceeded to envelop him completely, growing especially bright around the face. Because of this, I could not make out his features. As he raised the Host, I saw his hands. The back of them showed marks from which great beams of light emanated. It was Jesus! It was He, wrapping His Body around the celebrant. It was as if He were lovingly surrounding the hands of the Archbishop. The Host began growing to enormous size. Upon it, the marvelous face of Jesus appeared. He looked down upon His people. Instinctively, I bowed my head, but Our Lady said: “Do not look down. Look up; view and contemplate Him. Exchange your gaze with His and repeat the Fatima prayer: ‘Lord, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, who do not adore, or trust, or love You.’ Now tell Him how much you love Him. Pay homage to the King of Kings.”

It seemed to me that I was the only one looking at Him as He gazed down from that enormous Host. But then I understood that this was how He gazes at every person. He loves all with a boundless love. Then I bowed my head to the very floor, as did all the Angels and Heavenly Saints. As the celebrant lowered the Host, it returned to its normal size. Tears ran down my cheeks. I could not recover from my astonishment. As the Bishop repeated the words of the Consecration of the wine, lightning appeared from the heavens… The church walls and ceiling had vanished. All was dark but for that brilliant light from the Altar.

(To be Continued)

Read the complete article (PDF format)

 Food Pantry Needs

Our Lady of Peace Food Pantry welcomes your donations. At this time we are in particular need of the following:

• Tuna
• canned tomatoes
• peas
• carrots
• baked beans
• soup (no chicken noodle, please)
• canned meats (hash, Spam, etc.)
• elbow macaroni
• pancake syrup

Donations can be left at any church entrance.

New Registrants: Any new registrant who was not baptized at Our Lady of Peace is required to provide a copy of their Baptism Certificate.

Any parishioner who has a student who has not attended Faith Formation and needs to receive the sacrament of First Penance and/or First Eucharist, or needs to begin the two year Confirmation Preparation Program, please contact Mrs. Lucio in the Parish Office by June 1.

Rehearsals will be held Monday evenings only thereafter.