A monthly letter from Fr Ousley with all the news about Saint John the Baptist

Transcription

1 St John the Baptist Monthly Newsletter The Philadelphia Ordinariate Post comes to you in November from St John the Baptist Catholic Church. View this in your browser A monthly letter from Fr Ousley with all the news about Saint John the Baptist November, 2016 Dear Parishioners and Friends, November is the month of Holy Souls. It begins with the Church Triumphant (the saints in heaven) on the Solemnity of All Saints. One of the great joys of the saints in heaven is to sing praises of God. It is a joy we share with them even now, as we sing hymns and join with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven to sing Holy, holy, holy,... at the beginning of the Eucharistic prayer. Such praise is practice for heaven and reminds us of their intercession for us, which they o er out of love. November 2nd, All Souls Day, is our chance as the Church Militant (the faithful on earth) to pray for the Church Expectant, the holy souls in purgatory. They have died in the faith, and, assured of heaven, are bring puri ed for any imperfection remaining at the 1 of 8 11/04/ :15 AM

2 hour of death. Of our charity, we support them in their willing puri cation by our prayers and the o ering of the Holy Sacri ce. Because they desire God s will above all, they desire to be puri ed, even if that is for the moment painful, because God wills them to be puri ed, and they want to please Him and be made t for Him. Our prayer for them unites us with them in love. So this month is the time when the unity of the Church, Triumphant, Expectant and Militant, is practiced by charity. Daily O ce A signi cant element of the Anglican Patrimony is the Daily O ce, Morning and Evening Prayer. Our current form in the Book of Divine Worship derives from the rst Book of Common Prayer in the English Reformation in the 16 th century. The Prayer Book O ce is centered on the Psalter, lessons from the Old and New Testament, and set prayers. It is objective prayer, whose content is de ned for us. In this, it contrasts with and balances our private prayer of quiet. Unlike the medieval Breviary, which was intended for the clergy, the Prayer Book O ce was appointed for the whole Church, laity as well as clergy. All parish clergy were obligated to pray the O ce publicly, inviting their people to join them. In addition to consolidating the eight o ces of the Breviary into two (Matins or Morning Prayer, and Evensong or Evening Prayer), systematic reading of the whole of the Bible was added to the regular recitation of the Psalms. The whole was put into English from the Latin. The result is a form of daily prayer that is still wonderfully e ective for Christians. It forms our 2 of 8 11/04/ :15 AM

3 hearts and minds in the faith, since its content is wholly orthodox and wisely chosen. The Psalter, read through once a month if you say both Morning and Evening Prayer, takes us through the whole range of what it is to be human before God. This both expands our experience of being Christian, and helps us to articulate and understand our relation with God. The Scripture lessons immerse us in the Word of God. While the lessons are somewhat shorter now, they still take us through most of the Bible every year. The set prayers, being nely crafted and sound, help to form our hearts for our spontaneous prayer and quiet, and set us on the right path each day. The Daily O ce not only teaches us how to pray, it allows us to pray; it is prayer. We know that we ought to pray, but we may not think we know how. The O ce is one way we both learn and do. It is something everyone can do who can read, or hear someone else read. Another bene t is that the Daily O ce can be a tremendous support in times of trial and adversity. There are times when, due to sickness or stress or trials, it is especially hard for us to be quiet with God. Then the set prayers of the O ce can get us through. While the O ce was (and is) intended for public prayer, you can also do it on your own, individually or with your family. The Book of Divine Worship is out of print, and the new Ordinariate book is not yet out (it is expected soon). So the easiest thing is to use the 1928 Prayer Book with the lessons which we put the week s lessons in the Sunday lea et. If you are new to the O ce and would like a little practical how-to, just ask. 3 of 8 11/04/ :15 AM

4 Celebration of Parish Establishment The big event this month is the visit of our Bishop, the Most Reverend Steven J. Lopes, on Friday, November 18 th. At a Solemn Ponti cal Mass at 7 p.m., he will establish St John the Baptist as a canonical parish in the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter (you ll be excited to hear him read the actual Decree!) and institute me as Pastor of the parish (to do what I have already been doing). This is something that only happens once in the life of a parish, and I know you won t want to miss it. I m expecting clergy and laity from nearby Ordinariate parishes, as well as local Latin Rite friends. It promises to be a splendid occasion. Planning is well along for the service itself, and also for the reception after the Mass. Leslie Altena and Bell Anderson have graciously agreed to head up the e ort. Please o er them your help. They can tell you what is needed in the way of food, setting up, clean up, etc. Last I heard, cleanup help was especially needed. And of course, mark your calendars, and help spread the word. Invite your friends, and others whom you think might have some interest in St John s or in the Ordinariate. The Mass will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 18 th. Events Of course Bishop Lopes s visit on November 18 th, is the main event this month. In preparation for the Bishop s visit, the November church and parish hall cleaning day will be Saturday, November 12 th, beginning after the 9 a.m. Mass. The more people who come to help, the quicker the work is done. Remember that we do not have paid sta to do this: it 4 of 8 11/04/ :15 AM

5 is our privilege to lovingly care for our buildings with our own hands. Come and help. Our national Thanksgiving is on the 24 th. Mass will be at 9. It is always nice to begin the holiday with the Great Thanksgiving of the Mass, before going on to football or family or feasting or all three. On the rst Sunday, we begin our monthly laying on of hands for healing after Mass. I would remind you that if you are not coming to receive this ministration, be especially vigilant about greeting visitors: I will not be able to, so please make sure all are welcomed and invited to co ee. During the Sunday co ee hour this month, here s what s scheduled: November 6 th : Pastoral Council meeting November 13 th : acolyte practice for the Bishop s visit on the 18 th November 20 th : a general parish meeting for a brie ng on the parish nancial situation, including the report from the end of the last scal year (June 30, 2016), and the budget for the current scal year November 27 th : Aid for Friends breakfast bags Beginning in Advent (December 2 nd ) the Friday Mass will move from 8 a.m. to noon. The 8 a.m. hour has not shown itself to be particularly convenient for people, and there is an 8 o clock Mass every day at Sacred Heart. So we ll see if noon works better for people. I expect we will at some point try a lunch hour speacial with Mass, a quick lunch and a brief teaching, available for people on their lunch hour. Through the continued generosity of the Jacob Ruth 5 of 8 11/04/ :15 AM

6 Funeral Home in Chestnut Hill (even though we have moved to Bridgeport!), ordo calendars for 2017 will be available by the end of the month. These follow the Ordinariate calendar, which di ers in some respects from the Latin Rite. I am grateful to John Covert, an Ordinariate member from Massachusetts, who has undertaken the project largely as a labor of love. Property update The work on the underground storage tanks has again been delayed due to some issues with a subcontractor. I am grateful that we have received a substantial grant from the Bridgeport Knights of Columbus to help underwrite this necessary work. Work on the new parish o ces in the school building is progressing. The walls are nished, and we have begun to move in. This will not only give us some space to work, but will allow us to organize the parish records and les, which have been boxed since the move last winter. We ll o er tours once we get moved in. We are also exploring an issue with one of the walls of the church tower, which may or may not suggest a structural problem. Structural engineers are investigating, as well as our own Bill Wheatley. We will need to get a clear idea of what is going on before we can sign o on the purchase. We have had an initial session with Sacred Heart to nalize the terms of the sale of the property, which we hope to complete by the end of the year. Name Change I am pleased to report that the name of the parish has now been legally changed from the Church of St Michael the Archangel to St John the Baptist Catholic 6 of 8 11/04/ :15 AM

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