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St. Andrew the Apostle Friday Flash | April 23rd, 2021

Friday Flash

April 23, 2021

WHAT TO EXPECT AS WE EMBARK ON OUR NEXT JOURNEY TOWARDS HOLINESS

As I mentioned in my last article, this phase of our journey towards holiness will specifically focus on “Mary and the Eucharist”, thereby providing us a great way to discover more about our Blessed Mother and her Divine Son given to us through the gift of Himself in the Most Holy Eucharist. It is my hope that as we dive deeper and deeper into our understanding of our mother Mary and the precious treasure of the Eucharist, we will fall ever more madly in love with them and never let go. The ultimate goal of falling in love with this loving mother and her precious son is to finally unite with them eternally in heaven. This matters to me as your pastor because as I have always said, my essential job as I see it, is to lead you all to heaven. As this is, no doubt, a daunting job, please, keep me in your prayers as we embark on this journey together and I will continue to do the same.

In our Monday Candid Video message last week, Margie Kessler, the facilitator of the Marian Missionaries of the Divine Mercy and I, invited you to sign up for the 33 Days to Morning Glory class which officially began that evening April 19, 2021. This class, based on a book by Michael Gaitley offers us an opportunity to go deeper into the appreciation of our mother and consequently also lead us into a closer relationship with her son. These classes will run on Monday evenings from 7.00pm and on Tuesday mornings. I am very excited to report to you that in response to our invitation, so far 23 members of our parish have already signed up for and are attending the Monday evening classes and 31 for the Tuesday morning sessions. However, there is still more room available in both classes. Please, I invite you to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about our Mother Mary. Sign up forms are available in the narthex or the parish office. Please, let us fall in love with our lord Jesus through the eyes of our mother Mary.

However, beginning April 25, 2021, we will commence adding to our Journey Towards Holiness campaign regular flock notes on Wednesdays and Sundays giving us simple but profound snippets of messages about our Mother Mary and the Eucharist. This will run through the feast of Corpus Christi. If you have not yet registered for the flock note, please do so on www.stndrw.cc/journey.

I also shared with you about the great treasure on the Eucharist which Bishop Olmsted has offered us through his Apostolic Exhortation: Veneremur Cernui. From now onwards, I will be sharing with you some paragraphs from this exhortation through my Friday Flash articles. This is a great resource that will help us appreciate better the Real Presence of our Lord in the Eucharist.

Here is the first sharing from bishop’s exhortation:

My beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

1. I wish to speak to you about the most important and central teaching of our faith. What I share is “not too high for you.” It is not theology that is only meant for theologians and priests.This concerns the most important reality of our lives – the saving presence of our Lord. This is not a teaching that can be dumbed down or over simplified. This is a truth that we need to be clear and certain about. Be bold, then! Take up and read, drink in the truth, discuss and share it with others and allow Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, to conform you further to Himself and fulfill the deepest longings of your heart.

2. From the time I was a little child, I knew Jesus was present in every Catholic Church. I could not have explained it, but I was certain He was there. The way my father genuflected before the Tabernacle, the quiet reverence of my mother, the way our pastor Father Daly sang the Tantum Ergo with such gusto and a thick Irish brogue, it was these actions and God’s grace, more than words, that imbedded in my heart a solid conviction about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. And because our farm family prayed together every evening, during thunderstorms or blizzards, whether we had a bumper crop or hardly anything at all from drought-stricken soil, no matter what, we knew that the Lord Jesus we received at Mass was with us, every day and night, and that whatever we faced, all would be well because of Him.

3. Of course, that faith in the Eucharist has been tested many times over the years. As a seminarian in Tours, France, for example, during two months of intensive French language study, some classmates learning of my practice of daily Mass accosted me, sneering with venom, “You really believe Jesus is present in that piece of bread?” Shocked by their hate-filled tone, I could say nothing for what seemed like eternity; but after probably less than a minute, I managed to stammer, “Yes… I do.” That shocking and embarrassing moment, to my surprise, led ever so gradually to new gratitude for the gift of the Eucharistic faith and a deeper conviction about daily Mass and Eucharistic adoration. It also taught me to expect my faith in our Eucharistic Savior to face scorn and contradiction. You can also access the exhortation in its entirety on our website: standrewchandler.com.

Finally, I want to invite you to join us for the Roe V Wade movie this Sunday at 11.30am hosted by our Respect Life and Knights of Columbus in the Social Hall. Lunch will be provided. Come and know the truth behind that epic supreme court ruling forty-eight years ago.

St. Andrew, I love you and may you have a blessed Easter Season and steady growth in your faith journey towards holiness.

- Fr. Robert

Weekly Letter | April 23 2021

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Roe V. Wade (PG-13)

THIS Sunday, April 25 | 11:30am

Hennessy Hall

Click HERE or the banner to view the trailer.

Kights of Columbus will be serving hot dogs, chips, and drinks.

Part-time Maintenance Helper / Janitor

Evenings and weekend hours
Submit resume to: hr@standrewchandler.com

Go to our website HERE for more information

Bereavement Support Meeting

Thursday, April 29 at 7pm

Room A

Public Masses are now offered with limited capacity and strict social distancing protocols

Monday - Saturday | 8:30am

Wednesday | 6:30pm

Saturday | 5:00pm

Sunday | 7:00am, 10:00am, 2:00pm

Daily Mass on Tuesday and Thursday, as well as Sunday Masses at 10:00am and 2:00pm are also streamed on Facebook

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Thank you for your Generosity!