Mother of Sorrows Parish

Lent comes to a close.
Sunday, we begin Holy Week.

TODAY, Friday, at 7:00 PM and tomorrow, Saturday, at 6:30 PM, in Mother of Sorrows School, members of the parish Youth Ministry will lead in prayer and reflection as they present the Living Stations of the Cross. On Saturday, there will be a meal in the Parish Social Hall preceding Stations of the Cross.
All are welcome.

Over 300 Catholic men and women were martyred during the 16th century by the British state, seized by “hunters” charged with capturing Catholic priests especially for ex*****on. In 1970, 40 martyrs were selected to represent the group and were canonized. The feast day of these Forty Martyrs of England and Wales is October 25. Today, March 22, the Church honors one of these faithful men specifically, St. Nicholas Owen.

St. Nicholas Owen is described in almost every article written about him as a “builder of priest holes.” Here’s his story:

St. Nicholas was born in the 16th century to the son of a carpenter, and he grew to be an accomplished carpenter himself. During the persecutions of Catholics for practicing their faith in England during the reign of Elizabeth I and James I, he built secret hiding places for priest, known as “priest holes.” For more than 40 years, he creatively served as architect and builder of these places so secure and impenetrable that the lives of hundreds of priests were saved. He is said to have created hiding places using sewage drains, fake chimney flues, and small rooms under floorboards.
After these works, St. Nicholas Owen became a lay brother in the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. He himself was captured by the government and refused to name his fellow Catholics, repeating only the name of Jesus and Mary. He suffered torture and death at the hands of his captors.

St. Nicholas Owen is the patron saint of illusionists and escapologists, and he is one of the patrons of the British Province of the Society of Jesus. Owen House is part of the Jesuit Novitiate of St. Alberto Hurtado in St. Paul, Minnesota. The name Owen House was chosen over the name of St. Ignatius House and St. Aloysius Gonzaga House.

St. Nicholas Owen, pray for us and for all those who suffer for their faith.

Thanks to Steve and the Taize choir for leading the congregation in music and song in this year's Lenten Taize Prayer Services. Such beautiful music. Such beautiful prayer.

One week ago, Thursday, March 14, 2024, Mother Mary Alphonsa (Rose Hawthorne), American-born Servant of God, was advanced to Venerable by the Congregation (Dicastery) for the Causes of Saints in Rome, taking one more important step toward sainthood.

Born Rose Hawthorne in 1851 in Lenox, Massachusetts, Mother Mary Alphonsa converted to Catholicism when she was 30 years old. After her husband died (it was not a happy marriage), she studied to be a nurse, which ignited in her a fire to help the sick and poor. Thus, she began her life-long charitable works working with the “cancerous poor.” She founded the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, and, as the congregation grew, established several homes across the country, one in a New York City suburb that would later bear her name to accomplish her goals.

The Hawthorne sisters, whose motherhouse is in Hawthorne, New Yorik, are still active in New York and Atlanta. They continue to serve terminally ill cancer patients without charge in skilled nursing homes. Their website, https://hawthorne-dominicans.org/index.html, contains additional information, including an advertisement for a new comic book on the life of Rose Hawthorne. They describe their work in these words: “To love Christ in the poor afflicted with Incurable Cancer.”

Every article about Sister Mary Alphonsa mentions that she is the daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne, which she is and, although interesting, is dwarfed by the works she did on her own to help men and women in need of care at the end of their lives.

Others advanced to the sainthood on this day include:
* Father Max Josef Metzger, a German priest killed by N***s
* Sister Mary Christophora Klomfass , a German nun and her 14 companions, Sisters of St. Catherine, murdered by Russian soldiers in 1945
* Archbishop Ivanios Givergis Thomas Panikervitis, a pioneer of ecumenism in India
* Ante Tomicic, Croatian Capuchin brother, who boldly professed his faith during Communist regime

Tonight.

“With boundless confidence in the Lord’s goodness, she abandoned herself to his ‘loving Providence,’ deeply convinced, as she liked to repeat, that one must ‘do everything for love of God and to please him.’”

These are the words of Pope John Paul II speaking about St. Benedetta Frassinello whose feast day the Church celebrates today, March 21.

St. Benedetta Frassinello was born in Genoa in the late 18th century in Italy. She married early to appease her parents and it is said that both she and her husband, Giovanni, agreed to live a celibate life, as brother and sister, devoting their lives to caring for Benedetta’s sick sister and to God. She joined the Ursuline congregation and he the Somaschi Fathers.

With a life changing event, St. Benedetta then began a life’s work of dedication to young Italian girls living in poverty, at risk for prostitution. With her husband, she established orphanages, schools, and workshops to educate young girls so that they could acquire life skills and Christian values. Subsequently, she founded the Benedictine Sisters of Providence.

St. Benedetta died in 1858 and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. In his homily, Pope John Paul II added “her example is that of supernatural maternity plus courage and fidelity in discerning and living God’s will.”

St. Benedetta is the patron of Benedictine Sisters of Providence and educators.

The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil, and closes with Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday.

The liturgical services that take place are:
Mass of the Lord's Supper (Holy Thursday)
The Celebration of the Lord's Passion (Good Friday)
Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord

At Mother of Sorrows Parish, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Thursday at 7PM) includes the washing of feet and the procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose. The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday at 1:30 PM includes the Veneration of the Cross. The Great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening (8:00 PM) includes the lighting of the Easter Fire, the Procession of Light, and the Blessing of Baptismal waters as we welcome new members into the Church. Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord is also held on Easter Sunday at 7:30, 9:30. And 11:30 AM.

What Sunday is to the week, the Triduum is to the year.

Next week, as we approach Good Friday, the Seven Last Words of Christ.

Congratulations to Deacon Dave Slusarick as he has been called by Bishop Kulick to Ordination!

Deacon David Slusarick of the Diocese of Greensburg and parishioner
of Saint Therese Little Flower of Jesus Parish will be ordained to the
order of the Presbyterate on June 1, 2024, at 10 AM in Blessed
Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, by The Most
Reverend Larry J. Kulick, JCL Bishop of Greensburg. Please keep
Deacon Dave in your prayers as he prepares for his ordination, along
with those discerning a vocation to the priesthood.

Vinny Esposito, a well-known, active, and much-loved Mother of Sorrows parishioner, needs a kidney.
Due to his age, he can only accept a kidney from a living donor and he has been placed on the UPMC Living Donor waiting list.

If you are 18 - 75 years old and are interested in becoming a living donor, you can give the gift of life. Please contact UPMC at UPMC.com/LivingDonorKidney, or call 412-647-GIFT (4438) and mention Vinny’s name. You may remain anonymous.
Pray for all those who are waiting for organ donations.

St. Francis of Assisi was a tough act to follow but today’s saint rose to the occasion. The Church celebrates the feast day of this 13th century Franciscan holy man today, March 20, Blessed John of Parma.
Blessed John entered the Franciscan Order and became a priest, leaving his first job as a philosophy professor at the age of 25. He continued his studies in France and after being ordained a priest he was sent to teach in Bologna, Naples, and Rome. Pope Innocent IV then appointed him as the seventh Minister General of the Franciscans, a position previously held by St. Francis of Assisi. He took this job seriously, traveling on foot to all the existing convents and working to restore discipline that had gone a little by the wayside. Some liked his attempts to clean things up, but some did not.

Blessed John was also instrumental in resolving a schism within the Church which, unfortunately, was not long lasting.

Blessed John was succeeded by St. Bonaventure as Minister General and finished his years at a hermitage in Greccio, the location of the first Christmas crèche created by St. Francis, spending his days in prayer.

He was beatified in 1777 by Pope Pius VI.

Today. March 19 is the first day of spring, the day of the vernal equinox. It begins officially at 11:06 PM EDT.

Parishioners are invited to a pilgrimage to the Diocesan Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, March 28 at 10:00 AM. During this Mass, Bishop Kulick blesses the holy oils that will be used throughout the year for the celebration of the sacraments.

The bus will leave MOS at 9:00 AM. We encourage all junior and senior high school teens to attend. We will have lunch immediately following Mass at Pasqualino's in Murrysville.

The cost is $15.00, cash or check, upon boarding the bus.

Many parishioners attended this morning's Mass in celebration of the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. A prayer, To You, O Blessed Joseph, was recited by all.

Bishop Kulick has dedicated the Diocese of Greensburg to the patronage of Saint Joseph for the next three years.

St. Joseph is one of the most important saints, though he does not have a single spoken line in scripture. What is said of him is this:

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God is with us.)
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus."
Matthew 1:18-25

Pope Francis declared 2021 “The Year of St. Joseph” in his Apostolic Letter Patris Cordis (With a Father’s Heart), commemorating the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church. That Apostolic Letter can be found here: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco-lettera-ap_20201208_patris-corde.html

Read the beautiful Litany of St. Joseph, here:https://www.usccb.org/resources/Litany%20of%20St.%20Joseph.pdf

And for a beautiful lullaby, a lullaby St. Joseph might have sung to his infant Son: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=joseph%27s%20lullabye%20videos&FORM=VIRE0&mid=228967376161223599BF228967376161223599BF&view=detail&ru=%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Djoseph%27s%20lullabye

St. Joseph, patron saint of the universal Church, pray for us.
St. Joseph, patron saint of a peaceful death, pray for us.
St. Joseph, patron saint of fathers, pray for us.
St. Jospeh, patron saint of workers, pray for us.
St. Joseph, patron saint of travelers and immigrants, pray for us.

This Friday at 7:00 PM and Saturday at 6:30 PM in Mother of Sorrows School, members of the parish Youth Ministry will lead in prayer and reflection as they present the Living Stations of the Cross. On Saturday, there will be a meal in the Parish Social Hall preceding Stations of the Cross.
All are welcome.

What Sunday is to the week, the Triduum is to the Church year.
As a parish family, we gather on these three days, the Triduum, to celebrate our faith in Jesus Christ and our communion with each other in the Church.
Mark your calendars for these three days.

Mother of Sorrows hosted a Court of Honor Ceremony Sunday, March 17, for Anthony Poole, a parishioner and member of Mother of Sorrows Youth Ministry, to celebrate his reception of the rank of Eagle Scout. Anthony cleaned, re-organized, and re-painted the AV Room in the Social Hall, and put together a brand new desk and chairs for the space. We are grateful for Anthony’s hard work and upstanding example in his troop, in youth ministry, and in our parish family.
Congratulations, Anthony!

Three Regional Penance Services remain. The next one is tomorrow, March 19, at 7PM at Mother of Sorrows Parish.

Last evening in High School Youth Ministry we spent the first hour of our time together in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in the church. Courtney and Jacob provided beautiful praise and worship music, and Father Jay gave us a reflection and Benediction to conclude our Holy Hour. Afterward, we reconvened downstairs for refreshments, a testimony from Courtney about growing in faith, and just for fun, a mystery game that got people moving.

We will not meet this Sunday, March 24, or next Sunday, March 31 due to Living Stations, Holy Week, and Easter Sunday, but please join us again on Sunday, April 7, Divine Mercy Sunday. As we continue our study of the sacraments, we'll welcome back Father Chris Beran to talk with us about the Sacrament of Confession and how and why we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.

His heart was in the right place. When famine hit his hometown, he sold some of the Church goods to help the poor and the hungry. Today, March 18, we honor this Doctor of the Church, St. Cyril of Jerusalem.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem was born in Jerusalem in 315 at a time when Christianity was legalized but full of theological controversies and power struggles. After ordained a priest, he was tapped to be in charge of the instruction of catechumens. He was well respected in this post and his letter of instructions still are present today.
Between this time and his next major contribution to the Church at the Second Ecumenical Council (the Council of Constantinople), there was a lot of drama in his life centering on rifts with Acacius. St. Cyril was exiled not once but twice, but ultimately was able to return to Jerusalem.

In 381, St. Cyril participated in the Second Ecumenical Council which condemned different forms of Arianism, the heretical proclamation denying the divinity of Christ. He also added statements about the Holy Spirit to the Nicene Creed.

St. Cyril died in 387 AD and was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883. His teachings, according to Pope Benedict XVI, “remain emblematic for the catechetical formation of Christians today.”

PRAYER
Father through Cyril of Jerusalem
You led Your Church to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of salvation.
Let his prayers help us to know Your Son better and to have eternal life.
Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You
In the unity of the Holy Spirit
God forever and ever.
Amen

Visuals to accompany today's Gospel: the Church of Saint Lazarus, and the tomb of Lazarus:

TODAY'S GOSPEL: John 11:1-45: The story of Lazarus, Jesus' friend:

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil
and dried his feet with her hair;
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
So the sisters sent word to him saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death,
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe.
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
“Let us also go to die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
When she had said this,
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her,
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.spel

This Sunday, March 17, the 5th Sunday of Lent, the cloth believed to be used by St. Veronica to wipe the face of Jesus as He carried His cross to Calvary is displayed in St. Peter Basilica during Vespers. At all other times, the cloth is placed in a reliquary above the main altar.

For a brief YouTube video a past year’s ceremony, click on this link
https://thecentralminnesotacatholic.org/fifth-sunday-of-lent-veneration-of-veronicas-veil

The feast day of St. Veronica is July 12.

St. Veronica, pray for us.

On today's feast day of St. Patrick, here is portion of the prayer attributed to him, sometimes referred to as the Breastplate Prayer of St. Patrick. Some believe that the prayer's author is anonymous. In any event, it is a beautiful prayer and usually recited in times when in need of protection.

The full version and the ancient and contemporary version can be found on this link,, and is worth the read..
https://traditionalcatholicprayers.com/2020/05/17/st-patricks-breastplate-prayer

St. Patrick, pray for us and protect all in need.

Donut Sunday and tons of smiles! The green sprinkles were a nice touch for St. Patrick's Day.