Sacraments – Page 5 – The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel

Confirmed in the Spirit

This Wednesday (5/26), Bishop Caggiano will be coming to confirm 23 young men and women of our parish. It’s a lovely thing to have Confirmations so soon after celebrating Pentecost, the great feast on which the Church commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the world 50 days after Easter. As part of the liturgy of Pentecost, the Church gives usContinue reading “Confirmed in the Spirit”

Emmaus

We have come to the end of Easter Sunday. Yes, the Solemnity of Easter was a week ago, but we must remember that Easter is such a big deal that the Church gives us eight days to celebrate it properly. We call that eight-day period the “Easter Octave.” The second Sunday of Easter – Divine Mercy Sunday – is the final day inContinue reading “Emmaus”

From the Ruins

Last weekend, perhaps overshadowed by the media coverage given to Oprah Winfrey’s interview of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Pope Francis made a historic pilgrimage to Iraq, becoming the first pope to visit that country. The images from the visit are remarkable, especially the Holy Father’s visit of the city of Mosul. Mosul is the second-largest city in Iraq, and was theContinue reading “From the Ruins”

Thoughts on Ash Wednesday

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which is typically one of the busiest days of the year in every Catholic parish. This year was no different. We started with our normal 7:30am Mass, which reached maximum capacity (160) under the current COVID restriction, which was really nice. Just after the parish Mass, we had Mass for some of the students at the Catholic Academy of Stamford. Continue reading “Thoughts on Ash Wednesday”

Psalm 95

“Come, let us sing to the Lord, and shout with joy to the rock who saves us./ Let us approach Him with praise and thanksgiving and sing joyful songs to the Lord./ The Lord is God, the mighty God, the great king above all the gods./ He holds in His hands the depths of the earth and the highest mountains as well./ He madeContinue reading “Psalm 95”

Come, Holy Spirit

There was a priest with whom I used to meet for occasional spiritual direction, named Fr. Mike. During a conversation one day, Fr. Mike told me about a habit that he had developed over the years. Any time he encountered someone whom he sensed was in distress or sad or anxious, or if he passedContinue reading “Come, Holy Spirit”

Sacramentals

Statues, rosary beads, crucifixes, scapulars, holy cards, miraculous medals, candles, palms, ashes – these are part of the “furniture” of our lives as Catholics. Technically, we call these things “sacramentals.” Sacramentals are different than sacraments in a couple of ways. The sacraments were instituted by Christ Himself as the seven ordinary ways in which He shares His life – His sanctifying grace – with us. As one author puts it: “Sacraments bearContinue reading “Sacramentals”

First Communion

This Saturday, as we did last Saturday, we will celebrate Masses of First Communion in our parish. These Masses almost always happen at the beginning of May, but because of the shutdown we had to move them to September. In every parish, First Communion is one of the best days of the year, and I’m veryContinue reading “First Communion”

Holy Matrimony

posted 9/17/20 The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the most remarkable places in the world. The current church dates back to the 11th century, and is built on the ruins of one that dates back to the 4th century. Within this church are the sites of Our Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection. I remember the first time I wentContinue reading “Holy Matrimony”

Holy Orders

posted 9/15/20 What is a priest? A priest is one who offers sacrifices on behalf of a group as an act of worship to God. As long as human beings have roamed the earth, there have been priests. We see them in the most ancient days of the Old Testament. Adam was a priest, as were the PatriarchsContinue reading “Holy Orders”