The Seed
Beacons of Light Update
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 3/10/22
Now that we know the final Family of Parishes and the priests assigned to the family, many of us want to know: what now? What’s next? Does anything have to change? I want to address this because it is important to be upfront and honest with my parishioners.
Even ... Read More »
And We're Off!
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 3/02/22
Growing up, I must admit: Lent was not my favorite. I always gave up sweets, but it was a real struggle for me. I became a master of “justification” - by about week two or three of Lent, I’d be whipping up a loaf of pumpkin or banana bread, ... Read More »
Lent is nearly here!
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 2/23/22
Lent is nearly upon us! This is the time of year for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time of penance and sacrifice. It is a time of conversion. But, most of all it is a time of joyful preparation and awaiting the celebration of the saving act ... Read More »
The Way We Celebrate Mass
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 2/17/22
Since Father Hess and I have been here you may have noticed some adjustments in the way the mass is celebrated. For the priest’s part, you may have noticed a more solemn or subdued demeanor, especially during the canon of the mass (the canon is the prayers that the ... Read More »
Good Stuff!
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 2/09/22
I am grateful for so much good going on in the cluster. On February 2nd, we had a beautiful, (mostly) candlelit Mass for the Feast of the Presentation. Of course, the weather made things a little uncertain, but it held off and I was pleased that we had such ... Read More »
The Depth of Our Tradition
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 2/04/22
The Italians have a rather cryptic proverb: “Traduttore, traditore” – which in English means: “Translator, traitor”. What our Mediterranean brethren mean by this proverb is: when translating, something of the original meaning is always lost. The translator always bears a certain amount of “guilt” for “betraying” the original and ... Read More »
The Devout Life
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 1/24/22
I wrote this week’s article on the feast of St. Francis de Sales (January 24th), who is one of my all-time favorite saints. I’m not sure when he and I became acquainted, but I have been drawn to his spirituality and approach to Christian holiness for some time now. ... Read More »
Behold, this is my Beloved Son: Listen to Him
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 1/11/22
Sunday we celebrated the end of the Christmas Season, concluding this year with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This feast is an important one, but unlike Christmas or Epiphany, its importance is perhaps not as evident as the other feasts of this season...
Of course, ... Read More »
Rorate Caeli
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 12/03/21
The Rorate Caeli Mass gets its name from the antiphon recited or chanted at the beginning of Mass: "Rorate Caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justum" - "Drop down dew, ye Heavens from above, and let the clouds rain down the just."
The Mass is offered in honor of the ... Read More »
The Coming of Christ
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 12/03/21
While many of us know how to prepare for Christmas during Advent, I think preparing for Christ’s Second Coming is not always as present to our minds, but this is no less important during these four weeks; in fact, the preparation we make for Christ’s Second Coming are in ... Read More »