ST. JUDE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY    PAGE SEVEN   MARCH 12, 2000 

If you have not yet made your 2000 Pledge Commitment to our Sister Parish and helping those less fortunate, please prayerfully consider doing so now or whenever your financial picture changes.     We cannot ignore the needs of our poorest sisters and brothers.     Rather, we need to stand in most heartfelt and genuine support, with them.

"Together in Mission" truly does help our poorest parish communities, as we heard on "Announcement Sunday" when members of our Sister Parish reported to us at each Mass.     Every penny raised goes to help them meet their needs.

Calling down of the Holy Spirit", and then kneel for the "Words of Institution", and then stand again from "The Mystery of Faith" Proclamation till all have received Holy Communion, in this country with the permission of the Holy See we will continue for the time being kneeling till the "Our Father".  However, from the "Our Father" till all have received the Holy Communion, we will stand as the rubrics imposed by His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, direct in the 1976 Sacramentary.

The purpose behind this practice is to remind the Gathered Assembly that many though we are, we become one body in Christ and one with each other in Christ.     As one body, all doing the same thing, we stand together while singing together the Communion Hymn of praise unto the Lord.     Only after all have received, do we then sit together to spend some time in quiet meditation and prayer with the Eucharistic Lord within us.     

When one is privileged to attend Mass with His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, in his private chapel at the Vatican, one is overcome with the depth of love that radiates from His Holiness as he often spends up to 15 minutes in quiet, meditative prayer with His Eucharistic Lord, before he concludes his Mass.       Yet, we find so many rushing from the church the moment they receive Holy Communion, and forgetting about the presence of their Lord within them.    Still others push to finish Mass faster, while they too forget about the presence of Christ within them, so they can go about doing things that are wrongly considered "More Important Than Christ within Them." 

Today we begin standing from the "Our Father" till all have received Holy Communion.     Those who cannot stand for health reasons are allowed to sit as the rubrics in the Sacramentary direct.

Congratulations to our daughter parish, St. Maxilmillian Kolbe, as they prepare to dedicate their new church and facilities on Sunday, March 19^th.   

They are beginning their Dedication Celebration by joining with us, their mother parish, at the 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass on Saturday evening, March 18^th.     Their choir will sing.    Lectors and Usher-Greeters will be from both communities.     At the end of that Mass, Father Bill will present them with a gift of a Second Class Relic of St. Maximilian Kolbe.   [A First Class Relic is impossible since the Nazis cremated Maximilian Kolbe and the ashes lost after being killed.]

The next day, March 19^th, His Eminence, Cardinal Roger Michael Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, will solemnly dedicate their new church and facilities.     Attendance at that Mass is by "Ticket" only.

On Tuesday evening, March 21, Monsignor Peter O'Reilly will celebrate Mass for one and all at 7:30 p.m. in the new church.

Wednesday, March 22^nd, Monsignor Kevin Kostelnick, Rector of Our Lady of Angels Cathedral, will give a presentation regarding our new Archdiocesan Cathedral at 7:30 p.m. in our Parish Hall.     He will bring a model, some samples of materials being used, and some slides.     One and all are invited to attend.      There will be time for questions after the presentation.