IN THIS ISSUE
MAY/JUNE 2021
BLESSED SACRAMENT
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Month, We Reflect on 2 This Mothers and Stewardship 3 Pentecost: The Call to Faithful Stewardship 4
Catholic Daughters of the Americas: Uniting Faithful Women Through Fellowship and Service
he May Crowning 6T Celebrating Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth xtraordinary Ministers 7E of Holy Communion
THE ROSARY
A Prayer that Leads Us to Christ Through His Mother
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he Rosary is a powerful way of praying for many people. While for some it can seem repetitious and dull, it gives us an opportunity to be formed by meditation on the mysteries of Christ’s life. The twenty Mysteries of the Rosary take us in prayerful reflection from the Annunciation through Jesus’ Ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They also invite us to reflect on Mary’s part in Christ’s life, not only as His Mother but also as a disciple who received the crown of her discipleship in eternal life. In Mary’s appearance to the three shepherd children at Fatima in 1917, she asked that the Rosary be prayed daily for peace. In her appearance to Bernadette at Lourdes, she was seen with a Rosary over her right arm. The months of May and October are especially dedicated to Mary, and October is called the Month of the Rosary. Delores Yosten, who organizes the praying of the Rosary before the weekend Masses in October says, “The Rosary is a very important prayer that is best prayed as a family, even though it is sometimes hard to find time to pray the Rosary alone, let continued on page 5
BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH
Mothers and Stewardship THIS MONTH, WE REFLECT ON
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e celebrate the month of Mary during May, and during this month, we also celebrate Mother’s Day. It seems fitting that we honor our mothers during May, since Mary is given to us by God as the example of true Christian motherhood. Those who are called to be mothers have been blessed by God and called to fulfill a very important responsibility. Mothers are the vehicle through which God brings new life into this world. When we talk about Christian stewardship, we talk about sacrificially returning to God what we have been given. What can more clearly be a demonstration of complete sacrifice than the relationship between mother and child during the nine months of growth in the womb? During these nine months, the child’s life depends on the actions of the mother as her energy and nourishment goes directly to the growing baby. Although this relationship may change to some extent after the child is born, a mother’s sacrifice for her child is far from over after the birth. The role of the mother is critical in the child’s development —
both spiritually and physically — throughout life. Mothers provide the comfort, nurture and support necessary for their children to become productive citizens and responsible Christians. The job of a mother is not an easy one. This is a fact that Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew very well. She worried when her young Son appeared to be lost, only to find Him later in His Father’s house. She was probably concerned as Jesus began His public ministry — not knowing what difficulties and rejections He would encounter along the way. And Mary must have experienced great anguish as she watched her Son’s body being crucified . May all mothers look to Mary as their model for motherhood and ask her intercession as they strive to fulfill their God-given role in their children’s lives. During the month of May, let us all take some time to express our appreciation to our mothers for allowing us to come into this world, for loving us, and for serving as an example of what it means to be a steward for life.
MAY/JUNE 2021 A Letter From Our Pastor
PENTECOST: The Call to Faithful Stewardship Dear Parishioners,
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s we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost on May 23, a significant event in the life of the Church, I think of the outpouring of the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the first disciples. And I think of how that formed them into disciples who were not only ready and willing to share the gift of faith in Christ Jesus but felt impelled/compelled to do so. In our parish we have come to know that the work of the Spirit in our lives, both personally and communally calls, even impels, us to become active disciples of Jesus, sharing our gifts so that others may come to know Christ and may live with dignity. We are called to live lives of stewardship, not owning our gifts, but knowing they have been given to us to be used for the good of others and the glory of God. Sometimes the Spirit of God acting within us, calls us to use words to preach and teach, and other times it is by our actions that we make God and God’s work manifest. We saw an example of the latter in our own parish at the Washing of the Feet this past Holy Thursday. Someone who had not been asked to have his/her feet washed got into line. The person next to him/her, who had been asked, noticed that there was only one towel left and simply sat down. Those who saw the incident saw faith in action. Living as a disciple, impelled by the Spirit to share our gifts of time, talent and treasure isn’t always easy or comfortable. Sometimes it demands that we step outside of the way we have always done things to do something new, to make a commitment of ministry for the good of the Church, for the building of the Kingdom of God. It takes a continuing conversion of heart. As we
read the accounts of conversion in the Acts of the Apostles, we realize that their experience and our experience are not all that different. We need to move from unbelief to belief, from fear or suspicion to courage and confidence. We are called to come to trust in the Holy Spirit as a guiding light in our lives. The first Pentecost was the beginning of life as a Church. With each celebration of Pentecost, the Spirit is renewed in our Church and in our lives, but only if we nurture that life by living as the people God created us to be, both individually and communally. God has blessed our parish family with many disciples, many who live a stewardship way of life, sharing their gifts with others. For that we are grateful. We are grateful that God has called us to this way of life, for it is the gift of God to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Martin Egging Pastor
BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH
Catholic Daughters of the Americas: UNITING FAITHFUL WOMEN
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re you a woman who is looking to get to know others in our Catholic community? Do you want to grow in your faith and become involved in serving our parish? If so, the Catholic Daughters of the Americas might be just the place for you! As one of the oldest and largest organizations of faithful women, Catholic Daughters began in 1903, with the Blessed Sacrament court being founded in 1981. The Catholic Daughters organization provides an opportunity for the women of Blessed Sacrament — together with Resurrection Catholic Church — to gather and foster both their faith and friendships with other women. “It is one of the largest organizations of Catholic women in the world, dedicated to strengthening our spiritual life,” says parishioner Mary Phelan, who has been involved in the group for the past 25 years. “Our motto is unity and charity.” The group serves in a variety of different ways, both within our parish, as well as in the broader community. The Catholic Daughters host an educational contest, encourage vocations, partner with Habitat for Humanity, organize prolife activities, send cards to veterans, and donate to local
The Catholic Daughters of the Americas serve our parish and community in a variety of ways.
crisis shelters and outreach programs for those in need. They also provide food for a variety of different events, from our parish blood drives to our local summer school lunch program. Each year, the women hold a Bake Sale Fundraiser, which goes to support a variety of local and national charities. They also gather with other courts, for both a state and national convention, for fellowship with Catholic women from all over the state and country.
“The purpose of the organization is to participate in the religious, charitable, and educational apostolates of the Church,” Mary says. “Catholic Daughters of the Americas engages in creative and spiritual programs which provide its members with the opportunities to develop their God-given talents in meaningful ways that positively influence the welfare of the church and all people throughout the world.” The women of Court Queen of Peace — for Blessed
MAY/JUNE 2021
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THROUGH FELLOWSHIP AND SERVICE Sacrament and Resurrection — meet once a month to pray, go over business, and share updates on current projects. Also, it’s an opportunity for the women to spend time in fellowship. Over the years, they’ve developed a beautiful sisterhood. “We are there to give support to other members and, at times, receive support,” Mary says. “We send things to the homebound and those in nursing homes and visit them when we can. We do look out
for each other.” Mary encourages other women of the parish to consider becoming a Catholic Daughter. It is open to any woman who is a practicing Catholic, 18 years or older. The annual membership dues are $25. “I feel as though it is a blessing to be a Catholic Daughter,” Mary says. “I have developed leadership skills and a great enthusiasm for the work of Christ and His Church.”
If you would like more information on how you can become involved with the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, please contact the parish office at 308-384-0532.
THE ROSARY
“The purpose of the organization is to participate in the religious, charitable and educational apostolates of the Church. Catholic Daughters of the Americas engages in creative and spiritual programs which provide its members with the opportunities to develop their God-given talents in meaningful ways that positively influence the welfare of the church and all people throughout the world.” — MARY PHELAN
continued from front cover
alone to find time to pray it with others.” She also says, “Praying the Rosary is so important, especially after all we’ve been through with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blessed Mother intercedes with her Son, our Lord, for our needs as only a mother can.” Delores prays the Rosary each night. She prays for her deceased husband, Merlin, as well as her deceased parents, people in need, those
suffering from the effects of COVID-19, and healthcare workers, to name a few. In particular, Delores especially looks forward to joining her fellow parishioners in praying the Rosary, because it is so special to her. She has always enjoyed it when she has traveled to other parishes in the United States who pray the Rosary together regularly before Mass.
“Praying the Rosary is so important, especially after all we’ve been through with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blessed Mother intercedes with her Son, our Lord, for our needs as only a mother can.” — Delores Yosten
BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH
THE MAY CROWNING
Celebrating Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
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or many Catholics, May Crownings of statues or icons of the Blessed Mother have become rites of spring. Like flowers blooming for Mother’s Day, this annual Marian devotion reminds us that the cold of winter is behind us, and it ushers in a month during which the Catholic Church pays special homage to Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. Generally taking place during the first weekend of the month, May Crownings bring children — often, recent First Communicants — out in their Sunday best to participate in processions and adorn statues of the Blessed Mother with crowns of flowers or actual gold crowns. Additionally, the children often place roses at her feet, and Catholics carry out similar practices in their homes by placing roses around statues of the Blessed Virgin, or even adding ornamentation to images of Mary. But where did this practice come from, and how did it develop into the tradition that we currently know and love? The Coronation of Mary had been a popular subject in European art and literature for centuries, but the tradition of the May Crowning can be most accurately traced back to the late 16th century. Perhaps inspired by the practice of adding ornamentation to Marian icons that had
been carried out by some Eastern churches, Pope Clement VIII added two crowns to the icon of Mary with the Infant Jesus in the St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome. The crowns were eventually lost, but were replaced by Gregory XVI in 1837 in a rite that was to become the standard practice for crowning. While the May Crowning is not an official liturgical celebration on the Church calendar, it is an important practice in honoring Mary as the Queen of the Universe, and its imagery is especially influential in the faith formation of children. As Liz Kelly writes in May Crowning, Mass, and Merton and Other Reasons I Love Being Catholic, “One of the defining aspects of being Catholic is devotion to Mary. I favor no Marian celebration more highly than May Crowning, the feast that recognizes Mary as queen of heaven and earth. To a person of any age, this is a mighty big title, but to a child of five or six or seven, it expands to enchanting, magical proportions. How many queens does one get a chance to meet in a lifetime, much less crown?” This year, make a special effort to honor the coronation of Mary through participation in a personal or public May Crowning devotion.
BRING FLOWERS OF THE RAREST Bring flow’rs of the fairest, Bring flow’rs of the rarest, From garden and woodland And hillside and vale; Our full hearts are swelling, Our glad voices telling The praise of the loveliest Rose of the vale.
O Mary! we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May, O Mary! we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May.
MAY/JUNE 2021
EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION Bring the Glory of Christ to the Community
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e see them every week, and yet many do not know what they are called. Nor do many understand the vitally important service, or ministry, they provide to our community. The laywomen and laymen who distribute the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist at Mass every week are properly called Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, or EMHCs. They are an essential part of bringing Christ to our community, and by extension, the world. “During the Second Vatican Council in 1963, the fathers of the Church declared that ‘the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith,’” says Franklyn Busby, Blessed Sacrament Director of Liturgy and Music. “In addition to assisting the priest in the distribution of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist during Mass, the EMHCs also take Communion to shut-ins
and those in the hospital and long-term care, and clean the Communion vessels after Mass.” The establishment of the EMHC Ministry follows the authority of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal or GIRM. “For Roman Catholics, the final authority on all things liturgical is the GIRM,” Franklyn says. “In the GIRM,
our Church teaches that ‘in every celebration of the Eucharist, there should be a sufficient number of ministers of Holy Communion so that it may be distributed in a reverent and orderly manner... when the size of the congregation or the incapacity of the bishop, priest, or deacon requires it... the priest may call upon the Extraordinary Ministers to assist him.’” continued on back cover
“The word ‘liturgy’ is a fairly small word with a much larger meaning. From the ancient Greek, the word ‘liturgy’ translated means ‘the public work of the people on behalf of the people.’ To speak plainly, ‘liturgy’ is ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people’ of God.” — Franklyn Busby, Blessed Sacrament Director of Liturgy and Music
BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH 518 W. State Street Grand Island, NE 68801 (308) 384-0532 www.blsachurch.net
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion continued from page 7
In pointing to the origin of the ministry, Franklyn explains its deep connection to the Liturgy. “The word ‘liturgy’ is a fairly small word with a much larger meaning,” he says. “From the ancient Greek, the word ‘liturgy’ translated means ‘the public work of the people on behalf of the people.’ To speak plainly, ‘liturgy’ is ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people’ of God.” Our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion also provide a vital service to the aged and disabled by bringing the Holy Eucharist to them when they are unable to join the community at Mass. They also provide the
same service to those in the hospital or in longterm care facilities. “For some, the only direct human contact they have each week is with the EMHCs from Blessed Sacrament,” Franklyn says. In order to become an EMHC, the requirements are simple — one must be baptized and a faithful Roman Catholic in good standing with the Church. One must also be willing to invest a small amount of time for the Kingdom of God. “Each EMHC receives training and a period of mentorship before they are asked to serve at Mass,” Franklyn says. “All that we ask is that you commit to serving on a regular basis.”
If the Holy Spirit is calling you to this important ministry, please contact the parish office or Franklyn Busby at 308-384-0532 or Info@Worship-Arts.org.