The Coming Weeks
There are a number of things to share with everyone about the upcoming weeks in our parishes. Lots of exciting things are happening. A couple of these items are on the cover of the bulletin. First, August 15th is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a holy day of obligation. The Mass times are on the opposite page. As our annual custom, we will be having a Marian Procession after the 7:30pm Mass at Immaculate Conception. This is always a great evening. Even if you don’t attend the 7:30pm Mass, you can gather on the north side of the Church around 8:30pm for the procession. We will process around town praying the rosary and singing “Immaculate Mary.” See you there.
Later in the week on Thursday, August 17, we will have a Day of Grace at St. Joseph from 9am to 9pm. This is our back to school special for mercy and forgiveness. The state of Ohio has a tax-free shopping weekend for school supplies and we run a special on God’s mercy. Confession and adoration will be available all day at St. Joseph Church. If it has been a couple weeks or a couple decades since your last confession, you are invited to come and experience the Lord’s mercy.
To prepare for Confession, it is always a good idea to make an examination of our conscience. Sometimes we know our sins and we are familiar with them, but sometimes we struggle to think of anything. Remember that the Book of Proverbs states that the righteous man sins seven times a day (24:16). Each one of us needs the Lord’s mercy and He is always so generous in sharing it. If you need assistance in examining your conscience, ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and utilize a guide. We keep some near the doors of the confessionals at all four churches.
The next two weekends we will host our annual missionary co-operative plan speaker. Every year the Archdiocese of Cincinnati receives numerous requests from overseas dioceses, ministries, and charitable organizations to speak and fundraise at parishes. Every parish in the archdiocese is assigned a summer missionary to visit. This year our missionary will be from the Archdiocese of Mwanza in Tanzania, East Africa. His name is Fr. Yohana Shija Masalu. He will be covering Masses next weekend (August 19/20) and the following weekend (August 26/27). He will be staying with us the week in between and covering some of the daily Masses as well. We are happy to host him, and we are blessed to learn about the universal Church and some of the challenges that the Church faces.
Finally, we are gearing up for another year of RCIA. If you or someone that you know is interested in becoming Catholic or learning more about the Catholic faith, now is a good time to jump in. We would love to welcome you into the Catholic Church. The Lord has given us such an incredible treasure of the faith and grace, that we would love to share it with you. Please pray about God’s will in your life. The Holy Spirit will guide you, whether you are thinking about becoming Catholic or if you are already Catholic and the Lord wants you to invite someone to join the Church.
We have a number of people lined up for RCIA. Praise God! Please pray and fast that the Lord will draw more and more people into this incredible Catholic family.
Have a blessed Sunday and I’ll see you at the Marian Procession Tuesday night.
Sincerely in the heart of Jesus and Mary,
Fr. Sean Wilson
