Saint Casimir Parish

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MINISTRY OF PRAISE
 

OCTOBER, 2015
 
St. Casimir Parish
 

Almighty God,
grant that with the help of St. Casimir’s intercession
we may serve you in holiness and justice.

 

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING INTENTIONS

 

  • That human trafficking, the modern form of slavery, may beeradicated.  (October Papal intention)

  • That during this Respect Life Month, we will assert the values and principles essential to the common good, especially the right to life of every human being and the right to live by our religious beliefs.
     

  • That families live for God and grow in his love.
     

  • That God bless Father Bacevice and the Pastoral and Finance Councils in their efforts to secure the future of St. Casimir Parish.

  • That all parishioners recognize their responsibility to St. Casimir Parish’s future through financial support, fund-raising efforts, commitment to parish activities, sharing ideas, and most importantly prayer.

  • That our parish be renewed in faith, hope, and love through a deeper devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the rosary.
     

  • That God will bless and strengthen all married couples and give them the grace to live their marriage vows in joy and peace.
     

  • That those facing difficult decisions will pray for God’s support and enlightenment.
     

  • That our Ministers of Praise be validated in their belief in the power of prayer.

 

WHAT’S HAPPENING            AT ST. CASIMIR PARISH?

  • October 2nd     First Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 8:00 – 9:00am in Church
     

  •  October14th    Evening Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 6:00 – 9:00pm in Church

  • October 24th    Parish Clambake and Autumn Raffle


SAINT FOR OCTOBER

 

ST. IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH

 

Bishop, Martyr
(d.107)

 October 17th 

      Quotes from Ignatius’ seven letters:     Jesus Christ is our only teacher (to the Magnesians); he is really of the line of David…and the Son of God… by the will and power of God was really born of a Virgin (to the Smyrnians); the Church is the place of sacrifice; the Eucharist is the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ (to the Ephesians); Where the bishop is, there let the people be, for there is the Catholic Church (to the Smyrnians); he asked the people to care for the widow, the orphan, the oppressed, the prisoners…the hungry and the thirsty (to the Smyrnians).

     St. Ignatius was converted from paganism to Christianity in Syria. He became the second bishop of Antioch, a successor of St. Peter. In 107 the Emperor Trajan visited Antioch and tried to force the Christians to renounce their religion. Ignatius gave witness to his people by allowing the company of soldiers to bind him in a rickety cart and lead him to Rome for martyrdom. As his cart rolled into the different towns enroute to Rome, the local bishop and delegations of Christians would come to meet and encourage him.

     St. Ignatius’ seven letters were written on this journey from Antioch to Rome where he was martyred. They were addressed to various Christian communities along the way, where he stopped on his journey to preach to all Christians of all times and places. The letters give us insight into the growth of theology in the early church, and they still speak to us today.

Sources:  IN HIS LIKENESS by Rev. Charles E. Yost, SCJ, STL, and SAINTS AND FEAST DAYS, Loyola University Press.

 

THOUGHTS FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Martyrdom

Let us remember the many Christians today who are suffering for their faith.

 

#2473   Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude. “Let me become the food of the beasts, through whom it will be given me to reach God.” (words of St. Ignatius of Antioch)

#2474  The Church has painstakingly collected the records of those who persevered to the end in witnessing to their faith. These are the acts of the Martyrs.

Neither the pleasures of the world nor the kingdoms of this age will be of any use to me. It is better for me to die [in order to unite myself] to Christ Jesus than to reign over the ends of the earth. I seek him who died for us; I desire him who rose for us. My birth is approaching….                                           (words of St. Ignatius of Antioch)

 

REFLECTION


Concerning
PRAYING THE ROSARY

 

THE GRACES OF THE ROSARY
Thoughts from Pope John Paul I (d. 1978, reigned for thirty-nine days)

     Windthorst, a German, was invited one time by certain friends (not practicing the Faith) to show them his beads. It was a joke; they had previously taken them from his pocket. Windthorst, not having found them in his left pocket, put his hand in his right pocket and came out the victor. He always had an extra rosary! Cristofero Gluck (a great musician) during court receptions in Vienna used to go apart a few minutes to recite his rosary….

     Why do I give these examples of people reciting the rosary? Because the rosary is contested by some.  They say: it is a prayer that is infantile, superstitious, and not worthy of a Christian adult. Or else, it is a prayer that is automatic, reduced to a hasty repetition of Ave Marias, monotonous and boring.

     The crisis of the rosary is in second place. Before that, it is the crisis in prayer in general today. People are all taken up in material interests. One thinks little about the soul…Donoso Cortes said, “The world is in a bad way because there are more battles than prayers…”

     To be, for a half hour at least, before God … with all my misery and with the best of myself; to let rise to the surface from the depths of my being the child I once was, who wants to laugh, to chatter, to love the Lord, and who sometimes feels the need to cry so that he may be shown mercy, helps me to pray. The rosary, a simple and easy prayer, helps me to be a child and I am not ashamed at all.

     I come to a final objection. The rosary is a prayer of repetition. Father de Foucauld said, “Love is expressed with few words, always the same and always repeated.”                                                        (found in MAGNIFICAT, October, 2013, p. 110-111)

THERE’S ALWAYS A PLACE AND TIME TO SAY THE ROSARY
Thoughts from a parishioner of our parish

     We had a wonderful week on our vacation. The weather was perfect, the company congenial, and we all had a great time together. Mom, as always, insisted on having her independence and making the Ľ + mile trek to the beach on her own. The very first day she didn’t show up at the beach for quite a while, so I went looking for her. After a time I saw her standing on the beach, looking at the waves. She very matter-of-factly explained that in order to get to the beach she had to walk through the beachside bar. So she found herself an empty barstool, sat down (“it was a very nice view of the beach”) and said her morning prayers and rosary. That evening she said, “I think I’ll go back there again for some exercise and to say my evening prayers.” So while others are drinking tropical drinks on the beach, my elderly mom is calmly saying her rosary, proving that one can always find a place and time to say the rosary.