Saint Casimir Parish
 

MINISTRY OF PRAISE
 

May, 2024
 
St. Casimir Parish

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

Šv. Marija

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING INTENTIONS

  • That men and women religious and seminarians, grow in their own vocational journey through human, pastoral, spiritual and community  formation, that leads them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.                                                          (May Papal intention)

  • That there be an end to the persecution by terrorists of innocent civilians, especially our Christian brothers and sisters. 

  • That we celebrate the memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary by proclaiming the greatness of God as she did.

  • 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 the Holy Spirit, who makes present the mystery of Christ, will reconcile all people and bring them into communion with God.

  • That our parishioners’ communion in faith will become a more perfect likeness of the Blessed Trinity.

  • That the mystery of the Ascension will bring comfort and peace to those who are separated from their loved ones

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

WHAT’S HAPPNING   kryžius  AT ST. CASIMIR PARISH


May  3: First Friday Holy Hour 8-9am (Church)
       14: 2ND Tuesday Holy Hour 6-7pm (Church)
     


SAINT FOR MARCH 

ST. ATHANASIUS

Bishop, Doctor

(?295 - 373)

 

May 2nd

 St.Athanasus

                Jesus “utterly destroyed the power death had against mankind—as fire consumes chaff—by means of the body he had taken and the grace of the resurrection.  This is the reason why the Word assumed a body that could die, so that this body, sharing in the Word who is above all, might satisfy death’s requirement in place of all.”

                                                                                                                                                           (from a sermon Athanasius gave on the Incarnation of the Word.)  

   
 Athanasius is an example of the great bishops of the fourth and fifth centuries. They were learned, pastoral and responsive to the needs and challenges of the times. They were bishops, who after the Scriptures, were transmitters of divine revelation.

     Athanasius was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He was educated, ordained a deacon, and three years after the Council of Nicea (325 A.D.) he was named Bishop of Alexandria. Two important things happened at the Council of Nicea: 1) the ideas of Arius (a priest who preached against the divinity of Christ) were condemned, and 2) the bishops composed the Nicene Creed, a profession of faith in defense of Christ’s divinity.

     Athanasius was a strong defender of Christ’s divinity, and the Arians fought him throughout his career. Five times he endured exile from his Episcopal see, for a total of seventeen years. After his fifth exile St. Athanasius was called back to his see when the people threatened a revolt. By then he had been vindicated, and the emperor (fearing the people) recalled him. His last eleven years were spent in peace.

     We appreciate St. Athanasius not only for his teaching against heresy. He also wrote the biography of St. Anthony the hermit, in which we learn of the beginnings of the monastic movement; his letters are important historical and often doctrinal documents. He is one of the great figures of Christianity.

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

biblija

THOUGHTS FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Mary and the Church

#487  What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.

#965 After her Son’s Ascension, Mary “aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers.” In her association with the apostles and several women, “we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit, who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation.”



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  A MOTHER WITH AN OPEN HEART
           
         A Church which “goes forth” is a Church whose doors are open. Going out to others in order to reach the fringes of humanity does not mean rushing out aimlessly into the world. Often it is better simply to slow down, to put aside our eagerness in order to see and listen to others, to stop rushing rom one thing to another and to remain with someone who has faltered along the way. At times we have to be like the father of the prodigal son, who always keeps his door open so that when the son returns, he can readily pass through it.

     The Church is called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open. One concrete sign of such openness is that our church doors should always be open, so that if someone, moved by the Spirit, comes there looking for God, he or she will not find a closed door. There are other doors that should not be closed either. Everyone can share in some way in the life of the Church; everyone can be part of the community, nor should the doors of the sacraments be closed for simply any reason. This is especially true of the sacrament which is itself “the door”: baptism. The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak. These convictions have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with prudence and boldness. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators. But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems.

Source: The Joy of the Gospel, EVANGELII GAUDIUM, numbers 46-47, Pope Francis