Weekly message

The Elect, Candidates along with their Sponsors who took part in the Rite of Election

Kathy Parish Activities, Weekly message

RCIA candidatesThe Elect, Candidates along with their Sponsors who took part in the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament  which was presided over by Bishop Arturo Cepeda

Elect: Christine Hainley-Peavley.

Candidates: Evan Peavley, Shawn Durrant, Barbara Lefevre, Susan Franz, Cassandra Barnes and Thomas Ryan Alexander.

Sponsors:  Joseph and Jennifer Hainley, Jim and Connie Moran, Lisa and Tom Alexander and Suzanne Mote.

 

 

Reintroducing the Sanctus Bells at Mass

 You are all familiar with Sanctus Bells. Though the bells are still heard in many parishes, many wonder about them. Some long to hear their joyful sounds; and some erroneously believe their use during the Mass is now prohibited.

 Since we are a people of senses, sounds are important in our worship, whether in the quiet of the moment, the singing of a congregation, or the sound of the organ. The sound of bells does add to the reverence and the solemnity of the Mass. Most importantly, they highlight in a sensible way the sacred action taking place on the altar. Therefore, we have a tradition that is not only practical but also beautiful.

 Sanctus bells have been rung as part of the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the mass for over 800 years. Most Sanctus bells are small handheld bells or assemblies of three or five bells that may be rung are directed in Chapter IV, paragraph 150 of the General Introduction of the Roman Missal:

 “A little before the consecration, when appropriate, a server rings the bell as a signal to the faithful. According to the local custom, the server also rings the bells as the priest shows the host and then the chalice.”

We have to also keep in mind that the rubrics leave to the discretion of the pastor whether bells should be used or not. Nevertheless, the use of bells at Mass is a longstanding tradition in the Catholic Church and no one should ever think that their use has been suppressed. Actually, the common practice in the basilicas of Rome is for the bell to be rung at each elevation and then in a prolonged way when the priest genuflects after the elevation of the chalice.

Although, at St. Valentine the practical use of the Sanctus Bells has been diminished over time, we are in the process to reintroduce the bells for the weekend masses, as it has been already reintroduced for weekday masses. It can still serve another purpose as an extra aid to call attention at the moment of the elevation especially for those who become out-of-focus and it is an effective catechetical tool for children and adults alike. Altar Servers have been recalled and trained on how to ring the bells during the elevation of the Host and Chalice. A long-standing custom should not just be swept away unless more is to be gained by dropping it than retaining it.

 As the 4th Sunday of Lent is called Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday, it’s a liturgically suitable day to reintroduce the bells at St. Valentine. Any quarries or concerns please don’t hesitate to write to me for further clarification at frhenry@stvalentineschool.com

Fr. Henry Rebello SAC

The Second Luminous Mystery—The Wedding Feast at Cana

Kathy Upcoming Event, Weekly message

canaThe miracle of this Sunday links with (and reminds us of) the past two weeks in our liturgy – the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord. In Cana, once again, Jesus is “revealed” – all three Sundays are epiphanies of the Lord. John depicts Mary as involved at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and at the end he places her at the foot of the cross. Mary is thus associated with the whole ministry of Jesus but her role is always seen in relation to her son. She teaches us that our lives should always be seen in relation to Jesus. Perhaps, on this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, we could ask ourselves are we, like Mary, involved in revealing Jesus to our world? Or do we find ourselves reserved, embarrassed and maybe even afraid to let others know that we are followers of Jesus?

 

If our faith is weak, or if we are afraid of sharing our faith with others, we should turn to Mary. Because of the miracle at the marriage feast at Cana, which Christ performed at his Mother’s request, his disciples learned to believe in him (cf. John 2:11). Our Mother is always interceding with her Son so that He may attend to our needs and show himself to us, so that we can cry out, “You are the Son of God.”

 

 

The Traveling Catholic Mass Mob

On February 7th, 2016, we have a wonderful opportunity to come together as one parish and celebrate our togetherness at the 12 noon Mass. Through Annamarie Barnes, the coordinator for the Traveling Catholic Mass Mob, we have this opportunity to welcome the Traveling Catholics Mass Mob to St. Valentine Parish. Let us not leave it to the traveling Catholics to fill up the pews; A full church would mark as making this Mass a special celebration. Pass on this information to your friends, relatives, former St. Valentine Parishioners, school alumni and invite people you know to attend.

 

As we have already announced, Rev. Bishop Donald Hanchon will be our Presider. So take it as a great opportunity to be a part of this Mob Mass. We all know that February 7th is Super Bowl Sunday, we can change the title and say February 7th is Super Val’s Sunday. We will need all the help we can get from all our Associations, Commissions, Committees, and all of you. So please be ready and willing to give us your helping hand. Look forward to more details in next week’s bulletin.

 

Blessings,

Fr. Socorro

School News

Dear St. Valentine Parishioners,

Each fall the students at St. Valentine School are given a series of standardized tests.  One of the tests is the Archdiocese of Detroit Religion test given to all students in the Archdiocese of Detroit in grades 3, 5, and 7.  While there is not a paper and pencil test that can measure a student’s faith, this Religion test is a measure of how much catechism knowledge students retain from their religion classes. We are very proud to report the following results.

St. Valentine Archdiocese of Detroit Religion Test Results 2015-2016

*Test results include ALL students, even those with special education needs.

6 students earned a perfect score of 100%

Building Average: 85.45% B

As always we are deeply grateful to St. Valentine Parish for continuing to support Catholic education to make daily immersion in our faith a possibility for the students in our community.

Many blessings,
Rachel Damuth
Principal

Divine Mercy Icon—Explanation

Kathy Weekly message

You may recall on the First Sunday of Advent we had unveiled an image of the Divine Mercy Icon and placed it on the side of the Baptismal Font in the Sanctuary of our Church for this Year of Mercy.

I am pleased to introduce this special Icon entitled “the Fountain of Divine Mercy Icon” in honor of this Extraordinary Jubilee Year in the life of the church. It draws one into the message that Pope Francis hopes to bring to the world. God is a merciful Father. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who will lead the 99 sheep to go in search of the one lost soul. If you take a closer look at this Icon you will discover various symbols associated with what the Divine Mercy is all about.

The Cross

 “Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time, this will take place shortly before the last day.”  (St. Faustina’s Diary, 83)

First we see the symbol of Mother Mary’s virginity, the eight-point star, placing it on the points of Christ’s wounds where He was nailed to the cross. It seemed fitting to me that through Blessed Mary’s fiat our Lord was made flesh and therefore, vulnerable to pain for our sakes and for our salvation. The eight point star is also the symbol for eternity. Jesus brought this forth for us through His sacrificial death.

 The World

 Jesus is standing upon the world with His hand in the gesture of absolution (Diary, 309). His mercy is flowing forth from His wounded heart, in the form of Blood and Water pouring from the flesh in His side where the soldier pierced Him as He hung on the cross.

 “These rays of mercy…Will go out through all the world”. (St. Faustina’s Diary, 441)

 Because of the Rays denoting Blood and Water, which symbolize the Church emerging from the side of Jesus Christ with sacraments that cleanse the soul (Baptism and Penance) and give life (the Eucharist and others), can be considered an excellent exposition on the liturgy of the first Sunday after Easter.

 Jesus is depicted wearing a white robe.

“Like a doctor in hospital; He is walking the earth, healing sick mankind.”

Jesus I trust in you (‘Jezu ufam Tobie). (St. Faustina’s Diary, 327)

 The Blood and Water

In the Divine Mercy Icon, the Blood and the Waters of Baptism flow out for the whole world to experience. (St. Faustina’s Diary, 344)

 The two rays pass through the body of Jesus (The Eucharist) out and over into the chalice. The pale rays represent the water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the blood which is the life of souls .(St. Faustina’s Diary, 299)

 The Eucharist has the orthodox inscription written on it.

 Inline image 1

 The Chaplet

 You will find an Orthodox Cross on the Chaplet Medal. It reveals that we have received through prayer the importance of respecting one another’s traditions and supporting each other in our walk of faith.