Weekly Update from Fr. van Dooren 2.27.26

Dear members and friends of our parish,   

We begin our Lenten devotions of the Stations of the Cross and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament tonight at 6:30pm, and we will continue throughout the Fridays of Lent.  Both devotions are prayed within the frame of an hour. Please join us!

Then on this upcoming second Sunday in Lent, our Gospel passage and sermon text will be the beloved story of Nicodemus (John 3:1-17). From this story we receive the most famous verse in the New Testament, John 3:16. We also come to know the depth and spirit of a man who evolved from a somewhat skeptical and cautious inquirer of our Lord to a bold figure of a man who stood in the face of power and opposition to defend Jesus in his last days and to care for his body following his cruel death. It has been said that Nicodemus possessed a quality of spiritual openness, and faced difficulties for which many would have tamely surrendered.   

This Sunday we will hear music of William Byrd (1540–1623) and Richard Farrant (1530-1585). Byrd, who was mentored by Thomas Tallis, served in the Chapel Royal, navigating the Reformation by composing both Catholic and English Protestant music. Richard Farrant was a contemporary Chapel Royal musician who worked alongside them. They all circumnavigated the world between the Catholic Queen Mary, and the Protestant Queen Elizabeth. Byrd, a devout Catholic, would eventually leave the Chapel Royal, and work for a Catholic patron outside of London. It is during this time that he wrote the Masses for Three, Four and Five Voices. They were probably never performed during his lifetime in public, although they were most likely performed in secret. They are masterworks of the period, displaying ingenious counterpoint and harmony, and a knowledge of ancient form and practice. Farrant spent his life in the court. His Call to Remembrance is a masterpiece of drama and word setting; a miniature work of art that highlighted the greater English society of that era. 

We will also sing some great modern hymns including Eugene Hancock’s Baptized in Water and the Now let us all with one accord set to the Kentucky tune Bourbon - so named because of the county in Kentucky that is was written in, or possibly in honor of the French Bourbon royal family. 

During Lent, the Adult Education Committee is leading a discussion of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis on Thursday evenings at 7:00-8:00 PM on Zoom. Please email Grace Kobryn (gkobryn@littlechurch.org) to receive the Zoom link. We recommend this modern translation by Peter Northcutt.  The group will meet weekly until Thursday, March 26.

Please join us this Sunday, March 1 at 4 pm, for our rescheduled (due to last Sunday’s snow storm) concert featuring Benjamin Bradham, pianist performing Music of Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt. Suggested donation is $20 at the door. 

2025 Contribution Statements were emailed out last month (and mailed to those who request a printed copy). If for some reason you did not receive your statement or if you would like to receive a printed copy, please contact the parish office. 

The Holy Rosary will be prayed in the Family chapel at 9:30am this Sunday. We will pray the Sorrowful mysteries throughout the season of Lent.    

We continue to live-stream each Sunday’s mass at 11:00am, and a link is sent out each Sunday morning at 8:00am.  We live-stream on Facebook and YouTube. Please email the parish office (parishoffice@littlechurch.org) if you would like to pray the morning and evening offices with us by Zoom. 

Thank you for your continued faith, support, and love for the parish.  

Fides Opera

With loving wishes,
Fr. van Dooren