Weekly Update from Fr. van Dooren 3.13.26
Dear members and friends of our parish,
As some of you may know, Walter Bauer, one of our dear and cherished members of the parish, died suddenly in early February. Walter was an ardent supporter of our music ministry, and he was one of our best dressed members! When complimented about his attire, he would often say, “nothing is too good for God!” Walter’s funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 21st, at 1:00pm. “May his rest be this day in peace, and his dwelling place in the Paradise of God.”
We continue 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, and it is a sacred hour, indeed! Please join us.
We celebrate the middle Sunday in Lent, ROSE SUNDAY, this week. Is is also called Laetare Sunday from the Latin, “Rejoice.” Some of the restrictions of Lent are lifted for this Sunday before we enter the intensity of Passiontide and Holy Week. This is the only Sunday in Lent when flowers are permitted to adorn the altar. The vestments are rose colored, and music is allowed to be more celebratory. This is yet another example of the Church’s sense of balance and sensitivity.
Our Old Testament and Gospel passages for Rose Sunday compliment one another as they center upon the theme of seeing with the eyes of faith. Our passage from 1st Samuel is the story of the choosing and anointing of the shepherd boy David to be King of Israel (1st Samuel 16:1-13), and our Gospel for Sunday is the story of the healing of the man born blind (John 3:1-17).
The music for this Laetare Sunday gives us a little repose from the starker season of Lent. The choir will sing Anglican chant this week to the 23rd Psalm in setting by Edward Bairstow. We usually sing plainchant, because that is the tradition of this place, but every once in a while, it’s good to sing Anglican chant! Our hymns include the beautiful English tune Dominus regit me, The King of Love My Shepherd Is, and a relatively new hymn by Carl Haywood, Heal me Hands of Jesus.
The choir has been working on a new anthem for the past couple weeks, it is entitled I Waited for the Lord. It is by German romantic, composer Felix Mendelssohn and it’s a great addition to our repertoire. The kids have fallen in love with it. There are many solos and a beautiful melody and evocative harmonies. "I waited for the Lord, he inclined it unto me. He heard my complaint. O blessed are they that hope and trust in the Lord."
We celebrate our monthly Spanish mass this Sunday at 5:00pm. All are welcomed!
Each Easter, our church is filled with beautiful flowers and with special music. Many members of our parish generously help cover the costs. If you are able and wish to contribute, please use the envelopes in the back of the church or write "Music" or "Flowers" in the memo line of your check. You can also use our e-giving sites here or you can also text 914-685-9200 with any amount and the keywords of “flowers” or “music” to give to either/both funds via Breeze. (i.e. $20 flowers or $20 music). If the gift is in memoriam, please write the name(s) legibly on the envelope, in the comment box online or please email the name(s) to Grace (gkobryn@littlechurch.org) in the parish office by PalmSunday, March 29 in order to be included in the Easter bulletins. Please note that the bulletins will be going to our entire email list, so please edit your names as you would prefer to see them displayed.
During Lent, our 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 to receive the Zoom link. We recommend the modern translation by Peter Northcutt. The group will meet weekly until Thursday, March 26.
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