“Fortitude is the disposition of soul which enables us to
despise all inconveniences and the loss of things not in our power.” St.
Augustine
A Blessed Holy Trinity Sunday to you! Father Connolly has
a great plan for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi next Sunday, June 14. I shall
let him tell you in his own words:
“These past months
have been a great trial. The suspension of public celebrations of the Mass and
other sacraments due to the Coronavirus pandemic has been a source of sadness,
confusion, and even frustration and anger for the lay faithful and clergy
alike. That said, we, as Christians, know that the cross leads to glory! “For
this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) Even in this moment of pain, Jesus
is present to us, extending His infinite love and mercy. To that end, as we
prepare to celebrate the great Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Feast of the
Most Sacred Body and Blood of Christ, mindful that the Archdiocese of New York
has not yet resumed public celebrations of Holy Mass in any capacity, we wish
to bring our Blessed Lord to you! On Corpus Christi Sunday, June 14th, between 11am and 1pm (longer if needed), Father Michael and
Father Connolly will be traveling throughout the parish with the Blessed
Sacrament to bless you and your families at your homes. If you would like a
visit, please e-mail manager@stcolumbaonline.org
with your address. We hope this unique Corpus Christi procession will offer you
some consolation and a reminder of Jesus’ enduring love for you. Nothing can
keep Him from His beloved children! Be assured of our prayers for all of you
and please pray for us! We look forward with great hope and joy to the day that
we are joined once more to worship God in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” Please email us by Thursday - thank you!!!
Our school recently
had a virtual Crowning of Mary. You are
invited to watch: https://vimeo.com/424069083
Bishop Barron recently offered a Graduation Address to
the Class of 2020. You can find it here: https://youtu.be/wdok7yFiMOU
On Thursday, June 11 from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon, our Mass
Book will be open to take announced Mass Intentions from July 1 to December 31,
2020. It will take place in the school cafeteria & gym. Gary will hand you
a number at the door. You will be able to keep social distance as you spread
out. Alternatively, send your Mass Intention requests to St. Columba, PO Box
428, HJ 12533. Please include the $15 donation for each Mass and your first,
second and third choices for dates. As is our custom, you may reserve two
weekday and two weekend Masses initially. More may open later. We surely hope
we are not livestreaming in July, but we are still not sure. So please be aware
that some of these Masses could be livestreamed. Also, our Mass schedule will
be different and changing when we return. It will take time to see what works
as we prepare for both outdoor and indoor Masses. With this in mind:
-
Daily Mass Intentions Monday to Saturday will
have a date but not a time.
-
We will take 5 Intentions for Saturday evening
Mass – dates but no times
-
We will take 5 Intentions for Sunday morning
Mass – dates but no times
Beginning in July, each Mass Intention will be listed in
the bulletin with a Mass time. Thank you for your understanding during these
uncertain times.
Father’s Day Cards and Intention envelopes are available
in the church narthex.
The tent is up – thanks to all who helped. We are ready
for outdoor Mass. Now we must all pray that the day will come very soon!!!
Finally, an interesting article on Incense. So now when
Father Connolly uses it you will know it is for your health as well!
“The Catholic Church has used incense during
religious services for millennia. Even before Christianity, Israelites used
incense in worship, as the Psalmist records, “Let my prayer be incense before
you; my uplifted hands an evening offering” (Psalm 141:2).
Incense became a central part of the Church’s liturgy, not only
because of its symbolism, but also on account of medicinal benefits.
For example, in the famous Spanish church of Santiago de
Compostela, medieval Christians created a large incense burner called the “Botafumeiro.”
According to Atlas Obscura, “the incense … served to mask the smell of
tired and unwashed pilgrims who crowded into the pews. It was also
believed to have a preventative effect against [the] plague.”
Recently various scientific studies have confirmed the
surprisingly purifying effects of frankincense.
One such study aimed to “test the effectiveness of their in
situ application to cleanse microbially-contaminated air within
the ambient of an investigated 17th-century church.”
The results of the study explained that, “The antimicrobial
properties of essential oil derived from frankincense, a compound with
well-known traditional use, showed that it possesses a clear potential as
a natural antimicrobial agent. Moreover, the results suggest possible
application of B. carteri EO vapor and incense fume as
occasional air purifiers in sacral ambients, apart from daily church
rituals.”
An article on the website Healthline claims
“that burning myrrh and frankincense incense reduced airborne bacterial
counts by 68%.”
Another study looked
at frankincense essential oil and how it has anti-inflammation and
anticancer effects.
Furthermore, it has been proven that burning frankincense even has
the power to decrease depression. According to the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology,
“Burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly
understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. This
suggests that an entirely new class of depression and anxiety drugs might be
right under our noses.”
