Seasonal & Weekly Resources

We have entered the season in our Church called "ordinary time." This is when you see a LOT of green in the church - the priests and deacons will wear green, the banners tend to have green, and we have a lot of green plants around. A lot of you may think that we call this time "ordinary" because it's just plain and we aren't preparing for something (like Advent or Lent) or celebrating something (like Christmas or Easter). While this time may be "ordinary" in that sense, this is the time we really focus on loving each other and making sure we have God with us in our "ordinary" lives. 

That being said, this time isn't really called "ordinary time" because it's plain. It's actually named "ordinary time" after the numerical system we use to keep track of the weeks. An "ordinal" number is a number that is used to indicate a place: first, second, third, fourth, etc. They're the numbers you see with the little subscript letters after them: 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, etc. These numbers tell you order (see that "ordinal" root in the word there??). So, while we may just be ordering the weeks away until Advent comes after the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time on November 21st, remember that we should be keeping these weeks anything other than "ordinary!" While we attempt to find new order to our lives and while we may be ordering away online, we should also be reordering our lives toward and with God. And remember, we do have several special celebrations mixed in there like Trinity Sunday which we celebrate this coming Sunday!

Here is a short, 4-minute video about Ordinary Time.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated every year on September 14th, recalls three events:

1. The finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena.
2. The dedication of churches built by Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary.
3. The restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem in AD 629 by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius after it had fallen into the hands of the Persian Emperor Chosroes II in the AD 614 Sasanian conquest of Jerusalem.

Here is a 2-minute video about this special feast in the Church and why we celebrate.

Many of our Saints are called 'Doctors of the Church.' Watch the 3-minute video below to learn why some of our saints are given this special title.

We celebrate the Feast of St. John Chrysostom on September 13th. Watch the short, 5-minute video below to learn more about this Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

St. John Chrysostom is the patron saint of education, epilepsy, lecturers, orators, preachers.

On September 16th, we celebrate the Feast of St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian. Here is a 2-minute video about their legacy.

St. Cornelius is the patron saint of ear-ache sufferers, domestic animals, and cattle.

St. Cyprian is the patron of West Africa.

The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows commemorates the sorrows of Mother Mary throughout the life and death of her son Jesus. We celebrate this feast on September 15th. 

Watch the 3-minute video below to learn more about this memorial and why it's important to us.

September 17th is the Feast of St. Hildegard of Bingen. Below is a 4-minute video about her life.

St. Hildegard is the patron saint of the environment, writing, medicine, theology, music, and religious life.

We celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - or Mary's birthday - on September 8th. Watch the short, 5-minute video below to learn more about the birthday of the Mother of the Church.

Mary is the patron saint of any good activity and all humanity as well as many other things and places you can find listed here.

On September 9th, we celebrate the Feast of St. Peter Claver. Watch the 4-minute video below to hear his story.

St. Peter Claver is the patron saint of Slaves, race relations, ministry to African-Americans, seafarers, and Columbia.