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: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 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.
We celebrate the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul on September 27th. Watch the short, 3-minute video below to learn more about this inspiring saint.
St. Vincent de Paul is the patron saint of charities, horses, hospitals, leprosy, lost articles, prisoners, spiritual help, Saint Vincent de Paul Societies, and volunteers.
The Feast of the Archangels celebrates the gifts of the angels and how we can pray to them for intercession. We celebrate this feast on September 29th. Watch the 3-minute video below to learn more about this feast and why it's important to us.
St. Michael the Archangel is the patron saint of grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police officers, and military personnel.
St. Gabriel the Archangel is the patron saint of messengers, those who work for broadcasting and telecommunications, postal workers, clerics, diplomats, and stamp collectors.
St. Raphael the Archangel is the patron saint of the blind, happy meetings, nurses, physicians, and travelers.
We celebrate the Feast of the Martyrs of Korea on September 20th. Watch the short, 2-minute video below to learn more about Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and their companions.
Pope John Paul II traveled to Korea in 1984 and canonized these Martyrs of Korea. We honor their sacrifice. They help us to remember that faith is a virtue that makes it possible to know and believe in God. Their sacrifice also reminds us that we are blessed to live in a country where we are free to live our faith.
We celebrate the Feast of Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist on September
24th. Watch the short, 5-minute video below to learn more about the birthday of the Mother of the Church.
St. Matthew is the patron saint of accountants.
Watch this video for a Gospel Reflection for Sunday, September 24, 2023 the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time.