A VIEW FROM THE TOP (choir loft)
All of you know at least something of the history of this parish, the Catholic Church of St. Mary the Virgin. The fact that it was originally an Anglican Parish, St. Bartholomew, and now a parish of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter in complete communion with Rome. I mention this for the new, visiting and questioning congregants.
The exciting history of Fr. Hawkins and the whole congregation becoming Roman Catholic (I conducted the choir for Father’s ordination to the Catholic priesthood, an event I shall always cherish) can be found with much more accurate detail than I could render. One interesting fact, though, many may not know is that the whole inquiry about becoming Roman Catholic started with laymen especially my predecessor, the choir-organ master, Jack Kortegast. I am a “Johnny come lately” to this journey and a Catholic since birth. I have had to learn about the Anglican Patrimony and traditions by actually participating in them. What a treasure this is. And I (we) have only scratched the surface. If you are old enough to remember Pre-Vatican II Masses, you will recognize that the liturgy here is very much like you remember it. The Anglicans did not adopt Vatican II’s recommendations and doctrines. Rome invited those Anglicans who wanted to embrace Catholicism to maintain their way of saying Mass and other rituals and still be Roman Catholic. These clerics and lay people completely embraced Roman Catholicism and its Theology.
Previously, on major feast days, we have sung the Mass setting of Mozart, Haydn, Rutter, Gounod, Yon, and even that famous composer Mary Nesvadba, my wife and our organist. But we have not sung the more famous concert masses from our Patrimony. This Easter we will remedy that. Every Liturgy from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday we will sing music by Martin, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Charles Villers Stanford and some lesser known but equally gifted English Composers. At the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday we will sing the Ralph Vaughan Williams “O Clap Your Hands” and the Charles Villers Stanford Gloria, and Agnus Dei from his “Festal Communion Service” modified as a mass setting to be sung in our Ordinariate parish with brass. During Easter we will have angelic trumpets announcing Christ’s triumphant resurrection from the dead. And in the same mixture of music, the Postlude will be Ludwig von Beethoven’s Hallelujah Chorus. This is an extremely exciting “HALLELUJAH” to culminate the end of the Lenten Season. We will also be singing this as a thanksgiving prayer for the full recovery and return of our pastor, Fr. Stainbrook. We all did miss him!
Palm Sunday we will have the Youth Choir and the Adult Choir singing together. The first part of Palm Sunday is joyful, hopeful and the second part is poignant and even tearful as we sing Christ’s suffering and death on the cross.
On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Jesus gives us His Eucharist so we can forever remember Him. On Good Friday, during the Veneration of the Cross, the choir sings the Reproaches. The words in our Ordinariate are maintained in Greek. “Agios O Theos. Agios ischyros. Agios athanatos eleison imus…” “Holy God, Holy Mighty (one,) Holy immortal (one,) have mercy on us.”
We are so fortunate that SMV as part of the Ordinariate, as belonging to the Roman Rite, as having a past history in the Anglican Church can have the richness of a Liturgical action and music with real meaning. May you benefit from this and the graces received during this Holy Week.
Sincerely Yours In Christ,
Marion Nesvadba, Music Director
Among the unique attributes of Catholicism are some beautiful customs and practices of devotion and piety which are centuries, (or even a millennium), old. The Golden Rose is one example. The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which Popes have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection. Recipients have included churches and sanctuaries, royalty, military figures, and governments.
The rose is blessed on the fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday, (also known as Rose Sunday), which we celebrate today, when rose-colored vestments and pulpit hangings substitute for the penitential purple, symbolizing hope and joy in the midst of Lenten solemnity.
Throughout most of Lent, Catholics pray, fast, perform penance, and meditate upon the malice of sin and its negative effects; but Rose Sunday is an opportunity to look beyond Christ’s death at Calvary and forward to His joyous Resurrection. The beautiful Golden Rose symbolizes the Risen Christ of glorious majesty. (The Messiah is hailed “the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys” in the Song of Solomon in the Bible). The rose’s fragrance, according to Pope Leo XIII (19th century), “shows the sweet odor of Christ which should be widely diffused by His faithful followers” (Acta, vol. VI, 104), and the thorns and red tint of the petals refer to His bloody Passion.
Many Popes, on the occasion of conferring the Rose, have in sermons and letters explained its mystical significance. Pope Innocent III (13th century) said: “As Laetare Sunday, the day set apart for the function, represents love after hate, joy after sorrow, and fullness after hunger, so does the rose designate by its color, odor and taste, love, joy and satiety respectively,” also comparing the rose to the flower referred to in Isaiah 11:1: “There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.”
During Pope Francis’ pontificate, he has handed out a total of four “Golden Roses.” These roses have been given to various Marian Shrines, such as those associated with Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
In honor of the Golden Rose, let us celebrate this mid-Lent Laetare Sunday striving always to be joyful in our Faith!
Faithfully, Your Friend, and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
Along with every other profession and vocation in the world, it is always good to have friends in the Catholic priesthood. As many of you know, I was overtaken by a persistent double pneumonia this week, fortunately for all of you, my good friend Fr. John Vidal is able to take the Masses this Sunday. Fr. Vidal was the pastor at our Ordinariate parish in Washington D.C., St. Luke’s, until he retired last year to become the Senior Associate at the Church of the Presentation just outside of Houston, Texas. In addition to Father Marzianni’s, taking the Confessions, Stations of the Cross and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, on Friday, our good friends, Father Randal Fogle, and Father Scott Wooten, will take the Masses on Monday and Tuesday.
I am very grateful to the help of my fellow priests. I do not take their assistance lightly or for granted. Thank you all dear Fathers.
With this week, we approach the halfway mark of Lent. I am scheduled to hear confessions on Monday, March 4, at the Deanery Confessional Services at Saint Maria Goretti on Davis Drive. These Lenten penance services, held biannually in Advent and Lent, (you might remember the one in Advent was at Most Blessed Sacrament.) is Holy Mother Church’s desire that all are free to experience the cleansing Sacrament of Reconciliation during the two penitential seasons of the church year. May I urge all of you to make the Lenten Pennant Service on that evening, if you have not yet made your Lenten confession.
Please keep me in your prayers as I recover my strength and vitality, in order that we can have a wonderful Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter in 2024.
Faithfully, Your friend, and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
More than 30 years ago, when I arrived at my first parish assignment. (St. Vincent’s in Euless) as a newly-minted priest. I noticed a small framed parchment hanging in the Priest’s Sacristy where we vested for Holy Mass: “O priest of God, offer this Mass as if it were your first Mass, your last Mass, your only Mass.” This is call to resist celebrating Mass in a routine, mechanical manner was an invitation for me to always remember just how unique and special each celebration of the Mass really is. Sometimes we priests hear, “Oh Lent begins next Wednesday, ho hum. Do we have to go to Stations every Friday, or can we skip some?”
But this Lent could be your first real energized Lent; (let’s hope it’s not your last Lent.) Let me suggest ways to make it your “Best Lent Ever!” As we enter into this most sacred time of penance, reflection and fasting, let me offer these suggestions for consideration: Set aside time to pray—Fifteen minutes in a place that is technology and distraction free. During that time, be open to the presence of the Risen Christ, meditating on the depth of God’s love, and offer Him your thanks. Our Church is open every day from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in order that you can come and pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Plan a retreat—to a place that may lead to spiritual conversion. (I highly recommend the Sisters of Nazareth Retreat Center in Grand Prairie for a local retreat, or Clearcreek Monastery in Oklahoma for one which is not too far away) There are also some Ordinariate Themed opportunities as well—see bulletin for details. Acknowledge sins and seek forgiveness through the Sacrament of Penance—Lent is a perfect time to experience this very intimate encounter with God’s mercy that is intended to lead to one’s spiritual conversion. Every time we sin, we choose to live in darkness. In the Sacrament of Penance, we acknowledge our sins, express our sorrow, receive the forgiveness of Christ and His Church, resolve to do better in the future , and walk into the Light of Christ about which we hear at every Mass at the Last Gospel.
Please note the additional times for Confession on Friday afternoon from 4:45 pm to5:45 (just before Stations of the Cross at 6:00 pm)
Demonstrate compassion for the downtrodden—Do you know anyone who is lonely, homeless and rejected, or considered unimportant by society? Do what you can to reach out with compassion, tenderness and love.
Bring hope to the poor—Offer your time or talent to a group, like Catholic Charites, which is already assisting others who can’t afford basic shelter, health services and good nutrition. Plan to participate in the next “Finding Calcutta” Outreach Saturday. (And “Thank You” to all who helped in yesterday’s Family Service Project for the Homeless) The Gospel entreats you to bring Christ our Hope to “these least of these my brethren.” If we look to these suggestions on how best to keep a Good Lent, we may find that it is our “Best Lent Ever.”
Faithfully Your Friend and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
The Season of Lent is a time to look at our temptations, our sins and the consequences.
Lent is a time that reminds us of our universal journey of fall and redemption. Like Adam and Eve, and even Our Blessed Lord Jesus, we all face temptations. Originally, Lent was the season when those about to be baptized repented of their sins, and sought to know the Lord Jesus more intimately. Then it became a season for all the baptized to do the same. We are all challenged to die to sin, so that we may rise again to the new life in Christ. Since the Church begins the season with a reflection on the origins of sin, we should remember that, while “testing” comes from the outside, “temptation” comes from within.
However, the Good News for us is that, though we are tempted and often succumb, God’s grace provides the way of salvation for us. The ultimate temptations in life are NOT those that only push us to “do” things we aren’t supposed to “do”; rather they are the ones that push us to “be” persons we weren’t made to “be.”
As we begin our own Lenten journey today, we need to recall and remember that we are not setting out on this journey on our own. God is with us walking by our side every step of the way. When we are tempted, we need to follow the example of Jesus. The Church encourages and aids us in this struggle against succumbing to our temptations by offering special services during Lent; like the Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings, and expanded times for confessions, (also on Friday evenings), and the opportunity to share a meatless meal with our parishioners, (again on Friday evenings.)
Let us then, during this Lenten season pray earnestly, as Jesus has taught us to pray to Our Father in Heaven—”Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
Today is Quinquagesima Sunday which means Ash Wednesday is this week (Yes, it starts on Valentine’s Day—so why not go out on Shrove Tuesday instead?) As usual, there will be two Masses that day (one at Noon and one at 7:00 pm) I will also hear confessions at our regular time of 11:00 am on Ash Wednesday, with the proviso that we will have to stop right at the posted time of 11:50 am. in order to make the final preparations for the Ash Wednesday Mass. Additional confession times for that day will be 1:00 to 1:45 pm. and again at 6:00 to 6:45 pm.
This Lent we are going to again have Meatless Potlucks on Fridays in Lent (an old custom here at SMV.) Information concerning these Potlucks cab be found elsewhere in this bulletin
.
Our Friday Lenten Schedule will be:
Mass: 12:00 noon
Adoration: 1:00 to 6:00 pm (Note the later closing time during Lent)
Confessions: 4:45-5:45 (note the additional time)
Stations of the Cross and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament: 6:00 p.m. followed by a meatless potluck in the Parish Hall. I hope our parishioners will enjoy these delicious meals.
Lent is also a time when all Catholics make their Confessions. In the Narthex you can find “Guidelines for Making your Confessions” which I wrote for our Parish last year, and you are encouraged to pick up.
We have also put copies in the Narthex of “Making Your Lenten Rule” which I produced for your edification, please feel free to take one home as well.
Lent is rich and powerful Season in the Church Year—the Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving we practice during these 40 Days will make our upcoming Season of Easter a more joyous one than if we had let these weeks slip by without acknowledging the Sacrificial Atonement , after all, for us.
Let us, then, please plan to really KEEP a good Lent by attending the Friday night devotions, (and the potluck), by making your confessions (and please use the guidelines), and, of course, by being present at Mass each Sunday during this Penitential, Sombre and Vital season.
Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
With the Feast of Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (aka Candlemas) this past Friday, Christmas has definitively come to an end, and we have sung our last Alleluia until Easter. You can see their “burial” spot off to the side of the patio as you enter the Church. The grocery stores now remind us that (the secular/pagan versions of) St. Valentine’s and St. Patrick’s Day are approaching. By the time St. Patrick’s Day comes around this year, the Catholic Church will be in the final week of Lent..
Due to the busyness of these months, it’s easy to welcome this respite and let Gesimatide slip by without appreciation. Yet the season—first mentioned in a homily by St. Gregory the Great in the late 600s—is rich with meaning and purpose. So what does Gesimatide mean? The English equivalent to Gestimatide is the word “Shrovetide.” You may have also heard this time referred to as Carnival, which is derived from the Latin words camem levare. “to take away the flesh.” In the “Ecclesiastical Institutes,” written by Theodulphus and translated by Abt. Aelfric c. 1000,
“Shrovetide” was recorded as : “In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him as he then may hear by his deeds what he is to do in the way of penance.” With this emphasis on saying confession, Gesimatide becomes a preparation for Lent and encourages us to make confession of sin and receive absolution, thus making Lent a time for penance and renewal of faith. Please look elsewhere in this bulletin for a notice of our expanded confession times this Lent. Gesimatide is, then, a preparation for preparation!
Before refrigerators, these weeks were also used to eat up perishables in your home—primarilycheese and meat. St. Gregory the Great, writhing to St. Augustine of Canterbury, issued the following rule: “We abstain from flesh, meat and from all things that come from flesh, as milk, cheese, and eggs.” These fasting rules governed the Catholic Church in England and developed into the tradition of Shrove Tuesday, when they would eat pancakes (made up of the last sugar, butter and eggs in your house) for dinner. (As a side note: this old tradition of giving up eggs is partly why we decorate eggs for Easter.)
Now is, for many traditional Catholics, the time to decide how to include fasting, or abstaining, in your upcoming Lenten discipline, rather than waiting until the evening of Shrove Tuesday to prepare, and to remove temptations from your home (pausing the Streaming Service for 40 days, say, or locking up the liquor cabinet.) By preparing in Gestimatide, we will be ready to receive ashes on February 14th. Last Sunday, we celebrated the first Gesima: Septuagesima. This time is truly a pre-Lenten season—the countdown to Easter has begun!
Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
Today is the first Sunday of Gesimatide – the Sundays of Septuagesima (today) Sexagesima, next week, and Quinquagesima (one of my all time favorite ecclesiastical words to say!) in two weeks.
I am grateful that in the Ordinariate we keep many elements of the old calendar, and agree with my dear friend, Father Christopher Phillips, the Pastor Emeritus of Our Lady of the Atonement in San Antonio, who wrote in his bulletin: “ I have always loved these old "Gesima" Sundays of Septuagesima, Seagesima and Quinquagesima, forming a pre-Lenten season which served as a bridge between Epiphanytide and the great Forty Days of Lent.”
Septuagesima is simply another word for "Seventy Days", that’s all. The modern English word is derived from Middle English in turn from Old French in turn from the actual Late Latin word septuagesima meaning seventieth day.
The septua- part is the same prefix for seven or multiples by ten of seven seen in other English words — “septet", an ensemble of seven; “septuagenarian", someone in his 70s; the Septuagint, the translation into Greek of the Hebrew Scriptures by seventy scholars — and the - gesima part derives from the Latin for days, dies. Seventieth day from Easter, no more complicated than that! So, Septuagesima is 70 Days, Sexagesima is 60 Days, Quinqagesima is 50 Days. Simple.
During Gesimatide, the white vestments of Christmastime joy, and green vestments of Epiphany cheer, now give way to the sombre purple or violet of repentance; the “Gloria” is not used at Sunday Mass, and there is no “Alleluia” before the Gospel. You may note that the readings these next few weeks will all tend to follow this notion: "A Change is coming”.
These Gesima Sundays are a time tested way to assist us to get ready for Lent.
Faithfully,
Your friend and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
Mass Canceled!
Due to conditions beyond our control, Mass is canceled Monday January 15th at noon.
We don't cancel Masses lightly, but we want everyone to stay home, safe and warm. We expect this to be a one day cancellation, but keep your eyes on the webpage, Facebook, or your emails for updates.
SUNDAY
8:00 AM Low Mass
10:30 AM High Mass
with full choir and ceremonials
1:00 PM Low Mass with Hymns
MONDAY
12:00 PM
TUESDAY
12:00 PM
WEDNESDAY
12:00 PM
THURSDAY
12:00 PM
FRIDAY
12:00 PM
SATURDAY
9:00 AM
CONFESSIONS
WEDNESDAY 11:00 AM
SATURDAY 10:00 AM
ADORATION AND BENEDICTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT IS ON FRIDAYS FOLLOWING THE NOON MASS UNTIL 5:00 PM
If you're wondering how to donate to St. Mary the Virgin, there are several ways to do so. Of course, you may drop your offering in the offering basket at any Sunday Mass. Your tithe offering may be mailed to the church. You also may set St. Mary the Virgin up with your bank in their online “bill pay” option. With this option, a check will be mailed to the church directly from your bank. We have also set up PayPal as a payment option. To use PayPal, go to PayPal.com, log into your account or create a new one and search for stmaryarl@sbcglobal.net. We ask that you use the Friends and Family option.
St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, Pray for us.
O Glorious St. Joseph, thou who hast the power to render possible even things which are considered impossible, come to our aid in our present trouble and distress.
Take this important and difficult affair under thy particular protection,
that it may end happily.
O dear St. Joseph, all our confidence is placed in thee.
Let it not be said that we have invoked thee in vain,
and since thou art so powerful with Jesus and Mary,
show that thy goodness equals thy power. Amen.
St. Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.
My Jesus, I believe that thou
art truly present in the
Most Holy Sacrament.
I love thee above all things,
and I desire to receive
thee into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive thee sacramentally,
come at least
spiritually into my heart.
I embrace thee as if thou were already there and unite myself wholly to thee. Never permit me to be separated from thee. Amen
We are now streaming the 8:00 a.m Sunday Mass on the
St. Mary the Virgin Facebook Page
Please consider supporting our Parish with
time, talent, and treasure!
are currently looking for men & women to serve as USHERS at all Masses. The work of an Ush
If you are a young man interested in serving on the altar, please see Head Acolyte, Brandon Gunnip (or call the parish office) to add your name to the Server Roster.
"I will Go unto the Altar of God"
Eucharistic Adoration is offered on Fridays, beginning after the 12:00 noon Mass and concludes at 5:00 p.m. Please come and sit with our Lord for an hour. WE NEED MORE ADORERS to maintain this Ministry, as the Blessed Sacrament cannot be left alone in the Church. Please call the Parish Office to Sign Up for a time.
(2 needed each hour)
The Catholic Church of St. Mary the Virgin wants you to know that the church remains unlocked for private prayer and reflection before and after daily Mass from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.