Schedule for September 4-5, 2021
Saturday, September 4
- 7:00 am Cathedral Open for Private Prayer and Devotion
- 8:00 am Mass - will also be livestreamed
- 11:00 am Wedding - will also be livestreamed
- 1:30 pm Wedding
- 3:00 pm Rosary – Live-Stream
- 3:30 - 4:30 pm Holy Hour - concluding with Evening Prayer and Benediction
- 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm Confessions
- 5:00 pm Mass
- 6:00 pm Cathedral Closes
Sunday -Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 7:00 am Cathedral Open for Private Prayer and Devotion
- 8:00 am Mass - will also be livestreamed
- 9:00 am - 9:50 am Confessions
- 10:00 am Mass
- 11:00 am - 11:50 am Confessions
- 12:00 Noon Mass
- 1:00 pm - Sunday Tour of the Cathedral
- 1:00 pm Baptism
- 5:00 pm Mass
- 6:00 pm Cathedral Closes
Monday, September 6 - Labor Day
- 7:00 am Cathedral Open for Private Prayer and Devotion
- 8:00 am Mass - will also be livestreamed
- 5:00 pm Cathedral Closes
Dear Parishioners,
I invite you to take a moment this weekend to visit the All Souls Chapel, where you will find a memorial that has been erected to honor the 13 soldiers who most recently lost their lives in Afghanistan. At the same time, it reminds us of the many men and women who have lost their lives in protecting our country. May we hold in our hearts all who have served our country, who have suffered in many ways as a result, and pray for their families and loved ones.
Many thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to our Cathedral Gala that was held a few weeks ago. While we are still in the process of tabulating and collecting pledges, the monies raised are well over $600,000. These funds will be used to implement phase one of the upgrading of the interior lighting of the Cathedral. In this phase, we will install a new central control system and replace the main lighting box above the main dome. When completed, 108 incandescent bulbs in the dome will be replaced by 36 LED fixtures. As a result, there will be improved lighting in the central nave of the Cathedral, and energy consumption will be cut by about 60-70 percent.
As we come to the national holiday of Labor Day, which is meant to be a tribute to the contributions all laborers have made to our country's strength, prosperity, and well-being, I would invite us all to reflect on how our work is really part of our sanctification. Unfortunately, we get caught in the trap of thinking that our work and salvation are separate entities.
Saint Josemaria Escriva presents for us come helpful insights for our reflection:
“The first aspect, sanctifying one’s work, making holy our work by doing it for love of God, with the greatest possible human perfection, and offering it to God in union with Christ, is the most basic and, as it were, the root of the other two.
The second aspect, sanctifying oneself in one’s work, is, in a certain sense, the result of the first. A person who tries to sanctify his or her work necessarily becomes holy. That is to say, they allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify them, identifying them ever more closely with Christ. Yet just as in the case of a plant it is not sufficient to water the roots (one must also ensure that the stalk grows straight, at times using a stake so that the wind doesn’t bend it, and protecting it against animals and diseases), so too one must have recourse to many means to become identified with Christ: prayer, sacraments and the means of formation through which Christian virtues are developed. These very virtues strengthen the root, and as a result sanctifying one’s work becomes almost second nature.”
Monsignor Henry Breier
This Weekend's Pulpit Announcements
Remember that Monday is Labor Day. In accordance with our usual holiday schedule, the Cathedral Basilica will celebrate Mass at 9:00 a.m. on Monday. This will be the only Mass celebrated here at the Cathedral on the holiday.
Next weekend will be a busy one for the Cathedral:
- The Annual Blue Mass for law enforcement and first responders will be celebrated next Sunday, September 12, at 10:00 a.m., with Archbishop Rozanski as the main celebrant. A reception of light refreshments will follow the Mass. All are invited to join us in prayer, seeking God’s blessing upon those who serve and protect.
- The 2021-22 RCIA session will also begin next Sunday. Anyone interested in becoming Catholic or deepening their understanding of the Catholic faith is welcome to attend. Please see you bulletins for more information, or contact Fr. Povis to register.
- And the Association of Hebrew Catholics is pleased to announce its next free lecture series is also scheduled to begin next Sunday. Please see your bulletins for more information.
Finally, we have a “Save the Date” announcement: the Cathedral Parish Council will be hosting an Oktoberfest-style parish picnic on Sunday, October 3, from 1-4 pm on the east lawn. Bring your appetites, lawn chairs, and polka shoes and join the fun! Watch your bulletins for more information in the coming weeks.
