Welcome to Our Lady on the River Parish!
The people of Holy Cross, St. Catherine and St. Mark welcome you to our new parish website! Use the links on the right to go to common areas of information, like the bulletin or the listing of Masses scheduled at any of our locations. Then choose a link to the church, chapel, or school to find information specific to that organization, like the Harvest Dinner at Holy Cross, the Fall Festival at St. Catherine, the Men's Club at St. Mark, or the classes at Holy Cross School.
Our three parishes of Holy Cross, St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Mark officially merged on March 6, 2007, to become Our Lady on the River Parish, with the three locations of Holy Cross Church, St. Catherine of Alexandria Church and St. Mark Chapel. Information and links on the process are provided on the "Together in Faith" page.
Message from our Pastor, Fr. Jim Lopez, May 11, 2008
As we welcome the month of May, we look towards our Blessed Mother to give us the love and guidance we need in our lives. Since we are named after Our Lady, we must remember to give thanks to her as she continues to watch us grow as one, united parish. However, we cannot just thank Mother Mary today, we must give thanks to all mothers on this Sunday. We can simply say thanks for giving us life and trying her very best in teaching the value of life. So my thanks to all the “moms” out there who followed the example of Mary and said “yes” to the call of motherhood.
This week, our former intern Deacon Lee Acervo, will be ordained with his classmates to the Sacrament of Holy Orders. There are five men set for ordination this year and I had the privilege of attending seminary with them. All five are good candidates to the “Call” and I ask that we keep them in our prayers so they will strive to be good and holy priests. Like our Blessed Mother, these men are saying “yes” to God’s calling and are about to begin a ministry in which their experiences are filled with joys and sorrows. I pray that the newly ordained follow the order of Mary when she spoke at the wedding at Cana, “do as he says.” If the men follow that command and stay true to Jesus, they will be good shepherds. But we must continue our prayers for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Finally, as we thank our mothers and pray for the newly ordained, we must not forget to celebrate Pentecost! Pentecost is our reminder that we too have a mission that must be accomplished and that mission is to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ as our Savior. Pentecost signifies that the Easter Season has come to a conclusion, but that our goal is to go out and proclaim that we are all disciples of the risen Christ. We forget that sometimes. Just because an event is over we move on to something else. Jesus is asking us not to forget about him or replace him with something else in our lives. Jesus is asking us to remain true to him as he remains faithful to us. We live in a world where things move so fast and furious that we tend to ignore those signs in which Jesus is speaking to us and telling us that he loves us.
Before I forget, next weekend Fr. Lee Acervo will have his Masses of Thanksgiving on Saturday, May 17th at 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday May 18th at 11:30 a.m. Also, our Senior Class from Cardinal Mooney High School will be graduating at 2:00 p.m. from Holy Cross Church. Please keep them in your prayers as well as they continue their journey in life.
All My Prayers,
Fr. JimFrom the Archdiocese
May Prayer Theme:
"The Gospel-In-Action: 175 Years of Service"
During this month of May 2008, as we continue to celebrate our 175th anniversary, we reflect on our tradition of Christian service and social justice on behalf of the Gospel. Many outstanding ser-vants of the Lord have embodied the “Gospel-in-action”– the Vener-able Solanus Casey, Monsignor Clement Kern, Eleanor Josaitis, and Father William Cunningham, to name just a few.
Much of Christian service actu-ally happens in hidden and quiet ways, often behind the scenes through countless organizations and by individuals and families. We praise the Lord for this beautiful chorus of voices and hearts coming together in loving recognition of the Lord in the least of our brothers and sisters.
Almighty God and Father, you sent your only Son, Jesus Christ, to dwell among us in the hidden and humble form of a child. From the beginning of His life until His last breath on the cross, He was dependent upon the hospitality and goodness of those around Him. By His own word and example, He has taught us to recognize His abiding presence in the least of our brothers and sisters. As we adore His presence in the Holy Eucharist and celebrate His presence in the Sacred Scriptures, may we also be attentive to the gift of His presence in the least of our brothers and sisters until the day that we hear His voice and are called to His side in the Kingdom. We ask all this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
Announcements from the Archdiocese, Week of May 3-4
From the United States Council of Catholic Bishops
Readings and Psalms of the Month
Please go to this page for Daily Mass Readings, Palsms and much more, provided by the USCCB.
From the Vatican
BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR MAY
VATICAN CITY, 30 APR 2008 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for May is: "That Christians may use literature, art and the mass media to greater advantage in order to favour a culture which defends and promotes the values of the human person".
His mission intention is: "That the Virgin Mary, Star of evangelisation and Queen of the Apostles, may still guide today with maternal affection the missionaries, both men and women, throughout the world, just as she accompanied the Apostles in the early stages of the Church".
BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/MAY/... VIS 080430 (330)>
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Parish Mission Statement
We the people of Holy Cross, St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Mark parishes, state in a common voice that we are a Catholic community. As a clustered parish family, we teach, serve and pray together to support the human and spiritual dignity of each person, and to strengthen our bond as members of the Body of Christ. We strive to teach the faith to our youth through Catholic education. We welcome all people into our community and look forward to sharing the unique gifts of each parish member.
General Information
Guidelines for Reception of Holy Communion, from the USCCB
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops "What's New"
Links and Resources
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