Parish of the Precious Blood

Dear Friends,

Why should I go to Mass every Sunday?

Perhaps you have been asked this question. Now that the dispensation to attend Mass has been lifted, the question comes
up more and more frequently. Why should I return?

First of all, Sunday Mass fulfills God’s law. The Third Commandment is, “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day” (Ex 20:8; see also Dt 5:12). The Christian Sabbath is Sunday, and Catholic’s keep the Sabbath holy by fulfilling the obligation to attend Mass (Canons 1246-1248; Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2174-2178). The Commandment is not a suggestion or a request; it is a command or an order. The law makes compulsory what we should want to do on our own.

Also, weekly worship Follows Jesus’ example. Jesus was in the habit of going to the synagogue on the Sabbath day (Lk 4:16b). His mother Mary was “full of grace” (Lk 1:28) and his stepfather,  Joseph was “a righteous man” (Mt 1:19) and they both carefully “fulfilled all of the prescriptions of the law” (Lk 2:39) which means that they went to the synagogue every Sabbath. Not only did they observe this law themselves, they took their son with them, and when Jesus was old enough he went on his own. If Jesus went to the synagogue to observe the Sabbath every week, we should go to Mass every week.

Sunday is a day of thanksgiving. Eucharist means thanks. It is right and just to give thanks to the Lord our God, and the Mass is the best prayer to offer thanks. God graciously blesses us with everything that we have: life and health, food and shelter, family and friends, intellect and talents, opportunity, and resources – and faith. Weekly thanksgiving is a bare minimum. If we give thanks only intermittently or rarely, we fail to adequately honor the Giver of the gifts.

And thirdly, community prayer is essential. From the beginning of the Church the community “devoted themselves … to the breaking of the bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). Christians pray together by nature, and the Mass is the highest form of communal prayer. Some make the unfortunate claim: “I can pray by myself and I do not need to go to church.” Usually, the more negligent a person becomes with their Mass attendance the easier it becomes to justify staying home.

Lastly, weekly Eucharist is solid spiritual food. Most people are health-food conscious. It is important to eat properly every day to avoid hunger pains, weakness, malnutrition, and disease. It is the same with our spiritual life. We need to be spiritual-food conscious if we wish to avoid emptiness, spiritual weakness, vulnerability to temptation, and sickness due to sin. Spiritual malnutrition begins when we go without Word and Sacrament for longer than a week.

                                                              See you in Church on Sunday!

                                                               Fr. Dave

      Click here to access the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young Adults.                                            

 

                                                            

                       Click here  to access the Diocesan Code of Ethics (Rev. 2016).

Follow this link to access a variety of useful material and resources including:

      ·        Details about the Office of Child & Youth Protection and the
           Protecting God’s Children program

·         A variety of safe environment forms and applications for parishes, parents, schools, employees and volunteers

·         How to file a sexual abuse report

·         Information about the Office of Professional Responsibility

·         Diocesan policies on counseling assistance

   BISHOP DEELEY'S STATEMENT ON       
        VACCINES AND EXEMPTIONS:
                      September 2, 2021

   In recent weeks, I have received correspondence from individuals both objecting to Governor Mills’ mandate requiring health care workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and asking the diocese for a “religious exemption” from doing so.
I am of the opinion that the vaccine is an effective way to deal with a virulent virus which is causing great destruction. In this, I follow the moral guidance given by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2005 in assessing that the moral good which comes from protecting us from this virus makes the use of these vaccines morally permissible. That teaching is repeated in the Notes published by the same Congregation on December 21, 2020. In that document, in No. 5, it states that “the morality of vaccination depends not only on the duty to protect one’s own health, but also on the duty to pursue the common good.” That common good “may recommend vaccination.” Three separate documents have been released by the Holy See that address the question of a cell line derived from a fetus being used in the development or testing of the vaccine. They conclude to the moral permissibility of those taking the vaccine. As such, I have no reason to take exception to Governor Mills’ mandate for health care workers. I conclude that receiving the COVID-19 vaccine does not violate Catholic moral teaching.
Following the examples of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, who have both taken the vaccine, I see the vaccine as a valuable aid. In fact, Pope Francis, as recently as August 21, urged people to get the vaccine as an act of care for the other. It needs to be pointed out, as well, that in Maine law there is no longer an allowance for philosophical or religious exemptions from vaccines, only medical exemptions.
Catholics care about the common good, and the Gospel calls us to care for each other. Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine protects and preserves the dignity of many in need. Join me in continuing to pray for a swift end to the pandemic and the serious harm caused by this terrible virus.
 

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  29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  St. Mary, Caribou

                       Oct. 17, 2021               

                                
           
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   Volunteer Policies and Procedures
       *Approved by the Pastoral Council*
                      September 24, 2020

    
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