Parish Blog

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, a time of waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ. His historic coming took place two thousand years ago. Jesus was born, lived, suffered, died and rose again on this earth, in our history. And in this way, he offered redemption to all mankind that had been lost in sin.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today we behold three men crucified on Mount Calvary: the redeemer of humanity and two evildoers. Many others were condemned, but only these two were called to die next to Jesus, "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." And He told one of them, "Today, you shall be with me in paradise."

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last Friday on the 14th of November, I turned 74. I'm most grateful for my life and for the health that I enjoy! Here's how it all began for me.

My mother, Harriet Wilson was over nine months pregnant with me on the 13th of November in 1951. I was her fourth baby of nine. She went in to see Dr. Dale. As many of you know this is the time of the year for deer hunting season in Minnesota and Dr. Dale was a deer hunter; so was my father.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

What did the saints have to say about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? Just a few quotes to reflect upon:

“When the Eucharist is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels who adore the divine victim immolated on the altar." St. John Chrysostom

“The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass.” St. Augustine

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This has been an interesting year in terms of our Sunday Eucharist. Every seven or eight years or so, we get some unusual feast days that show up on Sunday. This year we had All Soul's Day on Sunday and of course it trumped the regular Sunday celebration for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I'm excited to share some updates about the wonderful things happening at our parish school. St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church and School are committed to continue to grow and enhance our community for the benefit of our students, staff, families, and parishioners.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On Friday around 6:00pm, we returned from our pilgrimage to Greece and the Greek Isles, following in the footsteps of St. Paul. There were so many highlights and blessings over the 11 days that it is difficult to reflect upon them and process them: Athens and the Acropolis; Mars Hill; Corinth; Ephesus; The House of the Virgin Mary; the island of Patmos; the monastery of St. John; the islands of Crete and Santorini; the hanging monasteries of Meteora; and Thessaloniki. It was truly an amazing experience to see the wonders of God’s creation and reflect upon St. Paul’s journeys and ministry as he was used of God to establish the early Church.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

October 11th is the one-year anniversary of my open-heart surgery. It's hard to believe that one year has gone by since that major event in my life. I want you to know that I'm ever so grateful for your prayers and support over this past year. I feel good, I'm back exercising again. I can ride my bike. I can go to the gym. I feel very healthy. All the same, a major milestone like this is an opportunity to reflect on the many graces that God has given me through this experience.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In this Gospel passage we are confronted by a different outcome experienced by two men: a bad rich man and a good poor man. Riches are not evil in themselves, nor is poverty itself good, but rather the way of living as a wealthy person or as a poor person, since there are good and bad ways of being both rich and poor.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today's readings are a wake-up call to our conscience, as we encouraged to place temporal goods in their proper place and use them intelligently. There are people who make material wealth the main motive behind their activities and even their life; that's all they think about. They make money into an idol on whose altar they sacri ce their values, their family, their own health.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As most of you know, Mary Ellen Jackson, our Director of Religious Education is retiring in December after many years of service to our parish. Accordingly, we are currently seeking a qualified, faith-filled individual to serve as our next Director of Religious Education (DRE). This is a vital leadership role in our parish, responsible for overseeing the formation of children and adults in the Catholic faith.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This weekend we heard one of the most severe and clear Gospel passages. Christ doesn't beat around the bush, but from the first moment he states the conditions for following him. People were surprised to hear such words from Christ, yet the evangelist tells us that his followers were many. For Christ the quality of his followers is more important than the quantity. That is why many walked away after hearing these demands. They were afraid.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14

The choral season begins Sunday, September 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. On Good Friday, we concentrate on Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. On Holy Cross day we celebrate the Cross as the instrument Christ used for our salvation. We rejoice as children with Easter joy.

We will have strings playing the prelude and postlude on Sunday. Specifically the prelude will be the first movement, Allegro, from Guiseppe Sammartini’s organ concerto in F, Opus 9, Number 2.

The postlude is the third and final movement of the same work.

October 4

The annual Blessing of the Animals will take place at 9:00am, after the morning Mass on the rectory lawn.

December 4

November 2, the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed falls on a Sunday, and we will be in the church rather that the cemetery.

December 4

The Aiken Civic Orchestra and the USC-Aiken choir will perform at Saint Mary’s, 138 Fairfield SE, at 4:00pm, the famous Vivaldi Gloria.