September 11th, 2022

twenty-fourth Sunday in ordinary time

by Fr. Boniface Endorf, O.P.

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

Reform Wellness will be hosting its NYC Advent Retreat, “An Invitation to Christ-Centered Wellness,” at St. Joseph’s. It’ll be on December 10th and starts at 9am in McGuire Hall and ends with our daily 12:10pm Mass. Here’s a description of what the retreat will be about:

“The brokenness of our humanity is never an obstacle for Christ; instead, it is an opportunity for restoration and reformation. When we empty ourselves of all that holds us back from seeking deeper relationship and healing, we create space for the Divine Healer to fill us with life in abundance. We invite you to join us for a one-day retreat to encounter the Divine Physician through the sacraments. All are welcome!”

It'll be a great event. If you’re interested, tickets are open to St. Joseph’s parishioners exclusively until October 15th, and they are discounted to $40. Go to https://www.reformwellness.co/an-invitation-to-christ-centered-wellness-nyc for more information and use the discount code: PARISHIONER15.

Mass Tidbit:

The priest starts the Penitential Act with these words:

“Brethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.”

The goal of the penitential act is thus to prepare ourselves for worship, or, in other words, to celebrate the sacred mysteries contained within the Mass. Usually the priest pauses briefly after saying the above so that we can recall any sins we may want to be absolved from through this prayer.

Then the priest uses one of the various options within the penitential act. The most familiar is the Confiteor (I confess…), which we’ll cover next week, but there are also what are commonly called tropes, plus a few rarely used options. The tropes usually go “You were sent to heal the contrite of heart, Lord have mercy; you came to call sinners, Christ have mercy; you are seating at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us, Lord have mercy.” I tend to use the tropes at daily Mass because they’re shorter, but the celebrant can use any of them. Whichever is used, make sure to remember these are powerful prayers that bring Christ’s mercy and grace within our souls and prepare us for the rest of the Mass.

God Bless,

Fr. Boniface