All Saints - St. Peters

Happy All Saints Day!
In keeping with the theme of racking up indulgences, I headed out to All Saints in St. Peter, because there is an indulgence attached to going to a parish's patronal feast.  I had forgotten about it, but I went to Mass on Sunday at St. Francis de Sales (they had pancakes...pancakes in latin are just as good as pancakes in english...) and Canon W mentioned it because Sunday was the Institute's patronal feast.  I also managed to pray at the cemetery right next to the church of All Saints...cause there is an indulgence for All Souls (tomorrow) for that.

All Saints is an older church that still retains it older character.  Father mentioned in the mini-homily the parish is 188 years old.  He mentioned that there were only 8 parishes older.  (Wonder which....)

Before Mass there was a meet your neighbor moment.

The church has a choir loft, but the musicians were in the left front.  There was a piano, guitars and flute.
Gathering:  For All the Saints
Offertory:  Blest Are They
Communion:  Litany of Saints
Sending Forth:  Lead Me Lord

The homily was about how is God calling us to be a saintly presence.  Father is currently teaching homiletics at the Seminary and thought he should give us an exam about how to pick out saints.  We think saints are perfect.  It is not actually Catholic Tradition that Saints are perfect, they lead exemplary lives but not perfect lives.  If we refer back to the Responsorial Psalm:  Oh Lord this is the People that Long to See Your Face.  Where is Jesus inviting us to the see the Face of God.  The Gospel tells us.  Find someone who is the first part of the Beautitudes - This is the Face of God.  Father mentioned another Gospel story where Christ mentioned the little ones, the little ones see the Face of God.  The people we help?  They do us a favor and show us the Face of God.  Jesus struggled get people to see God.  The face of unconditional love is the Face of God.  We have to be that Face of God for others.  When you look in the mirror, do you see the Face of God?  Where is God calling us to be the Face of God?  (wild guess...not making snarkastic remarks about homilies...).  There are people in this church right now who are hopeless and need to see the Face of God.  I am the Face of God for whom in this world?  How can I do that more clearly?  We are called to be the Face of God.

Father used Eucharistic Prayer II and there were no bells.

Pictures:

Lourdes Grotto

View From the Back Pew!

 

St. Wendelin

Links:
All Souls Indulgence
Website of All Saints
Pictures from Rome of the West

All Saints - University City

Today is the Feast of All Saints, which is a normally a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States.  Since the feast day fell on a Sunday, the normal Sunday programming, er readings (has been corrected..they are called Propers) were set aside, for the readings appropriate for the Feast.

In honor of the Feast of All Saints, I went to All Saints in University City. Because today is the parish's feast day, there was only one Mass at 10 am.

My first impressions of the Church was that it was very very brown.  It was also the oddest shape I'd every seen for a Catholic Church, octagon.  Father mentioned in his homily that the windows represented the Beatitudes, which were featured in today's Gospel.  If you looked closely, you could see the Beatitude written in the window.  Underneath, it looked there may have been a Saint who represented the Beatitude depicted.  The window I sat by was "Blessed Are You Who Are Persecuted" and there was a young woman who was about to be martyred by sword depicted.

The parish was very diverse in age and ethnicity, which I think reflects well the surrounding neighborhood.  I was thinking there would be more college age or graduate students as Washington University is relatively close and many of the students live in apartments around the Church.  They must all go to the campus Newman Center.

There was a choir which sat in front and was accompanied by a piano and either an electric bass or guitar, instead of the choir loft with the organ.  (Which may have been broken..as there was a ladder leaned up against it.)  The choir and the cantor were very good and sang very well.

Entrance:  Gather Us In

Preparaton of Gifts:  Blest Are They

Communion:  Taste and See

Going Forth:  For All the Saints

Mass:  Mass of Creation

The homily was about how we are all Saints and how the Saints can inspire us no matter where we are in our life's journey, as there is a Saint for you and relevant for you.  At one point I wondered if Father had read My Life with the Saints by  Father James Martin SJ (links to his Facebook page or here is his author page), as he brought up many of the same points. (Totally awesome book and priest BTW.)  The big question was "Who are you inspiring by your holy life?"

The Prayers of the Faithful were tied to the Beatitudes.  Father used Eucharistic Prayer III and sang the preface (awesome).  There were bells at the Consecration.

After Mass while I was taking pictures, I met some of my loyal readers!! (Mary, Mike, Jimmy? YAY!!!).  We talked for while and it was totally awesome.  While we were talking, Father came up and introduced himself and stuck around to chat.  Totally cool and very friendly.

The View From The Back Pew!

Tabernacle off to the left.

St. Anne and Mary

Stone thing/memorial in back of Church.

Four sided and had candle on top.

Big dates in the parish history.

Old Confessional turned into Saint Shrine.

I found this statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a corner.

:(

Please put Jesus back in the Church...or make a shrine area.

Window of:

Either early Christians being burned alive for the Faith,

Or Souls in Purgatory/Hell.

Links

Parish Information from St. Louis Archdiocese (Note:  There is no longer a 6 pm Sunday Mass)

Pictures from Rome of the West

Video about All Saints' Day from Father James Martin SJ

Litany of the Saints or a cool sung version here