St. Joseph - Bonne Terre

Howdy.
Since it was another lovely day, it was time for another long drive.  I went to St. Joseph in Bonne Terre for the 10 am Mass on Sunday, October 16.  Bonne Terre means good earth and is/was an area full of mining.

The music for Mass was provided by an organ and choir, both in the choir loft.  The music was really nicely done.
Music:
Opening:  Sing A New Song
Offertory:  Hail Mary, Gentle Woman
Communion:  Here I Am Lord
Communion Meditation:  On Eagle's Wings
Recessional:  O Bless the Lord
Mass Setting:  Celtic Mass
Responsorial Psalm:  If Today You Hear God's Voice

Before Mass, Father lead everyone in the Prayer for Vocations.  The parish has started using the new translation.  They replaced "and also with you" with "and with your spirit"  I'm not sure what other changes there are except for the Gloria and the Nicene Creed.  I think the Eucharistic Prayers have been  altered.  I think Father used Eucharistic Prayer II.  It mentions dewfall.  There were chimes at the Consecration.

Homily:
Father wore a white chasuble today.  He wanted to wear red for the Cardinals.  On his chasuble was an image of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.  Our Lady gave the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to Sister Lucia and a secret.   Sister Lucia gave the secret to Pope Pius XII.  The secret is that war is punishment for sin.  We have offended God and need to pray.  (Uhh...)  Prayer is the foundation of peace.  The 17th promise of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was that those who wear the brown scapular won't go to hell and their time in purgatory will be lessoned.  So it's like fire insurance (and if I'm a firebug?)  The first weekend in November you can be enrolled in the brown scapular.  The purpose is to focus on Mary.  If we focus on Mary, she will focus on us.

After communion, a parishoner gave a talk about time, treasure and talent.  The Church wants yours.  :)

Pictures:

St. Joseph Bonne Terre

Birds above door

View From the Back Pew

Station VIII

St. Joseph Altar

   

The Evangelists

The Prodigal Son

Jesus giving the keys to St. Peter

Annunciation

Visitation

Nativity

Jesus in the Temple

Wedding at Cana

Agony in the Garden

Resurrection

Ascension

Links:
Website of St. Joseph - Bonne Terre
Pictures from Rome of the West

St. Ignatius Loyola - Concord Hill

This morning, October 9, I decided to drive out and check out the fall scenery, so I headed to St. Ignatius in Concord Hill/Marthasville for the 10 am Mass.  Just so you know, my GPS is insane.  Like my pal, it has a fondness for scenery and gravel roads.

St. Ignatius was built in the 1930s.  The windows are clearly from that time period but the rest of the church is more classical.

The music was accompanied by an organ in the choir loft.
Opening:  Only A Shadow
Offertory:  In Christ There is No East or West
Communion:  Where Charity and Love Prevail
Closing:  Love Divine All Loves Excelling

The mini-homily was about how God is the God of all.

The homily started off with how in the next few weeks, some words in the Mass will change.  We need to pay attention to words.  The expression of characters in word is disappearing as cursive is no longer taught.  Soon reading will disappear as devices read for us.  It means that the word is less dwelt upon.  We should choose 3 phrases from each reading and dwell on them.  God expects us to have an understanding of the Word.  In Isaiah, the Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face.  God is the God of All.  By the time Jesus comes, the Jewish Leaders believed that God was only God for the Jewish people.  Everyone is invited to the feast but no one seems to come.  You need the right attitude. That's what is meant about not being dressed right.  It is a challenge to learn in this age of mass media.  St. Paul says he can do all things in Him who strengthens me.

Father used EPII and there were bells.  Because it was Catechail Sunday, Father had a special blessing for teachers.

Pictures:

St. Ignatius Loyola

View From the Back Pew

St. Ignatius Loyola

St. Aloysius Gonzaga 

I think

  

Station VIII

Links:
Website of St. Ignatius Loyola
Pictures from Rome of the West

St. Clare of Assisi - St. Clair

Happy October!

I headed out to St. Clare of Assisi in St. Clair for the 9 am Mass.  It was a lovely drive down I-44.

The music was accompanied by a guitar in the choir loft.  Music:
Opening:  Prayer of St. Francis
Offertory:  Peace is Flowing Like a River
Communion:  Taste and See
Closing:  God's Blessing Sends Us Forth

Father gave a mini-homily before the Kyrie.  God's cultivating us and we are expected to flower.

The actual homily started with why we must always be pro-life and respect life at all stages.  It is a very very grave sin to end a life.  The Church is not here to condemn though.  The Church helps form conscience.  It's Respect Life Sunday and there's a Life Chain this afternoon.  Jesus saves and heals.  We don't have the right to end life.

Next week there will be a special collection.  The Archbishop wants to show some ads on tv and needs money.  Like $390,000  (I have no comment.)  Father had us watch the ads.  They came from Catholics Come Home.  The ads are pretty awesome.

Father used Eucharistic Prayer II and there were no bells.  At the end of Mass, Father pulled a name for a drawing.


Pictures:

St. Clare of Assisi

View from the Back Pew!

St. Clare of Assisi

St. Jude

What Liturgical Season is Rainbow?

The Deacon's was rainbow too but had glitter!

Links:
Information from Archdiocese's Website

Sts. Peter and Paul

This morning, I headed to Soulard for 9:30 am Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul.  I had found out Bishop Rice would be in attendance and thought it would be a good Mass.

When I first walked into the church I was dumbfounded.  Speechless.
WHAT DID THEY DO TO THIS CHURCH????!!!!????
Sts. Peter and Paul is over 175 years old I believe.  It has a long nave.  It was a very traditional looking church.  It's the same style as St. Francis de Sales.

What did they do to this church?  They ripped out all the pews and put them in a circle around some point, which they put an altar.  There's no sanctuary anymore.  Oh.  and then they put the pews on steps.    I felt like I was in an old autopsy room, looking down on an autopsy.  And because the pews were on risers...there was no way to get around them unless you cut through the "sanctuary" so if you wanted out, you had to move all over people.  Oh and there's no kneelers.  Let's take a look shall we?

That's Bishop Rice speaking behind the column.  

The music for mass was provided by a choir.  The instruments included drums, keyboards and tambourines.  

Music:

Opening:  Come, Now is the Time to Worship

Offertory:  Here Am I

Communion:  Bright as Silver, Pure as Gold (It's really Simple Gifts, with a Christian Chorus)

Recessional:  In the Day of the Lord (and the kids got to play various percussion instruments!)

Responsorial Psalm:  To You, O God, I Lift Up My Soul

Mass Setting:  Mass for a New World

Mass starts.  

LITURGICAL DANCE!!!! 

WOOT!!!!

The dancers did something all through out the Liturgy of the Word.  The Gloria had some active participation with the audience doing the dancing during the chorus.  I even participated.  I rolled my eyes.  A lot.  

Bishop Rice started Mass and then Father decided now was the time to give Bishop Rice's biography.  Bishop Rice did sing the Opening Prayer.  

There was incense at the Gospel.

Shake Shake Shake

Shake Shake Shake

Shake Your Incense Bowl

The homily was given by Bishop Rice.  He started off talking about how live TV first came about in 1951.  Every generation is defined by its TV shows.  His parents watched Jackie Gleason.  He watched Happy Days.  He has no idea what they watch today.  Bishop Rice fondly recalled the shows he watched on TV like Flipper, F Troop, Giligan's Island and Leave it to Beaver.  These shows had an innocence to them.  On one show there was a kid named Eddie Haskel.  Eddie was perfect in front of adults but turned into a jerk once they left.  It is an insult to be called Eddie Haskel.  In the Gospel, the 2nd son told Dad what he wanted to hear but did what he wanted, like Eddie Haskel.  The first son came around to embrace the Will of the Father.  To know and embrace the Will of God.  The Our Father wear us down to do.  Thy Will Be Done.  Psalm 119 mentions that "Your Will is My Delight"  I must let go of the things I want.  Do we really believe God knows better than us?  God's plan is better than my plan.  St. Francis of Assisi "We wish to serve God, but we want to do it in our own way."  St. Francis de Sales "We wish to be saints but that will never happen if we try to do it our way instead of God's way."  It must be God's Way.  We are all called to sainthood.  We will see the Will of God in the ordinary chaos of the everyday.  It is the little things that help us grow in grace.  The little things help us grow deeper in love and holiness.  Thy will be done will lead to joy.  Living the life of Christ should be joyful.  

Sts. Peter and Paul is one of many parishes that allow people to make their own petitions on the spot.  As I was trying to understand what people were saying, what is to stop someone from getting up and saying something like "For the Church, that she stop her bigoted, patriarchal, homophobic ways, etc we pray to the Lord."  

Bishop Rice used Eucharistic Prayer III and there were no bells.  Everyone stood throughout the Liturgy of the Eucharist (no kneelers).  There was handholding at the Our Father and lots of huggy and such at the Sign of Peace.  

Mass ended with the week's birthdays and anniversaries being announced.  The class reunions.  and then the retiring parish council members were honored.  

Then there was the procession:

TIE DYE FLAGS!!!!!

SQUEEEEEE!!!!

Pictures:

View From uh...I have no idea.

God looks ready to smite.

Oh and then there's St. Michael.

Marian Altar

St. Elizabeth of Thuringia is on the Left I believe

Not sure on the right.

Sts. Peter and Paul was originally a German parish...

Relics found under the Marian Altar

St. Joseph Altar

I don't know who the saints on the side are.

Relics under the St. Joseph Altar.

St. Stephen of Hungry?

St. Henry?

Station VIII

St. Mark

Poor Sts. Peter and Paul

Out in the Vestibule.

Links:

Website of Sts. Peter and Paul

Picture from Rome of the West