St. Jude the Apostle - Jacksonville AR

Hello!  I went adventuring this weekend and went to St. Jude the Apostle in Jacksonville AR.  It is right outside the Air Force base.  The church was dedicated in 1983.  It's mostly square but kind of a wonky square.  8 am Mass was packed.  I'm guessing the Church holds about 400 people and it was near capacity.

Music was provided a piano and a choir.
Music:
Opening:  Holy Holy Holy
Offertory:  You Alone
Communion:  If You Love Me
Closing:  Sing a Joyful Song

Homily:
Father started off his homily with some PSAs.  Be sure to get a bulletin as it has lots of information in it.  (Here's a tip Father, if you have the bulletins available before Mass...people will get them...of course they might read them during your homily so it's a catch-22)  Don't let your kids go the bathroom alone. The parish can't afford the plumbing bills (wow)  The cry room is for little kids.  Don't get mad when the ushers tell you can't go in there.  I told them to not let you in.  Don't write to the Bishop over it on second thought go ahead (really?  writing the Bishop over this? )  Also next weekend is the collection for the Military Diocese.

Nineteen Sundays ago Jesus set His sights on Jerusalem.  These past few weeks are the strongest readings in the 3 year cycle.  We are about to get into the gloom and dire end of the world in the upcoming weeks.  We hardly got into Luke.  This is a story unique to Luke and shows what it means to be a disciple.  Luke uses contrasts to get his point across.  The ending is different than what we think.  In Chap 18, the rich synagogue person couldn't do what Jesus told him (Father did say who he was but I can't remember)  Jesus did not go to his house.  Zaccichus was a crook and unjust.  The crowd is judgemental, aloof and jealous.  Jesus goes to Zaccihus' house.  Followers are so close to Jerusalem but there are obstacles.  There are 2 steps to being a disciple:  wanting to see Jesus and going to look for Him and making changes to restore justice and set what is wrong right.  Zaccihus was listening and did not need to be told what he needed to do.  Jesus stays with Justice.  Jesus in Luke is still looking.  Don't be that group of people who who don't get it.  There is no middle ground.  Differences is concern for justice and something else (I hit my head before Mass...its a bit foggy).  Zaccihus shows us how to make Jesus welcome and to come down from our faults that keeps us from joy and Christ.

The Apostles' Creed was used instead of the Nicene Creed.  Eucharistic Prayer III was used but there were no bells.  And of course, there was hand holding at the Our Father.

This is the 3rd church I've been to in Little Rock.  When the priests says "The Lord be with You" and we all reply "And with your Spirit" everyone (but yours truly) is gesturing back to the priest.  It's odd.

I was initially concerned I would not know the music in this diocese.  I have nothing to fear.  I have seen the Gather, Worship and Breaking Bread books.  I'm all good. :)


Pictures:

St. Jude the Apostle

St. Jude the Apostle

View from the Back Pew

Station VIII

Wedding at Cana?

Eucharist

Fish and Fish Nets...oh!  that one story...

where Jesus made all the fish so that the nets nearly broke.

Jesus' Baptism

Nativity

Church Suffering, Church Triumphant, Church Militant (?)

Link:
St. Jude the Apostle

Requiem Prayer Service

Saturday, November 2, was the Feast of All Souls.  I don't know about you, but I love spending my Saturday nights listening to funeral music...  I digress.

The Cathedral of St. Andrew had a requiem prayer service.  A small orchestra and the choir performed Requiem in C by Charles Gounod.  Apparently this was Gounod's last work and he died as he was playing it.  The piece is marked by chromaticism (I know what that means in painting...I think...but not music) and its choice of key signature, C major, reflects the hope and promise of eternal light.  I have to say it didn't seem very hopey.  Although when you are singing about the day of wrath and judgement...

I think I'm missing how a Requiem like this works at a real Mass.  It clearly doesn't work with the current Mass...all that singing by the choir.

The service opened with For All the Saints.  There was an opening prayer, Gospel reading, reading of the names of the dead and a closing hymn, "Around the Throne..."

It was a really nice service and the choir did a really good job.  There was also food afterward :)

The Cathedral of St. Andrew was very pretty but I couldn't help think about how small it was.  I'm pretty sure St. Anthony of Padua or St. Francis de Sales or St. Cecilia would be able to fit this Cathedral of St. Andrew inside them.  Although the Cathedral is pretty tall.

I'll be back to actually go to Mass and take pictures of the windows as it was too dark to get them.  I will say it was odd that the Cathedral doesn't have Mass every day.  I guess I'm really in the South...

Pictures:

Cathedral of St. Andrew

St. Andrew

Doors

View from the Back Pew

Link:
Cathedral of St. Andrew

St. Mary of the Springs - Hot Springs

Good Sunday Evening to you all.  I'm running a little behind so bear with me :)

Friday, November 1, was the Feast of All Saints.  I had made plans to spend the day exploring Hot Springs so what better way to start the day then going to Mass?

Shockingly (not if you know me)  I got lost on the way to the Church.  I was 5 minutes late.  Mass was already midway through the First Reading.  I attended the 8 am Mass at St. Mary of the Springs.

Music was provided by a cantor and a pianist in the loft!
Music:
Opening:  By All Your Saints Still Striving
Setting: Mass of Renewal
Offertory: Holy Holy Holy
Communion: The Lord is My Light
Closing:  Sing With All the Saints in Glory

Homily:
Beloved, we are God's children now.  We don't know what we will be; it has not been revealed to us.  The Church is three things:  militant, triumphant, and suffering.  We are now the Church Militant.  We are celebrating the Church Triumphant today.  It is the essence of our calling:  to be saints.  St. Paul always called people saints to remind them as calling.  When it is revealed to us, we will be like God.  This is why at Baptism we are sealed with Christ's cross.  The seal is a mark of authority.  We became God's children.  We have been claimed by God.  If you want to follow Christ, you must take up your cross.  That is our symbol.  Within this cross there is blessing.  When we bless in the Church we always include the cross.  John saw a vision of people in white robes with a seal.  They have survived the Great Distress, they have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb.  This is who we celebrate today.  The ultimate goal is to be like God.  We celebrate those that are not officially canonized today.  What we are today, they were.  We will be like them.  Jesus gave us Beautitudes as a new law, it's experience vs. expectation.  Blessed are the Pure in Heart, they will see in God.  This is what we celebrate today.  Only those pure in heart help to see God.  We need God's assistance to see Him.  We must respond to God's Love and give to others.  Saints are all about humility.

Eucharistic Prayer 2 was used and there were bells.

Pictures:

St. Mary of the Springs

View from the Back Pew!

Baptism

Confirmation

Eucharist

Penance

Holy Orders

Matrimony

Anointing of the Sick

Mary and Child

Station VIII

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Links:
St. Mary of the Springs

Registering for a Parish

Today I did the adult thing and registered at my territorial parish.  I found it by asking the GPS for places of worship nearest my location and picking the Catholic sounding one.  Then google!

I wasn't 100% certain that this was my territorial parish but I figured they would tell me if it wasn't.

Did you know that there are parishes that have more than one building?  And that these new modern buildings all kind of look alike?  Perhaps some signage at the entrance to the parking lot or on the buildings might not be remiss....

After finally finding the office (which I had to be buzzed into...answering the door is so *old school*) I asked to register.  I get the paperwork and am directed to a room to fill it out.  I mention that I'm not sure this is my parish and the secretary was like we don't enforce the boundaries. (Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought according to Canon Law, the pastor of my territorial parish, regardless of whether or not I'm registered at that parish, is responsible for me...maybe I'd like to meet the guy? Or here's another thought, I thought that Canon Law required me to give my time, talent and/or treasure to my territorial parish...)  Fill out the paper, get a welcome to Parish and that's all she wrote.

I don't know anything about this parish.  I don't know when the Mass times are (grabbed bulletin though).  She said she'd see me Sunday...neglected to tell me *when*.  If I was shopping for a Catholic Church this did not sell me on it.  In fact, I thought that was one of the points of territorial churches was to stop Catholics from acting like Protestants and church shop.

I just have to ask, is it so hard to say Welcome to St. Snup.  Our masses are at X, Y and Z but here's a bulletin/piece of paper for you to have them all to refer to.  I usually attend Mass at X so if I see you I could introduce you to some parishoners. Father Snup gives excellent homilies and Father Charlie is in charge of the youth group.  We have lots of opportunities for different activities, many of them are in the bulletin but if you tell me what you are interested in, I might be able to hook you up with a group.   (Especially when the person registering says they've just moved to town and has only been in town 2 days.)

Let the snark begin!

And so it begins...again.

Hello all my legions of loyal readers!  I hope you are still with me. :D

I have moved to Little Rock, AR to take a job with the USDA- National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).  Briefly, I count cows (and ducks..and chickens...and horses...and cotton...and fish...et cetera et cetera et cetera).  I don't get to actually go out in the field and count them...I look at surveys sent in the mail or online.

Because I had so much fun (snark) the last time, let's do it again, this time with the Diocese of Little Rock.  There are some tiny issues that I hope will work themselves out.

• I'm only guaranteed 5 months.  This fun could end by April.
• The diocese is the entire state.  I'm in the center...it takes roughly 3 hours to get to a state border.  
• In other words, you might get pictures if I go hiking around there but no Mass report.
• 3 hours is 1 tank of gas.  It is expensive to live on your own...
• I don't know where anything is...but the GPS fixes that issue.  Expect lots of I got lost.

I will start Friday, November 1 for the Feast of All Saints.  

Yeah, I know I need a new header.  I don't know what to use right now....

Snup's View is Moving

The Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways.  I have been offered a position in another state.  Of course this means I'll have to visit all the new churches!  This maybe a big challenge as there is only one diocese where I'm moving to.  It's a big diocese.

My first post for my new location will by Nov 3.

:)

Closing Mass, St. Elizabeth Academy

After 131 years, St. Elizabeth Academy closed this weekend.  The sisters have moved out of the convent.  The rooms are empty.  The pictures of every graduate are no longer in the hallway.  The buildings are for sale.

I graduated in 1994.  I am incredibly grateful I was able to go to a small, all-girls school.  I am sad that other young women will not be able to have the same experiences.

The Closing Mass or Mass of Celebration was held on July 21, 2013.

Music:
Gathering Song:  All Are Welcome
Gloria:  Mass of Light
Alleluia:  The jazzy one!
Mass Setting:  Mass of Glory
Communion:  The Supper of the Lord, We Are One Body (I didn't know there were 5 verses...)
Recessional:  Hymn to St. Elizabeth
Spontaneous After Mass Song:  St. Elizabeth School Song (the first time I have ever heard it....)

Opening Remarks by Sister Susan Borgel, CPPS, President:
To celebrate means to remember together who we are.  We are God's Beloved.  We are the community of SEA.  We are here to give thanks for that grace of being part of this community.

Reflection (in place of homily) by Sister Fran Raia, CPPS, General Superior:
I wish you could see what I see:  all these wonderful faces.  You came in as little girls and left as competent women.  A few years ago, the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood (CPPS) determined their four values for ministry (So much to say...but it is so wrong to kick a dog when it's down....)  These four values are hospitality, reconciliation, be the presence of Christ, and response to human needs.  As you attended school, you had the example of St. Elizabeth, who gave bread to the hungry.  These values are implicit in SEA life.  It is our spirit of family.  In the First Reading Abraham shows hospitality.  It is a strong value found throughout our Jewish and Christian Traditions.  In the Gospel, Mary and Martha show hospitality.  We live this family spirit in our lives.  Mary and Martha are present in the faculty and staff.  We have all been influenced by saints in the windows.  They gave their lives for others.  These values have been implicit in your lives.  I'd like to quote from Dr. Suess:  "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."  Something is ending, but endings are beginnings.

The Profession of Faith was skipped.  And now that I think about it, so were the Prayers of the Faithful.  Which is probably a good thing since I still don't know it.  Instead there was a Ritual of the Presentation of the Gifts.  We were asked to affirm how we will live the 4 values and keep the values of St. Elizabeth Academy alive.

After this, all of the sisters stood up and one-armed saluted  blessed us and sang the Blessing Song.  It goes May the Blessing of the Lord be upon you....and some more stuff.

Pictures:

View from the Choir Loft ;)

It's where the freshmen used to sit.

Mary, St. Elizabeth, St. Agnes, St. Cecilia, Esther and Judith

 From the Old Chapel turned Music Room:

 

I found this painting of St. Joseph in the entrance of the convent.  On May 17, 1896 a tornado destroyed the convent chapel and it's contents.  This painting and the corpus from the main altar Crucifix were the only things to survive.  None of the sisters or students were injured.

The painting is for sale....

Links:
Taize Prayer at St. Elizabeth Academy