From the Pastor: Christmas Ends Next Sunday, Candlemas
When does the Christmas Season end? Many people seem to think that Christmas is already over on December 26. Others assume that the Season extends until January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, since the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” would take us to that date. But once I became a priest I “knew” that the Baptism of the Lord, a movable feast, ends the Christmas Season, for that is what the liturgical calendar said. But then I started using the older liturgical calendar and new, ancient insights were presented. It shows the Season of Christmas continuing for 40 days rather than for a meager few hours or days. It can be a strange season, in that the vestment colors, rather than remaining white for the whole season, change quite often. Martyrs’ feasts are kept in red. Epiphany is white, but beginning the Second Sunday after Epiphany the Sunday color becomes green. And, during the years when Septuagesima overlaps Christmas, we even see violet vestments on Sundays! But none of that detracts from the celebration of Our Lord’s Birth. True God coming among us as also True Man is, after all, of absolute importance for our Salvation. Man sinned and so man must make amends. But from the very first sin against God, Who is infinitely deserving of love and obedience from His creatures, man owed Him infinite reparation, something of which finite man was incapable. It seemed as if all hope of repaying such a debt was lost until the Incarnation. By taking on our human nature without losing anything of His Divinity, Jesus, fully God and fully human, set the stage for man’s sin against the infinite love of God to be justly repaid. He, and He alone among men, could offer an infinite, perfect sacrifice of human passion and death, a perfect act of love. Pity the poor heretics who deny either the humanity of Jesus—for without His humanity, man did not make the necessary restitution owed—or the Divinity of Jesus—for if He was just a “great, holy, wise man” but not also God, He was unable to make a perfect sacrifice, substituting for it instead just a relatively pathetic “great” one. In the words of that often-quoted (by me) Dom Gueranguer, “The custom of celebrating the Solemnity of our Saviour’s Nativity by a feast or commemoration of forty days’ duration is founded on the holy Gospel itself; for it tells us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, after spending forty days in the contemplation of the Divine Fruit of her glorious Maternity, went to the Temple, there to fulfil, in most perfect humility, the ceremonies which the Law demanded of the daughters of Israel, when they became mothers. The Feast of Mary’s Purification is, therefore, part of that of Jesus’ Birth; and the custom of keeping this holy and glorious period of forty days as one continued Festival has every appearance of being a very ancient one, at least in the Roman Church.” Ahh, Tradition! He traces this now-changed and almost lost tradition all the way back to Mary’s Purification. How did anyone dare to shorten such a treasured season after two thousand years of its celebration? Oh, the hubris of man! But that’s enough history for today. Now for some practical instructions. The Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary is also called “Candlemas” due to the long-held tradition of blessing candles before the principal Mass of that day. A long, multiple-prayer blessing is said over the candles and then the people should all proceed from their parish to another neighboring chapel or church where the Mass of the Purification would be held. We used to bless candles in the rectory chapel and have Mass there, so small were we 9 years ago! Perhaps by the second or third year (my memory fails) the daily Mass crowd became so large that we had to move the blessing outdoors near the chapel and process from there to the main church for Mass. Each year more and more people come bringing more and more candles, and it has become a logistical hardship (not quite nightmare status!) to get the people’s candles into place for the blessing before it is time to begin. This year, since the candle blessing falls on a Sunday and we expect 10 times the number of people attending compared to a weekday Candlemas Mass, we will not have a congregational procession. I am rather asking you to bring your candles to the parking lot side of the church and place them under the shade of the large oak tree there. Clearly mark your boxes, bags, trunks, carts, wheelbarrows, and other candle containers with your name so that you can claim your own blessed candles after Mass concludes. I plan, weather cooperating, to bless all of the candles in that area in place of the Asperges sprinkling rite prior to the 10:30 Mass. I will do so from the side doorway while the congregation remains in the pews. The only procession will be the short one done by the altar boys and priests from that door back to the sanctuary. I cannot stress enough that it will be necessary for you to arrive with your candles much earlier than you think is necessary. People really do bring multiple boxes loaded with heavy candles and need to carry, haul, drag, or pull them into place, probably blocking traffic as they do so. It may take a lot longer than normal just to get to a parking spot. A word of warning: I will only bless those candles that are in place before we begin. It is a long blessing and will not be repeated until the same feast day next year! With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Thank You!
Last weekend we celebrated our Parish Feast Day and I give thanks to Almighty God for the wonderful weather He sent us! Some years it has been too hot, other years, too cold. One year it was wet. This year it was just about as perfect as an early January Sunday afternoon could be. The ancient boiler had been cranked up before the 7:30 am Mass to take the chill out of the air and then turned off once Mass started. Everyone was warm and toasty. Later, some group of frozen people convinced the sacristan to start it back up again before the 10:30 Mass, complaining that they weren’t penguins. I sweated the whole time I was celebrating the Mass, the ushers in the back opened the doors because they said it was sweltering back there, too, and when I gave my homily I saw some people fanning themselves and still others wearing parkas and scarves as if they were sitting on an iceberg. Yet when we made it outside for the banquet after Mass, I didn’t hear a single complaint about it being the wrong temperature. The gelato cart had longer lines than we had anticipated, indicating that it wasn’t too cold. Nobody got a sunburn while waiting for a scoop of that deliciousness, nor did the gelato melt before it could be eaten, indicating that it wasn’t too hot, either. Yes, we had Goldilocks weather: it was just right. Thank You, Lord! I also wish to thank the Epiphany Council of Catholic Women (ECCW) for putting it all together. The amount of planning, wheeling and dealing, purchasing, calling, writing, begging, and other labors of love they put into it again this year paid off. We have all been blessed by the hard work and dedication of the ladies in the guild. Thank you! I believe that there will be a separate article somewhere in this bulletin thanking many of the people who worked so hard at the festival so I will refrain from naming them individually or by group with one exception. I want to thank all of the parishioners who encouraged us to put it on again this year and who showed up to make it a joyful experience. After all, having the best workers in the world doesn’t make for a good festival if nobody wants it or shows up to enjoy it! For those of you who were so unfortunate as to be out of town or otherwise indisposed and couldn’t attend our celebration, Let me try to paint you a word picture of what marvels you missed. To begin with, we had most of our seating outdoors this year but those who wished to have a little shelter from the incredible weather could choose to sit at tables inside the social hall or in the classrooms. A dozen or so tents were set up to provide shade and, fortunately, were not necessary as rain shelters. Waiters and waitresses passed through the crowds with plates of Beluga caviar, Wagyu Beef tartare, Foie Gras Torchon, and Oysters Rockefeller. The Orchestra played in the background while the people sipped complimentary glasses of Dom Perignon. For the main meal there was a choice of a 32 ounce Tomahawk Ribeye steak, jumbo stone crab claws, or piles of kielbasa and pierogies. No, wait, that is the menu for next year. Sorry about that. My mistake. Getting back to reality, though, let me share with you how an old church bulletin described our very first Epiphany Festival (01/06/2016) after I became the pastor. ...The parish feast day, as I mentioned, fell on a Wednesday. We had a low Mass at 9:00 am which was attended by 20 people. That’s not too bad a turnout for a daily Mass in a place where the average travel time is approximately 45 minutes each way! But the big celebration at 6:00 pm was the real test, and a test that was passed with flying colors. Sixty eight families showed up for the High Mass and potluck which followed. Think about that for just a moment. Having a Mass start at 6:00 pm on a weeknight makes it difficult for everybody (except the priest!). Those who got off work at 5:00 had to battle rush hour traffic. The Sung Mass lasts about an hour and a half, so those who have trouble driving at night knew they would need assistance getting home. Those with children in school knew that they would be dealing with hungry kids who would be losing a night of homework and study time. Everybody had to plan a potluck meal (which might, of necessity, mean a trip to the Publix deli between the workplace and the church, as there would be no way of cooking!). The schola members had to get to church early enough to get settled and rehearsed before Mass. The altar boys (and their families) had to be there early to get everything set up. And, far from insignificantly, people had to spend the day getting everything beautified in the social hall to make the grand ball truly grand! Yet more than 60 families showed up for a non-obligatory weeknight Mass! Normally we count people rather than families but this time the family count was easier to get accurately. For after Mass I handed out to each family an Epiphany home blessing kit consisting of a paper explaining how to do the Epiphany home blessing, a piece of blessed chalk to mark the door lintel with 20+C+M+B+16 and, of course, exorcised and blessed Holy Water (with exorcised and blessed Holy Salt dissolved in it).... We have come a long way since then! Ad Multos Annos! With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions are generally pretty standard self-improvement lists people put together for themselves. Some who make such lists are serious about making several positive changes in their life, while others have no real resolve to change but make the list anyway, just because it is traditional to do so. Because I belong to that first group and have resolutely resoluted resolutions for 6 decades I have finally achieved perfection in my life. So, with nothing left to improve and, hence, no list of my own to write, I decided to look at what the poor slobs who still need such things have listed. Google, of course, led me to a huge cache of online New Year’s Resolutions from the best of sources, namely, whichever media company paid for the top spots in the search results. These lists, rather than being from real people who make the list for their own benefit, are written by Karen-journalists who love telling other people what they need to put right in their pathetic lives. The top suggested resolution from obnoxiously highfalutin taxpayer-supported National Public Radio (npr.org) was (and I am not making this up): “This year, I want to... Try something fun—Get my first tattoo.” Seriously? This is what our tax dollars are used for? I suppose it could have been worse. After all, NPR is militantly leftist so the first thing on their list could have been, “Try something fun--Get my first abortion; or, Chemically castrate my 4 year old boy and call him Suzie; or, Swoon over the man who shot a CEO.” Anyway, reading that single first resolution was enough to make me turn away from the search engine and come up with my own list. Not a list of things to better myself but, following NPR’s witless lead, I came up with a list of bad resolutions for others to do. Please don’t try any of these yourself but feel free to share them with any lefties in your circle of acquaintances. They will probably already have done most of them, so you don’t have to worry about leading them astray.
Anyway, that’s quite enough Resolutions. Seven is a good number to end on. Arguably, the first one might have been two too many! May your authentic New Year’s Resolutions be much more sensible and help you achieve great holiness, good health, and true happiness this year. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Epiphany Eve Blessing of Holy Water and More!
At 2:00 pm on Epiphany Eve—January 5, (today if you are reading this during the Sunday homily)--we will have the traditional Exorcism and Blessing of the Holy Water. If you brought your own salt and 5-gallon water jugs filled with water, we will bless those as well. If you brought smaller water containers with you, you can fill them up from either of the two 125-gallon containers we will bless specifically for this purpose. If, on the other hand, you completely forgot about this being the Big Blessing Day, don’t fret, for we expect to have Epiphany Holy Water left over and you can get some later. It will be available only until we run out. Last year, for the first time, we still had water available all week long, including the following Sunday. Several people had asked, “Don’t you exorcize and bless salt and water every week? What is different about this salt and water, then?” The answer to the first question is, yes, because we use a lot of Holy Water around here! I make Holy Water every week for the parish, for parishioners, and for others who just come by to get some “real” stuff. The “new,” post-conciliar blessed water, is often just “made” by a priest or deacon making up words of blessing, or, worse, using the non-blessing blessing from the “new” Book of Blessings. The “new rite” “Holy Water” does not use salt, does not exorcize the water, does not ask that God sanctify the water, does not ask for demons and other evils to be driven away, does not do much of anything except ask that those sprinkled be “refreshed” and “renewed.” Heck, the priest doesn’t even make a single sign of the cross over the water as he prays this ridiculous prayer! Our “regular” Holy Water, on the other hand, requires that the priest first exorcize salt and then bless it. Then he exorcizes water and blesses it. Then he says a prayer as he pours the salt into the water. Finally, he offers yet another prayer, each prayer building on the others and asking that the water and salt will be sanctified, that it will drive away all sorts of evil spirits and physical evils, bring blessing to things and people, and even that it protect, nourish, and heal those who would use it. The power of the “old rite” Holy Water is apparent when compared to the “new rite” “holy water.” Still, this powerful “old rite” Holy Water pales in comparison to the “old rite” Epiphany Holy Water! For exclusively on this one day, the choir chants beautiful hymns, psalms, and prayers. The priest adds additional exorcisms preceding the “regular” exorcisms and blessings. He even chants all of his prayers (recto tono, or in a single tone, probably because priests generally won’t be able to chant as well as the choir!). It will take just about an hour (instead of the usual 4 minutes) to complete this solemn blessing, giving some idea of how much more effort and ritual goes into making this a special offering to God. The more we faithfully and solemnly exert ourselves in such rituals, the more generously He bestows graces! Our parish feast day, Epiphany, January 6, is the day following Epiphany Eve, not that you needed it spelled out. We will celebrate Masses of Epiphany of Our Lord that morning at the regular times of 6:30 and 8:00 followed, if anyone has brought in the following items, by the special Epiphany Blessings of chalk, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The chalk will be used to mark the door lintels of the church, rectory, and, of course, your homes. Because we are not a parish where everyone lives within walking distance of the church, I will not be able to visit your houses to bless them. But we will once again give out a sheet of prayers asking God’s blessing upon your home and those who live there. Pray the prayers, mark the doors with the blessed Epiphany chalk (20 + C + M + B + 25), sprinkle the house and family with Epiphany Holy Water, and you should be protected for another year! Please note that I will not be blessing other items that morning, so please don’t bring other articles. Next Sunday, January 12, we will celebrate the External Solemnity of Epiphany. That day, instead of the normal Sunday Mass, we will celebrate the Mass of January 6 as an “External Solemnity,” which the 1962 liturgical books allow for several big feasts during the year, including parish feast days. We will have our annual luncheon following the 10:30 Mass for those who reserved tickets in advance. For those who forgot or who waited beyond the last moment to see if anything better showed up on their social calendar, I am sorry to say that, since caterers need a headcount to prepare the right amount of food (and to charge us properly for their services), we cannot accommodate those without tickets. For those of you who plan ahead a few weeks, February 2 brings us the blessing of candles on Candlemas Day. Monday, February 3, brings us the Feast of St. Blaise, at whose Masses we bless throats plus bread, wine, water, and fruit to be used for the relief of throat ailments. Due to my misreading of the prayer of blessing in the past, I have sometimes encouraged you to bring in candles for blessings on that day, but I need to rectify that with the reminder that the only candles blessed that day are those to be used for the throat blessing. So be sure to bring in your candles for the blessing on the Second! With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Christmas at Epiphany
Merry Christmas to you all! The 40 Days of Christmas have begun and the Glory of The Lord is being made manifest to the entire world. Not that everyone will appreciate the Infant Jesus’ Gift of eternal life, mind you—for there are men NOT of good will who do not even desire temporary Peace on Earth, let alone forever in Heaven—but nobody has been excluded from entering the Stable to worship and adore the life-giving Babe. That some would choose someone, something, anyone, or anything instead of gladly accepting what God has offered may seem strange or even impossible, but reality shows that it happens more frequently than not. Now that you are thinking about that, what do you do with such bad news? Rejoice! You have job security! As long as there are people out there in danger of losing their souls, we, dear Christians, have work to do! It’s time to save some souls! “But how do we do that, exactly? Do we put up billboards?” Yes, some people from the parish have, in the past, put up billboards encouraging Life. Those planning on having an abortion because they have been told that they have no other option, were exposed to the option of the trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “But I can’t afford a billboard. What else can I do? I can’t exactly stand out on the streetcorners and evangelize.” Why not? Some parishioners do that exact thing, either in front of abortion mills or even in front of the church during national Rosary Rallies. A public witness to God through the Blessed Mother’s intercession is a nearly cost-free means of evangelizing. “But I can’t stand long enough; the heat/cold is too much; I live too far away. There isn’t any way for me to show lost souls how to know, love, and serve God.” Sure there is! Do you eat at restaurants or friends' houses? Simply praying Grace before meals is quite an easy yet effective witness to your Catholic faith. Most people won’t notice but the ones who do will be affected by seeing you make the Sign of the Cross. You may edify and comfort those who have faith or are pondering the faith. You may prick the consciences of those who are lapsed. You may even anger those fighting against God, but that inevitably leads them to argue with themselves and/or others about their reasons for such unjustified anger, giving God (directly or through intermediaries) an opening to change their minds and hearts. “But I thought this was a ‘Christmas at Epiphany’ article! Why are you writing about saving souls? I want to read about Christmas and Aunt Irma!” Right you are! This is about Christmas at Epiphany, as the title states. Saving souls is what Christmas is all about. The entirety of the human race would be lost to hell were it not for the indescribable love of the God Who created us in His image and likeness. Our sins, by which we lost His Sanctifying Grace, had to be expiated if we were to return to Him even temporarily, let alone eternally. Therefore, in the fullness of time, God the Father sent His Son into the world so that “as many as received Him, He gave the power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in His Name.” The Son, humbly accepting this mission, became Incarnate by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that He may show us in visible form the invisible God. He was to suffer death to conquer sin and death in us. Yet the Holy Trinity did not carry out this plan of Salvation alone. No, God employed His created beings to fulfill His goal. He created Mary to be a worthy Mother of God, giving her a singular grace of purity, being Immaculate from the moment of her conception. But even so, it was an angel, Gabriel, who was chosen by God to reveal this plan and to obtain her fiat. Joseph also accepted his salvific role and followed the angel’s directives in order to protect both Mother and Child. God sent multiple angels to the shepherds, who, upon hearing, seeing, and believing the message, Adored the Christ Child and revealed the Savior’s presence and mission to all who would listen. Wise Men journeyed from the East to also Worship and Adore the tiny Baby, even though the full import of His Godhead was not yet in their grasp. Upon returning home, they each prepared their people for God’s salvation. I could continue with other biblical examples of God using angels and men to evangelize others, but let me bring this explanation to today’s time and place. The beauty, reverence, and prayer all of you saw and displayed at the Masses of Christmas not only brought grace to your own hearts, minds, and souls but also to all of our visitors and to each and every person prayed for at Mass. The spiritual work and preparation of Advent, along with all of the physical work and preparation needed for the Masses (choir practice, building and grounds maintenance, decorations, seemingly endless work done by staff and volunteers, and even your choice to dress in modest yet beautiful clothing) all pointed to God’s love of man and man’s in-turn love of God. You were evangelists without even noticing it! You were “recruited” by God to bring family, friends, and strangers—either physically or spiritually—to the Manger. You did a great job! I am proud of you. As for Aunt Irma, for some strange reason, she only shows up when the bulletin has to be printed before great Feasts occur. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Fourth Sunday Of Advent
Here it is, all too soon! The 4th and final Sunday of Advent is upon us. That means that Christmas is right around the corner. Tuesday, December 24th, we have a Christmas Vigil Mass in the Novus Ordo rite at 5:00 pm. Later that night the church will fill up for the first Mass on Christmas Day. Yes, people will arrive on Tuesday but Midnight Mass starts at Midnight, which makes it a Wednesday Mass. If history repeats itself, many people will look at our online calendar, the schedule listed in the bulletin, or the Flocknote announcement, and, scouring the Tuesday schedule for the Midnight Mass and not finding it there will panic. The hysterical phone calls, texts, and emails will start pouring in sounding something like, “AAAARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!!! What happened to the Midnight Mass? Aren’t we having one this year?” Of course we are! You just looked at the wrong day. Please look at the first item listed on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25th, and voila! There it is! Midnight Mass. At Midnight. On Christmas Day. Not 6:00, 8:00, or 10:00 pm on Christmas Eve. It will be a candlelight Mass. It will be peaceful, prayerful, and beautiful. It will last for an eternity but will seem to be too short when it is over. The people will stay afterward to gather in the social hall as they do on Sundays. This year the altar boys and their families will stay and clean up the mess in the church (I am amazed that people will hold a candle for 90 minutes and then somehow forget to take it with them to deposit into the baskets and/or boxes set out for that purpose). I will probably get to bed just in time to get back up to pray the breviary before heading over for the 7:30 am Mass. Fr. Mangiafico will probably drive back to his house in Largo and get to bed shortly before dawn then return for a second Mass. Many choir members, parish staff, sacristans, and other volunteers will probably also pull double duty, so to speak, and come back for one or both of the two morning Masses. Many adult parishioners attending the Christmas daytime Masses will have also lost a lot of sleep due to family gatherings the night before, last-minute preparations for the Big Day, or being kept up by sleepless children and grandchildren. The children who kept the adults up all night will also be exhausted but will be making up for it with the energy that comes from exuberance. And the Masses will be glorious in spite of it all. Or because of it, as we gather to celebrate the birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. All that I wrote above is simply a prelude to a simple request that I have for all of you. I ask that on Christmas you keep one eye on the tabernacle and the other eye on those around you. Sounds weird, I know. But on Christmas there are often Catholics (and sometimes non-Catholics) who come to Mass for the first time in months, years, or even decades. Those returning Catholics at the Novus Ordo Vigil Mass might not even know that the Mass responses changed a dozen or so years ago from, for instance, “And also with you” to “And with your spirit.” Those who show up at the Traditional Latin Masses may have expected Mass to be a Novus Ordo (without knowing the meaning of that term) in either English or Spanish (we sometimes get people who mistake “Latin” for “Latino”) and are so completely lost that they even wonder if they are attending a Catholic church or not. Please be on the lookout for them. Not because they are a problem but because they are in need. They will need someone to assure them that this is Catholic. That this is the Mass that the great Saints attended or celebrated. That not understanding the language is not the same as not understanding that Christ is offering His Life on the cross for our salvation. No matter what Mass these “newcomers” attend, they will benefit mentally, emotionally, and spiritually if someone shows them some kindness, offers a few whispered words of assurance, or helps them somehow just feel welcomed home. To their eternal home. Please don’t let your lack of sleep or your overexcitement make you grumpy or terse toward the person or family who took “your” pew, who dressed for the beach rather than for Mass, who talked incessantly before Mass or is doing so even during it. Please don’t let your desire to celebrate Jesus’ birth as perfectly as possible make you overly critical of those who don’t know why they (or you) are there, but who seem to be just doing the bare minimum “Catholic thing” that they think that they can get away with. Instead, open wide your heart to them, as Jesus opened wide His Most Sacred Heart to the soldier (and now Saint) Longinus as he thrust his lance into His side as He hung upon the cross. Remember that you, too, once were not the perfect Catholics (cough, cough) that you are now, and treat them in such a way that they wish with all their heart to return to the Lord, to come to Mass regularly, to become fully, faithfully, and joyfully Catholic, as you are now striving to do. What a great Christmas present that will be, when you present to the Holy Family the gift of a newly converted or reconverted soul to the Divine Infant, simply by being nice and helpful! It might even, were it possible, outshine the gifts the Three Magi will bring on Epiphany. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: The Oplatki Are Here!
Many years I write something about an ancient Polish Christmas Eve Tradition. Some sources claim it goes back to the 9th century, while others insist on the 17th century as the origin of this tradition. That simply goes to show that you cannot trust everything on the internet! Yet I am going to reproduce below an internet-sourced story about Oplatki instead of simply reprinting what I have written in the past. I would like to give credit to the author, but, as I said, you cannot trust everything on the internet and I found this exact same story on two different websites, attributed to two different authors. Aletia, a Catholic news site, attributes it to Philip Kosloski, while the site CatholicSay attributes it to Raphael Benedict. Both sites use the same photos, too, although I will not reproduce them here. Whoever wrote it, thank you! The beautiful Polish tradition of breaking bread on Christmas Eve —by Philip Kosloski or Raphael Benedict or Someone Else but not by Me The oplatki tradition is one rich in spiritual symbolism, and can even help heal family division. In many Polish homes throughout the world, a most beloved family tradition is the breaking of the oplatek on Christmas Eve. The oplatek (oplatki is the plural form) is a thin wafer similar in consistency to a communion host that is often stamped with an elaborate Christmas scene. Historically these would be distributed by religious to parishioners' homes during the Advent season. Blessed Bread It is related to an Eastern tradition of giving out "blessed bread" after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. This bread is not consecrated, but blessed by the priest as a way to extend the fruits of the Mass into the home. The oplatek is meant to remind families of the Eucharistic bread at Mass and makes a further connection between Christmas and the gift of the Eucharist, the presence of God among us. On Christmas Eve, the family eagerly awaits the first star in the night sky, recalling the star of Bethlehem that signaled the birth of the Savior. Once the star has been spotted, the Christmas Eve meal begins. The table is traditionally covered with straw and a white cloth. In some homes this is reduced to a single plate, upon which rests the oplatek, as a symbol of Christ in the manger. Reconciliation The father (or eldest member of the family) begins the ceremony by taking the oplatek and breaking a piece off of it, giving it to his wife. When he does so, he may say what he is thankful for, wish her good health, or ask for forgiveness. According to author Sophie Hodorowicz Knab, "My father used to say, 'OK, I'm not the best, but I'll try harder'... My mother would always say, 'You work so hard and I appreciate you for that' ... The sharing of this unleavened bread with another person is sharing all that is good with life ... It's a time to tell each other, 'I love you, I care about you.' And you do it in an open area, where everyone else can see you." After this initial sharing, the oplatek is then shared with each member of the family in a similar manner, starting with the oldest down to the youngest. It is a touching ceremony, one that can help heal hurts from the past year. After the breaking of the bread is completed, a small meal is served that eagerly anticipates the Midnight Mass, which many Polish families would attend on Christmas Eve. The tradition has survived the test of time and is still celebrated in many parts of the world by various families, including many who come from a Slavic ancestry. It is a beautiful tradition, one that keeps the true "spirit of Christmas," and unites a family to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. End of Story and back to Father’s words This year there are plenty of Oplatki available in the back of the church and in the social hall for you to take home and share with your family members as you gather for the big meal on Christmas Eve or Christmas or whenever you are able to get together. The ritual of sharing the blessed wafer is not a Liturgical Rite, so there is no exact ritual that must be followed. Feel free to use the above example or something similar that fits your family’s needs. Generations from now your relatives may still be passing around the Oplatek and offering love and mercy to each other all because you picked up a simple piece of blessed bread and a church bulletin this week. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka These are the two links to the original stories I found online. Click on them to go to the sites for this and many other Catholic articles. https://aleteia.org/2018/12/19/the-beautiful-polish-tradition-of-breaking-bread-on-christmas-eve https://catholicsay.com/th-beautiful-polish-tradition-of-breaking-bread-on-christmas-eve/ From the Pastor: 2 Big Masses This Week!
This is the beginning of the second week of Advent and a quick look at the calendar shows two very “big” Masses which you should put on your calendar. The first is the biggest of the big Masses. Monday is a Holy Day of Obligation (transferred from Sunday the 8th to Monday the 9th): The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (I have already written about how this year the Immaculate Conception was not and yet now is a day of obligation. Look up past articles if you missed that drama.) To help you fulfill your obligation we will have our regularly scheduled morning Masses at 6:30 and 8:00 plus an additional evening Mass at 7:00 pm. Just as a “heads up” for anyone new to Catholicism, the Immaculate Conception is not Jesus’ Conception! This feast comes just a few weeks before Jesus is born and oftentimes new Catholics think that it is strange that we would celebrate His Conception right before we celebrate His Birth. But the feast of His Conception is named the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—which really confuses the newbies since it names Mary and not Jesus! But a few seconds of thought put into it and it all makes sense as on that day the Archangel Gabriel told Mary that she was to conceive the Savior, she said “Fiat” and, Lo and Behold, Jesus was Conceived in her Immaculate womb. Our Lord’s Conception was celebrated nine months (not just a few weeks) before His Birth, on the 25th of March. At this week’s feast, we celebrate the conception of Mary, who was given the singular grace to be preserved from even Original Sin from the moment of her conception, hence, the Immaculate Conception. Her birth will be celebrated nine months after the Immaculate Conception, on September 8. The second big Mass, while not of obligation, is a very beautiful Mass that, similar to the Immaculate Conception, honors the Blessed Virgin Mary. This Saturday, the 14th, we will celebrate the Rorate Caeli Mass at 6:30 am. [Note that there will not be an 8:00 am Mass that morning!] Except for those who are new to the parish or to the Traditional Latin Mass, by now I think that everyone knows that the Rorate Mass is a Votive Mass of Our Lady in Advent. It can be celebrated on any Saturday during this short season but we only do it once, since it “messes up” our regular schedule. leaving those who forget about the change without Mass that day. So, as we heard from St. Paul just last week, “now is the hour for us to rise from sleep”! For some of you living far away, you will have to rise very early, but “now our salvation is nearer than when we believed” and the early start to the day will be worth it! All of the altar boys, schola members, and sacristans will have to get there even earlier than you and they are the ones begging for this Mass every year! So set your alarm right away so you don’t forget. It is worth getting up early on the one day a week which you might normally get to sleep in a little! The Advent Rorate Masses are celebrated in darkness, with only candlelight to illuminate the altar. As the Mass continues, the daylight grows stronger, as if the signified Light of the World, Jesus Christ, is finally dawning upon us. The Savior is bud forth in the East (or Orient, which, as an aside, is why the term ad orientem—to the east—is used when the priest faces at least liturgical east, the same way the congregation is facing, all looking expectantly to the Orient for the return of Our Lord in His Majestic Glory), the land is blessed, and the Christians are set free from the dark captivity of sin. He came to save us from our sins; to bring light to those in darkness. He came through—and is magnified by—the Blessed Virgin Mary, without whom we would find no Savior, and merit no salvation. Rorate Caeli (or Coeli) desuper et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem (Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior) are the opening words of the Introit of the Mass. They are taken from Isaias 45:8 and have, quite naturally, been seen as a prophecy about Our Lord’s birth. One last thing about the Rorate Caeli Mass that I wish to point out to you is the Postcommunion prayer. Maybe you have prayed this, perhaps even three times a day, and never knew where it came from. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts: that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Yes, this is the final prayer of the Angelus, traditionally prayed at 6:00 am, 12:00 noon, and again at 6:00 pm. The church bells would ring out at those three times and, in a Catholic town, at least, everyone would stop and bow their heads and pray the Angelus. Not having grown up in a small Catholic town, I never experienced that myself, but in old stories it seems that everyone would stop, pray, and even genuflect in public as the church bells pealed. It was a “Catholic thing” that even the non-Catholics showed reverence to. Now, even the priests don’t know it. Sigh. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Liturgical Mess re: Obligations
Our Lady, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, has been the patroness of our country for longer than most of you have been alive. The first Bishop of the United States, John Carroll, placed the diocese of Baltimore, which comprised the original 13 colonies, under her protection in 1792. By 1846 the number of dioceses had increased, as had the population, and the Bishops, gathered in Baltimore for their 6th Provincial Council, placed the entire nation under the Immaculate Conception’s care. The next year this was approved by Pope Pius IX. The Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception is December 8 and it is supposed to be a Holy Day of Obligation. But this year, since the Eighth falls on a Sunday (next Sunday), the Novus Ordo calendar calls for it to be transferred to the following day, Monday, December 9. And, while you may think that the US Bishops would be pleased, nay, eager, to at least promote that transferred day as a Holy Day, they instead shrugged their collective shoulders and declared that, since the Feast was transferred to a Monday, and they can’t expect people to attend Mass two days in a row {shudder}, the obligation was lifted. Even our Patronal Feast Day wasn’t worth the trouble of taking the day (or even just a few hours) off work, or so it seemed to imply. Fortunately for those who attend the Traditional Latin Mass, that whole thing was avoided because in the 1962 liturgical calendar, the Immaculate Conception Feast “trumps” even the Second Sunday of Advent. So on our Sunday calendar we had planned, as the Ordo properly showed, to celebrate the Mass of the Immaculate Conception and join to it (called a “commemoration”) the three proper prayers of the Second Sunday of Advent (the Communion, Secret, and Postcommunion prayers). Monday, December 9, was then to be the normally scheduled feria (daily) Mass of the Monday of the second week of Advent. Until the following happened... One of the US Bishops, Paprocki by name, thought that (I am speculating on his reasons, here) it was ridiculous to ignore our Country’s Patroness on her Feast Day, so he asked Rome to clarify. Here is the response, as shown in a news article by Kate Quiñones of Catholic News Agency which is easily accessed online. The Vatican has clarified that Catholics in the United States must still attend Mass on holy days of obligation even when they are transferred to Mondays or Saturdays, correcting a long-standing practice in the U.S. Church. In its complementary norms, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stipulates that when certain feast days fall on a Saturday or Monday, the obligation to attend Mass on that day is “abrogated.” Dec. 8 is typically a holy day of obligation celebrating the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, but this year the feast day lands on a Sunday in Advent. As a result, the USCCB transferred it to Monday, Dec. 9, according to the 2024 USCCB liturgical calendar. In its complementary norms the USCCB does not list the Immaculate Conception as a solemnity to which the abrogation normally applies. Nevertheless, the bishops’ calendar this year stated that “the obligation to attend Mass … does not transfer” to Monday, Dec. 9. Yet the Vatican’s Dicastery for Legislative Texts, in a Sept. 4 letter to Springfield, Illinois, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, stated that all of the feasts in question “are always days of obligation … even when the aforementioned transfer of the feast occurs.” Paprocki, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, had in July written to the Holy See seeking clarification on whether an obligation transfers when the feast itself is transferred. Archbishop Filippo Iannone, the prefect of the legislative text dicastery, told Paprocki that “the feast must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred.” Iannone noted in the letter that certain feast days are established by canon law as days of obligation. These “must be observed” and “the canon does not provide exceptions,” he noted in the letter. Iannone clarified that if someone is unable to attend Mass for a “grave cause” such as illness or caring for an infant, then they are excused, as “no one is bound to the impossible.” Several U.S. dioceses are already stipulating that Mass attendance is obligatory on that day... I will stop quoting the article at this point because, although not mentioned explicitly, Bishop Parkes has sent word to us that in the Diocese of St. Petersburg we will be observing the Immaculate Conception on December 9 as a Holy Day of Obligation and celebrating the Mass of the Second Sunday of Advent on the 8th. TLM communities were, years ago, informed that we were to follow the Novus Ordo calendar as to which days were Obligatory. So for the upcoming dates in question, it seemed that at the TLM we would be celebrating the Immaculate Conception on Sunday yet have an obligation to attend Mass on Monday even though that Mass would not be the one of the Feast! Instead of that weird scenario, I have changed our liturgical calendar at Epiphany to basically follow the Novus Ordo calendar. On Sunday, December 8, we will celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Advent. On Monday, December 9, a Holy Day of Obligation, we will celebrate the transferred Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Another Fine Mess. Oh, wait, that was from just two comedians, not a whole Conference full. (Only the elders will get that reference. Sorry.) With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Where’s Father Emmanuel?
Those of you who attended the TLM at St. Anthony back in the day, as well as those who were at Epiphany when the TLM first started here in August of 2015 will most likely remember Fr. Emmanuel Ndecihiro. He was from the diocese of Dodoma in Tanzania and came to the States to study advanced Mathematics at St. Leo University. I offered him a room at St. Anthony’s rectory and we became close friends over the years. He also stayed at Epiphany for a while before he finally had to return to his home diocese, where he has since been in charge of several parishes, missions, and schools. He has been trying to make it back here for a short break from all that has been heaped upon him and was expecting to arrive here this week. I planned on running this article (from long ago at St. Anthony) for his first Sunday back, both as a memory for him to recall and because I didn’t expect to have much time to write because we needed to do a lot of catching up. Unfortunately, he is not yet able to come, but here is an old story of his first Thanksgiving. Enjoy! Fr. Emmanuel’ 1st Thanksgiving Several weeks ago Father Emmanuel asked me what “Thanksgiving” is. I explained to him about the history of the celebration and that, in practice, it is the most religious of all secular holidays we celebrate. We give thanks to God quite openly on this day, when we seem to be almost apologetic for mentioning God at Christmas or Easter. Then I told him about the great feast he could expect at a typical Thanksgiving meal. After spending the day (following morning Mass, of course) watching football games, drinking wine, beer or soda, snacking on chips, salsa, veggies, fruits and cheese, the real food would come. Turkey and ham, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, squash, rolls, cranberry sauce, stuffing, salad, green beans and carrots. His eyes were wide as I listed all of the food. (In his limited vocabulary he didn’t understand “turkey” or ‘ham” until seeing photos on the web.) But I hadn’t even gotten to the dessert. Apple pie, pumpkin pie and pecan pie, all topped with ice cream and whipped cream. “Wow! How do you eat that much?” he wondered in amazement. We simply loosen our belts a notch or two and stuff ourselves more than anyone could possibly imagine. Father’s response was to tell me of feasts in his home village. But there they have a saying that goes something like this: “You can only eat until your stomach touches your ribs.” Boy, would I be in trouble! My stomach passed by my ribs many years ago and does not seem to have any intention of ever going back into its proper place again. Anyway, last Thursday was Father’s first Thanksgiving and he got to celebrate it with my family. You know what craziness is when you read about my family get togethers, especially when I write about them before they occur. This year my brother-in-law took his boys out hunting before Thanksgiving and shot a wild hog for the main course instead of the traditional ham and turkey. Father Emmanuel, who grew up hunting for most of his meals back home, thought this was the best way to ensure good, fresh meat and was excited when he saw the large boar they got. It made him a little homesick but I didn’t know what he was going to do to alleviate that down and out feeling. Without telling anyone, he made a blowgun and snare and went hunting himself, as we found out Thanksgiving afternoon. We were roasting the pig in a large pit after burning logs down to hot ash and at one point Father Emmanuel placed his surprise catch in with it when nobody was looking. Not realizing there were hunting seasons and regulations, he had gotten up early in the morning and caught a wild turkey. He cleaned it and seasoned it and placed it into the firepit and waited with great excitement for our reaction when we would finally eat. Fast forward a couple of hours and dinner was ready. All the fixin’s were on the table, the first couple of football games were over and everyone was called in to eat. The boys had retrieved their hog and sliced it up nicely but when they did, they noticed a foul odor that they couldn’t quite place or explain. Meanwhile, Father Emmanuel had stealthily removed his turkey from the pit and kept it off to the side to spring on us once we were all gathered at the table. Once we said grace he asked us to wait and he brought in his surprise. It was a beautiful bird, with golden brown skin looking like something from a Normal Rockwell painting. But it was also the source of the obnoxious odor. As we would find out in just a little while the odor was so pungent that it permeated even the boar it was cooked with and made it inedible. The aroma was not from the spices he used. And the bird was, indeed, very fresh, yet it still smelled very strongly of what we now recognized as week old road kill. Father learned a very valuable lesson on his first Thanksgiving Day. There is a big difference between a turkey and a turkey buzzard. At least we still had vegetables to eat. With prayers for your holiness, Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: A New Look!
This week the church will be in a bit of turmoil but for a very good reason. The morning Masses will be held in the social hall and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be moved to the rectory chapel. Confessions will probably be heard there as well. We shall see as it all plays out. We have a Nuptial Mass scheduled for Friday afternoon, so the church will have to be put back in order before the wedding and the bride and groom will be the first to experience the new look. Many of you already have a general idea of what the wall behind the altar will look like when we are done, for we have had a rough mock-up of it hanging in the office for several months now, plus some rough sketches of the artwork in the sacristy for anyone interested enough to take a peek at. But most of you will probably not be aware of what has been in the works for quite some time. A world-renowned artist, who just happens to attend Mass at Epiphany, has offered to loan us a crucifixion scene and two large angels as a triptych to be displayed as long as we are allowed to celebrate the TLM here. The style is along the lines of that of the great 15th-century Dominican Friar and artist, Fra Angelico. I think you will be quite pleased with it. We will have to do some more work later to fully incorporate it into the church, but this week at least the first stage will be completed. While we are working to bring beauty to the church, giving even more glory to God and edification to His people, such is not the case in all parts of the Church. The Vatican has announced a new “mascot” for the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year. “Luce” has blue hair, is dressed in a yellow raincoat and hat with green galoshes splattered with brown mud, wears a rainbow rosary around his/her/its neck, and carries a witch's stang-like walking stick. Her (how are we to know what gender this thing has? Do they expect us to all be biologists?) eyes have pupils shaped like scallop shells (the symbol of those who have completed a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela). She has several friends, Fe, Xin, and Sky (all of which sound like trans pronouns), and a dog named Santino (“little Saint”). This/these figures are the work of an “artist” whose company’s anime-inspired toys include plenty of “pride” toys and (ahem) “adult” toys in the form of child toys. It is presumed that Rupnik was unavailable for the job. I have two serious questions for those who dreamed up this mascot idea. 1) If you really think that a toy pilgrim is going to evangelize the young, couldn’t you have at least found an artist who is not already known for scandalous “works of art”? 2) Or was scandal, rather than Faith, the whole “hidden” idea behind your choice? Going further into things that don’t glorify God or edify His people, this week (as I write this article, not as you read it) the Bishops of the United States are gathered for their Fall meeting. What is on their agenda? I do not know. But something reportedly not on their agenda ought to be a priority for them: Catholic hospitals have been performing mutilations on children in the name of “trans therapy.” How many? According to the National Catholic Register, “As the Register reported last month, on Oct. 8 a medical watchdog organization called Do No Harm released a database finding that about 150 Catholic hospitals in the United States provided “pediatric sex-change services” between 2019 and 2023, including 33 Catholic hospitals that performed so-called gender-reassignment surgeries on minors... More than 520 minors received treatments in Catholic hospitals in about 40 states during that five-year period, according to the data. More than 150 had surgeries to alter their appearances to resemble the opposite sex, while more than 380 children were given puberty blockers or hormone therapies.” Make no mistake about this, not a bit of this gives glory to the One True God but rather makes a mockery of Him. None of this actually edifies His people, even those mentally ill enough to claim that the children benefit from doctors “correcting” God’s “mistakes.” Every parent, doctor, nurse, and other “official” involved in these actions should be judged in this world, not just in the next. And the Bishops (who have all been made aware of the above-mentioned report), for the sake of their own souls, need to immediately remove the “Catholic” moniker from any hospital doing such evil and excommunicate all “catholics” involved, from the hospitals’ top dogs (even if—no, especially if—that means excommunicating all of the Religious Sisters who officially own and/or run so many “catholic” hospitals) down to the “ethics department” staff as well as those actually doing the dirty deeds. And the parents who subject their children to such mutilations of both body and soul. And the politicians who champion such causes. And the list goes on... Those “catholics” who think that the above examples of ridiculousness and sickness are real Catholicism will hate the paintings going up at Epiphany this week. To them, the crucifixion of Jesus is a stumbling block, for they are, at best, looking for salvation without the Cross, without the Savior, without God. In the coming weeks you will have an opportunity to hear from our faithful Catholic artist an explanation of the who’s, what’s, and why’s of his work. You will be edified. God will be glorified. Epiphany will be beautified. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: The Polls are Closed. Mostly.
Now that the 2024 elections are finally, mercifully over (at least in most states, although Arizona is still trying to gin up another 18 million past last minute democrat votes), I will say a few words about them. I am glad this stage of the lying is finished! The new stage of lying to the people is just about to begin but at least this segment of it has come to an end. Well, that’s enough politics. I told you it was only going to be a few words. This Monday the nation celebrates Veterans Day. Most years I attend some sort of Veterans Day celebration and listen to politicians giving boring historical talks to groups who know more history of—and have more experience in—war, peace, and being in the military than the blathering politicians do. Yet I go anyway. I figure it’s kind of like you continuing to sit through my sermons, except that I don’t do this every week! This year I planned on attending the Transgendered War Heroes of the Past, Present, and Future medal of dishonor ceremony but it has been canceled because all of the presenters will still be pouting, weeping, mourning, and making Primal Scream videos due to the election results and can’t come out of their safe spaces. It’s just as well, since the... oh, wait, it seems that I almost slipped back into the political realm once again. My apologies. Let me start anew. On Monday the Church celebrates a famous Saint who was also a military Veteran, but in the ancient Roman army, rather than ours. Martin of Tours is best known, perhaps, for the story of one cold winter day when he encountered a beggar who was freezing for lack of proper warm clothing. Martin had nothing to give him but the shirt off his back, or, rather, his military cloak. He cut it in half, keeping one part for himself and giving the other half to the poor beggar. He later had a vision of Jesus wearing that half of his cloak. Our Lord, speaking to the surrounding angels, stated, “Martin, yet a catechumen, hath clothed Me with this garment.” Yes, though he practiced Catholicism with great love and devotion, he had not yet been baptized! Young Martin had been raised by pagan parents but in his youth had encountered Catholic priests and hermits and had desired to give his life to “the God of the Christians” as he called Him. By the time he was finally brought into the Church, he was already quite familiar with Her teachings and customs and desired to be a hermit himself. After leaving military life, he continued his study of Catholicism under Saint Hilary, the Bishop of Poitiers, France. Eventually, he was able to witness his own mother (but not, unfortunately, his father), seven cousins, and two great-uncles received into the Church. Bishop Hilary (which is a man’s name, by the way, but let’s not get back into politics) ordained him to the minor order of Exorcist though he could not at that time convince the humble Martin to accept Major Orders. It was as an Exorcist that he first came face to face with demons. He became quite skilled at fighting them off and the more he defeated them the more they attacked. Soon he was given his own demon to pester him, much like God gives us our own guardian angel. This fallen angel was quite powerful and capable of transforming into various shapes. He often appeared in the form of pagan gods, of women, and of beastly animals. The more this devil tormented Martin, the more resolved he was to drive all the demons away, and he destroyed many pagan temples. Soon he was able to see the demons around him, which helped tremendously in his fight against his own demon as well as those afflicting others. His holiness kept increasing with each fight and soon he was performing miracles, including raising several dead people back to life. When the Bishop of Tours died, the people clamored for Martin, who had by then founded two famous hermitages, to become their next Bishop. He humbly declined. Not many days later, though, a man came out to his hermitage and begged him to come into the city to care for a dying relative. It was all a ruse, and, as soon as he arrived, a group of Bishops who had been called in for this purpose ordained him Bishop of Tours. So many men of old were ordained against their will as the people insisted on having holy Bishops! Oh, what a difference from recent decades when unholy men clamored for this position in order to enter into demonic activity without earthly consequences and without fear of God and His eternal punishments for such evil doings. St. Martin, wanting nothing to do with being a Bishop, battled heretics and demons while increasing in and spreading holiness, while in this day and age those who desire to be Bishops embrace heretics, make pacts with demons, and want nothing to do with holiness! Sadly, this is the kind of Bishop many (most?) Catholics seem to want today. Oh, how we need St. Martin's intercession! Men, if you would like to know more about this great Saint, come to the Martinmas celebration put on by the parish’s Fraternity of St. John the Apostle. It begins Monday evening at 6:00. I am not privy to the plans for the evening so I can’t tell you any more details but each presentation that they have sponsored has been well worth the time. Plus, the food isn’t half-bad, either! With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Resumed Sundays After Epiphany?
It has been quite a few years since I wrote about the “Resumed Sundays After Epiphany.” In fact, I can’t find an article about them in all of my Epiphany bulletin article archives, so it may have been before the TLM came here that I last wrote about it. These “resumed” Sundays show up in our 1962 liturgical calendar near the end of the Church year if needed. What? If needed? What in tarnation does that mean? I’m glad you asked! The Church year begins with the First Sunday of Advent. Advent leads to Christmas. Christmas to Epiphany, which is still part of the Christmas Season (at least until January 13—The Baptism of the Lord, or February 2—His Circumcision and His Mother’s Purification, depending on which author you read). The “Time After Epiphany” includes 6 Sundays pointing us toward Lent, which prepares us for Easter, which is a movable feast that can fall between March 22 and April 25. That variation means that Lent, based on Easter’s date each year, sometimes overlaps with the weeks After Epiphany. In the old calendar, the Season of Lent includes three Sundays (Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima) before Ash Wednesday. At the beginning of this liturgical year, Septuagesima fell on January 28, the date upon which the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany would have fallen had Easter been later than it was. So we “skipped” the 4th, 5th, and 6th Sundays After Epiphany. But the total number of weeks in a year hasn’t changed, so the early Lent means that we run out of Post Pentecost Sundays before we run out of calendar! This conundrum is fixed by “resuming” where we left off in Epiphany time. Since Lent, Easter, Pentecost (50 days after Easter) and the Sundays After Pentecost were three weeks “early” we simply celebrate those skipped Sundays near the end of the year, although the final Sunday is always the 24th And Last Sunday after Pentecost. That last Sunday falls on November 24th this year, so, counting backward, the Resumed Sixth Sunday after Epiphany falls on November 17, the Resumed Fifth Sunday after Epiphany falls on November 10, and the first one skipped, the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, shows up on the calendar this week, on November 3. But wait! There is a “catch” this year. November 3 we are celebrating the External Solemnity of our Diocesan Patron Saint, St. Jude, whose actual feast day (along with St. Simon) fell a few days ago, on October 28. The old calendar allows us to celebrate “External Solemnities for special feasts on either the Sunday before the actual date of the feast or on the Sunday immediately following it. These special Feasts include the Patron Saint of the Diocese, as just mentioned, the Patron Saint of the parish (in our case, not a Saint per se but a Feast in and of itself, Epiphany), and other special days that you have already experienced, such as Our Lady of the Rosary, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and Corpus Christi. Of course, just celebrating a Mass whose readings and prayers were chosen and composed specifically for the time after Epiphany would leave us without a proper continuity of the Post Pentecost theme. So Holy Mother Church, without consulting me about it (for I would have probably said to just “make up” a few extra Masses to fit these slots, while She chose the “waste not want not” approach) decided many centuries ago that for the Resumed Sundays, we would use the same Collects, Epistles, Gospels, Secrets, and PostCommunion prayers of the skipped Masses after Epiphany but that we would use the Introit, Gradual, and Communion antiphon of the 23rd Sunday After Pentecost in place of the “normal” ones each Resumed week, thus “recycling” the Masses but changing the “theme” enough that it more appropriately fits the “end of the year/life” theme of this last part of the cycle. Does that make your head spin? Try finding it in your hand missal and you may be truly confused, for it sends you back to pages that send you to still other pages which also send you to other pages, which you keep turning until you get frustrated and just set the missal down! The Angelus Press missal (the small black one in the pews) gives a handy chart to explain all of this on page 814. If you can figure it out by following the chart to the pages of the pages of the pages it sends you to, you are a genius-level missal master! As for the rest of us, we are grateful for the External Solemnity of Sts. Simon and Jude so that we have one less Resumed Sunday to deal with! And, while we are on the subject of confusion, we have just had an update on the Sunday, December 8 Holy Day of Obligation (The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary) that was transferred in the new calendar this year to Monday, December 9, and which our USA Bishops then told us is not a Day of Obligation because it falls on a Monday: Rome just stated that it is indeed a Day of Obligation even if transferred to Monday and that the US Bishops should follow Canon Law instead of making up their own rules. I’ll explain more about that later, as it affects both old and new liturgical calendars this year. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: St. Jude, All Saints, All Souls
This weekend in the Traditional Calendar, Sunday is the feast of Christ the King. This important feast won’t be found on the New Calendar until November 24. The New Christ the King (which falls on the last Sunday of the liturgical year) used to be the date upon which the Bishop of St. Petersburg bestowed the St. Jude the Apostle Award. But a few years ago he switched the award ceremony to the TLM date of Christ the King, which is always the last Sunday of October. You might remember that we used to have a Eucharistic Procession after the Mass of Christ the King until the change came. But it is too difficult for me to have a procession and still have time to get to the award ceremony to accompany those from our parish who are to receive the award, so we had to cancel the processions. The first year of the change they didn’t inform us in time to cancel the procession and I missed getting to the cathedral on time. For the sake of anyone new to the diocese, this annual award is given to one person (or a married couple, for the two are one flesh) in each parish. There are always people who do exceptional things in the parishes without getting much recognition for the hard work they put into their ministries or activities—except, perhaps, negative recognition from those who didn’t do the work complaining that it wasn’t done the way they wanted it done! Each year the pastor has to make a difficult decision to nominate someone, although many “someones” may truly deserve to receive the award. This year I am happy to announce that Richard and Deborah Owens are going to receive the St. Jude Award Medal from Bishop Parkes. Both of them are involved in too many activities to list, including the Catholic Enrichment weeks to the Troops of St. George, Knights of Columbus, Sunday coffee and donuts, Holy League, and many other things. Please congratulate them and offer a prayer of thanks for all they do! The actual Feast Day for St. Jude the Apostle (our diocesan Patron Saint, in case you didn’t realize his significance) is October 28 on both the old and new calendars. We celebrate his feast day along with that of another Apostle, St. Simon. Because he is our Patron, we are able to celebrate (according to the rubrics of the TLM) an “external solemnity” for him on either the preceding or the following Sunday for the sake of the Faithful who are unable to attend on the actual feast day. So next Sunday the External Solemnity of Sts. Simon and Jude will take the place of the Resumed 4th Sunday after Epiphany, although that feast will get its own commemoration, that is, we will include the Collect, Secret, and Post Communion prayers of that Sunday Mass after those of the two Apostles. The “Resumed” Masses are extremely difficult to follow in the hand missals and I don’t have enough space here to even explain what they are, let alone how to follow them, so just be glad that you have one fewer to be lost at this year! The end of this week also, lest you forget, contains a Holy Day of Obligation. Friday, November 1, is the day we show our respect and admiration on the feast day dedicated to All Saints. It is one of the few remaining days upon which it is obligatory to attend Mass outside of Sundays. The following day, Saturday, November 2, is the Commemoration of All Souls. While not a day of obligation, it is one of the most beloved and well-attended Masses regardless of which day it falls. I expect that the 8:00 am Mass will be packed! The Adult Catechism class that I normally teach after Adoration on Saturday mornings has been canceled so that we can have our annual Soul Cakes & Cider Celebration at that time. Due to the chaos caused by the hurricanes this year, we currently have only about half a dozen lists of souls to be prayed for at that Mass (and for the rest of the month), but it is not too late to get yours in! Also, remember that the whole month of November is dedicated to the Holy Souls, and the Church offers an octave of Plenary Indulgences to kick off these special thirty days of prayer for the souls in Purgatory. Each day from November 1 through November 8 (inclusive) those who visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed can receive—to be applied to the Poor Souls—a Plenary Indulgence, that is, the complete remission of all temporal punishment due to previously forgiven sin. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domini, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. (Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual Light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.) Lastly, our Mass Book (for intentions for 2025) will be opening soon. Once again, with the larger number of parishioners clamoring for Masses (as it should be!) we are dropping the number of Masses each family can request to 5 (five). The Mass stipend donation, according to the diocesan standards revised a dozen or so years ago, is $20 per Mass. Watch for the official announcement. The book fills up within days. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: In The Aftermath
I wrote my last article as Hurricane Milton approached. I sent it to be published several hours before we lost electricity but didn’t know if it would ever be printed. I spent the night of the storm sleeping in a recliner downstairs since it was cooler there than upstairs. It was also a place where I could hear the storm winds howling just outside the windows lining the room. At some point in the tempest, the sound of the carport being destroyed caught my attention enough to wake me up. I got up and tried to see what was happening but it was too dark to see anything, even though it was only a dozen or so feet away. The morning light would show that half of the aluminum top had folded back onto the other half of the roof. Through the grace of God and His angels, the two cars parked under the remaining now-double-roofed section were virtually unscathed. There were tree limbs down throughout the property. The avocado trees didn’t fare too well. Same with the Jackfruit tree. We gave away all of the avocados to the people in Epiphany Arms. There were also a couple of jackfruit that hadn’t been clandestinely taken from the tree (yes, people stole our jackfruit just before they got ripe—we never harvested a single one ourselves. I almost put up a sign saying, “Eve stole some of God’s fruit and look at the results!”) so they were sent next door as well. The back section of the parking lot was flooded up through the third row of parking spots and the water continued about halfway down the driveway toward the rectory. (During Hurricane Irma in 2017 the water reached the handicapped parking spots, so this was not quite so bad, except that this time it took days, not hours, to recede!) The carport outside the social hall kitchen was scattered in pieces from the back of the building to the front along with pieces of what later proved to be the roof of the storage shed next to it. I moved enough of the tree limbs out of the way that cars could enter the parking lot. Anders sang the 6:30 am Mass for the two of us and five people were present for the 8:00 am Mass that morning. The people who were here for morning Masses helped move a lot of the debris out of the way so that people could safely enter the church, for which I am extremely grateful. Later, the Troops of St. George arrived and took care of the majority of the heavy labor. They, along with the Knights of Columbus and other men are still assisting widows and shut-ins in clearing fallen trees at their houses and doing all sorts of repairs as needed whenever we get word that a parishioner needs help. What a blessing! Our staff has also been outstanding, helping coordinate relief efforts and checking on everyone we could think of who might live alone or need extra assistance. It was only late Thursday morning (October 17) that our phones and internet finally came back, so all the phoning and messaging was being done via cell phones, making everything just that much more difficult. I am also edified by the contributions of cash and gift cards made by a number of our parishioners to be given to other parishioners in need. It is humbling for anyone to have to ask for assistance but so far we have been able to meet the needs of which we have been made aware. In the unread bulletin from last week, I wrote that two out-of-state pastors had inquired as to our needs, offering assistance from their own parish women’s clubs and Knights. May God bless their generosity even though we have not needed to take advantage of it! If you or someone you know still needs help but have hesitated to ask, please reach out to us. Help is at hand. During all of the hustle and bustle, we received our first list of names to be prayed for on All Souls Day. What? Already? Yes, already! Although the hurricane prep and cleanup from two hurricanes have occupied our minds, time, and energy these past weeks and the “normal” stuff like making prayer lists for the souls in Purgatory have taken a back seat, it is still good timing for this feast. After all, we have seen or heard of so many people who perished in Helene and, in lower numbers, thanks be to God, in Milton, it reminds us that we must all die sometime of something and we must always be prepared spiritually to meet our Maker. Let us, who survived, remember to pray for all of those who didn’t make it through as well as remembering our family and friends who have passed away over the years. Bring a long list. Time is short! There will be only one more Sunday before All Souls Day by the time this October 20 bulletin is published. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Hurricane Milton
With hurricane Helene’s damage still in our faces hurricane Milton roared ashore. I wrote about my Aunt Irma stopping by to try to analyze the last hurricane, acting like it was a science project or a game. After seeing all of the devastation left behind, she learned her lesson without needing a truckload of equipment to tell her anything. As soon as the news showed Milton to be a category 5 hurricane, she called to tell me that she would be monitoring it from Kansas. I am writing this on Wednesday afternoon, while the rain is still not too heavy and the winds not too strong. A lot will change in just a few hours. I expected to have to squeeze in time at the priest convocation to write this but it has been canceled. Some of my family evacuated to Alabama. Others went to South Carolina. My brother-in-law is staying with my mother. My dad is staying with me. Many parishioners have checked in to tell me that they are in safe places. A friend in Ohio offered to take in anybody who needed a place to evacuate to. A priest who was supposed to come here this weekend to celebrate Mass had his plans change. He was bringing his mother to Florida to take a short vacation on Anna Maria Beach and was going to hear confessions and celebrate Mass here before heading out to the island. Of course, Helene made that impossible, so he instead had been looking for a place in Jacksonville to take his mother instead. Milton made even that sensible solution not a good solution, either! The ever-joyful Carmelite Sister Immaculata was also supposed to come visit us this weekend. Fortunately, she was able to cancel her plans in time. She will make it down later when it is safe. A priest from Ohio called and asked me to let him know if anyone here needed financial support due to damages beyond what they could handle. His Women’s Club is offering to raise money to help, so if any of you need it, please let me know. Many other priests from around the country have contacted me offering prayers as they hear about the hurricane. Evidently coverage is extensive not only in Florida but far away as well. As I got to this particular place writing this article, another priest, this one from Michigan, also reached out to offer direct help if anyone needs it! Amazing! As I continue writing I keep getting further information regarding the storm. It is now moving faster. It is now moving more northward. But the 5:00 update shows the expected track bringing it ashore still a bit south of us, maybe hitting Bradenton/Sarasota instead of straight up Tampa Bay. That should keep our storm surge a good bit lower. But only time will tell. As for me, I am still praying it away. Winds are currently about 20 mph and the rain is coming in a little more consistently but still not too heavy. My brother-in-law is keeping a good watch on the Hillsborough river which is a few blocks downhill from my mom’s house. Currently it is about 3 feet from cresting. Even if it moves up another 10 we expect that mom’s house will be fine. But they can come to the rectory if we have misjudged it. On the other hand, if something happens to the rectory, we can move over to her house, so we all have backup plans. If the electricity stays on, mom’s place will probably have better food! If we can’t cook, my stock of Spam, sardines, and canned chili will probably make the rectory the better diner. Of course, mom may differ on that latter option! At this particular time, the retention ponds between us and Epiphany Arms are full but the water hasn’t yet intruded into our parking lot. No doubt it will soon but it used to flood with every afternoon thunderstorm. It never got up to the church sidewalk or into the rectory so I don’t expect it to tonight, either. Tornadoes have been observed throughout the whole of the southeastern part of Florida. Seeing them on the FDOT cameras has been amazing and is helping to keep me grateful that they are not happening here. After quite an interruption for dinner I am back to say things are looking good. I don’t know if we will get this bulletin published this week so I don’t know if you will ever read it. We still have electricity. Currently (7:13 pm Wednesday) the winds have fallen off for the moment. The worst is still to come but it shouldn’t be too bad. After all, your prayers have been powerful! Thank you each and every one and thank you Blessed Mother! With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka DIOCESE OF ST. PETERSBURG Office of the Bishop October 2, 2024 “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8). My Dear Brothers and Sisters, All of us are heartbroken by the scenes of destruction in our communities. Even worse, lives have been lost from the effects of Hurricane Helene. The days that followed revealed shocking images of streets, homes, and churches flooded throughout the Diocese of Saint Petersburg. If you have suffered a loss, I am sorry, and you are in my prayers. Longtime residents say they have never experienced this type of flooding. In the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, the communities most affected are situated along the Gulf Coast, Tampa Bay, and our rivers. You have probably seen the images of damage and destruction, but you may not have seen the homes of our priests and religious sisters that have been flooded. These humble servants are striving to minister to their communities while also seeking temporary shelter. The street in front of my St. Petersburg home was flooded and utilities were shut off for a time. Fortunately, I found temporary shelter at the Nazareth House, a summer home for seminarians, and I was joined by priests whose rectories were flooded out. So far, we have determined that 12 of our Catholic schools and Early Childhood Centers have sustained damage to their buildings or properties. Two are significant. 18 Catholic churches or their properties have been damaged by wind or water. Pinellas Hope and Tampa Hope, our Catholic Charities homeless shelters, experienced damage, flooding, and power outages, and the residents were displaced. Some of our Catholic Charities affordable housing units were also flooded. The reports are still coming in and we continue to assess the damage. So many of our brothers and sisters in Christ have lost everything. While we pick up the pieces of the broken lives in our midst, we also turn to our Lord and trust in Him. We are alive and have much to be grateful for: the many blessings He continues to bestow upon us. We thank God for the gift of life and the gift of a new day to love and serve one another. We are grateful for those parish teams who had minimal damage and are now stepping forward to help lead cleanup events in their neighborhoods, opening their doors to serve as shelters, or providing comfort to those who are grieving. If you feel led to share a blessing with others, I invite you to give to our Diocesan Disaster Relief Fund. Since 2017, the fund has provided nearly $2 million for disaster recovery efforts. Now we will help our local communities in need. Please visit dosp.org to make a donation. Thank you for your generosity and may God bless you! Sincerely yours in Christ Most Reverend Gregory L. Parkes Bishop of Saint Petersburg From the Pastor: Hurricane Edition!
Monday afternoon my sister texted me a strange question. “Are you going to bring Dad back to your place on Tuesday?” What? Why? On Tuesdays, I go to visit my dad. We usually go out to lunch and then grocery shopping and perhaps to Home Depot or some other place to pick up anything he needs around the house. But I don’t bring him back home with me. So why the question? “Because of the storm coming on Wednesday.” What storm? I hadn’t heard of any storm. But, sure enough, there was one scheduled, almost as if the meteorologists could simply flip a switch and create one. Oops, that sounds like conspiracy theory talk! A weather system was strengthening into a possible hurricane and it was heading into the Gulf of Mexico. I got the details about it the next day from Dad. It was heading past us and up into the Big Bend area of the panhandle. Not aiming for us, so no need to evacuate. Whew, that’s a relief. If anything changes, let me know and I’ll come pick you up, I told him, and that was that. Until the next afternoon. He lives in a mobile home and Pinellas County issued a mandatory evacuation. So I went to get him. My sister was evacuating to mom’s house with her husband, daughter, and a niece. And a couple of dogs. And a cat. Dad was coming to my place. All was well. Until Aunt Irma showed up. Everybody with common sense was leaving Florida’s west coast if they were able to and here she was coming in. Just for the storm. Literally. It turns out that she has a new hobby: meteorology. She wanted to be in the midst of the storm so that she could try out all of her new equipment. I was praying the Mass prayers “To Avert Storms” and she was hoping that the storm would turn in and hit us directly. Hotels were already booked due to the evacuations so she needed a place to stay. Mom already had people sleeping on the floor, plus Aunt Irma didn’t want to have to deal with all of the animals. She couldn’t stay with Dad since his park was evacuated. So she arrived unannounced to stay at the rectory. She was as giddy as a schoolgirl. “Help me get everything set up,” she happily greeted me, “before the bands of rain get here.” She had boxes of things that were all shiny and new. Like so many people who get a new hobby, she spent a small fortune on things that she thought she might need “someday” but she had never had a chance to actually use most of them. She had thermometers to check temperature changes and barometers to measure the atmospheric pressure. Another box held various types of hygrometers so that she could measure the humidity of the air and ground. Anemometers, both handheld and with mounting contraptions so that she could measure wind speed, came out of the pile next. Of course, she had rain gauges to set up just about everywhere to ensure a good reading of the copious amount of rain that was sure to come. We unwrapped both a wind sock and a weathercock, which didn’t make any sense to me until she showed me how she was going to fly a drone in the storm and needed to have a measured airspeed and direction so that she could control it as well as possible. When I opened the next box, I was stumped, for I had neither seen nor heard of this weird contraption. It was a Present Weather/Precipitation Sensor. It consisted of a heavy pole with a u-shaped top piece upon each end of which a radar gun-like device pointed toward the other one. It was a measuring tool to determine what kind of precipitation was falling (rain, hail, etc.), how large the droplets were, and maybe a bunch of other stuff. She had a transmissometer to measure the visibility (how far you can see through the storm/fog/whatever, and even a ceilometer to measure how high/low the cloud ceiling is. If the local weatherman had something, so did Aunt Irma! Yes, she had it all and then some. We set everything up in about 3 hours and then waited. A small shower came by while we were doing all of this and didn’t yet have it set so that she could record it. But then nothing. Wind gusts of about 14 mph were the most exciting thing. Yawn. “But the TV weathergirls/guys insisted that this would all start Wednesday evening,” she cried. Sadly, we barely got a drizzle all night long. She stayed awake the whole time but Dad and I went to sleep. She was still manning the helm the next morning, buzzing on her third pot of coffee, when I went to celebrate the morning Masses. Sunshine and a slight breeze greeted me upon my return later that morning. She was frustrated and fuming and tired and cranky. But she persisted. All day we watched the wind blow but a strong breeze certainly wasn’t worth the trip to Florida. The TV was showing flooding and wind on Bayshore and other places nearby, yet Epiphany stayed dry. She climbed up on the roof to try to spot something—anything—but soon came back down dejected. No storm. Finally, late Thursday evening, it started to rain a little bit. But there was Aunt Irma, after being awake and excited for nearly two full days and nights, sound asleep. We carried her to bed and tucked her in without her even stirring. Maybe next time she’ll get to experience the storm... With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: The Latest CMA Update
After looking over the latest Catholic Ministry Appeal update this week I want to share some thoughts with you. In case the name of the appeal doesn’t ring a bell, it is the Bishop’s fund drive that pays for the various ministries of the diocese. It replaced APA, the Annual Pastoral Appeal, a couple of years ago. When Bishop Parkes first introduced this new appeal, the priests wrongly assumed that it was just a rebranded APA, which itself was just a rebranded BAPA (Bishop’s Annual Pastoral Appeal). We were quite pleased when we discovered the differences. The APA “goal” for each parish, for instance, was a mandatory amount of money that the parish was required to either raise through appealing to the parishioners or, falling short of the goal by those efforts, take from the parish savings account. Due to the way the APA goals were calculated, if a parish appeal fell short and had to be paid from savings, the subsidized amount was essentially “taxed” twice through a long and impossible-to-verify taxation (or goal-setting) formula. The diocese needed the money, we were told, and they were going to get it one way or another. The double taxation encouraged parishioners to donate to APA so that their money was only “taxed” once. Behind the CMA was a new strategy aimed at encouraging the Catholic generosity of the parishioners to shine forth brightly and voluntarily rather than threatening them with a cudgel. The administrative costs of running the diocese were taken out of the Appeal (and are now paid for with a flat tax on our collections) so the CMA now only funds the “charitable” and “ministerial” activities of the diocese. If the diocese’s overall goal isn’t met, the Bishop said that he will take that as a sign that the people don’t want to support what he is offering and, rather than take money against their will, he will simply cut the programs the people don’t want to support. Gasp! It was hard to believe that he would cut the funding for pro-life activities, prison ministry, the Marriage Tribunal, Vocations programs, Seminary Education, and so many other great programs we have traditionally supported as a diocese. But he gave his word. He trusted that the goals would be met when people of faith were given choices as to where their hard-earned money would best be put to use. Catching more flies with honey than vinegar, and all that stuff. And how, you may ask, would he tell which programs the people wished to support and which they did not wish to support? By allowing them to choose which specific ministry they desire their money to go to when they donate. If you go to our parish webpage you can scroll down on the homepage and click on the CMA link. On the page that opens up, you can see many of the ministries financed by the diocese through this appeal. Once you then click on the “make a gift” button you can specify to which ministry you would like your donation applied. Targeted donations like that are legally and morally to be used only for the specified purpose. If the ministry you wish to support does not appear on the drop-down menu (the menu would be too unwieldy to list every single ministry) you can check, “I don’t see my ministry, please contact me” and they actually will do so! Of course, you also have the option to allow the donation to be given “unrestricted” so that it can be used to fund any of the diocesan ministries in need. Under this new system, if a pastor gives his “best effort” to reach the parish goal yet falls short, the bishop will neither take the remainder of the “bill” from them nor penalize them the following years in any way, shape, or form. If the “best effort” was not exerted, however, all bets are off the table. I have written about this before when the bishop questioned my “best effort” at Epiphany. So far this approach has worked on a diocese-wide scale. But for some reason, it has not done too well at this parish. We eventually meet our goal but with minimal participation. The last two years this was understandable since we were (and still are) threatened with having the Traditional Latin Mass taken away from us and that has a tendency to reduce one’s generous tendencies. But, as mentioned last week, Bishop Parkes has done all he can to support us and protect us from those in Rome who seem, to put it mildly, to dislike people who attend the TLM. If calamity strikes us, it is certainly not Bishop Parkes’ fault! Supporting the Bishop and financially supporting his/our ministries, is just plain Catholic. It seems to me that everyone should be able to find at least one charitable ministry within the diocese that they can willingly support, even if they cannot send in thousands and thousands of dollars. Yet, as of this being written, only 18% of Epiphany households have donated to the CMA this year. We have reached 67% of our goal, which means that those who have donated have been very generous and I thank you very much for that! But how about the rest of you? I know, inflation is high and your wallets are light. Those in worse shape are often the ones receiving help from CMA. Don’t know if the Bishop will spend the money “correctly”? Does your boss withhold your pay because he thinks you are wasting it? Are there really any good reasons not to give at least a small gift, like the widow’s mite? We should all support Church ministries out of love of God and love of neighbor. Consider making a cheerful, charitable gift. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Confirmations Are Coming Quickly!
This upcoming year brings uncertainty to Epiphany. You are all aware of the efforts of some in Rome to shut down the Traditional Latin Mass. You are also aware that Bishop Parkes continues to fight on our behalf to keep not only Epiphany parish going but also the other two parishes in the diocese that offer the TLM. In March of 2023, Bishop Parkes obediently wrote a letter to Cardinal Roach making a case to keep the status quo in the diocese and his plea was (relatively) well-received. In July or August of 2023, he was granted a 2-year “indult” to continue the celebration of the TLM in all three parish churches with the possibility of asking for an extension of that indult when the two years are up. In the meantime, the TLM at all three parishes has kept growing even as other parishes struggle to keep congregations from declining too sharply. Bishop Parkes has been striving to find a solution to this strange situation, for he sees a sizable minority of his flock finding solace and holiness in the form of the Mass loved and cherished by centuries of both Saints and (non-canonized) saints. He understands that we are not just “in it for the nostalgia” for he sees the overall youthfulness of our congregations, those who are not pining for something they grew up with (since they were born long after the change from one Mass to the other) but are rather those who have discovered the treasure-trove of riches comprising the ancient Mass after perhaps never having heard anything positive about it in their lives. “The priest had his back to the people, nobody understood what was going on, and the little old ladies fingered their rosaries,” is all that most people under 60 ever heard regarding the Tridentine Mass and, hence, never gave a second thought to it. That is, until they happened upon it for whatever reason, and fell in love; in love with God, for His love for them and their new-found ability, inflamed desire, and even the realization of the necessity to love Him in return is what the “old” Mass showed them so clearly. They knew as they had never known before Jesus’ perfect act of love for all men, the Holy Sacrifice of His Life upon the cross for our eternal salvation. And they loved right back, immersed as they were in the whole experience of the soul-moving liturgical ritual that had been honed for nearly two thousand years. These groups want to stay in that place at the foot of the cross, Adoring Him and offering their lives back to Him, a place they arrived at by spiritually entering into His Most Sacred Heart through the Traditional Latin Mass. And the bishop wants them/us to be able to do so. And he doesn’t want the Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, always threatening to fall and wipe out the TLM at the whim of someone who has never even visited the diocese, let alone met the people. He is still diligently striving to come up with a way to give the TLM long-term (perpetual) stability. But, alas, so far all possibilities have shown dire and unintended (on his/our side, anyway) consequences, making them not worth pursuing unless/until forced into a corner. With that being said, it is apparent that we don’t know what the future holds for us and, although we all hope that things will continue as normal, I have made the decision to move Confirmations up a few months earlier than we have had them in the past, just in case the sword does fall this spring. I petitioned the Bishop to allow us to have our Confirmations in February this coming year. Mark your calendars. Wednesday, February 12, at 7:00 pm, Bishop Parkes is scheduled to come to Epiphany to confirm, using the 1962 ritual, however many children have been properly prepared to receive this important sacrament. His schedule is even more grueling than mine and, although it is on his calendar at the present moment, we have seen in the past that it may change and either we will change our date/time to accommodate him or else I will be given delegation to bestow the confirmations in his place on the above scheduled day and time. Either way, it is imperative that: 1) the children start their confirmation preparation immediately if not sooner; and 2) everyone who is planning on being confirmed that day fill out the information sheet we have on our website so that we know how many people to expect. I cannot stress this enough. In the past we have often had children signed up only at the last minute. This year, the bishop wants to know (already!) how many are being prepared. I must give him a number, so you must tell me ASAP if you want your children included. If the worst case scenario occurs, March of 2025 (two years after the letter asking permission to keep the TLM was written by Bishop Parkes) will bring news that the current TLM indult will not be renewed. If so, the February Confirmations may be the last time the old ritual is used for this sacrament. I pray that it will not be so, but I would rather not take the chance, hence the early Confirmation date. As always, if you need help preparing your child(ren) for this sacrament, let me know and we will arrange whatever assistance is necessary. For those already doing the preparation through Catholic homeschool programs, you may need to step it up a bit, since the curriculum may be expecting a full school year (an extra couple of months) to get through all of the material. As always, keep praying for Bishop Parkes. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: What Is So Special About Monday?
Monday, September 9, is a big feast day, one that long-time Epiphany members (and readers of Fr. Z’s blog) know quite well. But for any newcomers, you might be unaware of the special celebration that is upcoming. Sure, it is St. Peter Claver’s feast day. I certainly don’t want to downplay that. In fact, I will celebrate two morning Masses dedicated to him, so important is that Saint. It is also the feast day of St. Gorgonius, although he will only receive a commemoration at St. Peter Claver’s Masses. But the special day of which I make mention is not the feast day of a Saint at all. “Then what is it?” you may ask, and I will gladly tell you should you do so. So, go ahead and ask! Ah, that’s better. Yes, I will gladly answer your most earnest inquiry, but first, sit down for a minute, and let’s open a couple of cold bottles of Alaskan Smoked Porter. What’s that? You’ve never tasted that particular brew? Join the club, for neither have I. I have a description of it, which I will share with you in just a minute, but it is in the tasting that the truth will come out. Whether or not it lives up to its advertised wonderfulness, we will have a delightful time praising it or criticizing it, offering thoughts about it and comparing it to other beers, perhaps even to other food and drink, and spending a bit of time together just doing something we are not able to do very often, namely, a lot of nothing. Yes, there is much to be said for doing nothing of any discernable import. To be able to set aside the “necessities” of the day, to be able to trust that we are not indispensable, that the world will survive without our input for an hour or so, that God, not man, is in control of everything, and that He gave us the very inspiration to produce such a delightful beverage to be shared among friends and family. But I said that I was going to give the official description of the beer, not the description of what we would do with it, so here you go. “Crafted with malt smoked over alder wood, Alaskan Smoked Porter showcases a unique and intriguing smoky character, akin to a campfire’s embrace. This robust porter carries notes of toffee and caramel, offering a delightful contrast to the smokiness. It truly shines during fall camping trips, adding a touch of the Alaskan wilderness to your outdoor adventures.” Smoked malt? It sounds like anyone who enjoys a peaty scotch will enjoy that part of it. Toffee and caramel? Let’s face it, somebody’s tastebuds have got to be seriously messed up to turn away at the thought of those flavors. Camping and campfires? Is it pure marketing? Absolutely! But I’ve already bitten. Let’s pop it open. No, it’s ok. I understand. Not everybody likes such a flavor bomb in their beer. You say you would prefer something else? I won’t hold that against you unless you ask for a Bud Light. Thanks for being upfront about it instead of fighting through a beer you won’t enjoy. I, myself, though generally preferring porters and stouts, willingly order just about any type of local beer if I am traveling. After all, I can get a Guiness anywhere in the world. But if I were to visit Arizona and found a light-bodied Cactus beer, I would gladly give it a shot. But, then again, I like darn near any food, so it makes sense that I enjoy, or at least tolerate, most beer and other drinks, too. The fruity beers, like Grapefruit beer from Florida or Blueberry beer from Michigan, are not my favorites, but having one or two every couple of years isn’t beyond my comfort zone. So what can I get you? How about a Maine Lobster beer from Bar Harbor? Ha, ha. You should’ve seen your face! Nah, I’m just pulling your finger... I mean, your leg. But if you want to try something a little off the beaten path without going either too dark or too light, how about an Avocado Honey Ale? “The beer has a light golden haze appearance with an ivory frothy head. Moving to its aroma, the beer shares a biscuity and nutty aroma with hints of sweetness reminiscent of wildflowers...Additionally, it has a super smooth and silky texture that further makes the drink mouthful and appetizing.” No? I’ve got just the one. Do you remember sweet breakfast cereals with the little marshmallows? Check out the description of this beer. “Saturday Morning IPA is a soft, light, and mouthful beer that knows how to satisfy one’s taste buds. The drink has a soft pillow body made using the following: Toasted marshmallow; Dehydrated Marshmallow; Calypso and Galaxy Hops. All these ingredients are united to give a sweet cereal taste to the drink with hints of orange/pear mixed aroma.” You’ll try it? Wonderful! Now that we have that settled and we both have a beer we’ve never tried, let’s get ready to have a blast critiquing them together! But before we take the first swig, I need to (finally!) tell you the reason for this get-together. In case you have forgotten or, poorly catechized Catholic that you may be, were never taught, September 9 is Buy A Priest A Beer Day! Alas, because I don’t have free time anymore, the above conversation about drinking such beers is just wishful thinking. But next year this feast falls on a Tuesday, which, after the morning schedule of Masses, confessions, and Adoration, I generally take off. Perhaps with a bit of advanced planning, we could make it happen. Start searching out your favorite (or weirdest) brews! With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: The Final Last Vacation Story
The story of my recent journey left off before I made it back home, so you are stuck with yet another tale of my trip. After the long detour and blocked road from last week, I finally made it to North Carolina where the Carsons had invited me to visit them while they were spending time in their mountain cabin. As I left off last week with the delay causing me to either arrive after dark or spend a night in a hotel, I opted for the hotel. In the morning I had a cup of coffee and sat down to pray my breviary as I drank in both the mountain view and the coffee between scripture verses. It was a good way to start the day. After getting back in the car, I let the Carson's know my approximate arrival time. I checked in with them about an hour out and it seemed like in no time the GPS lady was telling me to turn off the main drag and onto a small, steep mountain road leading up to their house. The distance left to travel wasn't exactly making sense relative to the time it was saying it would take, but I was to find out soon enough why it would take so long. As I mentioned before, I am glad I didn't attempt this part of the trip at night, for even in daylight it was a tough drive. The road was very, very twisty, very, very narrow, and very, very steep. The going was very, very slow. And then the GPS lady got lost. She wasn't showing me to be exactly on the road and didn't warn of forks in the road demanding a decision of which way to turn. At one point the paved road was going left and a gravel road went right and she said nothing. I chose pavement. Up, up, up I went, the whole time thinking, "If I had a cabin up here, I would take a year's worth of food and never venture back down until I was ready to leave." This paved part of the “road” ended up being a driveway. There was no place to turn around so I followed the drive right up to the front door of the house and continued past it as it looped back down. I waved just in case somebody with a shotgun was watching. Going back down I had the Honda in low gear and the GPS girl found me before I got to the gravel road. "Take the other road this time, you big dummy!" she screeched. So I turned. Up and up and around and around I went, this time on wet, loose gravel. Then I came around a tight turn and had to hit the brakes when I came face to face with a four-wheel drive All Terrain Vehicle, which also slammed on its brakes. It was driven by the Carsons, who were coming down to make sure I found the right road. They put their vehicle in reverse but it simply spun the tires and started sliding sideways toward the edge of the mountain. Not a good sign. They finally got it moving in the right direction—backward—and found a small place to pull over and motioned me to pass. I, too, spun some gravel but the tires soon caught and up I went, the transmission and engine straining as they have never strained in Florida. I certainly knew why GPS said it would take so long for such a short trip. The Carsons make this trip up and down every single day, for they never miss daily Mass. They have memorized the Mass schedule of parishes in various distant towns to which they travel since none of the parishes has Mass every day. I, on the other hand, was very happy to be able to celebrate Mass in the cabin and stay put. Of course, that was not to last long, for they insisted on showing me around. We went to the top of the mountain in the rain on the four-wheeler as they talked about how they almost went off the edge the other day in the exact same conditions. Back home once again, we saw their "pet" woodchuck that lives just down the hill from the house. We watched a multitude of hummingbirds fighting incessantly over the feeder and flowers. I heard about how a bear completely destroyed their apple tree this year, the first year it produced apples, never to be capable of producing fruit again. And they drove me (in their four-wheel drive SUV, not the ATV) all the way down the mountain and into various small towns to show me where they went to Mass, where they shopped, and where they hiked. There is a parish that has a TLM and they are just starting to clear the ground to build a new, beautiful church. Our Lady of the Mountains in Highlands is worth checking out online. We also watched people swimming in "Bust Your Butt Falls" right off the main highway in Highlands. The Carson’s know how it got its name, for others from our parish have visited them and one of the girls busted several body parts there. We also went hiking to some waterfalls and came back drenched in sweat and gasping for air, though the temperature was only about 80 degrees. Go figure! Finally, after much too short a vacation, I had to head back home. The rest of the return trip was uneventful, with the exception of a major thunderstorm on I-75 just outside of Tampa (yes, I took the interstate the last day). And that really does bring me to the end of this series of articles. How was your vacation? With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: One Last (?) Vacation Article
Yes, this is the third week you have to read about my vacation. I wasn’t even gone two weeks, yet I am managing to drag it out at least on paper for longer than it lasted. Anyway, here goes. Last week I left off by saying goodbye to Kentucky and hello to Ohio. I have some friends there whom I have known since before I was a priest but I haven’t seen them in many years. How many years, you ask? This time I got a chance to meet their grandson who, now that school has started, just entered into the third grade. It is the first time I have met him, for I haven’t seen his mother (who I knew from her birth) or grandparents (the friends I mentioned) since before he was conceived! Fortunately, old friends, even when they are distant, are still good friends, and we simply met as if we had never been apart. One notable thing we did, which shows how much of an old geezer I am that I think it is a notable part of my vacation, is take the boy to the local library. Not to read books, for libraries have evolved past that quaint purpose, but to create things with Legos. This was a very child-friendly library and one of its regular activities is a Lego hour for the youngsters. They all piled into a room where they had access to tons of Legos and could not only create anything their imaginations could conjure but also then leave them on display with their names and descriptions of the creation for the whole library world to admire. The descriptions were absolutely necessary, for I would have never known what most of them were even once they were “completed.” Of course, there were some general trends. Boys made machines and robots. Girls made houses, trees, and flowers. Or so the descriptions stated. Unlike when I was growing up and the only things we could check out of libraries were books, over the years libraries started offering videos and then other non-readable things. At the local Seminole Heights library wifi hotspots seem to be the most popular non-book item and there is a waiting list a mile long to borrow one. At this particular Ohio library, along with wifi hotspots (all of which were already checked out—it must be a trend), they had a whole wall full of musical instruments, camping gear, science lab tools (microscopes, telescopes, and related items), sports equipment, and more, all available to be checked out. But in a separate spot, there was the largest collection of all: bakeware. Muffin tins, bundt cake pans, cheesecake pans, and other things that you may not need regularly were all lined up for patrons to take home, use, clean (I hope), and return. But the most amazing sight was the row after row of specialty cake pan molds. You could take home a mold for baking a cake in the shape of Batman, Wonder Woman, a rabbit, a castle, a flower, and probably a hundred other things! Does your library have such a collection of items to be borrowed? This one also had tables set up for chess with an invitation to find a partner and play a game, an arts and crafts section complete with scissors, glue, glitter, and “projects” packages. Children, mothers, grandmothers, and a few fathers (and one Father) were all over the place. It was like a theme park without the exorbitant cost. Alas, I had to head back south, so off I went, setting the GPS once again to take the backroads to North Carolina. In that section of Ohio, the backroads were pretty straight, flat, and boring. Farmland, mostly with corn and beans, as far as I could tell, went on for mile after mile after mile. One road threw the GPS off with the unexpected sign saying, “Road closed six miles ahead. Use detour.” The next road was miles away and it, too, as well as the next two isolated roads, had the same sign. It took me so far out of the way that, instead of getting there through Kentucky and Tennessee I wound up traveling through West Virginia and Virginia, an unexpected but happily beautiful change to my route. But at one point I was on a four-lane road when I passed by an electric company truck stopped in the middle with a large pole lifting the overhead wires crossing the road. Then I passed another one and another. Every electric wire stretched across the road for miles was being lifted. Dozens more electric trucks kept driving past to lift the next successive line on the road behind me. Something BIG was coming and they were clearing the way. And then I saw the police cars. Everywhere. Blocking the road and the crossroads. And traffic came to a stop. A massive “thing” was being trucked up the mountain in front of me and just as the top of it came into sight over the hill it stopped. For the next hour or more only cars with lift buckets or flashing blue lights moved in either direction. But finally, they let the traffic that had piled up behind this thing use “my” lanes to go around it. For a full hour, the traffic kept coming. Then, for whatever reason, they started moving the Big Thing again and I was allowed to drive toward and then past it. Even seeing it didn’t help me figure out what it was. But it was massive. And the traffic behind it was still backed up for many more miles. I wound up in a hotel that night, not wanting to drive mountain roads in the dark. And, boy, was that a good call... With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Sanders Kentucky At Last!
Following up on last week’s tale of adventure, my driving days continued through the mountains heading mostly northward. When I was finally getting close to the Hernandez’ house, I had just turned onto their road when Kevin called. “Great timing! I just turned onto Snort Wallow Road (or something equally strange),” I answered through the speaker as the phone automatically picked up for me. “Then you should be only a few minutes away. I’ll stay on the phone to guide you through,” came his reply. We chatted a bit and then he asked, “When you got to the fork in the road, did you stay to the left?” I didn’t recall coming to a fork in the road. “You should have seen it by now,” he said,“Are you sure you are on the right road?” Heck, I’ve never been there before. How would I know if I’m on the right road? I’m just blindly following the GPS. “I’m on Snort Wallow Road,” I replied, “How many of them could there be?” Of course, I was in Kentucky, so there could be a couple of dozen, for all I knew. “Have you seen the old cars sitting in front of a house up on the left?” or something like that, the conversation continued. But I wasn’t seeing anything of what he was describing, so he asked me to tell him what I was currently passing. Note that I was on a very narrow, twisty road winding through the wooded hills, not on a highway or anything like that, and it is supposed to be the road he lives on, so it would seem like he would know it pretty well after living there 8 months, but he was stumped as to where I was as I described a huge red barn on the left, followed by a shack on the right, and so forth. “You should be seeing thus and so,” he said, confused as to where I was, “and we don’t live that far off the road from where you turned. This isn’t making sense. I’m outside watching for you but you should have been here by now.” That wasn’t too comforting. After the GPS fiasco earlier in the trip, where it wouldn’t take me by the back roads, maybe it was now playing a joke on me by having me on the wrong little country road. When I told him I saw Punxsutawney Phil run across the road, the thought went through my mind that maybe I wasn’t even in Kentucky, for he replied, “I’ve never seen a groundhog out here,” Fortunately, at least that one woodchuck actually does live there, for soon afterward I saw Kevin by the road, his back to me, staring intently in the other direction. I was coming, not from the highway that any normal person would be coming from, but from the long way from nowhere! I got to see parts of his road that he had only been on a few times himself, for there was no reason for him to travel in the “wrong” direction to get anywhere! It was a good thing that he was standing out there, too, for the GPS pointed to the house next to the drive that actually took me to his house. And, even once on the proper drive, I would have stopped at his garage thinking that it was his house! You wouldn’t believe that garage/barn of his. The man who built it made it look like a little cottage rather than a garage and the disguise worked quite well. That building and the actual house stood at the top of a series of rolling hills, a beautiful sight to behold. Cheryl, of course, had a garden growing and the folks they bought the property from had planted apple, pear, and peach trees as well. Those, plus some hazelnut trees (I have never seen any of those before!) were all showing forth the great soil of the land. Of course, I was there to see Kevin and Cheryl, not the greenery, so I didn’t really pay much attention to all of that until later when they took me on a tour and showed me the various things growing right in front of the house. Later still we would walk their property. Down the hill. And over the next one. And around the bend. And past the creek. And through the woods. Oh, what a spectacular place! Over the next several days I did a lot of nothing with them. Cheryl wanted Kevin to take me out to do things, to entertain me. But I was content to go nowhere. In the morning I would sleep in (what a great thing all by itself!), celebrate Mass and pray the Breviary, then spend the rest of the day putting together a puzzle, talking, watching the deer consume their fruit and rabbits destroy their vegetables, and sitting on the cool, mosquito-less porch watching the sunset. I did go out to Salvator’s boarding school when they had an open house and I saw and blessed the Rosendale’s new fixer-upper house which is (coincidentally?) within sight of that same boarding school, although they would not arrive until a few days after I left. We also visited the Castle and Key distillery near Frankfort (there are a lot of distilleries in the area including Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, Whiskey Thief, Heaven’s Door, Bulleit, Old Crow, Jim Beam Old Granddad, Four Roses, Wild Turkey, and too many others to list. Holy League field trip, anyone?). After a few days of much-needed rest at their place (and they said to tell everyone here they said “hello”) it was time to visit some friends I’ve known since before ordination. Northern Ohio, here I come! With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Some Time Away
Some time ago I wrote that Fr. Vincent generously offered to come and take my place for a while so that I could get a short vacation. I asked for suggestions as to where to go. The first suggestion I received was a great one: Blairsville, Georgia. It has been many, many years since I visited that small town but I thoroughly enjoyed myself when I was there. One time was in autumn and I was able to attend their Sorghum Festival. The days were cool, the nights were cold, and the festival was typical small-town fun. Good memories. But this time, before I had even looked for a place to stay, I got an email from some former parishioners who moved to Kentucky last year, the Hernandez family. “When we left we told you that you are always welcome to come and stay with us. The invitation is still open. We have plenty of space and a beautiful view of the hills.” So, although I was already dreaming of the hills of Georgia, Kentucky won out. I started planning my trip on Google Maps on the computer. I decided to take a leisurely route, staying off all interstate highways and traveling through the backroads into the Smokey Mountains. I told Kevin that, if he didn’t mind my lack of definite plans, I would just drive until I wanted to stop along the way and wouldn’t set a particular day to arrive. He was fine with that, so off I went. My first stop was in Lake Wales just outside of Orlando. Fr. Marshall was back in Florida visiting his mother and taking care of her for a while as her husband had died and she needed some assistance. We had a great chat and caught up on all sorts of things. He said to tell everyone that he misses you and prays for you daily. Toward late afternoon I said farewell to them and resumed my trip. Instead of using Google Maps I entered my destination into Waze, set it to “avoid highways and tolls,” and trusted that it would do what I programmed it to do. I was wrong. After driving for more than an hour it told me to get on Interstate 75 heading north. Strange. I knew I had told it to avoid highways. But Waze is pretty good at recognizing closed roads and detours, so I reasoned that maybe this was just a temporary thing. Sure enough, as soon as I got on the interstate it told me to exit at the next exit. I exited but at the bottom of the ramp it told me to get back on the interstate. Nope. I pulled over to check out the planned route. I should have done that earlier. It showed me taking I-75 all the way to Kentucky and getting off each exit and then immediately getting back on. Only a computer can be so moronic as to think that that is the proper way of following the “avoid highways” command. I unclicked the “avoid” boxes. It took me on I-75 all the way, with no exiting. I clicked the “avoid highways” box again and it took me all the way on I-75 but exiting and re-entering every off- and on-ramp. Nothing I did could get it to change. So I went back to Google Maps (both are owned by Google, by the way) and, sure enough, found that app working properly. I also concluded that I had gone quite a long distance out of my way to get to that stupid interstate that I was trying to avoid in the first place. I would have been better off with a real map! Maybe next time... By now it was time to eat and get a hotel and I was still in Florida. I sure am glad I didn’t plan my route step by step and make hotel reservations in advance, for I was quite content to just call it a day and be happy about being wherever I found myself. I slept for about 10 hours that night and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to sleep too well the next night. I shouldn’t have worried about that, either, for I slept for 9-10 hours each night for the first five or six days of my trip! In the morning I checked Waze and it still wanted to direct me to interstate highways getting on and off and on again. I still haven’t figured that out but haven’t bothered checking it since. Most of the time I took back roads that led from one tiny town to another and every once in a while the navigation system would take me down tiny roads within the tiny towns, roads that I never would have traversed if I was following a paper map. Some of them were delightful. Some were downright scary. But all were part of the adventure. As I said, I wanted to drive through the Great Smokey Mountains so I had to change the destination on the GPS so that Maps wouldn’t bypass that area. I took my time and many times had no clue as to where I was or where I was going to end up, and that was exactly the way I wanted it. It was a very relaxing few days of driving and sightseeing. I didn’t listen to much news (someone told me that Joe Biden was not running again, but that is about the extent of my keeping up with current propaganda). I didn’t respond to emails. I prayed a lot of rosaries. I loved every minute of the journey. Next week I will probably write about actually getting somewhere. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka |
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