“Arise and Eat, Else the Journey Will Be Too Great for You.” (I Kings 19:7)

PEACE AND GOOD HEALTH TO ALL WHO GATHER

TOGETHER TODAY

Do you remember hearing about the young child who asked his mom:  Why does the priest smell the altar when he begins Mass?  I'll bet that many people wonder why the priest does that as he approaches the altar at the start of Mass.  There are other "mysteries" about the altar that people wonder about as well.  The altar is, of course, the site of the Eucharistic prayer, that part of the Mass when the bread and wine are consecrated and become the Body and Blood of Jesus.  "ALTAR CHRISTUS EST," "the altar is Christ," became a saying that expressed that faith,  because it is on that stone altar that the Eucharist happens, where Jesus will be present, from where we will be united with him and nourished by him.  There is a tradition too that comes from the days of the persecutions of Christians, and their gatherings for worship in the safety of the catacombs (the underground burial sites of the martyrs, located mostly in Rome, but also in other areas of persecutions).  What we now call the Liturgy of the Eucharist was celebrated on one or another of those tombs.  That is the source of the tradition that some relic (e.g., a piece of bone or a piece of clothing) is buried in the corners and at the center of the altar, and the site marked by a cross carved into the stone.  Our altars, both in the chapel and in the church, have such markings, but unfortunately we have no record of which saints' relics are in our altars.  So, the short answer to the short question, "Why does the priest smell the altar?. . .", is that he is reverencing the place where the relics of some heroic Christians of the past are buried, and he is reverencing the altar which represents Christ our Lord.    

This is a week of some very important meetings, important to me and to the worship and ministries we do here:

• ALL EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS meet on Tuesday evening at 6:30 in the church.  This ministry requires delegation from the Archbishop, which indicates the seriousness and sacredness of nourishing the congregation with the Body and Blood of the Lord.  We need to review and update the procedures for this important ministry.

• ALL USHER-GREETERS meet on Tuesday evening at 7:30 in the church.  Usher-greeters set a tone for the congregation by their welcome and assistance to people coming to Mass.  This important ministry always needs updating and reviewing as well.

• COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND MEMBERS, ALL PARISH AND FINANCE COUNCIL MEMBERS, ALL PARISH STAFF, AND ANY INTERESTED PARISHIONERS meet on Thursday evening for the annual Leadership Meeting.  We will review what we are doing in our ministries and how we could do even better.  We will have the privilege and honor of Sister Fran Donnelly being with us for the evening.  She is on the Archdiocesan Office of Ministry and will give us some ideas and feed-back.  If possible, begin that evening by attending Mass at 5:30 p.m. (a light supper will be provided right after for those who can attend Mass); the meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and be done by 9:00 p.m.

• ALL ALTAR SERVES, VETERAN AND NEW ONES, will meet next Sunday evening, September 10, at 7:00 p.m. in church for a short meeting on procedures; then we will gather in the Community Room for awards, ice cream, and distribution of free tickets for the October 1st Twins game at the Dome.

This is a particularly important year for us to pull together in our dedication to the parish, for reasons I will offer at those meetings.  My expectation (not just hope) is that all members of the above ministries and services will be present; attendance will make a positive difference to our parish life and ministry, and be of significant help to me as your pastor.

                                                                                                                                                            —Father Ralph 

Prayer Corner

Jan Blod                    Katharine Gamble     Dorene Johnson           Marge Motzko                Mary Jane Tinkham

Elise Christianson      Debbie Griggs           Rita LaBore                Jen Murphy                        Irene Turmes

Mary Cipolla             Elizabeth Hanley       Joseph Mannelly         Deacon Jim Murphy     Barb & Bob Velner

Nancy Dussol            Mary Hazlett             Sr. Agnes Martinka       Nelson Family             Jim Walker

Bishop Charron          Rose Hennen             Ray Martineau            Agnes Ongeri                 

Marian & Bud Ess      Rose Holland            Jerry Mashek               Gen Sheats                      

Dennis Faulkner         Donna Johanns          John McGowan           Sandy Sperrazza            

 

Correction to St. John’s Charitable Gifts Report

Please note that the amount collected for the Annual Catholic Appeal was $35,780.00, not $357.80 as incorrectly listed. Thank you to those who brought this to our attention.