Entries for April 2020

May 1, 2020 is the First Friday of a special month in the Catholic Church dedicated to Our Lady.  Every year, the Church seeks the special intercession of the Mother of God during the month of May.

This year, the Bishops of the United States invite all of us to join in reconsecrating our Nation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, seeking the assistance of Our Lady as we face together the effects of the global pandemic.

In this Easter Season we continue to journey with our Risen Lord that among the Graces of this time may be healing and strength, especially for all who are burdened by the many effects of the Covid-19.

Please pray the Rosary this First Friday for all our Doctors, Nurses, and Medical personnel.  Pray the Rosary for everyone who is so generous in providing police and fire-protection, and all the necessities of daily living.  Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us!

Praying for You and Your Family,
Father John Leykam

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Your Church is open for prayer Monday thru Friday from 6:45 to 4 p.m.; Saturdays from 6:45 to 5 p.m.; and Sundays from 6:45 to Noon.

The Sacrament of Confession is offered on Saturdays from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

The Archdiocese has seen an uptick in priests’ email identities being used to spam parishioners.  Please remember that messages from your Pastor are placed on the website.

In addition, the weekly Sunday bulletin is usually on our website by Saturdays at Noon.

May I ask your prayers for the Priests and staff at Regina Cleri.  As of April 21st, there are 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Each day, you and your family are prayed for at private Mass.

Christ’s Peace,
Father John Leykam

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As we begin the 50 days of our 2020 Easter Season, let’s turn to Scripture:

Above all, like you, we have faith in the One who ultimately guides our earthly pilgrimage, the One of whom St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

I received an ad for a Church banner that read:  “We will get through this together!”  Easter tells us that Christ died and Rose from the dead for us all.  Our Heavenly Father desires that all humanity become a part of the Body of Christ.  In St. Paul’s teaching, in the Body of Christ whatever one person does affects the whole, whether building it up or tearing it down.  One of God’s gifts to God’s beloved Daughters and Sons is the gift of resiliency.  Resiliency is the ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like.  Resiliency is the God given power to return to the original form, position, etc, after being bent, compressed, or stretched.

A man named Steve Maraboli said, “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” Nelson Mandela taught, “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again by the Grace of God.”

Richard Young, a licensed therapist, gave this reflection, “Our God given human spirit will not be fettered. During this pandemic, we witness daily the way that so many rise up to bring comfort, sustenance, treatment, and Grace to a world in crisis.  So, while indeed this is no ordinary Easter, maybe it is offering us a striking reminder of the faithful forces; of the natural, the human and the divine, that ultimately nurture, guide, and sustain us.”

Please check our website for our Sunday bulletin.

Please pray for our First Holy Communion Class and for our Confirmation Class,  whose original celebration dates will need to be re-scheduled.

The Sacrament of God’s Mercy and Forgiveness is offered on Saturdays from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.

God Bless You,
Father John Leykam

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Blessed Easter and Peace to you and your families! The greatest privilege of any priest is to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I offer the Eucharist for you and your intentions on this Easter Sunday and every day as I celebrate Mass in private until we are able to celebrate together again.

EASTER HOPE

St. John Paul II continually taught that the evil present in the world could only be defeated by imitating Jesus’ love and sacrifice on the cross. The Pope states, “anything else would inevitably fall short.”

It was a belief that he held until the very end of his life, offering his numerous physical sufferings as a sacrifice of love for the world.

To help enter the Easter Season of 50 days, here are five quotes from John Paul II that highlight the power hidden within love and sacrifice.

1. “Genuine love... is demanding. But its beauty lies precisely in the demands it makes. Only those able to make demands on themselves in the name of love can then demand love from others.”
2. “The question about the value of life, about the meaning of life, forms part of the singular treasure of youth. Still more so, when youth is tested by personal suffering, or is profoundly aware of the suffering of others; when it comes face to face with the mystery of sin, of human iniquity, Christ’s reply is this: ‘Only God is good; only God is love.’”
3. “Darkness can only be scattered by light, and hatred can only be conquered by love.”
4. “Yours is the gigantic task of overcoming all evil with good, always trying amidst the problems of life to place your trust in God, knowing that his grace supplies strength to human weakness. You must oppose every form of hatred with the invincible power of Christ’s love.”
5. “Prayer joined to sacrifice constitutes the most powerful force in human history.”

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We are about to enter the most Sacred Days of the Church Year: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. This Lent and Holy Week, Catholics across the world are experiencing an unexpected and unfortunate fast from Holy Communion, which comes in the wake of the coronavirus. In many ways, the inability to receive the Risen Christ has become an unimaginable Lenten penance.

Priests across the Archdiocese, and here at Annunziata, are offering a private daily Mass without a congregation. However, all the Priests in your Archdiocese offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice for your good and your personal intentions.

It is important to recall that, although our obligation to attend Sunday Mass is extended to at least the end of April, we are never dispensed from honoring the Third Commandment to “keep holy the Sabbath."

As I mentioned on our website several weeks ago, when you cannot physically participate in Mass, you can watch and pray on television or live stream the Mass on your computer. These Mass offerings are found on archstl.org/coronavirus

We can make a Spiritual Communion - a practice of expressing to the Lord our longing for Him and our desire for Christ to enter our hearts. While there is no formula prescribed by the Church to make an act of spiritual communion, one of the more popular acts of spiritual communion comes from St. Alphonsus Liguori: “My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You.”

We pray for all the Doctors, Nurses, and Medical Personnel who minister to those who are sick with the virus. Further, may God protect our police, firefighters, EMTs, grocery workers, pharmacy staff, and countless others who work in areas that are essential for our community.

• OUR CHURCH IS OPEN FOR PRAYER: (Please enter by east side)
• HOLY THURSDAY - 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. (Please note that this extended time is to Praise God for Holy Communion)
• GOOD FRIDAY - 6:45 a.m.to 4:00 p.m.
• HOLY SATURDAY - 6:45 to 1:00 p.m.
• EASTER SUNDAY - 6:45 to Noon

THE SACRAMENT OF DIVINE MERCY IS OFFERED:

• GOOD FRIDAY - 10:30 a.m. to Noon
• HOLY SATURDAY - 10:30 a.m. to Noon

Please pray for our Second Grade First Holy Communion Class whose May 2nd First Communion Mass is Postponed. Also, pray for this year’s Confirmation Class whose May 13th, Confirmation Mass is also Postponed.

MAY CHRIST’S RESURRECTION RENEW HOPE IN OUR HEARTS!

With Love and Prayers,
Father John Leykam

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Your Annunziata St. Vincent de Paul Society had their regular monthly meeting using the Zoom meeting platform. I wanted you to know that our parish mission of reaching out to help those in need continues! Our fellow parishioners are amazing with their innovative ways of getting needed food and health and household essentials to those who desperately need them. St. Vincent de Paul wants to say “Thank You” for your ongoing support.

Our Church remains open for prayer during this Holy Week:

• Palm Sunday from 6:45 a.m. to Noon (Blessed Palms are available)
• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of Holy Week - 6:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Holy Thursday - 6:45 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Good Friday - 6:45 to 4:00 p.m.
• Holy Saturday - 6:45 to 1:00 p.m.
• Easter Sunday - 6:45 to Noon

Confessions, the Sacrament of Penance, is offered:

• Saturday, April 4th - 3:30 to 4:45
• Palm Sunday, April 5 - 10:30 to Noon
• Good Friday, April 10 - 10:30 to Noon
• Holy Saturday, April 11 - 10:30 to Noon

Our Parish First Holy Communion is postponed. Please pray for all our second grade girls and boys, and their families, who have been preparing to receive the Risen Christ for the first time. When we are able to re-schedule, it will be as beautiful as ever.

Special thanks to our Rosary Group who pray for us every day. Also, please know that you and all your loved ones are remembered at private Mass each and every day.

Blessed Holy Week to You
Father John Leykam

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