Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

February 6, 2018

by Fr Reginald Samuels

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

The healing of the leper in Marks’s gospel this week is a climatic event. The leper is one three dramatic characters in Mark’s gospel. Along with the widow and the blind Bartimaeus who all seek the help of Jesus. We see in this week’s Gospel that the leper places his entire trust in Jesus. This week we are challenged to look at what Jesus does in Mark’s Gospel, as he challenges us to share his healing power with others and become a witness to His love and mercy.

Liturgy is what this Church is here to celebrate and through the sacraments we celebrate Gods love; soo it is imperative that a Church has an organ to provide its people with music for worship. We have replaced the nor longer working organ with a new organ. The cost of the new organ is $10,500 and we will be asking for a special second collection this weekend to contribute to the cost of the new organ for STHY. Thank you for your generosity to this precious aspect of Liturgy and Music.

STHY will be celebrating the Mardi Gras by having a Mardi Gras Bash with food and celebration on this Sunday February 10^th immediately after the Noon Mass in Guyot Hall. We hope to see you there to usher in the celebration of the Lenten season.

As we continue our mission of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, I want to thank all of you who have responded to our annual 2018 Diocesan Service Fund (DSF) efforts. As the year progresses, please watch the details and results for DSF 2018 in our bulletin. I want to specially thank all the people of St. Hyacinth who helped us achieved our goal for DSF 2017.

I send out my sincere thanks to all who made a pledge for our Building Faith, Family and Future … our Sanctuary, our Home… Capital Campaign. March 2018 we will celebrate two years of the start of th is most important project for our parish. I truly appreciate your generosity and support. Please consider making a pledge. Envelopes are in the Narthex along with our collection box specifically designed for our Capital campaign or you can do so online through the parish website. Now is the time for giving, and we can all do our part, pledge. Thank you for doing your part to help us reach our goal. As we move forward, be on the lookout for campaign updates in March 2018.

I want to address and issue that affects the Sunday Weekend Mass in the Church. I completely understand that there are many reasons for people and families to be late for Mass. However, over the last few months, people have been walking into Mass and seating themselves while the readings and Psalm response are taking place. This action is extremely distracting for those proclaiming the word and for those already seated. I ask, please; if you are late for Mass, please wait and be seated after the readings for the Mass are completed. We will give you enough time to find a seat.

Next Sunday, we will celebrate the next major Rite of the Catholic Church: “Rite of Sending the Candidates for Recognition by the Bishop and for the Call to Continuing Conversion.” Or it’s almost always referred to as “Rite of Sending.” This rite is provided for parishes whose candidates seeking to complete their Christian initiation or to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church will be recognized by the bishop in a subsequent celebration. Because the Bishop is the sign of unity within the Catholic Church, it is fitting for the bishop to recognize these candidates. It is the responsibility of the parish community to prepare the candidates for their fuller life in the Church. Through the experience of worship, daily life, and service in the parish community the candidates deepen their appreciation of the Church’s tradition. This rite offers that local community the opportunity to express its joy in the candidates’ decision and to send them forth to the celebration of recognition assured of the parish’s care and support.

For Ash Wednesday here at STHY we will be offering one Mass and four Liturgies of the Word services with ashes. Mass time is 8:00 am; Liturgy of the Word services with ashes: 6:00 am, 12:00 Noon, 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm. These liturgies will require our entire ministry teams’ presence, so please make sure to sign up. Please continue to read the bulletin for more details.

God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels