The Immaculate Heart of Mary - presented by the servers

Congratulations to the following servers who turned in potential posts. Fr. Reid reviewed, corrected, and commented on all of the posts turned in and chose these two for publication. Immaculate Heart of Mary, cause of our joy, pray for us!

The Immaculate Heart of Mary
Thomas Mathis

The Immaculate Heart of Mary is a depiction of the holy mother's heart. In art work from many time periods, it has been depicted with a heart, a ring of flowers around it and swords piercing it. These details are not strict or to the letter, but rather a common part in its depiction. Each of the parts have a distinct meaning and reason for being there. For instance, the swords represent the pains and sufferings she would endure. The flowers, which are usually red and blue when colored, represent the fact that she is both a mother and queen of heaven.

You will find that many people are drawn to devotions for the Immaculate Heart throughout the world. This is partly because Mary appeared several times in which she openly encouraged Catholics to increase devotionals toward her heart, the most well known of these being Fatima. She wanted the world to pick up on a more prayer filled life and less sinful existence so that the world would be spared from the ominous clouds of pain and sorrow that were to come.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary
Griffin Walsh

Oh my God, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary…” begins my Daily Offering. We offer many prayers to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Immaculate Heart of Mary leads all people to Jesus Christ, her son. With Mary’s loving Heart we see her love for God. She shows us her humility, gratitude and obedience towards God with her pure heart. Mary’s heart is a symbol of Christian perfection, and we should strive to follow her virtues. It was Mary’s Immaculate Heart that responded with a yes to God when the angel appeared at the Annunciation.
There are many devotions to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A devotion is an ardent and selfless affection and dedication to something or someone. The devotions to Mary’s Immaculate Heart bring us closer to God and Mary. The devotions include the first Saturday devotion, which is intended to make reparation for mankind’s sins. The other devotion is wearing a Miraculous medal. Two years ago I made a devotion for the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the first Friday. I am now considering making a devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. To reach perfection and Heaven we must follow Jesus and Mary's perfect way.

Holy Heart of Mary, Our Model
Life of Prayer, Life of Work, Life of Sacrifice.
Bouasse Lebel

2011 St Ann Carnival

Another opportunity for service is available on Saturday October 1st. Just like last year, we'll be helping to set up for the St. Ann's Carnival. We'll meet at 7:45 AM at St. Ann and remain to help until about 12 PM.

Last year we had a blast helping set up booths and tents. After we prayed the rosary, we headed back out and handed out balloons to kids. We even got a free treat from the bake sale! Although, I can't guarantee that we'll be able to get the treats again this year.

Many of the parishoners who were in charge of the Carnival last year were very relieved to have our assistance. It makes a big difference when we help out and it's an opportunity to extend our serving ministry beyond the Sanctuary as God calls us to do.

Homework time!

Servers need to remember to complete the assignment for this Monday's training session. For those who may have forgotten, all of the servers are to turn in a essay-type blog post on the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Please keep it to under 200 words and please use Church approved references. You may include links as well. Submissions are to either be emailed or handed in on paper by 4:15 August 22nd.

Also, if you know of anyone who might be interested in joining our 2011 new server class, we have one more spot for a potential server. Shoot me an email if someone comes to mind. They would still need to be approved by Fr. Reid for consideration.