St. Therese of Lisieux, ora pro nobis

Thanks to everyone who came out this past Saturday (St. Therese's Feast Day) to help setup the St. Ann's Carnival. Like St. Therese, we did simple acts of service that made a big difference to others. We worked for a few hours, prayed the rosary, ate some sweets, and went on tour of the Church provided by Fr. Reid.

Many people were grateful for our help, and as I mentioned before, it's good practice to extend serving outside the Sanctuary. Look for more service opportunities in the future, and remember that participation in these events helps you when it comes to rank advancement.

For the Postulants, please look to the side bar to find the Latin pronunciation resource box to help you in your training.

St. Ann Carnival This Weekend

Just a reminder that we'll be meeting this Saturday morning at 7:45 AM to help set up the Carnival at St. Ann. Please meet in front of the Church. We'll spend two hours helping to get things ready. Then we'll break for a rosary at about 10:00 AM and then we'll continue helping until about 11:30 AM.

Last year, it was a lot of fun and a lot of work. The parishoners were very grateful and the head of the Carnival Committee called the other night to see if we were going to be there again this year.

Look forward to seeing everyone there!

New Server Rank Update

Please take a moment to review some changes to the server ranks on the side bar. After some prayer and review, the academic requirements for the group has changed. The change reflects what is believed to be a smoother transition through the ranks without compromising standards.

Here's a review of upcoming dates:

Friday & Saturday September 23rd and 24th = Eucharistic Congress
Saturday October 1st = service opportunity 7:45 to 11:30/Noon - St. Ann Carnival
Sunday October 30th = Missa Cantata - Christ the King - 12:30 PM
Wednesday November 9th = Rank Ceremony after Low Mass
Thursday December 7th = Missa Cantata - Vigil of the Immaculate Conception - 6:00 PM
Saturday December 17th = Solemn High Mass - 7:00 PM

2011 Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress

For many families and Catholics in the Diocese, the Eucharistic Congress is a wondeful opportunity to experience Christ in the midst of fellow Catholics. Every year, I encourage the servers and their families to attend as much of the Concress as they can. This year has some special attractions:


The opportunity to hear, see, and even meet Cardinal Arinze in person is a worthy goal for anyone in our ministry. From 2002 - 2008 he served as the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. When it came to the Mass, MEF or MOF, he was the expert. He was considered a heavy candidate for the papacy back in 2005. I strongly recommend all of the servers to attend his talk.

The entire program is filled with great talks for all of the servers and their families, including Bishop Jugis and Bishop Burbidge. Sr. Angela de Fatima Coelho will give a talk on "The Eucharist and the Fatima Message." Seminarian Philip Johnson will talk about the"The Eucharist - Food for Redemptive Suffering." These last two talks include Marian and Eucharistic themes which are not only central to our Faith but also to our ministry.

Add to all of this a Pontifical High Mass, a Eucharistic Procession, Adoration, a potential plenary indulgence, Reconciliation, and hanging out with a whole bunch of Catholics...whew!..I really hope everyone gets to make the Congress.

As a disclaimer, I'm not advocating for the young men in our ministry to avoid the teen or middle school tracks, but I am saying that I think they would benefit from the adult track if they are inclined.

Click the pic below to link to the official site. (And remember folks...you can be a saint too!)

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.