St. Anastasia Roman Catholic Church
Fr. Eric’s Exposé

Celibacy for the Sake of the Kingdom of Heaven

Since I am a priest and am celibate, many people will ask me the following question: “So why can’t priests get married?” The number one reason is: Our Savior Jesus Christ was celibate and the only bride He had was and is the Church. When a priest is ordained, he is configured to Christ in persona Christi Capitis (in the person of Christ the Head), and he receives “the mission and faculty (‘the sacred power’) to act in persona Christi Capitis.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 875) As a result, the priest has only one Bride (the Church) and not two. Priestly celibacy points to the reality of heaven, where no one is married but is directly in communion with God. This can be seen from what Jesus says in the following from St. Mark’s Gospel: “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Mark 12:25)

Busy Week!
There is a lot that is happening this week. On Monday is Halloween. This would have been my Dad’s 86^th birthday. Please offer a prayer for him, my mom and family. Grief is never a fun thing. Tuesday is All Saints’ Day. This is a Holy Day of   Obligation. The day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. We celebrate in the U.S with Masses. Here at St. A’s we have a 7:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 7:00 p.m. Mass. The next day, All Souls’ Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet reached heaven. As Catholics, we celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven and those of us in the church who are the living. In other words our prayers and theirs have an effect. So come and join us. You are also welcome on Thursday night where we celebrate a bereavement Mass at 7:00 p.m. for all who have been buried from St. Anastasia. We have had a lot of funerals this past year and all those folks would love your presence to help pray for those who have died. In the month of November we pray in a special way for the dead. Come support those who are grieving.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Advent by Candlelight is a wonderful way for women to start the Christmas season. This time of year is always so stressful for women with all the holiday preparations that we sometimes forget the real meaning of the season. Advent by Candlelight is meant to help us start the season with the true spirit of Christ in our hearts.

If you have never attended this event PLEASE mark your calendar and CALL Ann Toth to host a table.  If you are interested in hosting a table, please let me know, as the number of tables is limited.

This year we are very pleased to announce a special Presentation by the Sisters at Visitation North. We will be celebrating the Strong Women of the Bible. You will hear a message that will speak to your heart.

This year we will support Mary’s Mantle and Bethany Christian Services. We ask for gift certificates to Kmart, Wal-Mart, or Meijer. Details will be sent in your hostess letter which will be sent to you later.

Tables are limited so they will go quickly. The event will take place in the Davidson Center starting at 6:30 pm. The cut off date to reserve a table is November 11. Please call me, Ann Toth at 248-670-2849. It is best that you call me in the evening or leave a message with your name and phone number.

What a great experience it was for all who attended – including our middle school parents and students – to hear the stories of Paul Wright, MD.  He is a cardiologist who was seeking more meaning in life, beyond the glittery trappings of this world.  He found his big answers while working with the leprous and the dying in Mexico and India next to Blessed Mother Teresa.  My favorite lesson from the session was Mother’s insistence that “God does not go bankrupt!” 

St. John of Avila, Doctor of the Universal Church

 During World Youth Day this year in Madrid, Pope Benedict XVI stated that he plans to declare St. John of Avila (1499-1569) a “Doctor of the Church,” which will make him the 34^th Doctor of the Church. If you are feeling inquisitive as to what a “Doctor of the Church” is then please read the following:

Please note that children’s class times on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are 4:45-6 PM or 6:45-8 PM.  There was a misprint in our most recent bulletin.

The implementation of the New Roman Missal will be starting in just a few weeks—the 1st Sunday of Advent (November 26/27) – we will begin to use the new responses, both sung and spoken.

On Thursday, November 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the church, there will be an opportunity to practice the new responses.  Fr. J.J. will lead us through the new text while Dr. Chun will lead us through the new musical Mass settings.   We will leave plenty of time for questions and answers at the end. 

Be sure to mark your calendars for this informative evening.

Changing Lives Together
We had some wonderful gatherings this past week with Archbishop Vigneron and his assistant, Bishop Michael Byrnes. They spoke about the mission that we all have and the vision of what Changing Lives Together is all about. I am grateful to so many of you for taking the time to come. We had opportunity for Q and A, which was very positive and clarifying. There was an excellent spirit. A couple things came up that I thought might be helpful. I would like to point out that the targets for the parishes throughout the Archdiocese are set at 90% of the annual offertory collection (Sunday and holidays). For us here at St. Anastasia, that target is then $1,300,000. There is no penalty if we do not reach it. In other words, unlike CSA, we do not have to dip into our operating budget if it is not reached. We keep 70% of that. That means if we reach our target, $910,000 is used to do what we want with. That is why I want you to “Dream Big”, so we can figure out how we will utilize it here. In the next few weeks you will be able to let me and the staff know what you want. If we raise any amount over the target, we get to keep that as well for our wants and needs.

There are many events here at St. Anastasia that Seniors are welcome to attend.  There is much Fellowship to be had.  All are welcome! Please check your calendar and join us.

Senior Gatherings and Opportunities 2011 2012

   We have this idea.  It’s been on the back burner for a while…. And now it is time to bring it to the front!   St. Anastasia’s next parish mission will be a week-long “Unplug/Reconnect” program. The point of the week is to encourage people in our community to turn off their electronic devices and look into each other’s eyes instead — to break away from immersing ourselves in the media’s version of reality so that we can celebrate the truth God plants in our own hearts.  To recognize that, as Pope Benedict XVI puts it, “Life only becomes real life when it receives its form from looking toward God.”