MASS SCHEDULE – WEEK XVIII.13 TRINITY (September 29, 2013)
30, Feria
1, Feria
2, Feria
3, Feria
4, St. Francis of Assisi
+ Francis was born in 1182, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. His early years were frivolous, but an experience of sickness and another of military service were instrumental in leading him to reflect on the purpose of life. One day, in the church of San Damiano, he seemed to hear Christ saying to him, “Francis, repair my falling house.” He took the words literally, and sold a bale of silk from his father’s warehouse to pay for repairs to the church of San Damiano. His father was outraged, and there was a public confrontation at which his father disinherited and disowned him, and he in turn renounced his father’s wealth–one account says that he not only handed his father his purse, but also took off his expensive clothes, laid them at his father’s feet, and walked away naked. He declared himself “wedded to Lady Poverty”, renounced all material possessions, and devoted himself to serving the poor. In his day the most dreaded of all diseases was something known as leprosy. (It is probably not the same as either the modern or the Biblical disease of that name.) Lepers were kept at a distance and regarded with fear and disgust. Francis cared for them, fed them, bathed their sores, and kissed them. Since he could not pay for repairs to the Church of San Damiano, he undertook to repair it by his own labors. He moved in with the priest, and begged stones lying useless in fields, shaping them for use in repairing the church. He got his meals, not by asking for money so that he might live at the expense of others, but by scrounging crusts and discarded vegetable from trash-bins, and by working as a day laborer, insisting on being paid in bread, milk, eggs, or vegetables rather than in money. Soon a few companions joined him. Dante in his Paradiso has Aquinas say of him:
“Let me tell you of a youth whose aristocratic father disowned Him because of his love for a beautiful lady. She had been married before, to Christ, and was so faithful a spouse to Him that, while Mary only stood at the foot of the Cross, she leaped up to be with Him on the Cross. These two of whom I speak are Francis and the Lady Poverty. As they walked along together, the sight of their mutual love drew men’s hearts after them. Bernard saw them and ran after them, kicking off his shoes to run faster to so great a peace. Giles and Sylvester saw them, kicked off their shoes and ran to join them….”
+ WEDNESDAY SCHOOL AND AGAPE THIS WEEK! Our next class is this Wednesday, October 2 at 5:45 p.m. Classes begin at 6:30 and run till 7:15 p.m. Fr. Larry is teaching the Book of Hebrews. We will have classes for all age groups and our schedule will be published next Sunday. Please call Jackie Jamison if you are interested in volunteering with the children’s classes since classroom assistants are needed! The menu is: Lasagna (both regular and gluten free) Salad Garlic bread Cookies (regular and gluten free)! The full fall schedule is found under Ministries on our website.
+ All Saints’ Men’s Group will meet Tuesday October 1, 7:00 a.m. in the undercroft.
+ Monday Morning Bible Study meets at 10 a.m. in the undercroft and classes will run through Monday, November 18. The first few weeks will be a general overview of the Bible using the survey “How The Bible Fits Together.” This is a no-homework study and all biblical probing will be done together in class. The book costs $12.98 when ordered online from www.precepts.org. For further information about the Fall term please contact Priscilla King, 540-456-6458 – kingplk@gmail.com.
+ Daily Mass is celebrated at 12:15 p.m. You and your family members are all remembered by name at the Altar of God every week. Please take an All Saints parish prayer list home with you & remember your fellow parishioners in your prayers!
+ All Saints parishioner may obtain a Mass card from the Church office. A Mass card is a greeting card given to someone to inform him or her that a deceased loved one or friend was remembered and prayed for at a weekly Mass. It is a specifically Christian way to express one’s love. Call Julie McDermott at the Church office (434-979-2842) and she will help you fill out the form. The celebrant will sign the card and we will mail it from the Church to the family of the loved one.