Word & Eucharist/Palabra y Eucaristía

08-11-2024Pastor's LetterVery Rev. Richard C. Wilson, VF, Pastor

Dear Friends in Christ,

The Catholic Church is here to stay. She will outlast every government, every culture and every human institution. Indeed in St. Matthew’s Gospel, our Lord told St. Peter, “¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.” (Matt 16:18) The Catholic Church may get smaller in the immediate future as some have predicted, but she will be here until the Second Coming of our Lord.

It’s one of the reasons that I don’t like to use disposable, throw-away missals in our church. We are not a throw-away, temporary or man-made Church. We were instituted by Jesus Christ on His commissioning of the apostles. The Word of God is eternal and is certainly worthy of a long-lasting hardcover missal that presents the Word of God in English and Spanish. Over time we will save a significant amount of money with these hardcover missals, and we will not be putting all those boxes of paper missals into recycling every four months.

About ten years ago, Bishop Guglielmone fervently lobbied International Liturgy Publications (ILP) to produce a high-quality permanent missal. They took his request seriously and produced Word & Eucharist/Palabra y Eucaristía. It took ILP four years to develop, but this durable missal includes:

• English and Spanish text on facing pages
• A complete three-year lectionary of readings for Sundays, Feasts and Solemnities 
• The Order of Mass with rubrics in red, high-quality paper
• Two satin ribbons sewn into the binding

We have set the white ribbon to the Nicene Creed and the Burgundy ribbon is to be set to the current week within the liturgical season.

Among the things that I really like about this missal is the treasury of traditional Catholic prayers that are included in the back. Starting at page 1216, you will find prayers that will help you prepare your soul for Mass and offer thanksgiving after Mass. There are prayers from St. Ambrose, St. Thomas Aquinas and Pope Clement XVI. There’s a whole section of traditional Catholic prayers that should be a part of every faithful Catholic’s prayer life.

When you come to Mass early to pray or…as you stay after Mass for a few minutes in thanksgiving, these prayers can guide you to a deeper and richer spiritual life.

May we grow in Christ as we use this wonderful liturgical resource.

All the best…in Christ,

Father Wilson