To prepare for the Nehemiah Action, where we will ask our city officials for specific ways to make Lexington a better place for us all, all Justice Ministry Network Members will gather at MQ for the Rally, April 1, 7 PM. Here we will get the latest updates on what we will ask at the Nehemiah Action and the officials that we will be asking. Then, to win the necessary help for our neighbors we need LOTS of people at the May 6 Nehemiah Action at Central Bank Center. Plan to attend! We will carpool from MQ at 6. Action starts at 7. Mark your calendars, more information will be coming.

The most important sequence of events in our Masses lead to the consecration of the Eucharist. These prayers which transform common bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are called the Eucharistic Prayer. Though the term is familiar, all of the various components can make this one of the more confusing parts of the Mass to understand. We will take a couple of weeks to break it down. In one missal I have for use at Masses, we have twenty seven pages dedicated to the order of the Mass fifteen of which are dedicated to the Eucharistic Prayer. ++ La secuencia más importante de eventos en nuestras Misas conduce a la consagración de la Eucaristía. Estas oraciones que transforman el pan y el vino común en el cuerpo y la sangre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo se llaman Plegaria Eucarística. Aunque el término es familiar, todos los diversos componentes pueden hacer que esta sea una de las partes más confusas de entender de la Misa. Nos tomará un par de semanas para analizarlo. En un misal que tengo para usar en las Misas, tenemos veintisiete páginas dedicadas al orden de la Misa, quince de las cuales están dedicadas a la Plegaria Eucarística.

We tend to think of Lent as a season of penance, so for this series on Liturgical prayer we will explore our prayers of penance during Mass. We may not be aware of it but we do pray for cleansing at the beginning of each Mass (just after the entrance chant and greeting). There are three options for the penitential acts, and are all structured in different formats. ++ Tendemos a pensar en la Cuaresma como una temporada de penitencia, por lo que para esta serie sobre oración litúrgica exploraremos nuestras oraciones de penitencia durante la Misa. Puede que no seamos conscientes de ello, pero oramos por la limpieza al comienzo de cada Misa (justo después del canto y saludo de entrada). Existen tres opciones para los actos penitenciales, y todas están estructuradas en diferentes formatos.

BUILD Our MQ BUILD Network Meeting is coming up soon - MONDAY, Feb, 24, 7 PM in the church. This is for all Justice Ministry Network Members and anyone else that would like to know more about our issues and what we are working on to make Lexington a City for God. Come and learn more about the 3 issues being worked on:

For our continuing series on liturgical prayers today we discuss the universal prayer. You may not be exactly sure what is meant by this term as the church has been in a habit of changing the title with each iteration of the Missal. This is the prayer in which we offer our petitions after proclaiming the Nicene Creed. Other names we know this by are the General Intercessions and Prayers of the Faithful. ++ Para nuestra serie continua sobre oraciones litúrgicas, hoy analizamos la oración universal. Es posible que no esté exactamente seguro de lo que significa este término, ya que la iglesia tiene la costumbre de cambiar el título con cada iteración del Misal. Ésta es la oración en la que ofrecemos nuestras peticiones después de proclamar el Credo de Nicea. Otros nombres por los que conocemos esto son Intercesiones Generales y Oraciones de los Fieles.

For our continuing series on liturgical prayers we will discuss the orations. These are the three prayers that the priest specifically offers on behalf of the people during the Mass. + Para nuestra serie continua sobre oraciones litúrgicas discutiremos las oraciones. Estas son las tres oraciones que el sacerdote ofrece específicamente en nombre del pueblo durante la Misa.

Our experience of the Mass has multiple modes and means. One of the primary is prayer. In a sense you can look at Mass as an extended form or prayer which opens with the sign of the cross. Within the Eucharistic liturgy though there are several types of prayer. Over the next few weeks we will dig deeper into the various types of liturgical prayer not just at Mass but also including the liturgy of the hours. Nuestra experiencia de la Misa tiene múltiples modos y medios. Una de las oraciones principales. En cierto sentido, la Misa puede verse como una forma extendida de oración que comienza con la señal de la cruz. Dentro de la liturgia eucarística existen varios tipos de oración. Durante las próximas semanas profundizaremos en los diversos tipos de oración litúrgica, no solo en la Misa sino también en la liturgia de las horas.

BUILD is deep into the season of research and I want to give you some updates and then dates coming up. READ MORE HERE BUILD Rally: Tues., April 1, 7 PM, MQHR BUILD Nehemiah Action: Tues., May 6, 6:30, Central Bank Center BUILD Celebration: TH. June 12, 6:30 MQHR All are welcome. Contact Kabby with questions ([email protected].)

When you enter a Catholic church, compared to most other churches, you will often find many unattended and lit candles-a rare sight in this world of insurance regulations. We could intuit that candles are an essential part of our faith. + Cuando ingresa a una iglesia católica, en comparación con la mayoría de las otras iglesias, encontrará muchas velas encendidas y desatendidas, algo poco común en este mundo de regulaciones de seguros. Podríamos intuir que las velas son parte esencial de nuestra fe.

This past week we had a volunteer appreciation dinner to recognize the monumental work that volunteers do to make this parish as strong as it is. Liturgically we frequently focus on the role of the clergy in making Mass happen. We certainly can’t do it without them, but as culture has shifted many of the roles that were fulfilled by the surplus of clergy have now become the role of the laity. This includes the lectors, servers, sacristans, and more. Less than two hundred years ago almost every role would have been fulfilled by clergy. SEE MORE

Event tickets are sold out, but raffle tickets are still available!

When you enter our church during Christmas or Easter the transformation of the space can be overwhelming. The wonderful work that makes this happen is done by our Arts & Environment team, who does much more than decorate for these major celebrations. In addition to decorating, they also serve as stewards of flowers and candles throughout our church space. This can be particularly demanding when there are lots of flowers in the church to keep them fresh and cleaned up.

One of the emerging forms of liturgical leadership is that of hospitality. Historically the Catholic Church and the Mass were more internal and personal forms of faith. In the post-Vatican II church and with the new evangelization we are called to recognize Christ in others (parishioners and particularly strangers and those on the peripheries of society). While we are all called to be welcoming, (something we will be working on more as a parish) we have particular people who have taken on this charism. + Una de las formas emergentes de liderazgo litúrgico es la hospitalidad. Históricamente, la Iglesia Católica y la Misa eran formas de fe más internas y personales. En la iglesia post-Vaticano II y con la nueva evangelización estamos llamados a reconocer a Cristo en los demás (feligreses y particularmente en los extraños y en las periferias de la sociedad). Si bien todos estamos llamados a ser acogedores (algo en lo que trabajaremos más como parroquia), tenemos personas particulares que han asumido este carisma. READ MORE

One of the best names for a liturgical minister is that of Sacristan. Originally the person responsible for the sacristy-usually a distinct space set aside for preparing for Mass that holds liturgical items and elements. Historically Sacristans have been an important office (sometimes called doorkeepers) who would be responsible for all elements of church upkeep (materials and building). + Uno de los mejores nombres para un ministro litúrgico es el de Sacristán. Originalmente la persona responsable de la sacristía, generalmente un espacio distinto reservado para la preparación de la Misa que contiene artículos y elementos litúrgicos. Históricamente, los sacristanes han sido una oficina importante (a veces llamados porteros) que serían responsables de todos los elementos del mantenimiento de la iglesia (materiales y construcción).

Usually December 8th we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Which happens to be the patronal feast of the United States of America (she is also the patron of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Italy, Korea, Nicaragua, Paraguay, the Philippines, Spain, Uruguay, and Portugal. If it weren’t already a solemnity universally, it would be elevated to be so since she is our nation’s patron. This year however we celebrate on December 9th, and it retains its status as a Holy Day Obligation (when Catholics are obliged to attend Mass). Usually, when Holy Days occur on Mondays they aren’t obligatory. So why do we have all of the special circumstances this year? Sundays in Advent are of a higher rank and cannot be modified for any reason. Since they outrank Immaculate Conception, it is moved to the next possible date. The Vatican clarified this year that in these circumstances the obligation is retained. I sincerely hope this year we will turn to our Lady (our patron) in prayer for our nation in this time of division and transition. May we remain faithful and trust in the Lord. READ MORE

We enter a new liturgical season and a new liturgical year. The season of Advent is marked by many distinct features. The most prominent are the use of the color purple and the Advent wreath. + Entramos en un nuevo tiempo litúrgico y en un nuevo año litúrgico. El tiempo de Adviento está marcado por muchas características distintivas. Los más destacados son el uso del color violeta y la corona de Adviento. READ MORE

I could talk at great length about music ministers and their role at Mass, but I will keep it general this time. There are various titled roles in liturgical documents for those who help lead sung prayer at our liturgies. Among these are psalmists, cantors, choirs, song leaders, and organists. People can use their diverse musical talents to sing and play any number of instruments to support and deepen our experience of the Mass. The most important and often overlooked member of the music ministry is the assembly. Everyone gets to be a part of the music ministry by participating in the singing of the music at Mass. All are called regardless of the quality of their voice to make a joyful noise to the Lord. READ MORE