In Fiddler on the Roof (one of my favorite musicals) people are constantly asking the Rabbi if there is a blessing for all manner of things. The Rabbi always responds that there is a blessing (even for the Czar). This prominence and preponderance of blessings is a commonality we as Catholics have with our Jewish brethren. We incorporate prayers of blessing in the Mass a few times, have specific special blessings for use during Mass, and more spontaneous blessings outside of Mass as well.

One of the main reasons people come to Mass is to seek a personal and intimate connection with God. We do this most tangibly through the reception of the Eucharist, but many people spiritually connect with God through their personal prayers. However, there is tension within the Mass between the communal nature of Mass and personal spiritual growth. An oft expressed critique of the Tridentine (pre-Vatican II) Mass is that since the people didn’t know the language, with the priest facing the altar, and I would guess less than ideal sound systems, the assembly's ability to hear and follow what was going on at Mass must have been significantly impacted. So the image of people simply praying the rosary while Mass occurs became prevalent. So much so that bells were rung to bring people’s attention back up to the altar at most sacred moments. Vatican II sought to develop ways to enhance the communal nature of worship at Mass by making changes to encourage the full, active, and conscious participation of all of the faithful in the Mass. Therefore, personal prayer has rightfully been diminished during the Mass in favor of communal prayer (vocally and with liturgical ministers).

Mary Queen Parish Offices will be closed Holy Thursday - Easter Monday. Staff will return on Tuesday, April 22.

Continuing in our series on prayer at Mass, we have now come to the Lord’s Prayer. When people think of or are asked to say a prayer this is the most likely candidate to be mentioned. There are a few reasons for this. It is found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as the example of how Jesus says we should pray. So this prayer is foundational to our Christian faith. It is also commonly shared with all of the Christian faithful, so it is one of ways we can truly show our unity as the faithful. ++ Continuando con nuestra serie sobre la oración, en la Misa llegamos al Padrenuestro. Cuando la gente piensa en una oración o se le pide que la rece, este es el más común. Hay varias razones para ello. Se encuentra en los Evangelios de Mateo y Lucas como ejemplo de cómo Jesús dice que debemos orar. Por lo tanto, esta oración es fundamental para nuestra fe cristiana. También se comparte comúnmente con todos los fieles cristianos, por lo que es una de las maneras en que podemos mostrar verdaderamente nuestra unidad como fieles.

On April 1 over 300 people from all over Lexington attended the BUILD Rally at MQHR. We were reminded about the necessity of working for the needs of our people through the power of the people. We reflected on some of Dr. Martin Luther King’s quotes from the Letter from the Birmingham jail. Such as: “But the judgement of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of missions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.”

Continuing our series of various types of prayers, let’s focus on the special prayers unique to our upcoming celebration of Holy Week. This week holds not only our most visual symbols of worship(palms, cross, footwashing, candles, etc…) but also feast of deep prayer. The Triduum (three days) includes prolonged periods of prayer both prescribed and for personal devotional time. The prayers for this week reflect some of the hallmarks of our faith: praying for the world, adoring Christ, and encountering our history in word and action.

The Season of Lent is not only a season of penance, austerity, and sacrifice. It is a very special season of preparation for those who will be coming into the church at Easter. At any point during the year, those who have considered becoming Catholic have entered into Christian Initiation (formerly Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults and now called Order of CIA) which has several different phases beginning with Inquiry. We have over 30 people who will be baptized this Easter (what a tremendous blessing) many of whom are children (in the eyes of the church anyone eight and older is considered an adult).

Continuing our series of various types of prayers, this is our second article breaking down the Eucharistic Prayer. We left off at the first acclamation of the Sanctus (Holy, Holy...). In response to this proclamation of God’s holiness, we adjust our posture by kneeling and prepare for the most sacred moments of the Mass. The priest then offers more words of thanksgiving concerning the nature of God as holy and as creator. Which then leads into the epiclesis. This is when the priest extends his hands over the offerings of bread and wine and implores the Holy Spirit to make them holy. At Mary Queen this moment is accompanied by bell ringing (if we have enough servers).