april 2022
Our Lady of the
Assumption Pa r i sh
Martha and Mary Ministry Inside
L ov i ng ly S erv i ng Par i shion ers i n Ti me s of Lo ss
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he sense of community runs deep at Our Lady of the Assumption. Many Meditation Group: of our parish ministries revolve around Gathering in Jesus’ opportunities for fellowship, spiritual Name and Learning enrichment, and service. The Martha to Listen to God and Mary Ministry is no exception. “Our ministry has two primary pur3 All Things and All poses,” says ministry coordinator Peggy People Are Made New Stradford. “We gather once a month for fellowship and sometimes spiritual for4 Parish Celebrates Divine mation — but more than that, we offer Mercy Sunday funeral receptions for parishioners.” Embracing “Charity, This ministry draws its name from the sisters of Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from Forgiveness, and the the dead. Generally, the funeral receptions take place in St. John’s Hall, which can Love of God” easily accommodate 80 loved ones together after a funeral. “When a loved one from the parish dies, the families speak to someone within the 5 Divine Mercy Sunday Bereavement Ministry first,” Peggy says. “They explain what we can provide. If the and the Chaplet of family is interested, then we take it from there to coordinate amongst ourselves for Divine Mercy volunteers to staff the luncheon, do the grocery shopping, and everything else. We are typically asked to serve one or two funeral luncheons a month, even though 6 Responding to the the parish typically has more funerals.” Glory of Christ’s Many of the women in the Martha and Mary Ministry enjoy the commuResurrection at Easter nal opportunities brought forth through their involvement. They share stories Dying, He Destroyed Our Death; and recipes and reminisce on their children growing up while they gather Rising, He Restored Our Life together. “Our time together really enhances the sense of community that exists at 5057 Cottage Way OLA,” Peggy says. “We are really engaged within the parish and feel that sense Carmichael, CA 95608 of belonging. Even if we do not know the parishioner we are providing the
2 The Christian
(916) 481-5115 | olaparish.net
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The Christian Meditation Group:
Gathering in Jesus’ Name and Learning to Listen to God
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ince its 1997 founding in our parish, the Christian Meditation Group has grown and changed, but the key elements remain. This group follows the practice of the World Community of Christian Meditation, whose mission is to “communicate and nurture meditation as passed on through the teaching of John Main in the Christian tradition in the spirit of serving the unity of all.” The group meets at 4 p.m. every Monday via Zoom, except for the first Monday of the month when they meet in the church. The weekly meetings start with a psalm read by one of the members, which is followed by 23 minutes of silent meditation. After spending time in silence, a short reflection from the World Community of Christian Meditation is played. There is time for some discussion, and then the group ends in prayer. “I answered a blurb in the church bulletin and found meditation to be important to me,” says group leader Fran Rider, who has been meditating for 25 years. “Meditation is not hard, but one must be disciplined and patient in order to continue.” While meditation might seem like a solitary and private form of prayer, participating in the group is a key part of learning how to meditate. “We remind each other of the importance of our daily practice, we share in our struggles and our breakthroughs, and we share a special kinship with each other,” Fran says. “As Jesus said, ‘Where two or three are gathered
in my name, there I am in the midst of them.’ In most Christian prayer, we are taught to talk to God — in meditation, we are taught to listen to God.” Listening in silence is an essential aspect of prayer that often gets overlooked. We live in a world that is busy and loud — the constant hum of activity surrounds us from the moment we wake to the moment we go to bed. It is easy to overlook the necessity of silent meditation, and for many, it can be uncomfortable or difficult to sit in silence. However, it is in the silence that God is able to speak and reveal Himself to us. “The invitation of meditation is to lose ourselves and to be absorbed in the presence of God,” Fran says.
“In most Christian prayer, we are taught to talk to God — in meditation, we are taught to listen to God.” — FRAN RIDER
If you are interested in joining, or if you would like more information, please contact Fran Rider at 916-956-4229 or bilrider2808@sbcglobal.net. 2
A Letter from Our Pastor
Dear Parishioners,
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All Things and All People Are Made New
his month, our Lenten journey ends and we begin the Easter season. We associate the Easter season with springtime — a time of new life and new beginnings — and Holy Scripture addresses this idea of newness many times. The Lord declares, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). This idea of being “new” is important to us as Catholics, and it is important to our parish. We need to strive to do this on a regular basis — even on a daily basis. Think of the fact that all was once new. Regardless of how you view the development of this earth and those of us who occupy it, all was once new. As we prepare for the Easter season, we need to retain that idea of being “new.” And being “new” means conversion, and that conversion is at the heart of a life of stewardship. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it, “The Paschal mystery has two aspects: by his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life” (654). In other words, Christ’s Resurrection is the source of our new life — our own future resurrection. St. Paul wrote about it to the Romans (Rom 6:5) — “For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.” Hope for a new life beginning now and extending on into heaven is the result of Jesus’ Resurrection. What greater grounds for thanksgiving can there be than this Easter hope? We should sing with joy about God’s promise to us, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5). St. Paul also wrote (Col 3:1-2), “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” Jesus’ Resurrection and His promise of a new life for us mean that we need to live in
conformity with our status as adopted children of God. How do we show our joy and our gratitude to God for this amazing gift He has given us? We join in worship and praise God by word and song. We share the Good News of Jesus’ victory over death with our family, friends, and neighbors. And we offer back to the Lord a portion of the time, talent, and treasure He has entrusted to us. Yes, the Easter message that we share in the benefits of Christ’s Resurrection indeed makes all things new — the ultimate foundation for all Christian stewardship. In these last moments of our Lenten season, let us strive to prepare our hearts for this glorious Easter message. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Eduino Silveira Pastor
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PA R I S H C E L E B R AT E S
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
Embracing “Charity, Forgiveness, and the Love of God”
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ere at OLA, our parish embraces mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday and throughout the year. This year, parishioners are especially encouraged to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. This devotion is based on the writings of St. Faustina Kowalska, who was a Polish sister of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. “She wrote a diary documenting the revelations she received about God’s mercy,” says Casey Oliver. “Before her death in 1938, the devotion to the Divine Mercy was already becoming well-known, and it is very populareven today. On May 5, 2000, five days after the canonization of St. Faustina, Pope St. John Paul II decreed that the Second Sunday of Easter would be known as Divine Mercy Sunday. “Our parish has a prayer space featuring the image of the Divine Mercy on the choir side of the church,” she adds. “This image is a depiction of Jesus based on St. Faustina’s devotion. The red and pale rays coming from the heart of Jesus represent blood and water. The image as a whole is symbolic of charity, forgiveness, and the love of God, which is referred to as the “Fountain of Mercy.’” Fr. Eduino has always hoped to grow the parish’s devotion to the Divine Mercy and to acknowledge Divine Mercy Sunday in a special way. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, parishioners were invited to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet in St. John’s Hall after the 11 a.m. Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday — the event was well-attended, but the pandemic prevented this from becoming a regular occurrence each year. This year, the parish hopes to gather for a similar event. “We plan to invite parishioners to stay in the church after all Divine Mercy Sunday Masses to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet,” Casey says. “We also will be making an effort to
educate our parish community about Divine Mercy Sunday, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and how Jesus is ‘the Divine Mercy.’” While not all of us may be able to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet in full each day, we can all learn and grow from this beautiful devotion. “What I love about the Divine Mercy Chaplet is that components of it can be prayed as I need it throughout the day — lines such as, ‘For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world’ and ‘Jesus, I trust in you,’” Casey says. “I am constantly asking for mercy, and knowing that I have it from the Lord is a profound comfort. Mercy sustains me when life is especially busy or difficult.” Fr. Eduino also encourages parishioners to be merciful in their daily lives. “Our church prominently features banners listing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, and Fr. Eduino is known for preaching about love each and every Sunday,” Casey says. “It was important to him to have the mercy banners prominently displayed in the church as a reminder to all of us about how we can love those in our community at large, our parish community, and our families. The banners were initially hung in the church in acknowledgment of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy that Pope Francis proclaimed at the end of 2015.” Casey hopes that the parish’s plan to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday helps spark a greater interest in the Divine Mercy Chaplet. “I also hope that our parish’s image of the Divine Mercy, as well as our beautiful mercy banners, serve as ongoing reminders to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and to remember Christ’s merciful love for all of us,” she says.
If you would like more information about the Divine Mercy devotion and Divine Mercy Sunday, please contact the parish office at 916-481-5115. 4
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Divine Mercy Sunday and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
n the 1930s, Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a Sister of Our Lady of Mercy, received a message from the Lord that she was to live her life as a model of Christ’s merciful love and spread Christ’s mercy throughout the world. She proceeded to offer up all of her personal sufferings in atonement for the sins of others. She kept a diary in which she wrote of God’s mercy, as well as about her special devotion to Mary Immaculate and to the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, which gave her strength. Sr. Faustina’s diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, serves as the handbook for the devotion to the Divine Mercy. In it, we read of the message of mercy that she received from Christ. On April 30, 2000, Sr. Faustina Kowalska was canonized by Pope John Paul II. Then, on May 23, 2000, the Congregation for Divine Worship decreed that “throughout the world, the second Sunday of Easter will receive the name Divine Mercy Sunday, a perennial invitation to the Christian world to face, with confidence in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that humankind will experience in the years to come.” On Divine Mercy Sunday — occurring this year on April 24 — all parishioners are encouraged to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, always remembering and practicing the essential “ABCs” of Divine Mercy: • Ask for mercy • Be merciful to others • Completely trust in Jesus
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet “Chaplet” simply refers to the prayers counted on a rosary. The Lord said to St. Faustina, “You will recite this chaplet on the beads of the Rosary in the following Manner:” Begin with: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Apostle’s Creed
On the “Our Father” beads, say: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. On the “Hail Mary” beads, say: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. In conclusion, three times recite these words: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
“I want the whole world to know my infinite mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in my mercy” (Diary, 687). 5
R espondi ng
to t h e
G lory
of
C h rist ’ s
Dying,
“He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead” – Apostles’ Creed
A
s we prepare to come to the end of our Lenten journey toward Easter, let us take a moment to meditate on three pivotal lines from the ancient creed, which comprise the central events of our redemption. Far from being a mere myth or legend, in Jerusalem around the year 30 A.D., Jesus Christ — the Son of God made man — was tortured at the hands of the Romans. He was flogged, beaten, spit upon, and crowned with thorns. He was made to carry the cross through the crowded streets to Golgotha and, once there, He was crucified — He was nailed to a cross and died. Just as someday we will each be laid in our graves, Jesus was laid in His. The most obvious question that confronts the observer of this horrific reality is “why?” Luckily, Christ made the impetus for His self-sacrifice quite clear: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life” ( Jn 3:14-15). The reasons Christ died on the cross are twofold, one negative and one positive. The negative cause is sin. Only in witnessing the cost of redemption — the death of the Son of God — can we begin to comprehend the profound magnitude of sin: “You have been purchased at a price,” says St. Paul (1 Cor 6:20). Conversely, Christ willingly accepted the cross because of love. St. John famously says, “For God so
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loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life” ( Jn 3:16). Uniting these two causes, St. Paul says, “God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). In His limitless compassion, Christ entered into the fullness of human suffering — physical torment, emotional agony and utter isolation — so that He might share complete solidarity with mankind. Accordingly, His passion and death not only accomplished our redemption, but by the cross, He also showed us the way to true discipleship. For Christ taught His disciples long before His crucifixion, “if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23). Christ’s is the final and perfect covenant between God and man, and it is a covenant of love, with Christ Himself as its high priest. Nevertheless, this covenant is not based on love as popular culture conceives of it, but love as Christ displayed it: “The way we came to know love was that He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). Joined with the passion, Christ’s Resurrection is the key to the entire Gospel — for in rising from the dead, Jesus proved true His bold promises. He had prophesied to the apostles, “No one takes it from me,
R esurrect ion
at
E ast er
He Destroyed Our Death; Rising, He Restored Our Life but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again” ( Jn 10:18). The Resurrection vindicates this promise and validates His teaching and miracles. Furthermore, Christ, “the firstborn from the dead,” opened the door to eternal life and to new creation (Col 1:18). Out of the darkness of despair, the scattered and frightened disciples saw the risen Christ and were renewed and transformed. Filled with faith in the crucified and resurrected Savior, they evangelized the known world. St. Paul summarizes the centrality of the redemptive power of the Easter Triduum with his characteristic zeal: “If Christ has not been raised, then empty (too) is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. Then we are also false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor 15:14-17). This Easter, let us respond to the glory of Christ’s Resurrection by exclaiming, as St. Thomas the Apostle did, “My Lord and my God!” And may each of us be filled with faith in God of our salvation, hope in the rewards He has won for us, and love for Him who has deigned to bestow them on us.
This Easter, let us respond to the glory of Christ’s Resurrection by
exclaiming, as St. Thomas the Apostle did, “My Lord and my God!” And may each of us be filled with faith in God of our salvation, hope in the rewards
He has won for us, and love for Him who has deigned to bestow them on us. 7
5057 Cottage Way Carmichael, CA 95608 (916) 481-5115 | olaparish.net MASS TIMES: 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass Monday-Friday and first Saturday Saturday 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass Sunday Mass 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. *See website for diocesan and county guidelines.
Martha and Mary Ministry meal for, we know serving their family in this time of need takes a burden off their plate during the time of mourning.” The Martha and Mary Ministry is really where the opportunity to socialize and serve comes together. Besides providing meals for funeral luncheons, occasionally the women bake desserts to support different fundraisers at the parish. Their support of these fundraisers has helped provide funds for families in need, as well as the needs of the Altar Society.
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“I became interested in this ministry because of the opportunity to help people in their time of need,” Peggy says. “Being able to offer my time like this is something I am blessed to be able to do. There’s something so emotionally fulfilling in supporting the mourning families. I invite anyone interested in learning more to reach out. If you work one luncheon, you will likely come back because of this beautiful opportunity to serve.”
“We are really engaged within the parish and feel that sense of belonging. Even if we do not know the parishioner we are providing the meal for, we know serving their family in this time of need takes a burden off their plate during the time of mourning.” — PEGGY STRADFORD Are you interested in joining the Martha and Mary Ministry, or would you like to learn more? If so, please contact Peggy Stradford at peggystradford@icloud.com.
