St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church Newsletter — February 2022

February 2022

ST. VINCENT de PAUL

CATHOLIC PARISH

Lent Offers Us Many Valuable Opportunities to Grow in Faith and Community

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The Word of God: How Do We Hear It? And How Do We Respond to It?

The Altar Server Ministry Growing Closer to Christ and Reverently Serving His Church Valentine’s Day The Feast of a Christian Martyr

7 The Catholic Schools Fair

An Opportunity to Visit with Local Catholic School Staff on Feb. 26 and 27

5819 W. Pleasant Ridge Rd. Arlington, TX 76016 (817) 478-8206 www.svdpcc.org

s Ordinary Time passes quickly and peacefully by, it’s easy to be caught off-guard

by Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. How many times have we quickly decided what to give up when we realize Ash Wednesday is here?

Here is your little reminder to give your Lenten journey some thought before it begins. Fr. Philip offers us some ideas to share as we contemplate this great season of penance and preparation.

“The whole process of Lent is to help us grow in our personal relationship with Christ,” he says. “When our personal relationship and prayer are paramount, the rest falls into place.”

In addition to the traditional fasting and almsgiving, Fr. Philip is encouraging us to put some extra focus on our prayer lives.

“Set time aside to do personal prayer, even if you want to take three minutes out of your day,” he says.

Prayer with our families is just as important. Families can gather maybe once a week to pray together. We might read Scripture or a book about the saints together. These small additions to our routines can have a big impact on our spiritual growth. By taking these small steps forward in our relationship to God, we open ourselves to the gifts God has for us and He will carry us the rest of the way.

The church is also offering more opportunities for prayer. Every Friday we will have the Stations of the Cross, a beautiful meditation and continued on page 2

ST. VINCENT de PAUL Lent Offers Us Many Valuable Opportunities to Grow continued from front cover

spiritual walk through the sufferings of Christ. This can help center us and bring us back to the meaning of Christ’s Passion in our own lives. Stations of the Cross will be followed by a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration. All of us are encouraged to use this time for quiet, personal prayer.

“I encourage parishioners to spend more time in front of the Blessed Sacrament,” Fr. Philip says. “We have a chapel where people can come at any time during the day.”

Lent is also an ideal time to take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Perhaps some of us have been away from the sacrament for a long time. It can be difficult to return to Confession, but the graces that are waiting for us, whether it has been a month or 10 years, are countless.

Christ’s Passion and death were to save us from our sins.

When we accept the graces in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we show our gratitude for His suffering.

Parishioners will be glad to know that our Friday Fish Frys will be back as usual. We will have dining in the gym and a drive thru option. An alternative meal will be available for dine in only. The cost of the meal will be $7.

To learn about more Lenten prayer, formation and fellowship opportunities in our parish, please check the bulletin and parish website, or call the parish office at 817-478-8206.

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A Letter From Our Pastor

The Word of God: How Do We Hear It? And How Do We Respond to It?

Dear Parishioners,

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few short weeks ago, we completed our Christmas season. We are now in what we call Ordinary Time — but before long, we will begin Lent. This is one of those rare years when Ash Wednesday is in March — so, Lent does not, of course, begin in February this year.

The Gospel of John begins with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We speak often of the Word in the Church. As most of you are aware, the first part of our Mass is called the Liturgy of the Word. What does that mean to us?

Basically, there are four parts of our celebration of Mass: Introductory Rites; Liturgy of the Word; Liturgy of the Eucharist; and Concluding Rites. My focus in this reflection is that second part — the Liturgy of the Word.

The main parts of that are a First Reading, a Responsorial Psalm, a Second Reading, the Gospel, and a Homily.

We draw on Holy Scripture from the Bible for the readings. As Catholics, we do not consider that these readings are about God, or about the Church, or about our faith, or a history lesson, or a nice story from long ago. We consider them to be God speaking directly to us.

Thus, our attentiveness to what is being proclaimed is important. Are we listening? Do we hear? And then, do we respond in our lives? All of those should be facets of how we approach the Word of God.

For us, the Word of God is the living Word. God is speaking to us as a community, and He asks us to be faithful to His Word. If we pay attention and truly listen, God can nourish our spirit, and Christ can be more real and present to us. The Homily, the Responsorial Psalm, the Profession of Faith, and the Intercessions develop the Word further and complete it. The Profession of Faith is our acceptance of God’s Word.

However, the question for us is, how do we respond to the Word? Does it change our lives? Does it bring us to the conversion necessary to live lives of stewardship and service? It is not easy, I know. Being able to listen, to hear, and then to act requires time, practice, commitment, and a desire to fulfill all of this. That is one of my prayers for us — that we can hear the Word, and that we can bring it to life in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Philip Brembah Pastor

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ST. VINCENT de PAUL

T he A ltar S er

G ro wing C loser to C hrist an d R

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Servers Carson and Angelina Bullock

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ecoming an altar server is something of a rite of passage for many youths of the parish.

Children grow up attending Mass, beginning as infants and toddlers crying and talking noisily in the pews. As they get older, they grow in self-control and reverence. At the age of 7 or 8, they receive their First Holy Communion and, finally, they can participate in the Mass by receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Once a child is in fourth grade, they are able to begin assisting as an altar server at Mass.

Participation in this ministry helps children gain a special closeness to the Divine Liturgy and that brings them closer to God in a whole new way.

“Instead of just being another person watching, altar servers are an active part of the Mass,” says Wayne Sulak, who coordinates the Altar Server Ministry. “They are a part of the celebration of the Eucharist. This participation deepens their faith.”

The altar server schedule is made based on which weekend Mass a family usually attends. Typically there are two servers per Mass. If it is a holiday or special feast day, there will sometimes be more servers depending on the needs of the Liturgy. Training to become an altar server is a straightforward process, as well.

“Right now, servers’ duties are very simple due to COVID restrictions,” Wayne says. “They carry in the candles for the processional and recessional and ring the bells during the Eucharistic prayer. Soon we will be adding holding the candles for the proclamation of the Gospel and presentation of the gifts. Training for new servers is done one on one. I will meet with a new server and one of their parents for a basic training.”

Once their duties increase, there are larger training sessions and refresher sessions for current altar servers.

Having altar servers at Mass is relatively new for the parish. Until 2016, the parish did not have any altar servers. It was only the presider and the deacon who would be by the altar.

rver M inistry Re v e re n t l y Se r vin g His C hurch “Two kids would carry in the candles and then go sit with their families,” Wayne says. “At the end of Mass, they would carry them back out. It was pretty special when we did begin to have altar servers. The very first Mass at the parish with altar servers was at the 40 th Anniversary Mass for the parish.

“We often see our servers begin to serve in the parish in different ways as they get older,” he adds. “Many of them will graduate from being servers to being Eucharistic Ministers or lectors. They just change their involvement in the Mass to a new ministry. It is so great to see that. These kids are going to be the Catholic leaders of the future.”

If you would like more information, or to sign up your child to become an altar server, please contact Wayne Sulak at ewsulak@gmail.com or 817-360-5922.

Servers Jacob and Noah Roach

Don’t Forget to Return Your Commitment Card!

Please remember to turn in your commitment cards to the parish as soon as possible. We appreciate your willingness to participate in this year’s Stewardship Renewal. The more we grow to embrace and understand the stewardship way of life, the more our parish will flourish and grow!

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ST. VINCENT de PAUL Valentine’s Day The Feast of a Christian Martyr

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andy, flowers, romantic dinners, and excuses for wooing are the common traditions we associate with the once-pagan holiday known as Valentine’s Day. Dangling cupids, candy “message” hearts, and faux long-stemmed roses clutter every card store, waiting for that last-minute purchase.

The question is — how did this over-commercialized holiday really begin?

There are a few stories surrounding the history of Feb. 14 and St. Valentine himself, all dating back to the Roman Empire. The 14th day of February was a day set aside to honor the goddess Juno, queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. The following day, Feb. 15, began the feast of Lupercalia — a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

As part of the festival traditions, there was a name drawing among the young people. The names of young Roman women were written on slips of paper and placed into a jar. Each young man would draw a young woman’s name from the jar, and the two would be partners for the duration of the festival. Sometimes the pairing lasted an entire year, and often, the couple would fall in love and later marry.

At the time, Emperor Claudius II was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns, and he was having a difficult time recruiting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that soldiers were reluctant to join because they did not want to leave their loves or families.

With this in mind, Claudius decreed all marriages and engagements cancelled in Rome. During this time, St. Valentine was a priest in Rome, and he and St. Marius secretly married young couples. For this, St. Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who sentenced him to be beaten and then executed by beheading. He suffered this martyrdom on Feb. 14, around the year 270 AD. Before his death, it is said that St. Valentine left a note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “From Your Valentine.” Although the truth behind the St. Valentine’s legend is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and, most importantly, romantic figure. It is no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Over time, Feb. 14 became a time for lovers to exchange sweet messages, making St. Valentine the patron saint of lovers. The date was often commemorated with the sending of poems and simple gifts.

During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that Feb. 14 was the beginning of the avian mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine’s Day — should be a day for romance.

The Catholic Schools Fair An Opportunity to Visit with Local Catholic School Staff on Feb. 26 and 27

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esus made it very clear that children are essential — they should not be kept away from learning God’s Word. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus himself says, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

Fr. Philip Brembah wants families to know about the Catholic school options in the area. To assist with this on Feb 26 and 27, families can learn more about Catholic elementary, middle, and high schools in the Arlington area in our narthex. The St. Vincent’s Academy, a preschool for children ages 2-5 years, is a great starting point for a Catholic education. The Academy teaches Catholic values and prepares children for future academics.

“This is a way for us to promote our schools,” says Renée Bader, Director of Stewardship and Ministry.

“We want families to know their options when it comes to Catholic education. We want them to know we truly value our parish schools and that there are great options all around us.”

The following schools have been invited to join the fair: St. Vincent’s Academy, St. Joseph School, St. Maria

The 2020 Catholic Schools Fair

Goretti, Holy Family, St. Rita, St. Andrew, St. George, Cassata High School, Cristo Rey High School, and Nolan High School.

Fr. Philip will also offer a special blessing for all the students and teachers at the Masses that weekend.

“Not only do Catholic schools develop the faith of students, but they also strengthen the faith of the continued on back cover

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ST. VINCENT de PAUL 5819 W. Pleasant Ridge Rd. Arlington, TX 76016 (817) 478-8206 www.svdpcc.org

MASSES Saturday Vigil: 5:30 p.m.

Sunday: 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

Weekdays: (M/Th/Fr) 8:45 a.m. in the church (Wed) 6:00 p.m. in the church Holy Days: 8:45 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Confessions: Saturday: 4-5 p.m. in the chapel

The Catholic Schools Fair parents and families,” Renée says. “We want our children to be grounded in strong morals and the Catholic faith.

When they grow into adults we want them to be able to use the teachings to make decisions that reflect their faith in all aspects of their lives.”

Religion isn’t just a class at our local Catholic schools — it is a way of life that is interwoven into the student’s school day. Catholic education helps set a firm foundation for students.

“I had the privilege of attending Catholic school,” Renée says. “It helped prepare me for life and for the career I have now.”

This fair allows the families at St. Vincent to learn about the local Catholic schools and be better informed about educational opportunities.

We’ll see you at the Catholic Schools Fair later this month!

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The 2020 Catholic Schools Fair

Please join us at the narthex and learn all about Catholic education in our area. The fairs will take place after each weekend Mass.