O Virgo Virginum

 

O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be?

There has never been a woman like you, nor shall there ever be again.

Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel at these words?

What you behold is a divine mystery.

O Emmanuel

 

O Emmanuel, 

our king and our lawgiver,

the hope of the nations and their Savior:

Come and save us, O Yahweh Elohim!

O Rex Gentium

 

O King of the nations, and their desire,

the cornerstone making both one:

Come and save the human race,

which you fashioned from the dust.

O Oriens

 

O Radiant Dawn,

splendor of light eternal and sun of righteousness:

Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness 

and in the shadow of death.

O Clavis David

 

O Key of David and scepter of the House of Israel;

what you open none can shut,

and what you shut none can open.

Come and lead us prisoners from our bondage.

O Radix Jesse

 

O Root of Jesse, you stand as a sign among the peoples;

before you kings will shut their mouths,

to you the nations will make their prayer.

Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.

O Adonai

 

O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
you appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush

and gave him the law on Sinai.

Come and redeem us with your outstretched arm.

O Sapientia

O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High,

you reach forth infinitely throughout all creation,

mightily and sweetly ordering all things.

Come and teach us the way of prudence.

2024: A Year of Divine Mercy

FROM BISHOP ROB

As we draw closer to the beginning of a new Liturgical Year,
I am asking for our parishes and ministries
to dedicate this year to the theme of Divine Mercy.
For each movement of the Liturgical Year,
there is an aspect of Divine Mercy
I want to invite us to explore.

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS/EPIPHANY - Divine Mercy Among Us

Just as Christ was incarnate and manifest among us through his conception, birth, and theophany, so the Divine Mercy he bore is manifest among us. During these weeks of the Church Year (until Ash Wednesday), As we preach, let us look for opportunities to tie in two concepts: First, at his first coming, Jesus revealed the inexhaustible mercy of the Father to the world. Second, we today are agents of revealing that same inexhaustible mercy to those we encounter day by day.

LENT/HOLY WEEK - Divine Mercy Offers Itself for Us

Christ becomes our source of Divine Mercy not only by his nature, but through his self-oblation, pouring out his life for others even unto death upon a cross. While we must maintain a healthy balance for the self, these holy days of preparation for Easter are a time where we are called to consecrate ourselves ever more fully to being agents of and beacons for mercy in our world. What are some concrete ways we can translation Christ's actions and Scriptural principle into action in our lives to touch others?

EASTER/PENTECOST - Divine Mercy Triumphs over All

There is no part of the human experience that is not touched by the dying and rising of our Incarnate Lord. During the season of new life and the days in which we recall the Spirit's descent, through our preaching, let us fan into flame a realization among our people that even in the most basic concerns of their lives, God is present and merciful, seeking to sow peace and bring triumph in the midst of every moment.

ORDINARY TIME - Divine Mercy is Ever-Present

We live in a world where abandonment is rampant. Sometimes it is dramatic, other times it is quiet. Sometimes it is family, sometimes friends, sometimes other things. Throughout these days of Ordinary Time, let us find ways to emphasize not only the presence of God's mercy in day to day life, but to emphasize the permanence of his mercy, his love, and his grace. 

SPECIAL ACTION - Evenings of Reflection

I would also ask the following in every parish: At some point in the weeks before Christmas, Easter, Corpus Christi Sunday, and All Saints' to schedule an evening to reflect on some of these themes and to invite individuals to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For those not serving in traditional parish settings, we can discuss some other options if they are appropriate.

July 2022: Bishop's Update

I wanted to take a few moments today to reach out and connect with you all. At this time, those who are on this email list are either active clergy within the diocese, retired clergy within the diocese, clergy who are pending incardination, or clergy who are under apostolic covering as a part of their discernment process. Please know that I think of each of you daily, and pray for you frequently. 

First, I want to share my joy that Father Jason and Father Ric will be incardinating with our Communion on August 14 at Saint Matthias with Archbishop Todd. I feel that between our time at the retreat and my individual conversations with them in the intervening months, they will be strong co-laborers with us in the vineyard. I am impressed by their dedication to the people of God, their self-awareness, and the uniqueness of their giftings and talents as they will serve God, the Church, and the People committed to their care. Please join me in intense prayer for them in the coming months. I would ask each of you, on Saturday, August 13, to please pray the Litany of Ministry from our Daily Prayer Books at either Morning or Evening Prayer, or at a specific time in the day for the intention of the reception of these two priests into our formal fellowship. (To pray for them by name, please adapt the ordination of a presbyter section to say "incardinated" instead of "ordained".) I will also share that I am disappointed that I won't be able to be there in person for the incardination, as I have preexisting commitments here in Indiana, including another week-long stint in one of our State Prisons doing trauma relief with prisoners. 

Second, I would like to begin offering a monthly Zoom call among the clergy for the purposes of fellowship and prayer. All too often we can live on an island and forget that we have a deep interconnectedness. I have set up a brief survey to help with scheduling. Please complete this at your earliest convenience: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VVDWDJF

A few updates from our family: Clare and Grace recently competed at StarQuest Nationals in French Lick, Indiana. As many of you know, they are both involved in competitive dance. They had a great time, and all of their dances placed - including several that either scored top in the nation or qualified for dance-off's in the Best of the Best. Brendan has finally (I think) found his niche, and began football - this week is his first week in pads and helmet making contact, and this will be his first year playing the sport.  Kristen recently left her job at Greenwood Christian School, where she has worked for four years, and transitioned to serve as Branch Office Assistant with Edward Jones. August 27 will mark her fifth anniversary from her cancer surgery, and this is a pretty big milestone - so please keep her peace and anxiety in your prayers.

Finally, I want to share with you that our family has decided that we have outgrown our home. We are currently in the process of getting our house ready to go on the market August 1st. One of our goals is to move into a specific school district (where our children currently attend as out-of-district transfers), but we are finding that housing that meets our needs is hard to come by. We would appreciate your prayers for a smooth relocation (just a mile or two north!) in the coming months.

In Christ, I seek to be your servant.

SPOTLIGHTDivine Mercy Catholic ChurchAurora, Colorado

Divine Mercy Catholic Church of Aurora, Colorado was planted in April 2016, and is still going strong today. Five years later, the parish was blessed to find a permanent home in Aurora in the lower level of the Bridge Centers Building on East Smoky Hill Road.

The parish worships on Sundays and Wednesdays, combining the historic liturgical practice of the Church with joyful, contemporary music. Lay ministers and servers take important roles in the assembly, and a chapter of the Guardians of the Cross is active in the parish.

Divine Mercy continues to experience numerical growth, together with a deepening love for the Lord. The parish desires to become more visible to the community and expand its impact through loving and serving the community. 

The people of the Parish draw great spiritual strength and guidance from central tenants of two prominent Christian leaders. First, from Saint Francis of Assisi, the concept "Go out into the world and spread the Gospel, using words when necessary" serves as an invitation to action. This concept is supported by the words of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., who once stated emphatically that, "The time is always right to do what is right." 

Inspired by these bold Christian leaders, the parish has consistently emphasized outreach as a means of answering the Lord's call. Local outreach efforts include partnerships with Aurora Warms the Night and the Colorado Hosting Asylum Network. On a national level, the parish actively supports Father Steve Block and St. Martin’s Mission in Wisconsin. Internationally, support is extended to work in Haiti. 

The parish pastor is Rev. Michael Messina, who was ordained as a deacon in 2001, and as a priest in 2002, by Bishop Dan Gincig, the first diocesan bishop of the American Catholic Communities. Father Michael served in various ministries in Wisconsin before relocating to Colorado with his wife, Tania, in late 2014. Before planting Divine Mercy, he served at Christ the King Church in western Aurora. 

Father Michael and Tania have four children, Michaela, Ashley, Ryan, Nicole; and two cats, Squeak and Jerry.

PHOTOS FROM THE LIFE OF DIVINE MERCY CATHOLIC CHURCH

 

 

Note: A previous Mass time is mentioned in the video.

The current time for Sunday Mass (as of June 2023) is 10:30 AM.

Diocesan Liturgical Directivefor the Observance of Ascension 2023

The Eucharistic Missal of the
Communion of International Catholic Communities
includes an expressed preference for
the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord
to be observed on Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter. 

However, as noted in the rubrics of the Missal (page 228): 

"When genuine pastoral need requires, and with the consent of the bishop, the proper Mass for the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord may be celebrated on the Seventh Sunday of Easter. In this instance, the Mass formula on page 230-231 for Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter (or a Saint's Day) is celebrated instead."

Because many parishes and ministries of the Diocese have routinely transferred the Ascension celebration to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, and the preceding directive is new, I hereby authorize the celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord to the Seventh Sunday of Easter (May 21) for Liturgical Year 2023 in any parish which desires to do so throughout the diocese. In those parishes transferring, May 18 will be observed as Thursday in the Sixth Week of Easter. Where desired, the Commemoration of Saint John I, Bishop and Martyr, may be kept in the celebration of the Eucharist and the Daily Office.

Beginning in 2024, parishes will need to request permission to transfer the Solemnity, in keeping with the previously quoted rubric.

2023 Convergence Retreat Examines Authority, The Digital World, Meditation, and Mental Health

Saint Benedict's Abbey in Benet Lake, Wisconsin was the site for the 2023 COICC Convergence Retreat.  In addition to clergy from throughout the United States and beyond, three lay observers joined from Divine Mercy (Aurora, CO) and Saint Martin's (Menominee Falls, WI).

After gathering for dinner, Evening Prayer, and fellowship upon arrival, two full days were spent in prayer, Eucharistic celebration, and learning.

After presenting parish and communion reports, Bishop Lyons presented on the nature of authority. In his teaching, he pointed out that authority is frequently paired with mercy in the scriptural narrative, and called the clergy and people to recall this frequently throughout their lives.

Archbishop Bell presented two sessions on the challenges and opportunities posed by the growing influence of the digital world, including information on the psychological design behind common social media programs and websites, and issued a call to the clergy in particular to participate in bringing content of purpose and faith to the forefront through their use of social media and other online outlets.

Abbot Bernard Benedict shared reflections on meditation in a Catholic context, including information on the physiological and psychological impact of meditative practice, but the spiritual rooting and aims of meditation. Those assembled were then given the opportunity to practice meditative engagement with Scripture, which brought forth fruitful conversation. Many of those who spread out across the Abbey property came back with similar observations on peace and its rooting in our ministries and our lives.

A session on mental health was also provided, with Archbishop Todd presenting valuable information on suicide prevention. 

A review of proposed updates to Canon Law, discussion on future directions for the Communion, and a Clergy Roundtable rounded out the week's events.

Archbishop Bell and all in attendance wish to express our appreciation to the Benedictine Monks and Retreat Center Staff of Saint Benedict's Abbey for their hospitality for this week of growth and transformation. Planning is underway for the 2024 Retreat, and more information will be available by the end of August. 

Lyons Installedas Third Diocesan Bishop

Bishop Robert Lyons (center), together with attendees of Convergence 2023 after the Installation Mass.

Clergy and laity from the United States and Curacao gathered at Saint Benedict's Abbey in Benet Lake, Wisconsin this week to enjoy a time of fellowship, teaching, prayer, and worship as a part of the annual COICC Convergence Conference and Retreat. During the Wednesday Eucharist, the Bishop Robert Lyons was installed as the third Ordinary of the diocese by Archbishop Todd Bell, Presiding Bishop of the COICC. Lyons succeeds Bell in  the role of diocesan bishop.

In his homily on Wednesday, Bishop Lyons emphasized the collegial nature of the Church, and of the explicit need for the Church to be a place of merciful welcome to all. He expressed his desire to work closely with clergy, vowed religious, and the laity of the diocese to create communities of faith where the mission of mercy is lived out in vibrant ways.

Following the Eucharistic celebration, and the afternoon's business sessions of the Conference, Bishop Lyons was able to meet with the diocesan clergy in attendance to enjoy dinner and discuss the needs of the clergy and their ministries.

Auxiliary Bishop's Letter for Easter 2023

On this Easter Sunday, this Resurrection Day, this Feast of New Life, I share with you greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The resurrection of our Lord is, indisputably, a turning point in human history. The death inherited from our first parents, and experienced so acutely in every subsequent generation, loses its sting. It no longer possesses the intractable power that might lead us to abandon hope... death has become a gateway to not simply new life, but to the fullness of a perfect life made possible solely through the passion and death of Jesus. It is for this reason that the Church has cherished the celebration of baptism at Easter since her earliest days. Baptism is a tangible entrance into the mystery of the dying and rising of the Savior, and conveys to us the full promise of the renewal of life.

Of deep importance, however, is the fact that the new life promised by God does not simply begin in some heaven that is light years away, inaccessible to us for now. New life begins here, in these bodies, in this community, among people who profess Christ and among those who do not. New life is not something for the future, it is something for the now.

As we enter into the Easter Season, I would challenge each of you to embrace the fullness of new life here and now. There is no need to wait for our earthly death to dive headlong into the infinite joy, mercy, peace, and strength of God. All that is required of us is the excitement and exuberance to step into our calling to manifest God's perfect justice, love, and peace in our words and in our deeds, and to abide in the Spirit in such a way that each of us may walk in fidelity to Jesus - not out of fear, or in a vain search for 'brownie points', but because he loved us first, and gave his life for us, becoming the first born of many siblings who bear within themselves the image and the likeness of their Savior.

In Christ, our Risen Lord, I seek to be your servant.

Auxiliary Bishop's Letter for Holy Thursday 2023

Today, as we celebrate the Institution of the Eucharist and the Establishment of the Priesthood, our liturgical observance directs us in a very simple yet specific way to a characteristic endemic to both the Eucharist and the Priesthood: Humility.

In the Blessed Sacrament, humble, simple elements are employed - bread and wine.

In the Priesthood, fallen individuals are employed - and humble they must be.

Our Lord's institution of both the Blessed Sacrament and the ministerial Priesthood on this night were accompanied by a supreme gesture of humility. The creator of all things, the one without whom nothing was made that was made, stooped low, removed his outer garment, and in the place of a lowly servant, washed his disciples feet.

It does not matter if our ministries are in traditional parishes, established chaplaincies, or under the bridges and drainage easements of our communities. In each environment, the mumble nature of the bread and wine are exalted and become the vital, living presence of Christ. Our own frail and weak hands and feet, eyes and ears, become instruments of mercy and love. Humility is, for each of us, the root and foundation of service to Christ, his Church, and his people, wherever they may be. And the Sacraments - all of them - are ultimately empowered by the ultimate humility in operation alongside the ultimate triumph... for in each of the Sacraments, the saving power of Christ poured out upon the cross is blended with the irrepressible divine power of the Resurrection... and so, paired together, perfect humility and perfect majesty are eternally united, never to be separated... and they are expressed through our ministry when we simply humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and allow him to raise us up.

Please know of my prayers for each of you during this Triduum, and in your charity, I ask you to pray for me as I continue my preparations to serve as diocesan bishop for our parishes in the United States.

In Christ, our crucified Savior, I seek to be your servant.