The Feast of St Edward the Confessor, our Patron
From The Font
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth.’”
The readings for today are proper to our Parish Patron Saint, Edward the Confessor. Edward was an unlikely king of England at a time of massive upheaval in English history. He could very well have made a real mess of the kingdom he inherited or he could’ve simply sat by and done nothing. Instead, as a direct result of his religious attitudes, he set England up for a long period of stability in which the Vikings, Angels, Saxons, and Normans coalesced into a unified people.
When Jesus talked about salt, He did so from experience. Salt was the big spice of the time and the Jews were loaded with it! Everybody living near a salty sea was familiar with it. They knew that salt added some flavor on its own, but that the salt mainly made food taste more like itself. In Jewish cuisine, warm pita bread was often salted with big, chunky crystals and then dipped into hummus or oil or used to pick up a piece of charred meat. The bread was used as silverware, napkin, and salt-shaker...
When Jesus says that we should be like salt, He knows that salt’s effects are tied directly to what it seasons. All of us are a big deal to someone. Some of us are a big deal to lots of people. Only a few of us are really a big deal to history. Whoever we matter to, we must be like salt to them. We have to “flavor” them with Faith just as salt flavors food.
Jesus expands the image when He talks about how we must be light which is not hidden, but which must flood the whole house so that everyone can see.
Our patron Saint, King Edward, was conscious of the same challenge and he took that call from Jesus seriously. He built the first Westminster Abbey. He established hundreds of monasteries. He began the work of establishing “parish Churches” across England.
Our own efforts may be less grand, but they are no less important to the souls of those around us which God expects us to care for! The Pope may be responsible for a billion Catholics, I may be responsible for a hundred and any one reading this may be responsible for 5 or 5000! The number doesn’t matter, the effort does!
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
October 13 was the feast day of St. Edward the Confessor from the mid 1500s until 1965. And for most of that time for most people, it was just another day on the calendar. The Mass of St. Edward was also known as the Missa Os Justi.
But two events, each of profound and possibly related spiritual consequence took place which make October 13 a day worth knowing about.
First, in 1884, Pope Leo XIII was offering his morning Mass, the Missa Os Justi, in his private chapel in the papal apartments. After Holy Communion, the Pope was deeply in prayer for a long time… I mean a long time… When he finally stirred, the attendants at Mass were deeply confused. The Pope hurried through the last prayers of the Mass and rushed to his private office. He emerged several hours later wide eyed and holding two prayers, both addressed to St. Michael the Archangel. Only later did the Holy Father share with a few select people the mystical experience that he had during Mass… In that experience, he had a vision of Jesus and Satan in deep conversation. The short version is that the devil claimed that he could destroy the Church entirely if he was given a century of free reign. The vision so upset the Pope that he commanded every Mass to conclude with the prayers we say after Mass here at St. Edward: three Hail Marys, the Hail Holy Queen and the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel which Pope Leo composed for that purpose.
Thirty-Three years later - to the day - across Europe in a backwater village that makes Crowville look cosmopolitan, three Children were praying the Rosary in a field during a torrential rainstorm. Some 75-90,000 people came from all around to witness a promised miracle. Even the Communist Newspapers were there. At noon, the rain suddenly stopped and the sun seemed to dance around the sky for about 12 minutes. It seemed that the sun was going to fall out of the sky and destroy the whole world… It was the largest and most corroborated public miracle since the Parting of the Red Sea about 3200 years earlier…
Now, I don’t know if either of these events had anything to do with our venerable patron St. Edward or not… But the timing of these events and their connection with hugely important appearances of Our Lady at Lourdes, La Salette, Garabandal, Knock, Rue de Bac, and elsewhere seems to confirm that nothing Our Lord does is accidental.
As such, I think we have every cause to feel privileged to have a patron so connected with the single most important spiritual event of the last thousand years. Don’t buy into the hype - there’s nothing that even comes close… No council, no saint, no religious order, nothing even comes close to the importance and significance of Our Lady at Fatima…
Whether we’re a parishioner here at St. Edward or you’re just reading these words, I heartily recommend raising a prayer to St. Edward that he might aid us in our devotion to Our Lady and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Big things are happening and while 100 years might seem slow to us - for the Holy Spirit, there’s no limit!
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard, Patrick Thomas, and Eva and R.L. Reynolds/Bullard
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon No Mass
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Kathleen Mills/Massey
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Mary Ernst/Gustafson
- Thu 9:00a (Legacy Nursing & Rehab) In memory of Rosa and Gus Gremshell and May DiTomasso
- Fri 5:30p In memory of MaryAgnes Your/P Gilfoil
- Sat 5:30p In memory of deceased members of the Regan Family (Carroll, Poche & Bill, & Bitsy)
- Sun 9:30a Populo for the Living Deceased Members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lectors | EMHCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/14 5:30p | None Scheduled | MK Book | M Rome |
| 10/15 9:30a | Chandler & Annie | MK Marsh | None Scheduled |
| 10/21 5:30p | None Scheduled | L Bullard | A Keene |
| 10/22 9:30a | MaryKatherine & Courtland | D Ellerbee | None Scheduled |
| 10/28 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow | N Ermst |
| 10/29 9:30a | Cooper and Maura | C Guizerix | None Scheduled |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and on Sunday from 9a until Mass
- Sunday Catechism with Coffee and Donuts after Mass unless otherwise indicated
Wednesday Morning Catechism about 9:30 a.m in Church and on Facebook and YouTube
October 15 Sunday Catechism following the 9:30 a. m. Mass.
- October 18 Pastoral Council Meeting …. 6 p.m. …. Church Hall
For Your Information:
ROSARY GROUP… a group of parishioners is meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m. to pray the Rosary. Everyone is invited to join the group. If you need additional information, please contact the Coordinator, Louise Magoun, at 318-341-2403.
PILGRIMAGE!... Fr Ryan is leading a Pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome in Italy in September of 2024. More information is available at HolyTravels.org/FrHumphriesItaly . Please pass the word around!
FORMED.ORG… FORMED has an entire page of weekly featured videos that are worth checking out at https://watch.formed.org/this-week-on-formed. Remember to sign in using our parish’s zip code (71282) at http://signup.formed.org
PASTORAL COUNCIL…PASTORAL COUNCIL..will hold its regular meeting on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2023 at 6:00 p.m in the Church Hall. Appointed members of the Council are: MaryKathryn Book, Kendra Collins, Norman Ernst, Jamie Howington, Jason Trichell and Shannon Wood.. Appointed as Trustees by the Bishop are Michel Lancaster and Cathy VanderVieren. Appointed by the pastor to serve as Finance Council Chair is Darryl Ellerbee. All members are requested to make a special effort to attend. Parishioners are encouraged to attend and contribute to the discussions.
Stewardship St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians thanks the Philippians for being willing to share in his hardships and promises that God, in turn, will fully supply all their needs. Our God truly cannot be outdone in generosity!
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| September Budget | $ 8,444 |
| September income | $ 6,442 |
| September Expenses | $ 11,006 |
| October Budget | $ 10,555 |
| October 8 Collection | $ 1,579 |
| October Income To Date | $ 3,276 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Kenny Smith (Oct 14), William Marsh (Oct 16), Kathleen Oliver (Oct 17), Charlotte McKay Marsh (Oct 18, 2016), Terry Murphy (Oct 18)
In Our Daily Prayers…
Please let us know of anyone who is ill or hospitalized and would like to receive a visit from Father. Also, help us keep our prayer list up to date by advising us of those who should be added or removed.
Our Pope Francis; Bishop Robert Marshall, and our Diocesan leaders, our President, Governor, Mayor and national, state and local elected representatives Our parishioners who are sick, shut-in, or otherwise in need of our prayers: Connie and Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Leslye Ellerbee, Susan and Johnny Gilfoil, Margaret and Pat Gilfoil, Terry Farlow Hall, C.W. and Alyce Keene, Bill Kennedy, Hannah Wood McCarty, Ed Mills, Terry and Susie Murphy, Bobby Reynolds, Sue & Mike Rome Those under full-time care: Frances Kennedy, Carol Dunning, Keith Capdepon
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Kathryn Wood Allsopp (D Wood), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), James Arceneaux (Book), Marie Farlow Bellard, Tommy Bickham (C Copes), Chris Breard (Gilfoil), Willetta and Mac Cagnolatti, Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Fran Castile (Keene), Jeannie and Donald Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), Bobbe and Gene Cox, Marla Evans Cummings, Susan Ward Daigle (Gilfoil & Keene), Don Deweese, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Monique Florence, Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), Charlotte Green, Rita Hargrave, Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Charles Howington, Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Dee Jones (Keene), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Cindy Mathieu (Wilks), Boyce Miller, John Neill, Caryn Oliver, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Janie Saxon (Lancaster), George and Ann Shepherd, Debbie Kedrick Sims, Tommy Trichell, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Mary Claire Warner and her parents , MaryBeth and Steve
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Preston Collins, Callie Ezell, Lilly Falgout, Jag Gilfoil, Chris Hall (USMC), Nick Hall, Bruen Johnson, Matilda Johnson, Caroline Marsh, Emmy Lu Marsh, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Marsh Wood
PRAYERS FOR OUR FARMERS! O God, Source and Giver of all things, Who manifests Your infinite majesty, power and goodness in the earth about us, we giveYou honor and glory. For the sun and rain, for the manifold fruits of our fields,for the increase of our herds and flocks we thank You. For the enrichment of our souls with divine grace, we are grateful. Supreme Lord of the harvest, graciously accept us and the fruits of our toil, in union with Christ Your Son, as atonement for our sins, for the growth of Your Church, for peace and charity in our homes, for salvation to all. Amen.
