Church

Dear Brothers and Sisters, At OLR Greenville at the 10:30 High Mass—and on Holy Days of Obligation, we use lots of incense. Why do we do that? Is it just because we happen to like “smells and bells”? We do like incense and the sanctus bell, but what’s the point? Is it just that the altar servers like playing with fire? The altar boys do enjoy wielding the thuribles and ringing the bells, but of course there is more to it than these superficialities.  The “sanctus bell” came into Catholic worship at …

Dear Brothers and Sisters, At Our Lady of the Rosary in Greenville the Catholic Mass is celebrated in a traditional style. In many American Catholic Churches those who plan the worship clearly have an intent to make the Mass as relevant, up to date and “relatable” a possible, but is this the main object of worship? The worship at OLR Greenville runs counter to this trend. We worship in a traditional style because worship is a transcendental experience, and traditional Catholic worship aids the transcendental aspect of divine worship. How …

Dear Brothers and Sisters, You have heard me say, “The Church does today what Jesus did when he was here.” When he was here Jesus 1) taught the truth 2) took authority over evil 3) forgave sins 4) healed the sick. These four actions are one of the marks of authenticity for a church. The Catholic Church teaches the truth through the proclamation and promulgation of Sacred Scripture and the historic Magisterium of the Church. She teaches the Truth through evangelization, preaching, Catholic education, as well as through the arts, …

Please take note, school and parish offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 15, for MLK Holiday. There will be NO DAILY MASS or Confessions on Tuesday, Jan. 16, through Thursday, Jan. 18. Our priests will be attending the Diocesan Priest Convocation. …

Dear Brothers and Sisters, At the start of a new calendar year, it is natural to look forward to the months ahead, and for those of us who are at the later stages of life, we not only think of the months ahead, but the years ahead—and wonder how much time we have left on this earth. I will be seventy years old in a few years’ time and my heart is full of gratitude for the many blessings God has given me. One of the most important blessings has …

Because the last Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve fall on the same day this year, some have asked about their Mass obligations for those days. Catholics are obliged to attend Mass every Sunday, including the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and they are also obliged to go to Mass for the Solemnity of Christmas. Those two obligations are distinct and have to be met separately. One Mass does not fulfill two obligations. Here is the schedule at OLR for those days: FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Saturday, Dec. 23, 5:00pm (Vigil …

Dear Brothers and Sisters, At this time of year, it is popular for writers to explain that Christmas is “just an old Roman mid-winter holiday” that the Christians adopted and adapted for their own use. “Nobody knows” they claim “when or where Jesus Christ was really born. The Catholic Church is just the old pagan religion wearing new clothes.”  This kind of anti-Catholic propaganda is commonplace, but those who propagate the untruths are ignorant of the facts. I’ve written elsewhere about how we know Jesus was born in late December, …

Dear Brothers and Sisters, The first three “First Things” were God, Light and Life. The last is Love. God is the source of all that is. He is the source of Light. He is the source of Life. He is the source of Love. St John the Evangelist says that not just that God loves or God is loving, but  “God IS Love.” This is profound stuff. What he is saying is that God’s very nature and being is pure, unconditional love. This Divine Love is not the sentimental stuff …

We will be closed for Christmas Break from Dec. 25 – Jan. 2, and will reopen on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024 …

Dear Brothers and Sisters, The first two “First Things” for Advent were God and Light. The third “First Thing” to consider is Life. God created all things because his own life overflowed in the act of creation. That’s what Life does. It creates more life. Life is that indefinable essence that is infused into all things living. Where does life come from? It is easy to think that it comes from the natural processes of regeneration. A man and woman come together and a new life is formed. However, just …

Please note that the Benefit scheduled for 1-5pm on Sunday, December 10, will now be held in the School Gym. …