Love the Sacramental life of the Church - going to daily Mass
When I was in high school, one summer I went on a week long trip with my church. There was great music and messages, we stayed up way too late building good friendships, and had powerful moments of prayer and conversion during Eucharistic Adoration and Confession. However, when I think about what actually changed in my life when the trip was over, I think about attending weekday Mass. During the trip, whether it was with the 20 of us from my church or with the thousands attending the conference together, I attended Mass 7 days in a row. I appreciated the daily reception of the Eucharist, but I also liked hearing the story of Moses read throughout the week. I remember waking up the day after returning from the trip and thinking, ‘I want to hear what happens to Moses next’. So, I attended my parish daily Mass that day. Now, as a priest I have made the commitment to celebrate Holy Mass every day. Sometimes it’s at 3am or 11pm, but I have not missed a day yet! Weekday masses usually have one less reading, don’t use the Gloria or Creed, and have less singing. These simple masses usually take 25-30 minutes. Now, alongside of the daily encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, one thing I greatly appreciate about daily mass is that is makes Sunday masses feel even more like a great festive celebration! I know that St. Denis and St. Patrick parishes have not had regular daily Mass for years. However, with my commitment to celebrate every day, I want to begin offering daily Masses for you. I encourage you to occasionally attend, as your schedule allows. Speaking of schedules, I want to offer some of the weekday Masses at a time that is convenient for families to attend together. Would a 5:30 or 6:00 pm weeknight mass fit in between the end of your workday and dinner? Please let me know when convenient times would be. My email address is priest@stdenis-shiocton.org. For the next few weeks I will be trying different times and locations to help develop the best schedule. Check the parish website or bulletin for the accurate times each week. Here is an interesting coincidence, the same readings that I first heard about Moses, are being repeated in the cycle of readings for the next few weeks. One final consideration for you: since more masses will be offered, there are more opportunities to request a mass to be offered for particular intentions. It is always good to pray for our deceased relatives and friends, but we can pray for the living as well. Personally, I like to offer Mass for the intentions of those close to me on their baptism or wedding anniversaries. You may consider doing the same as well. Paula in the parish office can coordinate your requests at office@stdenis-shiocton.org.
See you at Mass!
Fr. Michael