Curé of Ars

Details can be found in the Bulletin for the weekly Rosary at 5:30pm each Tuesday.

I am very happy to provide you with a newly updated parish website. Hopefully you will find our site helpful in becoming better acquainted with our parish and its ministries.  Our parish mission is to continue the mission of Jesus as a faith community centered on the Eucharist, living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and helping to build the Kingdom of God. 

At Curé of Ars we have five guiding values; worship, evangelization, service, stewardship, and community.

Worship - To enhance the celebration of God’s presence in our lives through the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church.  To be a welcoming community inviting all to join in our celebration and to deepen the personal faith of each member of our parish family.

Evangelization - To strengthen and enrich the Catholic faith life of our parish community, including inactive Catholics.  To share the light of Christ by reaching out to our unchurched neighbors and to bring the Gospel more fully into our world.

Service - To share our gifts and talents within the parish community and beyond, serving the spiritual and physical needs of others.

Stewardship - To be faithful stewards of our time, talent and treasure for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Community - To provide opportunities to gather as a spirit-filled parish family, to foster a sense of hospitality and belonging…and to have fun.

I hope you will become better acquainted with our parish.  You are most welcome, and if I or any of our parish staff can assist you, please let us know.  May the Lord Jesus bless you richly.

Sincerely,

Msgr. Charles D. McGlinn    

What is expected of a Catholic? (Continued from last week.)
  
Last week I wrote about the first precept of the Church: “You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.” (CCC #2042).  Instead of moving on to second precept, I think a follow up is in order as many have been asking if this serious obligation holds for the elderly, those sick, in case of bad weather, etc.  When does the obligation hold?  Can a person do something else (such as watch Mass on TV) to fulfill the obligation to attend Mass?

Any obligation of the Church ceases to bind us once it becomes impossible.  God doesn’t demand the impossible.  In the case of Mass, the obligation ceases for the following sort of serious reasons:

1) Illness.  If a person is sick or weakened by illness, they are not obliged to come to Mass (all the more so if they are contagious—please do not come!  There are people with weakened immune systems who want to attend Mass without risking their lives.)
2) Caring for someone sick.
3) Dangerous weather, such as we had on Christmas with the blizzard.
4) Certain occupations for which work on Saturday and Sunday is a must (maybe a doctor, nurse, firefighter, police, soldier on duty, etc.)
5) Traveling in an area where there is no Mass, or the nearest Mass would be very difficult to get to (large number of miles or such).

There could be other reasons, but they must be serious!  Even if you have a valid reason, a bad intention (such as being glad you miss Mass or purposely putting yourself into an impossible situation) can make for sin.  Really if you have a doubt, talk to a priest.  Any priest of the Archdiocese can dispense a person from the obligation to Mass for a valid reason.  A priest can also commute the obligation to another act of worship like going to Mass during the week instead, especially if it is a regular occurrence.  Watching a TV Mass is a great idea!  It does not fulfill the obligation for the general public, but for those who have a serious reason dispensing them from Mass attendance, it is about as close as you can get to the real thing.

There is no true substitute for attending Mass, but God certainly understands the difficult situations many are in.  If you do have a serious reason for missing Mass, don’t feel guilty or confess it as a sin since you have not freely chosen against God.  Instead, realize the gift Mass is, and pray for God’s grace in your life, and pray that all Catholics will recognize the amazing gift God’s gives us at each Mass.

-Fr. Greg

If you would like submit a question, please write it out and place it in the “Ask a Priest” box in the vestibule or email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

What is expected of a Catholic? (Continued from previous weeks.)
  
The past two weeks I wrote about Mass and confession obligations.  A follow-up question was asked: At what age are children bound to go to Mass on Sunday and Holy Days?  The answer is that most of church law (Mass obligation included) is applicable to all Catholics over the age of seven, which is more or less “the age of reason”. 

However, I would really recommend younger children coming even though they are not obliged in order to develop the habit and to let the richness and wonder of the Mass to begin to sink in early.  Don’t forget what a gift it is to give to your children by bringing them to Mass.  You wouldn’t neglect to bring them to the doctor or to school, don’t neglect to bring them to the Lord!  Sometimes they will find such things boring, but hey, I don’t like broccoli, but I eat it because I know it’s good for me.  Also, kids find Mass more interesting the more we teach and explain it to them.  The Catechesis the Good Shepherd program here at Curé is a great example of doing that.  Mothers of Young Children also sponsor Mass demonstrations at various times of the year.

I want to finish off this series about what is expected of a Catholic by briefly mentioning the final three precepts of the Church.  The third precept is to “receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.” (CCC #2042)  This normally is not an issue, because most of us receive communion every time we go to Mass, and we should if we are free from mortal sin and have prepared ourselves to receive.  I guess, years ago, many people felt unworthy and so the Church had to require them to receive at least once a year.

The fourth precept is to “observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.” (CCC #2043)  This is a big issue since Lent is coming soon.  I won’t go into the details as you can read them always in the Leaven, the Archdiocesan newspaper, around the time of Ash Wednesday.

The fifth and final precept is “to provide for the needs of the Church.” (CCC #2043) It just makes sense that for the Church to operate and continue the mission of Jesus Christ it needs the time, talent, and treasure of its people.  “Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required.” (Lk 12:48)  We are given so much by God!  Let us strive live up to what is expected of all Catholics.

-Fr. Greg

If you would like submit a question, please write it out and place it in the “Ask a Priest” box in the vestibule or email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .