The Cornerstone
-- a quarterly parish newsletter
Easter 1999
Volume Two, Issue I
News from Around the Parish
First and Last Friday
Latin Masses
Since the Council Fathers instructed that "the use
of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin
rites" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 36),
Old St. Mary’s has consistently offered a Sunday
Latin Mass. In December of 1998 Old St. Mary’s added
two more Latin Masses per month in addition to the 9:15
a.m. Sunday Latin Mass. On first and last Fridays each
month the 12:10 p.m. Mass is now sung in Latin.
Gregorian chant lessons
Because "the musical tradition of the universal
Church is a treasury of immeasurable value," Old St.
Mary’s has long been committed to preserving and
fostering the sacred music of the Church. Since "the
Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as proper to the
Roman liturgy," and that it "should be given
pride of place at liturgical services," and,
furthermore, heeding the Conciliar instruction that
"steps should be taken so that the faithful may be
able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the
Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them" (Sacrosanctum
Concilium, 112, 116, 54), Old St. Mary’s
is offering Gregorian chant lessons every first and last
Friday, following the 12:10 p.m. Latin Mass. All are
welcome.
Forty Hours Devotion
On April 22-25, 1999, the traditional annual Forty Hours
Devotion will be revived. Forty Hours is a devotion in
which prayer is made for forty hours before the exposed
Blessed Sacrament. A "Mass of Exposition" will
be sung at the beginning, and at the end of the period of
forty hours, final Benediction will be accompanied by a
procession of the Blessed Sacrament and by the chanting
of the litanies of the saints. A reception will follow.
There is significance in
the period of 40 hours in that this was about the length
of time that the Body of Christ remained in the tomb, a
period of watching, suspense, and ardent prayer on the
part of all His disciples. "Jesus waits for us in
this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time
in going to meet Him in adoration and in contemplation
that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for
the great faults and crimes of the world. May our
adoration never cease" (Pope John Paul II, Dominicae
Cenae 3).
"Month of God the
Father"
Pope John Paul II has declared that, in preparation for
the Great Jubilee, the year 1999 will be celebrated as
the Year of God the Father. Old St. Mary’s dedicated
January as a special "Month of God the Father."
Parishioners continued to study the Holy Father’s
encyclical, Tertio Millennio Adveniente, and
Father Lauer devoted each of his January homilies to
elaborating on the special role of the First Person of
the Blessed Trinity. The Pope reminds us that "the
whole of the Christian life is like a great pilgrimage to
the house of the Father, whose unconditional love for
every human creature, and in particular for the
"prodigal son," we discover anew each day"
(TMA 49).
Three
"miracles" precipitate debt relief!
During the forty days prior to the Feast of the Baptism
of Our Lord (January 10),1999, a great many parishioners
and patrons pulled together and donated more than
$128,000 to the debt relief fund. At the beginning of
Advent, 1998, the parish was saddled with a debt of
approximately $700,000, with interest adding $800 each
week to that sum.
 The first of our three
"miracles" came by way of an anonymous patron
who offered $300,000 in "matching funds." In
other words, if the parish could reduce the debt to
$300,000, the patron would match that sum with an
additional $300,000 and pay off the debt. The second
miracle came by way of the $128,000 (in donations, not
pledges) which were raised in the extraordinarily short
time of 40 days.
At the end of January, to
conclude Old St. Mary’s "Month of God the
Father," the parish prayed a novena which ended on
the Feast of the presentation of Our Lord (Feb. 2, 1999).
The following day the parish received word of another
patron, who donated $215,000—"miracle"
number three. Deo gratias! Through further prayer
and sacrifice this Lent, Old St. Mary’s is looking
to bury this debt for ever.
Father Lauer to
celebrate 25th anniversary
While Old St. Mary’s continues to prepare for the
Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the parish will celebrate
a jubilee of another kind: Fr. Al Lauer, pastor, will
celebrate the 25th anniversary of his priestly
ordination at an All-Parish Mass on Corpus Christi
Sunday, June 6. Following parish tradition, the
celebration at the 11:00 All-Parish Mass will include a
Corpus Christi procession and Benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament. All are welcome to help Father celebrate 25
years of faithful and fruitful service to Holy Mother
Church.
 Triple baptism
It’s not often that the Christian witnesses a triple
baptism of children from the same family, but on December
6, 1999, at the Latin Mass, Father Lauer baptized
Cecilia, Elliot and newborn Vivian. Mother, Mrs. Ruth
Horstman was received into the Catholic Church at last
year’s Easter Vigil at the Cathedral of St. Peter in
Chains. The Horstman have been members of Old St.
Mary’s Church for two years.
Welcome catechumens
Old St. Mary’s welcomes Inna Kapustin and Gary
Everman to the parish. Inna, a Russian Orthodox and
recent immigrant to the United States will be received
into full communion with the Catholic Church, and both
Gary and Inna will be confirmed at the Easter Vigil Mass
here at Old St. Mary’s. Please keep Inna and Gary in
your prayers throughout the coming Easter season.
Neighborhood visitation
Every Wednesday a faithful group of parishioners from Old
St. Mary’s makes rounds through the neighborhood,
ringing doorbells and knocking on doors, inviting their
neighbors to the big white church on the corner of
Thirteenth and Clay Streets. "Many of our neighbors
here in Over-the-Rhine just need an invitation,"
says Scott Voss of the parish’s Evangelization Team.
If they’re interested in knowing more about Jesus
and His Church they are invited to the Catechumenate and
to Mass. Since the neighborhood visitation began in the
Fall of 1998, more than a few have responded. If
you’re interested in meeting Jesus in your
Over-the-Rhine neighbors, contact Father Lauer at the
rectory for more information on how you can help the
Evangelization Team.
Papal pilgrims
More than fifty pilgrims from Old St. Mary’s parish
traveled to St. Louis for Pope John Paul II’s fifth
pastoral visit to the United States. OSM pilgrims relate
that, in addition to celebrating Mass with the Holy
Father (and more than 100,000 others), they caught
fleeting glimpses at close range of the Pope, as the
shepherd of the universal Church made his rounds in the
"Popemobile." The pilgrimage was a blessing for
all, and the Pope’s visit was a blessing for the
United States.
Month of Mary program
From May 2-9, Old St. Mary’s will be hosting the
pilgrimage image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a great way to
begin the month of Mary. During this first week of May,
we will have public recitation of the Rosary at 11:50
a.m. and publication recitation of the Divine Mercy
Chaplet at 3:00 p.m. On Monday, May 3, following the
12:10 p.m. Mass, Mark Hayden will be giving a talk on
Blessed Juan Diego and the image of Our Lady of
Guadalupe. On May 9, Mothers Day, the parish will hold
its annual May Crowning ceremony after the 9:15 a.m.
Latin Mass. Along with the universal Church, Old St.
Mary’s will celebrate May as the Month of Mary.
"For this is the month during which Christians, both
in Church and in the privacy of the home, offer up to
Mary from their hearts an especially fervent and loving
homage of prayer and veneration. In this month, too, the
gifts of God's mercy come down to us from her throne in
greater abundance" (Pope Paul VI, Mense Maio 1).
Deutsche Blasorchestern
Seiern Weihnachten
Anlass zur Freude und zum Feiern gab es auch wieder am
letzten Weihnachtsfest. Zahlreiche Familien kamen in der
Heiligen Messe auf traditionelle Weise die Geburt Christi
zu begehen. Am Morgen des 1. Weihnachtsfeiertags
zelebrierte Father John Felten, S.J., das Hochamt.
Umrahmt wurde der Gottesdienst von den Blasorchestern der
Donauschwaben und der Kolpinggesellschaft. Insgesamt war
der Zuspruch sehr gross und das Gotteshaus war bis auf
die letzten Plaetze besetzt. Wir freuen uns, dass die
Tradition weitergeht.
German ensembles
celebrate Christmas
There was cause for great joy this past Christmas as
numerous families from the tri-state gathered at Old St.
Mary’s to celebrate the birth of Christ. Fr. John
Felten, S.J., celebrated the Christmas Day Mass in German
accompanied by the combined brass ensembles of the
Donauschwaben and Kolping Society. Desire to preserve the
Catholic heritage of Cincinnati’s German community
was evidenced by the large crowd in attendance that day.
We at Old St. Mary’s are happy that this tradition
lives on!
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Revised:
January 29, 2006
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