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1. PRO-LIFE—Old St. Mary’s Church is fully committed to resisting the "culture of death" and to building the "new civilization of love," which Pope John Paul II has so often exhorted the Christian faithful to do. The parish is blessed to have as parishioners some of the most committed and experienced pro-life leaders in the greater Cincinnati area. Through programs of prayer and fasting, outreach and evangelization, OSM endeavors to "discover anew the humility and the courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will break down the walls of lies and deceit: the walls which conceal from the sight of so many of our brothers and sisters the evil of practices and laws which are hostile to life" (Evangelium Vitae 100). The newest pro-life initiative at OSM is the opening of a Pregnancy Support Center in the basement of our school building. The project is planned to launch in August of 2000. 2. EUCHARISTIC ADORATION— The Pope reminds us in Dominicae Cenae that "adoration of Christ in this sacrament of love must find expression in various forms of eucharistic devotion: personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, Hours of Adoration, periods of exposition—short, prolonged and annual (Forty Hours)—eucharistic benediction, eucharistic processions, eucharistic congresses." Understanding the eminent importance of Eucharistic adoration, in 1999 Old St. Mary’s instituted two great new opportunities to worship Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Following the 12:30 p.m. Sunday Mass the Eucharist will remain exposed in the Church until Vespers and Benediction at 5:00 p.m. Further, the annual Forty Hours devotion has been revived. This year (2000) Forty Hours will take place from May 4-7. On Thursday, traditionally the Day of the Holy Eucharist, we will continue to pray before the Blessed Sacrament following the 12:10 p.m. Mass until the end of Holy Hour at 8:00 p.m. OSM also hosts an All-Night Eucharistic Vigil every First Friday beginning after the 9:30 p.m. Mass. 3. TITHING— The custom of giving tithes, "a the tenth part of all fruits and profits justly acquired, owed to God in recognition of his supreme dominion over man, and to be paid to the ministers of the Church" (Catholic Encyclopedia), reaches back into unknown antiquity. It is mentioned in Gen. 14, without anything to indicate that it was something newly instituted. Just as Abraham is there represented as offering tithes of the spoils of the enemy to the royal priest, Melchisedech, so in Gen. 28, Jacob is recorded as giving a tithe of all his possessions to the Lord. Drawing upon this sacred tradition, Old St. Mary’s is developing tithing programs "to open the windows of heaven" and pour down for us "an overflowing blessing" by doing the will of God (Mal. 3:10). 4. SACRAMENT OF PENANCE—During 1999, the Year of God the Father, the Pope called all Catholics to develop a "renewed appreciation and a more intense celebration of the Sacrament of Penance" (Tertio Millennio Adveniente, 50). Bearing this in mind, Old St. Mary’s is now providing many more opportunities for individual sacramental confessions, including several special penance services in Lent and Advent. Forgiveness is the basis for responding to the "call to conversion" in the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. 5. EVANGELIZATION— In the words of Pope Paul VI, the Church "exists in order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach" (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 14). Putting our faith and love together to share the Gospel, Old St. Mary’s has embarked on new evangelical outreaches: Parish visitations, the Catechumenate, and reviving the parish’s Legion of Mary. Every Wednesday afternoon, an Evangelization team shares the faith of Jesus’ Church through the neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine. Catechism instruction will continue every Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m. "The presentation of the Gospel message is not an optional contribution for the Church. It is the duty incumbent on her by the command of the Lord Jesus, so that people can believe and be saved… It is truth." (EN 5). 6. MISSIONS—In his 1999 document Ecclesia in America Pope John Paul II re-emphasized that "Parishes in America should be distinguished by their missionary spirit, which leads them to reach out to those who are faraway." To better do this, Old St. Mary’s is looking into aiding a parish church in one of the poorest dioceses of Central America. This will be yet another way to understand the Church in her universal dimension. 7. SOLVENCY—Over the past few years the parish has been saddled with an enormous debt, one that would be an albatross to anyone, but especially to an inner-city parish like Old St. Mary’s. Prayers, novenas, and the generous support of parishioners, patrons and other generous benefactors pulled the parish out of debt on Easter day, 1999! Now that we are out of debt, our resources can be more fully applied to spreading the Gospel and advancing the mission of the Church in the world. 8. RESTORATION AND MAINTENANCE—Every physical structure needs to be maintained so that it may successfully serve its purpose. The purpose of the church building is to serve the parish, the Church, and ultimately to serve God. The parish will therefore look into ways of best maintaining the integrity, beauty and splendor of our beautiful church, its statues, organ and other furnishings, so that it may continue to provide a most fitting place in which to adore, worship and serve God and the Church. The sanctuary has already been beautifully restored and preserved. We are now in the midst of preserving the Bavarian stained glass windows. 9. ADDITIONAL FACILITIES—In addition to the church, the parish complex includes a building that once served the parish as a girls’ grammar school. St. John Social Services will be vacating the building in the summer of 2000. Old St. Mary’s is already using the first floor of the school for more office and ministry space. We will be exploring the many possible uses for the entire school building to better meet the needs of the parish and neighborhood. Further, we are looking into the possibility of reopening Old St. Mary's school as a Latin grammar school for boys in the neighborhood. 10. CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY—The urban parish may be called to be a "community of communities and movements," according to Pope John Paul (Ecclesia in America). The institution of the parish "can be the source of great hope. It can gather the community, assist family life, overcome the sense of anonymity, welcome people and help them to be involved in their neighborhood and society" (EIA). Old St. Mary’s will move more toward forming small Christian communities and home prayer groups. Copyright © 2000-Current Old St.
Mary's Church. All rights reserved.
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