PATRON SAINTS GALORE
The white pages entry under “St.” for NE Minneapolis might read to some a bit like a Litany of Saints as our neighborhood is home to numerous congregations each with their own history and traditions. It is the season of parish festivals that are such great occasions to mingle with our neighbors and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
I think that one of the best parts about having a merged parish with multiple campuses is that we have numerous patrons to call upon. The Saints witness to many things, but perhaps their greatest witness is to unity. While we tend to be competitive the Saints express complementarity and unity of mission.
We celebrated our Titular Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross with gusto on our recent SeptemberFest weekend a couple of weeks ago now. We still have a number of important feast days coming up:
+ Saturday, October 5th is the Feast of St. Faustina Kowalska a special intercessor for us in our parish, especially since we were able to bring a 1st class relic back from the Motherhouse of her sisters outside of Krakow, Poland this past fall. Her relic will be present for veneration at Holy Cross at both the 8:00am morning Mass and the 4:30pm afternoon vigil Mass which will be followed by the Adoration Community Potluck supper in Kolbe Hall.
+ Wednesday, October 16th is the Feast of St. Hedwig of Silesa. She is a heavenly intercessor who lived a full life as a wife, mother and widow. The second part of her life was with her daughter who was the abbess of a Cistercian community. We are blessed to have her 1st class relic which will be venerated at our daily Masses that day, including a special 10:00am Feast Day Mass at St. Hedwig, and Masses at Holy Cross at 6:45am and 6:00pm.
+ Tuesday, October 22nd is the Feast of St. John Paul II who is patron of our regional Catholic school. In addition to Mass at 6:45am at Holy Cross and 10:00am at St. Hedwig that day, we will also host a festive Polish Cultural Celebration beginning at 6:00pm in Kolbe Hall which will include the first lecture in a three-part series by Dr. Kenneth Kemp. I am excited for the opportunity to gather for good Polish food, live music and fellowship as well as to reflect on Poland’s legacy in history as a Defender of Europe. If you’ve ever wondered why so many in our parish are convinced of the special place of Poland in world and Church history, come and learn more. St. John Paul II, a beloved son of the Polish nation, was deeply aware of this.
+ Friday, November 1st is the Solemnity of All Saints, a Holy Day of Obligation. Numerous Masses will be offered to make sure no one misses out on celebrating the ‘Feast Day of Heaven’. It is not too early to mark your calendars.
+ Saturday, November 23rd is the Feast of St. Clement of Rome. We will host a special sung Mass at St. Clement at 10:30am with a social to follow in the hall to mark his feast which will also include the veneration of a 1st class relic of the early Pope and martyr. That weekend is also the great culminating celebration of the entire church year, the Solemnity of Christ the King. He is truly the King of hearts, the King of this beloved neighborhood and the King of All Saints!
Come, let us draw close to the Saints!
-Fr. Howe