The Presentation of the Lord – February 2, 2020

 I.   Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is rooted in every day life. In faithful observance of the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph present Jesus in the temple to consecrate him to the Lord. There they meet the faithful Simeon and the prophetess Anna, for whom “temple worship” was part of every day life. Simeon’s song announcing that he has seen God’s salvation in the child Jesus, and the actions of the prophetess, Anna, giving thanks to God and testifying about the child to those who awaited Jerusalem’s redemption, form the heart of today’s Gospel. Can you find the stained glass window in our church depicting this Fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary?

II.  Blessing of Candles will take place at all the weekend Masses. The candle, an important sacramental in our Church tradition, signifies Jesus being The Light of the World, driving (cf Matthew 5:14-16, John 8:12, 1 John 1:5) out darkness, lightening up our way, pouring out/giving up his life for us.

III. TV Monitor and Speaker have been installed in our church vestibule to assist parents with an “inspirited” child!  Actually, the cry of a baby is the sound of new life and growth in our community, and is “music to my ears”! We are blessed with many young families at the Cathedral, and wish to support these young growing families. I applaud parents’ “sixth sense” in knowing when their child needs to “step away” from the Mass for the good of the community.

         Some parents have requested childcare. We have Safe Environment certified and trained adults who provide care for our children during the Sunday 9:00am Mass.  Our childcare is located in the Cathedral Preschool (the building next-door at the back of the McRaith Center). Ask a hospitality minister.

IV.  Arts at the Cathedral: the original purpose of a cathedral was to draw people to God through the sacred Liturgy (Sacraments, Prayer, Liturgy of the Hours, etc.), and sacred Music and Art.  “Beauty is truth, and Truth is beauty,” John Keats reminds us in his poem, “Ode To A Grecian Urn.”  Art, created with imagination and skill, lifts the heart and mind to God. We have created an Arts at the Cathedral Fund to sponsor concerts (e.g. the Owensboro Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Kentucky Wesleyan Singers, Kentucky Youth Chorale, etc.) and the like. If you are interested, you have an envelope in your February tithing packet, or you can contribute on our webpage, https://ststephencathedral.org, through WeShare, or contact the parish office, 270/683-6525, to speak with James Wells.

V.  Blessings of Throats will be offered after all the Masses on Monday, February 3, the Feast of Saint Blaise.  As our throats are blessed, we pray that we be spared from all illnesses of the throat, as well as words that detract, diminish, deflate, tear down, divide, including calumny, detraction, and all gossip and cursing. May our voices be used to build up and glorify God!

VI.  Cathedral Pre-School Registration for Saint Stephen Cathedral parishioners and currently enrolled families begins February 3, 2020. Registration will be open to the public on February 10th. Over 95% of our families with children in our preschool hear about it by word-of-mouth. Spread the good news! In case you didn’t know, the Preschool now has after school care for enrolled kiddos! Pricing can be obtained from the Preschool. Thanks for your support!

VII. FORMED.org is free and it’s easy to register! WE RENEWED OUR SUBSCRIPTION for YOU! There’s no code required to register now. You can access it by clicking on the “logo” on our home page on our website or type in http://www.ststephencathedral.formed.org to sign up for access. This is an inspiring, excellent Catholic resources including audio talks, e-books, movies, and video-based studies. Our parish has invested in FORMED to offer everyone in our parish free access to a plethora of varied resources.