Pages

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Newsletter from the Oratory


SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES ORATORY
EMAIL NEWSLETTER

2653 Ohio Avenue
Saint Louis, Missouri 63118
www.institute-christ-king.org
www.TraditionForTomorrow.com
314-771-3100
October 06, 2011


VISIT OF ARCHBISHOP CARLSON - CHRIST THE KING STATUE
MSGR. CALKINS' PRESENTATION - SEMINARY SOCIETY BREAKFAST
ORATORY COMMUNITY - INSTITUTE'S CHAPTER
 BOYS’ CHOIR - CAN YOU GUESS?

Dear Faithful and Friends of St. Francis de Sales Oratory,


VISIT OF HIS GRACE, ARCHBISHOP ROBERT J. CARLSON


His Grace, Archbishop Robert J. Carlson

This Sunday, October 9, the 10:00 AM Mass will be made all the more special by the visit of His Grace, Archbishop Robert J. Carlson to the Oratory. In proportion to the dignity of the occasion, the Archbishop’s entrance into the Oratory for the liturgy will be marked with traditional ceremony which will lift up and gladden our hearts. For example, the sprinkling of holy water and incensing that you will see and the special chanted prayers that you will hear are indications of the weight and the abundant grace which come with the Episcopal blessings from a successor of the apostles.

In addition, the Archbishop will preach at the Mass, imparting to us the wisdom and fatherly care as our appointed shepherd. Following Mass, Archbishop Carlson will be on hand to visit with the staff and the faithful at the reception in the Oratory hall.

The visit and presence of our bishop among us is a great blessing and a source of strength and joy for the Oratory community. Please come greet and welcome Archbishop Carlson this Sunday.


CHRIST THE KING STATUE


Newly restored statue of Christ the King

The Feast of Christ the King was instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI to remind us of the kingship of Christ and His sovereignty over all human affairs. In anticipation of this feast, which is also the major patronal feast of the Institute, the Oratory’s weathered statue of Christ the King has been restored and moved to a new prominent location near the main entrance of the Rectory.

The restoration, which awaits the final addition of a plaque bearing the Institute name, took place in several stages over the past month. With the help of several parishioners, the statue was moved into the rectory where it received a newly sculpted pair of fingers that had been missing. It was then primed and repainted white, with golden accents added on its crown, globe and the five crosses of the stole - the symbols of royalty, sovereign kingship and the eternal priesthood of Christ. With all elements in place, the statue was hoisted onto its pedestal atop a new foundation which was recently prepared. Thanks to generous donors, a lovely new garden setting was created at this new location by many man-hours of labor and planting of new shrubs. Christ the King now graces the front entrance to the rectory and church building and is visible from the intersection of Ohio and Gravois.

The newly restored statue serves as an outward sign of our Catholic identity as well as a symbol of the vitality which God continues to bestow upon the Oratory of Saint Francis de Sales.


PRESENTATION BY MSGR. ARTHUR CALKINS, “MARY’S PRESENCE IN THE MASS,”


Msgr. Arthur Calkins

Msgr. Arthur Calkins, an eminent authority on Marian doctrines, will come to the Oratory again onSaturday, October 29 at 11:00 AM, to give us another presentation on our Blessed Mother. As before, Msgr. Calkins’ talk is sure to be intellectually and spiritually edifying. An abstract of the talk is as follows:

“It is highly significant that in the Eucharistic Liturgy of every rite of the Catholic Church we find an explicit commemoration of the Mother of God, often quite close to the consecration. This is a usage established in antiquity and, no doubt, the oral tradition antedates the written, with roots deriving from the era of the Apostles. This ancient practice also testifies to the sound instinct of the faithful that Mary belongs close to her Son especially at the moment when his sacrifice is being renewed on the altar.”



SEMINARY SOCIETY BREAKFAST, OCTOBER 30, FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING


Canon Apple with the First Year Seminarians

The Seminary Society Breakfast this year will have a few new features, including a fun raffle and auction. The centerpiece of the occasion will be a special video starring Canon Aaron Huberfeld and our own pre-seminary candidate, Mr. Sean Kenney. Please mark your calendars!

As we have already mentioned in the last newsletter, the Institute’s patronal feast of Christ the King is an occasion on which we focus on the center and heart of the Institute: the International Seminary at our Motherhouse in Gricigliano, where our future priests are formed. After both Masses (8AM and 10AM), the Seminary Society Breakfast and the presentations will give us an opportunity to learn about the activities and needs of the Seminary, and to adopt a seminarian to pray for in this coming year. Your generosity in supporting the Seminary is deeply and gratefully appreciated.

For more information about St. Philip Neri Seminary in Gricigliano, please click here.



ORATORY COMMUNITY


Canon Avis, Canon Wiener, and Abbe Alex with the class of 2011-2012


We are delighted to begin this new academic year by welcoming Canon William Avis as our new Vicar, and introduce to the Oratory community four new candidates in the pre-seminary program. The photo below shows Canon Wiener, Canon Avis, Abbe Alex (back) and the four new candidates of the pre-seminary program Christian, Ryan, Scott, and Joseph.


PHOTOS OF THE ANNUAL CHAPTER IN GRICIGLIANO - AUGUST 29 – SEPTEMBER 2




               



Msgr. Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei,
and the Superiors of the Institute

For more pictures of this year’s Chapter of the Institute in Gricigliano click 
here.
BOYS’ CHOIR



Boys' Choir 1942



After some decades’ absence, the angelic sound of a boys’ choir is about to return to St. Francis de Sales Oratory. A choir of Gentlemen and Boys was established when the church was built and continued to sing at Holy Mass well into the 20th century. This tradition is being rekindled by the formation of the Oratory Choir of Men and Boys which will sing for First Friday Sacred Heart Masses. Tomorrow, Friday 7, the feast of the Holy Rosary, the reconstituted boys’ choir will sing for the first time at the Solemn High Mass at 6:30PM. Please attend tomorrow’s Mass and support this endeavor with your prayers.


MYSTERY PHOTO – CAN YOU GUESS WHERE THIS IS IN THE ORATORY?
Somewhere attached to the Oratory is the object featured in this week’s mystery photo. Have you seen this in your numerous visits to the Oratory? What is it, and why was it made? Please check out this week’s photo contest on the blog of www.TraditionForTomorrow.com.


Still in the beginning of the month of October I wish to assure of my faithful prayers during the daily Rosary at 6:00PM before the Exposed Blessed Sacrament.

May the Blessed Virgin, the Immaculate Conception, protect us all and guide us safely to our heavenly home,


Canon Michael K. Wiener
Rector, St. Francis de Sales Oratory

No comments:

Post a Comment