Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This means that we are forty days from Christmas and have reached the midpoint of winter. Many ancient cultures have observed this day in particular ways as they noticed that the transit of the sun through the sky quickens and days get longer more quickly. This is a reason for the celebration of Groundhog Day today.
This weekend we bless the candles used in church for the coming year. It is because of the newly blessed candles that we use them for the St. Blaise blessing of the throats. The candles are not actually necessary for the blessing, but it is a powerful symbol. We will bless throats after all of the Masses this weekend. The students in the school will receive the blessing on Monday, the memorial of St. Blaise.
February 11th is the World Day of the Sick. We will offer Mass at 1:00 pm where those who are chronically ill, elderly, undergoing serious medical procedures, or preparing for such, may receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of theSick.
Please check the bulletin for information about the various events surrounding the World Day of Marriage -- the weekend of February 8th-9th. There is also a Couples Night Out on February 22nd. Please check the bulletin for details.
We had a very positive and enriching celebration of Catholic Schools Week here. We are grateful to Megan Gallagher, Lori McCahill, and Lori Ulrich, who put together a great list of speakers and planned out fun activities and educational events for the students and faculty.
We were very pleased with the interest in the school at Open House, and there is another one planned for February 14th during the school day. Please make contact with the school if interested.
The weather is getting better and February means Spring is getting ever-closer!