Dear St. Rose family,
It is good to be back with you! I had a prayerful and restorative retreat. I hope that you, too, were able to find time for prayer this past week. Did you find the Discernment Examen that I sent before I left helpful?
There are so many different ways to pray. Even if the Examen is not right for you, I encourage you to find a style of prayer that works for you. The goal is not to pray the same way everyone else prays—it is to find your path to Jesus. As St. Teresa of Avila taught us, "Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God." Make time for a loving conversation with Jesus in your day.
During the first week of May, Archbishop Sample is calling all priests in the Archdiocese to a special convocation. He is asking all of you to pray the Surrender Novena to give priests the strength to truly take this time to be with the Lord and let him inspire us with his Holy Spirit. Consider praying this novena as a way to begin or strengthen a culture of prayer in your life and with your family. You might be surprised at how much more you see Jesus showing up in your life when you call out to Him.
God bless you all,
Fr. Matt
STATEMENT OF U.S. BISHOP CHAIRMEN ON VERDICT OF DEREK CHAUVIN
APRIL 20, 2021—Following the verdict in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota today, Bishop Shelton J. Fabre of Houma-Thibodaux, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, and Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development issued a statement. The bishops' full statement follows:
"Today, a jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of the murder of George Floyd. As we receive this result, we recall that God is the source of all justice, love, and mercy. The death of George Floyd highlighted and amplified the deep need to see the sacredness in all people, but especially those who have been historically oppressed. Whatever the stage of human life, it not only matters, it is sacred." READ MORE...
CONFIRMATION
On Saturday, April 17, Archbishop Sample confirmed 11 of our young people, pictured here. We were blessed to also host St. Charles, St. Rita, Holy Redeemer and their confirmandi for this most holy sacrament.
Please keep all of these youth in your prayers and congratulate them when you see them. Special thanks to our catechists for coordinating this year’s confirmation preparation program. If you would like to learn more about becoming a catechist, please email youthministry@strosepdx.org.
Heartfelt thanks to parishioner Thang Tran for volunteering and taking these stunning photos.
It is never too late to Stand Up for St Rose! Click here to donate now.
ST. ROSE SCHOOL FUNDRAISER—SUCCESS!
The support was overwhelming for St. Rose School's first virtual fundraising event, Stand Up for St. Rose! The community embraced the new environment and raised dollars to advance the technology initiative at the school. As a result, the school will be able to purchase new technology for the students and staff. In addition, the staff will receive training to continue providing the wonderful education our students deserve.
If you missed it, you can catch the replay here: www.standupforstrose.com
21-DAY CATHOLIC ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CHALLENGE
In his encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis invites all people to act on behalf of creation. This call to action is grounded in the principle of integral ecology—the idea that environmental, social, political and economic systems are interwoven—and sustained by a sense of wonder before the interconnected nature of all life. A group of Catholic organizations have collaborated on a 21-day email campaign that will provide daily resources to learn, pray, and act on a variety of environmental justice issues on a local, national and global scale. The challenge runs from April 23-May 16 and you can learn more here.
SVdP FOOD PANTRY INFO
Want to donate food? Specific needs this week include pasta sauce, hot dogs, and mac & cheese. Collection bins are in the small parking lot weekly at these times:
- Tuesdays, 1-2:30pm
- Wednesdays, 10:00-12:00pm
- Fridays, 8:00-10am
Need help? If you need food, rent, or utilities assistance, please call the Portland Council Emergency Services clearinghouse (503-235-8431) to get to our SVdP.
Have time to volunteer? If you are able to volunteer please contact Karen Pinder directly.
RENT/MORTGAGE RELIEF AVAILABLE
Thanks to very generous donations within our community, we have a COVID-19 Relief Fund to help parishioners severely impacted by the pandemic and resulting economic conditions. Please complete this form to apply for assistance. Contact the parish office (503.281.5318) with any questions.
MASS SIGNUP DISCONTINUED
Beginning in May we will no longer be using SignUp Genius to sign up for Mass. We will continue maintaining the 6’ physical distancing, wearing masks and sanitizing surfaces. We have multiple satellite locations on weekends to accommodate those wanting to attend Mass. Please continue entering the church at the ramp/double door entry point. Our greeters will assist with seating in the church and then the satellites, if needed.
PARKING LOT ADORATION—On Hold
Effective immediately, we are pausing Parking Lot Adoration on Friday nights.
With longer, brighter evenings upon us, it is becoming more challenging to see Jesus in the second floor window without the contrast of the night sky. Recreational activity in the parking lot is going later into the evening as summer draws near as well, making it difficult to maintain a reverent setting.
In the fall, we will reassess to see if there is still a need and enough interest to reintroduce Parking Lot Adoration. Our great hope is that indoor Adoration will replace it as we work our way out of the pandemic.
SURRENDER NOVENA—April 25-May 3
On May 4-7 the priests of the Archdiocese will be attending a special convocation in which Archbishop Sample will lay out his plans for the coming years regarding the evangelization of Western Oregon. Archbishop Sample is asking the faithful of the Archdiocese to pray the Surrender Novena in the nine days leading up to the convocation to ask the Lord to grant success to these efforts. Please join in this effort and begin the Novena starting this weekend on the fourth Sunday of Easter.
NO DAILY MASS—May 5-7
Due to the convocation mentioned above, Fr. Matt (and nearly every priest in the Archdiocese!) will be unavailable, so there will be no daily Masses on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday that week.
CELEBRATE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS—April 25
This Sunday, the Holy Father has asked all Catholics to intercede for vocations. Consider making a special effort to ask the Lord for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life:
- Pray for the priests who have ministered to you throughout your life.
- Keep our parish priests and deacons in prayer throughout the week.
- Encourage youth in your life to consider a religious vocation.
- Pray a rosary for more young men and women to respond to God’s call.
ST. PEREGRINE FEAST DAY CELEBRATION
On May 2 and in celebration of St. Peregrine's Feast Day there will be a first class relic available for veneration at St. Irene Byzantine Catholic Church in Portland. See this flyer for more information.
ST. ROSE SUNDAY ENCOUNTER
Livestream weekend Mass continues at 5:30pm on Saturdays as well as 8:30am and 10:30am on Sundays. If you can't join us in person, watch Mass livestreams with us in real time either on Facebook (@strosepdxchurch) or on YouTube (St. Rose of Lima Parish, Portland, OR).
Sign up for your free FORMED subscription:
- Go to formed.org and click "Sign Up"
- Select "Sign Up as a Parishioner"
- Search for our parish by name or enter our access code: NW34T3
- Enter your email and create a password (you’ll need this to login later)
- Start accessing all the inspiring content you want on FORMED!
“You must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God's children—which is what we are!”
— First John 3:1