January 19, 2023
A MESSAGE FROM FATHER ANTHONY WROBLEWSKI
“Could you not keep watch with me one hour?” – Jesus Christ
“When we contemplate Him present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, Christ draws near to us and becomes more intimate to us than we are to ourselves. Remaining in silence be- fore the Blessed Sacrament, it is Christ totally and really present whom we discover, whom we adore and with whom we are content.” - Pope Saint John Paul II
There are few ways to encounter Jesus Christ more powerfully and to hear His invitation to come and follow Him as His disciple than time before the Blessed Sacrament; for Jesus is truly present in a unique way in the Eucharist. Just as we love to waste time with those we love, so Jesus loves to waste time with us.
This weekend, on Sunday afternoon, the Holy Innocents Chapel, located at St. Mary Star of the Sea, will be opening once again! We are opening with many new and veteran adorers. The Chapel began as a way to honor the 100th Anniversary of the Diocese of Duluth. It was also a way to concretely pray for all those babies lost to the scourge of abortion. At no time more than now have we needed this place of prayer, as that scourge seems to be growing in this state of ours. So how timely is it that after Covid, and lockdowns, and now a state government seeming to want abortion on demand for anyone and for any reason, we can come together to pray for a transformation of hearts to life!
The Chapel of the Holy Innocents was begun as a Perpetual Adoration Chapel, where Our Lord is exposed in the Blessed Sacrament so that all may praise, worship, and adore Him at any time, any day. During the years, for many reasons, hours have been cut from the schedule. It is now our hope to bring it back some day to perpetual adoration. But we will take it step by step. For now, it will be continuously open from Sunday evening to Thursday evening, day and night. So many graces flow to those who spend time before Christ in Eucharistic Adoration. If you haven’t yet signed up, I hope you will prayerfully consider committing to one hour per week. Many hours need a prayer partner as we strive to have two committed Adorers per hour.
To sign up for an hour of adoration visit adorationpro.org/starduluth or call the St. Mary Star of the Sea office at 218-722-3078. Invite your family and friends to participate. Let’s make this Chapel truly a place of intense prayer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
In Christ & Mary Immaculate,
Father Tony
CATHOLIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION MEETING- JANUARY 29
The St. Raphael’s Guild of the Catholic Medical Association will hold its next meeting Sunday, January 29 in the Cathedral Social Hall. A rosary will be prayed beginning at 5 PM, followed by dinner and a talk. This month’s presenter will be Professor Kevin Vaughan who will be speaking on “Gluttony: Filling the Void with Nothing.” Dinner cost is $15, students eat free. RSVP and see more details at duluthcathmed.org. All medical professionals are invited.
HOLY INNOCENTS ADORATION CHAPEL- RE-OPENING SUNDAY, JANUARY 22!
The Holy Innocents Adoration Chapel is re-opening this Sunday, January 22. The chapel, located at St. Mary Star of the Sea in downtown Duluth, will be open continuously from Sundays at 5 PM to Thursdays at 9 PM. Thank you to everyone who has signed up as a permanent adorer or as a substitute adorer.
We continue to look for adorers and the goal is to have at least two adorers per time slot. All are encouraged to reach out to friends or family members to share an hour with. To sign up as a regular adorer or a substitute, visit adorationpro.org/starduluth or call the Star of the Sea office at 218-722-3078.
PILGRIM ICON OF ST. JOSEPH- NOW THROUGH JANUARY 24
Flowing from the Year of St. Joseph declared by Pope Francis, and inspired by his apostolic letter Patris Corde, comes the Knights of Columbus’ Pilgrim Icon Program in honor of St. Joseph.
The Pilgrim Icon of St. Joseph, normally housed at St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal (Canada’s preeminent Shrine to St. Joseph) will be on display at the Cathedral of Our Lady through January 24th. This is a great opportunity for parishioners to give reverence to St. Joseph and prayerfully ask him to help us imitate his quiet strength, integrity and fidelity.
We invite all to attend and pay homage to St. Joseph.
EAST DULUTH CATHOLIC FAITH FORMATION
We all experience interruptions in our daily lives. Today’s Gospel tells us about how Jesus’ first disciples responded when Jesus interrupted their daily routine and called them to a new life. When Jesus asked Peter, Andrew, James and John to leave their fishing trade and follow him, they left their boats and immediately went with him.
We all experience interruptions in our daily lives and the feeling of being pulled in so many different directions. Today’s Gospel also invites us to consider how we might respond to God’s call in our own lives. Would we drop everything like the disciples did, would we pretend like we didn’t hear him, or would we be able to hear him at all?
It is not always easy to walk away from the things we want to do, in order to do what Jesus wants us to do. Jesus calls each and every one of us to follow him. In order to be able to respond generously to His invitation, it is important to be committed to making him our life’s priority. Sometimes prioritizing can be difficult, but when we learn how much Jesus loves us, we will want nothing more than to be close to him.
Take time this week to reflect on the example of the first disciples who dropped everything to follow Jesus. Let us pray together that we will respond as quickly as they did when Jesus calls us to follow him.
Faith Formation continues this week with classes as normal.
-Sonya Morris, Director & K-5 Coordinator
LITURGICAL MINISTERS & GIFT BEARERS
The sign up for Masses in January and February is available below.
If you are interested in becoming a Liturgical Minister, please contact Greg at greg.jung@duluthcatholic.org
STELLA MARIS ACADEMY
SMA will be hosting a special open house for prospective families of 7th - 10th grade students! Join us on Thursday, 02/09, from 2:30 - 5:30pm, with your teen to learn about daily life at our newly renovated campus. Take a tour of the classroom space, common areas, meet our teachers/staff and learn about our exceptional programming and extra curricular activities. This campus will house our 7th - 10th grade for the coming school year and is located at 4321 Allendale Ave. in the Woodland neighborhood of Duluth. For more information visit www.stellamaris.academy/open-houses
SMA is currently seeking to fill both maintenance and long-term substitute positions. For more information please visit www.stellamaris.academy/employment
RESTORED RETREAT
All adults 21 and older are invited to come to a retreat weekend! Come enjoy good food and lodging, thought provoking content, engaging conversation and fellowship, time for reflection and prayer, and free time to enjoy the resort. Come be restored in both body and soul. The Restored retreat is taking place February 24 - 26, 2023 at Breezy Point Resort. This is a great opportunity for you, especially if you have never been on a retreat, or it could be a special gift for a loved one. More info & registration are available at www.dioceseduluth.org/Restored.
