ST. BERNADETTE NEWS...
ADORATION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST
EVERY FRIDAY
FOLLOWING THE 8 A.M. MASS - 12:30 P.M.
ALL ARE WELCOME.
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St. Kateri Tekakwitha
St. Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Native American to be recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church. She was born in 1656, in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon.
Congratulations to all the Wellspring artists who made submissions to our first ever art competition in honor of St. Bernadette! We had 20 entries from students in Kindergarten to 4th grade.
All were beautiful, original representations of the Virgin Mary, her appearance to St. Bernadette at Lourdes, and her love for us as our Mother and through the Rosary.
We are also extremely grateful to the donors who provided high quality art materials which inspired the students and equipped them to create these beautiful pieces.
THE WINNERS ARE:
Jazlyn de la Cruz and Alexa Estrada--3rd Place
Orlando Santillana, Bianca Hernandez (tie!)--2nd Place
Izel Cordero and Evany Gutierrez--1st Place
Thank you to all who participated by voting, creating art, and contributing time and materials. You can view the winning pieces in the school lobby until May 19. You can view all submissions by clicking the link to this album. Praise God for the artistic gifts he has given our students to share with our community!
REVIVAL CORNER
According to the 19th-century biography The Life and Times of Kateri Tekakwitha, she eagerly awaited the day of her First Communion.
[Kateri] participated for the first time in her life in the Holy Eucharist with a degree of fervor proportioned to the reverence she had for this grace and the earnestness with which she had desired to obtain it.
She received her First Communion on Christmas Day, and after that she took advantage of every opportunity to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Her religious example was an inspiration to many and they wanted to be near her when she received communion.
Whenever there was a general communion among the Indians at the Sault the most virtuous neophytes endeavored with emulation to be near her because said they the sight alone of Kateri served them as an excellent preparation for communing worthily.
The Jesuit priest who ministered to her wrote down the love and devotion she had for the Eucharist. Kateri had great and special devotion both for the Passion of our Savior and for the Holy Eucharist. These two mysteries of the love of the same God concealed under the veil of the Eucharist and His dying on the cross ceaselessly occupied her spirit and kindled in her heart the purest flames of love. One day after having received the Holy Communion, she made a perpetual oblation or solemn offering of her body to Jesus attached to the cross and of her soul to Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Her devotion to the Eucharist remains an inspiration and shows to us how the mystery of the Eucharist can radically transform our lives.
Aletia.org
LIVE FOR JESUS
A budding actress leaves her career and the open doors to fame behind to give her life to God. Some might see this as a total failure. But was it? Those who knew Sr. Clare speak in this film. After her tragic death in the 2016 earthquake in Ecuador, the failure might be seen as having reached its devastating end. Yet, many think that the story doesn't end there. Thanks to the Servant Sisters' archives with over 15 years of photos and videos of Sr. Clare's life, HM Television presents this documentary to show you the real-life story of this Sister who gave her ALL to God, keeping NOTHING back.
THIS Weekend at St. Bernadette
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The book by Father John Riccardo “Rescued”, includes a true story from Mel Gibson’s movie, Hacksaw Ridge, that describes a brave soldier’s journey as a devout Christian of faith, Private First Class, Desmond Doss, from his experiences as a medic in World War II. He was willing to sacrifice everything, including his life like Jesus, simply to help others that needed him. The book discusses hope, truth, and redemption. Or perhaps another story of a nurse in World War II, in Anzio Germany, Army Lieutenant “Speedy” Rourke, who willingly moved injured soldiers from a bombed hospital under heavy fire and casualties including her senior officer. Again, willing to sacrifice everything, including his life like Jesus, simply to help others that needed her. In this Easter season these are values we should all be focusing on.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Some that are not the shepherd when they see the wolf coming run away and the wolf catches and scatters them. Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; I will lay down my life for the sheep (Jn 10: 11-18).
In our own lives are we willing to lay down our lives for others? While this may not be with our own lives as a soldier does to protect friends or the innocent. It may be more like going to the state capital to speak to our legislators about why they should consider other ramifications of the decisions they make. Or perhaps it is going to a school board meeting to remind others of the importance of having God as part of a child’s educational curriculum. It might be a visit to a local city council meeting where decisions do not consider the lost sheep, those that need the most support from community assistance.
Private Frist Class Desmond Doss was credited with saving at least 75 souls from the “wolf” and received the Medal of Honor. Lieutenant Rourke saved countless souls from certain death from constant aerial bombardment and received the Silver Star for bravery. Their strong faith helped save others.
In our lives, Jesus serves as the model shepherd in laying His life down for all humanity. He laid His life down on His own. Not that He was told to do so or to serve others. Jesus did this solely for the love of each one of us. The Father loves each of us for serving others. For guiding our children toward God. For serving our employees and team members at work. And for some of us, risking or giving up our lives simply to help a brother or sister in need.
In Christ,
Deacon Patrick
4th Sunday of Easter | April 21, 2024
HAPPY EASTERTIDE!
- THANK YOU!
- Coloring page
- Archbishop's Catholic Appeal
- More on Formed.org
copies of this note will be in the bulletin slots on Sunday.
Pope from June 27, 678 - January 10, 681 A.D.
Died: January 10, 681 A.D.
Pronounced: EGG-uh-thoe
Give me the scoop on Agatho.
A Sicilian by birth, Agatho was a Benedictine monk prior to being pope. He was gifted in business, and as a result served as the Church’s treasurer for a time. Having been born sometime before the year 600, Agatho was advanced in years (some even say he was over 100 years old) by the time of his election on June 27, 678.
Agatho was known as a kindly man with a heart for charity. He helped resolve a kerfuffle in England when the archbishop of York, St. Wilfrid, had his diocese split into three parts by St. Theodore, the archbishop of Canterbury and head honcho of the English Church. Keeping true to the Church’s principle of subsidiarity, Agatho made sure not to go over Theodore’s head, but was eventually able to make Wilfrid happy. Agatho died in Rome on January 10, 681. He’s recognized as a saint in both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches.
What was he known for?
St. Agatho’s greatest accomplishment was, by far, organizing and convening what became the Sixth Ecumenical Council of the Church, held at Constantinople in the year 680. Just prior to Pope Donus’ death, the emperor had sent the pope a letter seeking reunion between the East and West on the heresy of Monothelitism, which held that Christ had just one will, not two. Agatho was, apparently, himself pretty jacked about the idea of a new ecumenical council.
Though the council itself was summoned in 678, Agatho delayed its start to write the other Western bishops, asking them to convene regional councils and consider their positions regarding the heresy. Once Agatho heard back, he composed a profession of faith that spoke for the Church in the West, then sent three representatives to Constantinople to preside over the council. The Council Fathers, over 170 bishops in total, gave Agatho’s document two thumbs way up and approved it completely. Though the pope died before the “acts of the council” could get back to Rome, the council remained the crown jewel of his papacy and cemented his reputation as a good and holy pope. If you’ve got a full cup of coffee and 15 minutes to spare, you can read Agatho’s letter to the emperor here.
"Woe is me if I neglect to preach the truth of my Lord, which [past popes] have sincerely preached. Woe is me if I cover over with silence the truth which I am bidden to give."
- Pope St. Agatho
Fun Fact...
Many miracles were reported and attributed to St. Agatho after his death in 681. As a result, he was given by many the nickname Thaumaturgus, or “Wonderworker.”
What else was going on in the world at the time?
In 679, Emperor Constantine IV signed a peace treaty with Muawiyah I, leader of the Islamic army. The treaty was to last 30 years and stipulated that Muawiyah pay annually 3,000 pounds of gold, 50 horses, and 50 slaves, in addition to removing Muslim garrisons on the Byzantine coast.
Still to come....Pope St. Leo II