Little Things Can Mean A Lot
There are things about Holy Mass that a lot of people lose sight of over time. There are times a person perhaps never even knew some things about Mass after a lifetime of attendance. Here are a few tidbits for you to ponder.
¨ Did you know that every Catholic is required to fast for at least an hour prior to Mass/communion? Unless you have something medical (low blood sugar or the like) only water and medicine are otherwise permissible. What about cough drops? Are they medically NEEDED to prevent coughing of course would qualify? Coffee? only if you are skipping communion. Not too long ago, historically speaking, the fast used to be from twelve midnight the night before.
¨ Did you know that once the Eucharistic Prayer has begun, the priest has to continue no matter what happens? If there is an emergency in the Church, the priest and the Mass are to continue. You would be surprised things that have happened and we needed to continue.
¨ There is a maximum to the number of Masses a priest may celebrate in a day, by Canon Law. There are multiple reasons for this, but a priest is only to do one ordinary single Mass on a weekday but an extra can done for "pastoral necessity" (ie. Funeral or retirement home or VERY special occasion.) For a Sunday/holy day up to one Mass and one extra for pastoral necessity.
A person may request to be dispensed from their obligation to Holy Mass by their pastor, for a particular important and rare occasion. (Ie. We want to go on a cruise for our 25th anniversary. Or something on that level.)
Praise be Christ Jesus now and forever.
Rev. M. David Dawson
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Get Those Sacraments
Have you or anyone in your household just not gotten around to having a first communion or your confirmation? We are starting up now for people to get them completed in the Spring of this year.
Meetings will start soon. I am waiting until I hear from everyone who is interested before picking a date. I want the timing to work for as many people as possible.
Praise be Christ Jesus now and forever.
Rev. M. David Dawson
Call the office today: 860-747-6825
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ADULT CONFIRMATION CLASSES
We are getting ready to begin classes for adult confirmation in
January 2025. This is for people who have been baptized and had first
communion. I want to know the days/times that work best for some classes for those who are interested so we can accommodate the greatest
number of people. Please provide your contact
information by calling our office at 860-747-6825.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BECOME CATHOLIC
Similarly for those who would like to become Catholic or are just interested in learning more about Catholicism, please let our office know. You are NOT making a commitment but exploring. It would probably be best for us to have an in person conversation sometime. It can be after our office hours if needed to accommodate your schedule. We need to start soon because any who do opt to become Catholic it would need to be at the Great Easter Vigil Mass.
PRAISE BE CHRIST JESUS NOW AND FOREVER
REV. M. DAVID DAWSON
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2025 - Jubilee Year In The Church
2025 has been declared a Jubilee year in the Church. This usually happens every 25 years. These go back to the time of the Old Testament. It is meant to be a time of celebration and remembrance. It starts the first day of Advent. The archdiocese of Hartford and the Vatican have not yet stipulated how this will come impact the diocesan or parish level yet.
Here is a definition from Catholic Encyclopedia:
For the Israelites (see HEBREW YEAR OF JUBILEE), the year of Jubilee was in any case preeminently a time of joy, the year of remission or universal pardon. "Thou shalt sanctify the fiftieth year," we read in Leviticus 25:10, "and shalt proclaim remission to all the inhabitants of thy land: for it is the year of jubilee."
Every seventh year, like every seventh day, was always accounted holy and set aside for rest, but the year which followed seven complete cycles was to be kept as a sabbatical year of special solemnity. The Talmudists and others afterwards disputed whether the Jubilee Year was the forty-ninth or the fiftieth year, the difficulty being that in the latter case two sabbatical years must have been observed in succession.
Further, there are historical data which seem to show that in the age of the Maccabees the Jubilee of the fiftieth year could not have been kept, for 164-163 B.C. and 38-37 B.C. were both certainly sabbatical years, which they could not have been if two sabbatical years had been intercalated in the interval. However, the text of Leviticus (25:8-55) leaves no room for ambiguity that the fiftieth year was intended, and the institution evidently bore a close analogy with the feast of Pentecost, which was the closing day after seven weeks of harvest.
In any case it is certain that the Jubilee period, as it was generally understood and adopted afterwards in the Christian Church, meant fifty and not forty-nine years; but at the same time the number fifty was not originally arrived at because it represented half a century, but because it was the number that followed seven cycles of seven.
Praise be Christ Jesus now and forever
Rev. M. David Dawson
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******** Inclement Weather ********
Whether you love it or loathe it, it is a fact. This always leads to questions like: “If there is bad weather do I still need to go to Mass?” That is a fair question. Here are some things to consider when reaching a decision. Can I confidently get to Mass and back home safely? Would I be willing to go to the Superbowl or anywhere else in this weather? Christ is more important than even Superbowl tickets! With my health is it prudent to go to Mass in these conditions? A related question: Will there still be Mass when there is bad weather? I live across the street from the Church. By God’s holy grace I do not have another church to get to, so its pretty easy for me to be here. If the weather were so very bad, that I cannot get there, you probably should not be considering it.
Attached is the kids' bulletin for the week of August 25, 2024. Please print it and share with your children and grandchildren. Enjoy!
Click on this link to open: Kids' Bulletin
*A printed copy will be available at all Masses.*
Find out how much Jesus loves us when we go to Mass and receive the Eucharist in this inspiring video!
We, the people of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Plainville, Connecticut are committed to journey together as a community of faith, hope, and love within the Catholic tradition. We are called to witness to the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives through sharing and celebration of faith and a life of Christian Service.
Dear Padre,
My neighbor is a fundamentalist Christian. He said I won't be "saved" unless I accept Jesus as my personal savior. Didn't Jesus become my savior when I was baptized?
Your neighbor is probably referring to John 3:7, when Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born anew." Jesus is talking about a spiritual rebirth; we must have a spiritual birth in order to be saved.
As you have correctly noted, Catholics believe this happens at baptism. In John 3:5, Jesus says, "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit."
We are saved by the waters of baptism. But for Catholics, it's not merely a one-time event. We continue to accept or reject the salvation offered us by the decisions we make every day.
Your neighbor used the words "personal savior." Catholic Christians go even deeper through the sacraments. We develop and nurture a very personal relationship with Jesus by regularly receiving the Eucharist. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we admit we have sinned and ask Jesus to forgive us. And in the Sacrament of Confirmation, our relationship is "sealed" with the gifts of the Spirit.
Many Catholics also celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage. The couple's personal relationship with Jesus is deepened through the love the couple shares.
So tell your neighbor you are indeed saved by Jesus. And because you are saved, you deepen that relationship with Jesus by living a sacramental life.
Fr. Patrick Keyes, CSSR
Weekend Masses
Sunday
8:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
Liturgy of the Word for Children is celebrated at the 10:30 a.m. Mass
Weekday MassesMonday 6:00 p.m. starting 10/14/24.
Tuesday- Saturday
8:00 a.m.
Wednesday
NO Mass
Friday: 8:30 a.m. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament followed by Adoration & Benediction
************************* CONFESSIONS
Confessions are celebrated each week at 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays
For an Examination of Conscience go here.
The Office is Located at:
19 South Canal Street,
Plainville, CT 06062
Office Hours are
Monday - Thursday:
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., afternoons by appointment only
Phone: 860-747-6825
Fax: 860-747-5407
Email: Administration@olmct.org