Text Box: MARCH March 3: St. Katharine Drexel. She died March 3, 1955, at age 97, a Philadelphia heiress and foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. She established 40 foundations, including Xavier University in New Orleans, and was canonized Oct. 1, 2000, by Holy Father John Paul II. March 4: St. Casimir. A Polish prince known as the “brother and defender of the poor.” He led an austere life and is the patron of Poland and Lithuania. March 7: St. Perpetua & Felicity, martyrs. Perpetua, a noble lady, and Felicity, her slave, were martyred at Carthage in 203 under Septimus Severus. Their names are mentioned in the Roman Canon. March 8: St. John of God. A religious who died in 1550 in Granada. A shepherd, soldier, and entrepreneur before his conversion at age 42, who laid the foundation in 1537 for the Order of Hospitallers, today numbering about 1,470 religious. Patron of hospitals and the sick, of nurses and booksellers. March 9: St. Frances of Rome, religious, died in Rome in 1440. This noblewoman, wife, and mother founded a community of Benedictine women oblates committed to serving the poorest of the poor. Patroness of widows and motorists. March 17: St. Patrick, bishop, was born about 389 of Romano-British origin, perhaps in Wales. He founded the metropolitan See of Armagh and authored Confessio. The famous Lorica (Lat., “breastplate”), a work praising Christ, is attributed to him. Patron of Nigeria; apostle and patron of Ireland, he died in 461 at Down. March 18: St. Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop & doctor of the Church, a great pastor and teacher, was ordained bishop of Jerusalem in 348. He authored 18 “Catecheses” and five “Mystagogical Catecheses” devoted to the liturgy and the sacraments. He was exiled three times by the Arians and died in 386. March 19: St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin , honored on March 19 since the end of the 10th century; declared Patron of the Universal Church in 1870 by Pope Pius IX. Patron of workers and carpenters; also of Austria, Belgium, Bohemia, Canada, Mexico, Peru, and (South) Vietnam; mentioned in the Roman Canon. Today is also the patronal feast of His Holiness, Benedict XVI. It is the custom in some places today (St. Joseph’s Table) to bless bread, pastries, and other food and to give a large portion of it to the poor. March 23: Toribio de Mogrovejo, bishop born in Salamanca. As a layman, he was the chief judge of the Inquisition at Granada. As archbishop of Lima, he presided over the Third Council of Lima (1583) and established the first seminary in the New World. He sought to alleviate poverty among the native population. A contemporary of Rose of Lima and patron of Latin American bishops. He died in Toribio in 1606. March 25: THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD commemorates the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to inform her that she was to be the Mother of the Savior. After giving her consent, Mary became the mother of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, is one of the most important in the Church calendar. It celebrates the actual Incarnation of Our Savior, the Word made flesh in the womb of His mother, Mary. The biblical account of the Annunciation is in the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke, 26-56. Saint Luke describes the annunciation given by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she was to become the mother of the Incarnation of God. Here is recorded the "angelic salutation" of Gabriel to Mary, 'Hail, full of grace, the Text Box: Lord is with thee" (Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum - Lk 1:28), and Mary's response to God's will, "Let it be done to me according to thy word" (fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum, v. 38). This "angelic salutation" is the origin of the "Hail Mary" prayer of the rosary and the Angelus. The second part of the prayer comes from the words of salutation of Elizabeth to Mary at the Visitation. PRAY FOR ALL THE SICK: For all who are sick: members of our families, friends, parishioners, and especially: Fr. Joseph Fiedorowicz; Titus Ekanem; Irene Omernik; Andy & Vic Miloslavich; Martin Koch; Bro. Paul McCarthy; Jenny Maderious; Donald Braten; Nellie Lydon; Dave Van Sciver; Maria Leskiw; Fr. Theo Palis; Fr. Vladimir Kozina; Martha Tork; Lianne Claver; Rowland Sum; Emil Soljack; Margaret Olivier-Leary; Debbie Edwards; Bill Miller; Hugo da Silva; William Miller; Juan & Nancy Duenas; Theresa Dinh; Kathy Faulkner; Catherine Lindsey; Thomas Henriksson; Jose Isidro; Brent Braun; Roger Dorn; Maureen Nassiri; Victor Kish; Frank Mahoney; Jerrie Caudle; Frank Martin; Paul Valerovski; Harry Garland; Michael Jarnagin; Edward Markovits; Sister Antoinette Fong; ............ and those whose names are written in the Book of the Sick, and all sick people in the entire world. PARISH LENTEN RETREAT 2009: Please save these dates: March 26, (Thursday) - March 29, (Sunday), 2009 (by Rev. Joseph Kowalczyk M.M., Retreat Master) 03/26 Thursday: 8:00 AM & 6:00 PM - Holy Masses, followed by conferences. 03/27 Friday: 8:00 AM & 6:00 PM - Holy Masses, conferences & Stations of the Cross. 10:00 AM - Mass for Home-schooling Families, conference and Stations for children. 2:00 PM – Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; Confession 3:00 PM – The Chaplet of Divine Mercy followed by Benediction. 03/28 Saturday: 8:00 AM & 10:00 AM – Holy Masses & conferences. 12:00 Noon – Holy Mass for the Sick with Conference & Anointing of the Sick. 4:00 PM – Penitential Service with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession 5:00 PM – Vigil Mass with Conference 3/02 Sunday: 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM & 12:30 PM all Holy Masses with conferences. 5:00 PM – Bitter Lamentations: Lenten Vespers with Special Sermon 5:45 PM – Holy Mass with Conference PLEASE SHARE YOUR FOOD WITH HUNGRY PEOPLE. PLEASE TAKE HOME A “RICE BOWL” from the vestibule of the church. We will collect this money on the Palm Sunday, April 5, 2009. Fasting, Abstinence and Works of Mercy: In 1966 Pope Paul VI reorganized the Church's practice of public penance in his "Apostolic Constitution on