Holy Rosary Catholic Church November 9, 2014 — Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Rev. Fr. Bryan W. Jerabek, J.C.L., Parish Administrator Fr. Jerabek may be reached at St. Barnabas Catholic Church, 205-833-0334

Sunday Mass – 8:30am

Wednesday Mass – 8:00am

Rosary – Before all Masses

Confession – Sunday 8:00am a nd u pon r e q u es t

7414 Georgia Road

Birmingham, Alabama 35212 http://www.holyrosarybirmingham.com

holyrosarybirmingham@gmail.com

205-595-0652

Mailing – P.O. Box 321576 – Birmingham, AL 35232

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica – November 9, 2014 – God is our refuge and strength.

Parish Mass Intentions

Sunday 11/9 People of the Parishes Wednesday 11/12 None requested

To request a Mass intention, please speak with Father Jerabek. Our Prayers Go Out

For those suffering for their faith – especially in Middle East.

For the sick – especially Bishop Baker, Deb, Mary (Father Tony’s sister), Michael, Faye, Liz, Mildred, Marshall, and Don.

In thanksgiving – especially LaQuita and her baby, Jordyn Christine – both are doing fine!

For safe travels – especially for Mike, who is going to his family reunion.

ATTENTION! Pray for Bishop Baker!

Please continue to pray for Bishop Baker. Following his staph infection, he was supposed to have surgery on Tuesday of this past week; however, when they were preparing him that morning, they found that his white blood cell count was too low. Therefore, they started giving him injections to bring the blood count up. Father will provide the latest updates at Sunday Mass. Please pray daily for Bishop Baker!

Scripture Readings for Next Sunday – 11/16

1st Reading: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 Responsorial: Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 2nd Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

Additional Confession Times at St. Barnabas

The Sacrament of Confession is now available at two additional times each week over at St. Barnabas. The schedule is now:

Tuesday 7:00—7:55am Saturday 12:00—12:45pm Saturday 5:00—5:45pm

NEW! Spaghetti Dinner

The Knights and Ladies of Knights of Columbus Council # 5164 at St. Barnabas Church are sponsoring a Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday, November 16, from 11:00am to 1:30pm, in the cafeteria of the parish school. Come enjoy a delicious meal of spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread, dessert, and a drink. Plates are $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. See you there!

NEW! Holy Rosary Thanksgiving Banquet

Our annual service of a delicious Thanksgiving meal to Gate City residents is in its planning stages – information will be available in next week’s bulletin! Please plan to help that day, if possible, or prepare a side dish, which you could drop off in the morning. More information next week!

Community Thanksgiving Service

Eastern Area Christian Ministries is having its annual Community Thanksgiving Service on Thursday, November 20, 7:00 pm at Huffman United Methodist Church, 711 Gene Reed Road. Everyone is invited!

NEW! Christmas Bazaar

St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Hoover is sponsoring a Christmas Bazaar on Sunday, November 23, 8:00am – 1:00pm. The day will begin with a pancake breakfast by the Knights of Columbus. The bazaar will feature a variety of vendors and sponsors with a wide range of crafts, products, and food items. Free admission! For more information contact Katie Rohan at 205-822-4480 x35 or via email at rohankatie@gmail.com. Also see http://www. facebook.com/StPetersChristmasBazaar

NEW! Pro-Life Mass

The monthly Pro-Life Mass at St. Stephen the Martyr Church at UAB will be on Saturday, November 15 at 8:00am. Father Jerabek will celebrate the Mass; at 8:45am Deacon Dan Whitaker will lead a Rosary Vigil.

REMINDER! Bowing during the Creed

Just a reminder! At any Mass in which the Creed is recited, we are to bow during the words, "and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man". This is indicated in the "rubrics" (instructions/ guidelines) of Holy Mass. By bowing at these words, we honor, with a physical gesture, the Lord's incarnation. There are two days each year when we are supposed to genuflect at those words: on May 25th (Feast of the Annunciation) and on Christmas. These physical gestures reinforce the meaning of the words that we recite and help us to reflect more profoundly upon the mystery we celebrate!

Where Is the Confessional?

Our confessional at Holy Rosary is the room to the left of the altar. Father is in there waiting for you from 8:00-8:20am every Sunday!

An old engraving depicting souls being freed from

purgatory when Holy Mass is offered for them.

Soccer Drivers Needed

Call Harri Haikala at 492-4245 if you can help. Both the Under 10 and Under 12 Teams play next Saturday: U10 vs. Fultondale and U12 vs. St. Francis Xavier. These are our last games of the Fall season! All cars must be loaded and leaving Holy Rosary by 10:30am (for U10) and 1:15pm (for U12) on Saturday, November 15. Many thanks to those who have helped so far!

GENERAL PARISH INFORMATION

Baptisms – Contact Father Jerabek, preferably during the pregnancy so as to be able to schedule the baptism soon after birth.

Weddings – Contact Father Jerabek no less than six months in advance, to begin preparations.

Anointing of the Sick – For those who begin to be in danger of death due to serious illness and/or old age. Discuss with Father Jerabek to determine if now is the right time for this sacrament; in sacramental emergencies, call Father at 833-0334 at any time, day or night.

Parish Registration – Forms near the door of the church; leave in collection basket.

Our Wonderful Catholic Faith

Spare Us, O Lord

In many of the ancient and beautiful churches in Europe there are splendid funerary monuments for dignitaries and wealthy families, who often were benefactors of those churches. These monuments – particularly those from the baroque period (17th-18th centuries) – sometimes are decorated with depictions of skeletons, skulls and crossbones, and even the angel of death. To our American sensibilities it may all seem rather morbid and excessive. But we Americans tend to be skittish about death anyhow; it’s a topic that we have been conditioned to avoid – particularly when in reference to ourselves. Nevertheless, death is a reality that we will all face, like it or not.

One of the inscriptions that is sometimes found on these great monuments is “ERAM QUOD ES, ERIS QUOD SUM” – Latin for, “I was what you are; you will be what I am”. Alas, a little knowledge of Latin brings the reality of death even closer to home! Now one not only has to see the gruesome-yet-artistic images of death, but also think about how it relates to oneself!

If death is unavoidable, let’s at least try to make the best of it. This means: praying for a happy death. But be careful: “happy” and “painless” are not synonymous! In this case, “happy” means “being in the state of grace”; i.e., “being at peace with God”.

One of the traditional prayers for a happy death is:

From a sudden and unprovided death, spare us, O Lord.

It would be good to say this prayer every day. But it needs to be understood properly. As one writer said, “A sudden death can be a blessing. [But a] sudden and unprovided death is a horrifying prospect”.

Well, what is an unprovided death? It is when we die not in the state of grace and without the assistance of the Church’s sacraments.

As I said, it would be good to say that prayer every day. But more than praying, we must also form good habits. Do you make regular use of the Sacrament of Confession, so as to stay in God’s grace and grow in it? Do you sincerely pray an Act of Contrition daily, or at least try to? Are you striving to live out your Catholic faith all seven days of the week?

Think how much effort we put into preparing ourselves for a lifelong career: we study; we train; we practice our trade; we even seek continuing education. How much more should we prepare for eternal life? Remember the words of that skeleton on the monument: “I was what you are; you will be what I am.”

May the Lord, indeed, spare us from an unprovided death. May he richly provide all that we need so that, when we die, we can spend eternity in perfect bliss with him and all the saints. But let us also take care to do our part – and our good God will reward our fidelity.

— Father Jerabek

GENERAL PARISH INFORMATION continued

Knights of Columbus – Contact Mike Geerts at 508-3070 for more information about the Cathedral of St. Paul Knights Council # 9862.

Food Pantry and Clothes Closet – Open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00am – 12:00pm for residents of the 35212 zip code; registration required.

Youth Program – Monday to Friday, 3:00 – 5:00pm. Open to students from Gate City. Tutors are available to assist with homework, then games are available on the basketball court (inside the Oratory in case of rain). Contact Coach Allen Murphy at 595-0652.

Soccer Program – 3:00 – 5:00pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Games according to schedule. Contact Harri Haikala at 492-4245 for more information.