Low Sunday

April 23, 2017
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Weekly Announcements

Various Observations On Church (Canon) Law   As it is the pastor's duty to instruct as well as entertain, it seems opportune to examine some issues that have cropped up recently regarding the Sunday obligation, specifically as regards assisting at Mass. Can. 1247 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass. Moreover, they are to abstain from those works and affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body. Can. 1248 §1. A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass. It has been argued that the above canon does not apply to the traditional Latin Mass, since there is no such thing as a “vigil” Mass strictly speaking, hence if one were to attend a celebration of the Latin Mass on the evening before a day of obligation, one would not be fulfilling the precept. We will now show how this view is incorrect based on canonical principles. As late as the 20th century, it was not allowed for Holy Mass to begin earlier than one hour before dawn, or later than one hour after midday – the only exception was the Christmas midnight Mass. This discipline was eventually relaxed to allow for evening Masses. Still, the obligation to assist at Mass could only be fulfilled on the Sunday or holy day in question. Eventually the somewhat novel idea of the “vigil” Mass was introduced, where Mass was celebrated the previous evening in anticipation of the Sunday, and this also (by virtue of the law) fulfilled one’s Sunday obligation. Which brings us to canon 18: “Laws which establish a penalty, restrict the free exercise of rights, or contain an exception from the law are to be interpreted strictly.” Someone will point to the above and perhaps say, “Aha! This law falls in that category, and so we should interpret it strictly, very strictly, to burden as many people as possible.” However, this misinterprets the meaning of the word “strictly” in this context. We colloquially speak of “strict” parents who are quick to punish as many children as they can and feel this usage of “strict” applies to the interpretation of law as well. To quote a famous character from a film, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” In canon law, and indeed law in general, there is a principle: “favorabilia amplianda, odiosa restringenda” – benefits are to be expanded, burdens to be restricted. Any law which confers a right to do something is to be interpreted to apply to as many cases as possible without doing violence to the plain words of the law. Conversely, any law which restricts one’s freedom applies to as few cases as possible. Therefore, the plain meaning of can. 1248 §1 is that the obligation is fulfilled at a Mass celebrated “anywhere in a Catholic rite.” None would argue that the traditional Latin Mass is a Catholic rite. Would it be acting in a traditional manner to fulfill one’s obligation at a celebration of the Latin Mass on the previous evening? No. Have you fulfilled your obligation? Yes. It would be inconceivable to think otherwise.
 MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
  •  Sunday, April 23 - Low Sunday     8:00 a.m.    Bob Fiorucci†     10:00 a.m.    Pro Populo
  • Mon, April 24 - St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Martyr     7:30 a.m.    Cristina Crowell
  • Tuesday, April 25 - St. Mark, Evangelist     7:30 a.m.    Joan M Simons†
  • Wednesday, April 26 - Ss. Cletus & Marcellinus, Popes & Martyrs     6:00 p.m.    Andrzej R. Wojdelski† Anniv.
  • Thursday, April 27 - St. Peter Canisius, Doctor     7:30 a.m.    Poor Souls
  • Friday, April 28 - St. Paul of the Cross, Confessor     6:00 p.m.    Patricia Fiorucci†
  • Saturday, April 29 - St. Peter, Martyr     9:00 a.m.    Mathias M Fornefeld†
  • Sunday, April 30 - Second Sunday after Easter     8:00 a.m.     F. A. Coomes†     10:00 a.m.    Pro Populo
St Vincent de Paul Collection A special collection will be next Sunday, March 30th for the SVdP Society. This collection helps those in need in our area with their utilities and also with the our food bank. Please use the Special Collections  Envelope at the entrances if you would like to be acknowledged for your contribution. At the top of the Envelope please mark SVdP Society along with your name. Thank You! Also we want to thank all those who helped with the brown bag collection, this is a huge help in our food bank.
Potluck - April 30th Following the 10a.m. Mass on Sunday, April 30th, there will be a potluck. Please bring a dish to share. Coffee will be provided. Everyone is invited.
Envelopes: To help cut down on overhead, those contributing to the church by check are asked to please place their checks directly into the basket without an envelope.  The envelopes are more intended for use by those contributing with cash who would like to receive acknowledgement for their contributions.
New Email Addresses for Sacred Heart   Parish: office@sacredheartfw.org Pastor (Direct): pastor@sacredheartfw.org
News from the Diocese During the month of April, we celebrate national Child Abuse Prevention Month.  It is a time: to re-commit ourselves to keeping children and youth safe in our homes, parishes and schools, to review our policies and guidelines for the safety of children, and to celebrate the children and youth in our lives. The Catholic Church joins others across our nation in prayer and effort to end the evil of child abuse.  In June, we will mark the fifteenth anniversary since the bishops of the United States wrote, The Promise to Protect, the Pledge to Heal which contains the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.  In this document the church affirms the necessity to work for the prevention of child abuse and to help those victims of abuse heal. Did you know? There is no statute of limitations for removing a cleric who has sexual abused a minor from public ministry in the Catholic Church. A cleric against whom there is an established or admitted act of child sexual abuse is permanently removed from the priesthood, regardless of when the abuse occurred. The Victim Assistance Coordinator for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend is Mary Glowaski.  She may be reached at:  mglowaski@diocesefwsb.org  or 260-399-1458.
SUBMITTED ANNOUNCEMENTS   The Cathedral Books & Gifts - Extended Hours The Cathedral Books & Gifts will be extending their Saturday hours until 4pm on the following Saturdays:  April 22, April 29 & May 6. They have a great selection of gifts for 1st Holy Communion, Confirmation, Baptism, Weddings and much, much more!  Free parking in attached garage. Call 399-1442 for more information.
Special Collection A special collection will be next Sunday, April 30th for Home Mission Appeal. There will be an envelope marked Special Collections Envelope at the entrances. Please pick one up if you would like to be acknowledged for your contribution. At the top of the Envelope please mark what  the collection is for along with your name. Thank You!
Diocesan Safe Environment Statement      (The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has asked all parishes to insert the following statement in the bulletins during the month of April) It remains important for our church to protect children and young persons from the evils of abuse. To abuse a child is a sin. The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend remains committed to upholding and following its guidelines, policies and procedures that were implemented for the Protection of Children and Young People. These can be reviewed on the Diocese’s website, www.diocesefwsb.org under “Youth Protection.” If you have reason to believe that a child may be a victim of child abuse or neglect, Indiana law requires that you report this to civil authorities. If you or someone you know was abused as a child or young person by an adult, you are encouraged to notify appropriate civil authorities of that abuse. In addition, if the alleged abuser is or was a priest or deacon of the Catholic Church, your are encouraged to contact Mary Glowaski, Victim Assistance Coordinator, (260)399-1458, email: mglowaski@diocesefwsb.org. Or Rev. Msg. Robert Schulte, vicar General of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, at P.O. Box 390, Fort Wayne, IN 46801, or at (260)399-1419, email: mrattz@diocesefwsb.org. The Diocese is committed to helping prevent the abuse or neglect of children and young people and to assist those who claim to have suffered harm as a result of such abuse.
Attention parishioners and visitors Please join us for a small social gathering after the 8:00am Mass, Sunday, May 7th in the parish hall (lower level of the old school building) to meet and   become acquainted with one another. Donuts and  refreshments will be served. All are welcome!
Scrip      Scrip can be very profitable for the parish if more families were to use it. Please take a look at the order forms at the front entrance to see if there are vendors that you frequent. If so, just fill in the amount you would like to purchase. You will receive a gift card back that can be used anytime and never expires. The form will let you know the percentage the Parish receives from your Scrip purchase. Please submit the form with a check by dropping it in the  collection basket. For any questions please call Kim at the office 260-744-2519. All orders must be prepaid and will be placed on Monday of each week. Your orders will then come to the office and you will be called to pick them up or they will be give to you at church the following Sunday. Due to processing costs, in order to make a few dollars we have to put in an order of $400 or more.