Letter from Msgr. Schaedel for bulletin of July 2, 2000

Dear Parishioners,This weekend we begin the month of July—the month devoted to the Precious Blood of Christ. Last Friday was the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saturday, July 1, was the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.Speaking of the Precious Blood, let me say something about receiving the Blood of Christ at the English Masses. Drinking from the cup is optional, of course. Even if we do not, we have still received the fullness of Christ’s Presence in the Eucharist—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—even if we receive Holy Communion only under the form of bread.Another method of distributing Holy Communion is known as "intinction." The Host is dipped into the Precious Blood, then placed on the tongue of the person receiving. I need to remind us that so-called "self-intinction" is forbidden. No one receiving Communion may himself or herself dip the Host into the cup, and then receive it. The only way intinction may be done is if the priest or the extraordinary minister distributing Holy Communion takes the Host, dips it into the chalice, then he or she places it on the tongue of the person receiving. A special word of thanks to Father Duvelius and others who made our Corpus Christi Procession last Sunday successful. The weather was with us. I attended a very special Corpus Christi Procession at Saint Philip Neri Parish last Sunday. As you may have read in The Criterion, the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s Sisters) have founded a convent here in Indianapolis. It is about three blocks from Saint Philip Neri Church. Last Sunday morning Archbishop Buechlein offered a special Mass to mark this wonderful occasion. The church was about full, including about fifty or so Missionaries of Charity from neighboring dioceses. After the Mass, we all went in procession to the Sisters’ new residence to take the Blessed Sacrament to the tabernacle in their chapel. Needless to say, the neighbors were out in full force to see what in the world we were doing. I am certain these Missionaries of Charity will do much in terms of Evangelization on the near east side. Keep them and their apostolate in your prayers.This weekend we will observe the "External Solemnity" of Saints Peter and Paul here at Holy Rosary. Technically, this feast is June 29. The Church is built upon "the rock" of Saint Peter. Saint Paul was the great apostle to the Gentiles (us). Father Duvelius will preach all of the Masses for this feast this weekend. By the way, Father Duvelius celebrated the fourth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on June 29. We congratulate him and thank him for his faithful service to Holy Rosary.The second collection this weekend is "Peter’s Pence." It goes to the Holy Father for the needs of the Church as he sees them. I know you will be generous.I also want to acknowledge our appreciation to Peter Byrne, F.S.S.P., a seminarian with the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. He was with us here at Holy Rosary for the past three weeks. He is a fine young man and will make a fine priest. Currently Peter is on his way home to be with his family in Dallas, Texas, for a while. He will return to the seminary this fall.Have you noticed the likeness of Pope John Paul II in the back of church, near the confessional? It’s a gift to our parish from parishioners Bob and Theresa Cartwright. Many thanks! It’s a reminder to keep our Holy Father in our prayers—and you too, Bob and Theresa.This Tuesday is our national celebration of "the 4th." Thank God for the gift of our independence and freedom to worship God. Attending Mass on the holiday is the perfect way to do this. July means continuing summer and summer vacations. Let’s remember that the serious obligation to attend Sunday Mass is for fifty-two Sundays a year—without exception—unless one is ill or truly prevented from attending.Being on vacation is not an excuse. Some people will claim that they were out of town and could not find the church. If people want to find a certain restaurant or shop, they sure do it. The same should be true for the church. Plan ahead.A group called Mass in Transit has information about churches and Mass times all over the United States. It’s a great service, available twenty-four hours a day. Their phone number is 800-627-7846. You need to have the zip code of where you are going, which you can obtain from any post office or from travel brochures. You will receive the name of the church, phone number, address, and times of the Sunday and weekday Masses.Faithfully yours in God’s Providence, Msgr. Schaedel