FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – May 18, 2025

Please, check out the Hungarian section (link at the bottom) as well, as some Hungarian related news or information may be found only there.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

TODAY’S MASS INTENTIONS:

9:00 AM: Parishioners of St. Emeric Parish

11:00 AM: Ilona Krenyóczy, by the Boros Family

MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK:

FROM THE DESK OF FR. BONA: Most likely, you have seen the IHS symbol before – standing alone or surrounded by a sun. The front cover image is from Florence, Italy (source: Francesco Bini, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0; wikimedia.org). Do you know the history behind these letters? The creation of this symbol is tied to St. Bernardine of Siena (September 8, 1380 – May 20, 1444) whose memorial we celebrate on May 20^th.

He was the greatest preacher of his time, journeying across Italy, calming strife-torn cities, attacking the paganism he found rampant, attracting crowds of 30,000, following Saint Francis of Assisi’s admonition to preach about “vice and virtue, punishment and glory.”

St. Bernardine had a great devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. He devised a monogram for the Holy Name of Jesus: IHS, written in gothic script and emblazoned on a sun. These are the capital Greek letters: iota, eta, and sigma. They are the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek which is ΙΗΣΟΎΣ. Like other graphics that represent the name of Jesus or Christ, this is called a Christogram. Bernardine’s Christogram was placed on a sun because there had been a resurgence in 15^th century Italy of sun worship. The cult of Apollo needed to be replaced by the true and authentic worship of Jesus Christ, who alone is the sun that rises in the East and who is the only Son of the Father.

St. Bernardine would often exhibit this monogram devoutly at the end of his sermons to those listening. He also encouraged the faithful to place the monogram on their doorposts. The IHS is therefore a symbol of peace, a symbol of orthodoxy, a symbol of fidelity to the Lord, and a powerful symbol to cling to Jesus and adore His Holy Name. The IHS would later be adopted by St. Ignatius of Loyola as the symbol for the Society of Jesus. The devotion spread, and the symbol began to appear in churches, homes and public buildings. Opposition arose from those who thought it a dangerous innovation. Three attempts were made to have the pope take action against him, but Bernardine’s holiness, orthodoxy, and intelligence were evidence of his faithfulness. When he became the General of the Friars of the Strict Observance of the Franciscan Order, Bernardine strongly emphasized scholarship and further study of theology and canon law.

WELCOME and THANK YOU to those who are participating at our ANNUAL BENEFIT LUNCHEON. The proceeds of the luncheon will go to support the work of St. Francis Foundation of Deva. Fr. Csaba Böjte, OFM is the founder of this foundation that works to rescue homeless orphans in Transylvania. The foundation provides food, housing, and education to children living in poor conditions, a large number of whom suffer from extreme poverty and chronic food insecurity.

ROSARY: In the month of May, which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, I would like us to pray communally the Rosary on the Sundays of the month before the Mass. We would start at 10:25AM and finish in roughly 25 minutes.

LEARNING ABOUT MASS: We will continue the Bp. Kornél Fábry series on the Mass next week, May 25. As we did it the last time, after 11AM Mass in our hall, we will watch a short video, followed by my comments and Q&A. All of you are invited. This program is in Hungarian. On the Youtube channel of Bp. Fábry (Misevlog Fábry Kornéllal) there is also an English version of the video (it is dubbed).

EMERIC MAGNETS: Beautiful magnets with the pictures of our church are available for sale in our gift shop. The proceeds will help the maintenance and beautification of our church.

LAST WEEKEND’S COLLECTION: Sunday Collection: $2,469; Easter: $5; Ascension: $20. Maintenance: $60; Renovation: $90. ONLINE DONATIONS • APRIL 2025: Easter: $155; Maintenance: $1,000; in loving memory of László és Erzsébet Buda: $50. May God reward your generosity in supporting the church. Thank you for sending in your donations by mail or using our website https://stemeric.com/donations/.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK, especially for Bev Kimar, Teréz Kalász, Lajos Boday, Márta Takács, Kathy Szabó, Alex Szaday, Virginia Kachmar, Margaret Falk, Mária Hokky, Balázs Bedy and Éva Fricke.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE DECEASED: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen

THIS SUNDAY the 11:00 AM Mass from St. Emeric church will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/saintemeric/ and https://stemeric.com/

LET US PRAY THREE HAIL MARYS FOR OUR PARISH EVERY DAY!

Ez a bejegyzés olvasható Hungarian nyelven is.