TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME – September 7, 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: In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

TODAY’S MASS INTENTIONS:

9:00 AM: Parishioners of St. Emeric Parish

11:30 AM (at St. Elizabeth): Celebrant’s Intention

MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK:

FROM THE DESK OF FR. BONA: (1) On September 6, here at St. Emeric we celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the consecration of our church. It was on September 6, 1925 that the current church building was solemnly consecrated/dedicated by Archbishop Joseph Schrembs, the Bishop of Cleveland at that time. In the Msgr. Boehm’s room (where we have a little historical exhibition) there is a photograph from that day showing the many people who were present. The consecration of churches dates probably from Apostolic times and is, in a sense, a continuation of the Jewish rite instituted by Solomon. Therefore, the current canon 1217 of the 1983 code mandates that: “§1: After construction has been completed properly, a new church is to be dedicated or at least blessed as soon as possible; the laws of the sacred liturgy are to be observed. §2: Churches, especially cathedrals and parish churches, are to be dedicated by the solemn rite.”

Why do we consecrate churches? Consecration, in general, is an act by which a thing is separated from a common and profane to a sacred use, or by which a person or thing is dedicated to the service and worship of God by prayers, rites, and ceremonies. Both by consecration and by blessing a church is dedicated to Divine worship, which forbids its use for common or profane purposes. In other words, consecration dedicates a building to the service of God, thereby raising it in perpetuum to a higher order, removing it from the malign influence of Satan, and rendering it a place in which favors are more graciously granted by God (Pontificale Romanum, 1961).

The liturgical laws prescribe that the day of the consecration of a church is to be observed in that church as a solemnity. It means that it has the highest rank and trumps many other celebrations (some solemnities may still outrank the anniversary of the consecration). Interestingly, the same day (September 6) is also a day when the cathedral of our diocese was dedicated. The dedication of the cathedral is to be celebrated in the parishes of the diocese as a feast, but since ours is a solemnity, it outranks this feast.

Let us always honor the sacredness of our church with our behavior, attire, and the raising of our minds to almighty God.

(2) Today, on September 7, we are rededicating the restored cornerstone of St. Stephen Church from McKeesport, PA at the Shrine of St. Elizabeth. Therefore, today there is no 11AM Mass at St. Emeric, but we have a Mass at the Shrine of St. Elizabeth at 11:30AM with a brief ceremony and light reception to follow.

UPCOMING TEMPORARY MASS TIME CHANGES: I will be away September 16 – October 2. For this reason, there will be the following changes in our Mass schedule. (1) No Sunday 9AM Mass on September 21 and 28. (2) No weekday Masses (Monday-Friday) from September 16 through October 2.

HOLY FACE OF JESUS: You are cordially invited to a special seminar, Meditating on The Holy Faces of Jesus, which will take place on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at 5:30 PM (following the 4:30 PM Holy Mass) at St. Barbara Catholic Church, located at 1505 Denison Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio. The evening will include time for prayer and veneration and will share the stories and miracles behind the Holy Face images. Attendees will learn about the sacred image of Jesus upon which Pope Benedict gazed in his final moments, the faces of Christ revealed in the Shroud of Turin, the Veil of Manoppello, and the Divine Mercy painting, as well as the remarkable story of the miraculous illumination of Veronica’s Veil. All are warmly invited to this free event. Bring your family and friends to encounter the beauty of Christ’s holy face. For more details, please contact Fr. Jozef at 216-970-0338.

LAST WEEKEND’S COLLECTION: Sunday Collection: $790; Maintenance: $435; Renovation $200; Candles: $280. 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, Éva Fricke, Ottó Hunyadi and Sylvia Öszényi.

THIS SUNDAY the 11:30 AM Mass from St. Elizabeth shrine 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 Magyar (Hungarian) nyelven is.