“There is something in humility that strangely exalts the heart.”
- St. Augustine of Hippo
124 couples came to St. Joseph Parish in Coraopolis from the north and south, the east and the west for Pre-Cana instructions this year! Last Saturday as I went to Streamline Fitness in Kennedy Township early Saturday morning, the church parking lot was empty. And when I returned home, it was wonderful to see every parking spot taken!
On Saturday following the 4:00 PM Mass in which 40 Pre-Cana couples and 9 presenting couples from our parish attended, a couple from our parish who have been married for 65 years, Henrietta and Andy Borden, commented, “Father, it does our hearts good to see these young people in church and going to get married at God’s altar. It is heartwarming and touching. It was good to have them in our church today.”
Many people praised the trumpet playing of Nick Barthen, band director of Moon High School, who played before and during the Mass. His wedding music added to the festivity. His fiancé, Janice Karenbauer, was the cantor for Mass as well. There was a couple following the Noon Mass last week, Della and Joseph Cheski, who asked for a blessing on their 61st wedding anniversary. They were married by Fr. Patrick John Healy here in this church. It seemed so fitting as they walked hand in hand out the church. There was such joy in their spirits and happiness on their faces!
I wish to sincerely thank the presenting couples who shared their personal stories, faith witness, Christian example and marriage "road maps" to assist these new couples on their journey. This is a "big" commitment to give such time and sacrifice to share in this important ministry in the Church. We sincerely thank:
- St. Augustine of Hippo
124 couples came to St. Joseph Parish in Coraopolis from the north and south, the east and the west for Pre-Cana instructions this year! Last Saturday as I went to Streamline Fitness in Kennedy Township early Saturday morning, the church parking lot was empty. And when I returned home, it was wonderful to see every parking spot taken!
On Saturday following the 4:00 PM Mass in which 40 Pre-Cana couples and 9 presenting couples from our parish attended, a couple from our parish who have been married for 65 years, Henrietta and Andy Borden, commented, “Father, it does our hearts good to see these young people in church and going to get married at God’s altar. It is heartwarming and touching. It was good to have them in our church today.”
Many people praised the trumpet playing of Nick Barthen, band director of Moon High School, who played before and during the Mass. His wedding music added to the festivity. His fiancé, Janice Karenbauer, was the cantor for Mass as well. There was a couple following the Noon Mass last week, Della and Joseph Cheski, who asked for a blessing on their 61st wedding anniversary. They were married by Fr. Patrick John Healy here in this church. It seemed so fitting as they walked hand in hand out the church. There was such joy in their spirits and happiness on their faces!
I wish to sincerely thank the presenting couples who shared their personal stories, faith witness, Christian example and marriage "road maps" to assist these new couples on their journey. This is a "big" commitment to give such time and sacrifice to share in this important ministry in the Church. We sincerely thank:
- Dick and Ann Arena
- Anthony and Jeannie Grano
- Mark and Nancy Jarocki
- Jim and Elaine Crable
- Joe and Karen Sedmak
- Ed and Anne-Marie Constantine
- Ginny and John Ambrose
- Erin and Scott Permar
- Karen and Tom Reinsel
- Bobbie Agostinelli and Rita Ciccone
- Tony Giordano
I look forward to these 3 "watering holes" a year to drink in the spirit of Christian love. Both priesthood and marriage are vocations of love. I am inspired to have such a "life-giving" program in our parish to help support and encourage this lifelong commitment in the sacrament of holy marriage. We are blessed to have these couples give their part in making the day an overall powerful and rewarding experience for all. It is nice to see people from everywhere descend to St. Joseph to share in this memorable and meaningful single-day event. We thank Gino Iannamorelli whose catering service provides our lunch, as he has cateried for over 56 years. Gino provided the food for the Granos when they were married over 40 years ago, a point Tony and Jeannie shared in their talk.
Our marriage preparation classes of Pre-Cana instructions for 2011 are as follows: January 29, May 14, and August 27 from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The fee is $75 per couple. Make checks payable to St. Joseph Parish. Registration forms can be found on our parish web site. Spread the word; we got a good thing going here at St. Joe’s! As always, we’re looking for new couples who would like to help and assist us in this ministry, so please let us know if you are interested!
On the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, our readings remind us that we are called to be humble people. Knowing God makes us humble and knowing our self keeps us humble. Humility is a
true estimate of oneself. Humus is a Hebrew word which means dirt or ground -- down to earth, a commoner, one who is not superior or inferior to others. A humble person is one who knows his or her strengths and weaknesses, virtues and vices, true self and dark self, sins and graces. A humble person is not inflated, egotistical, or prideful.
St. Benedict had a Rule entitled “The Twelve Steps of Humility” and the twelve-step spirituality of AA begins with humility. In today’s Gospel, Jesus recommends a table companion list that is marked by the virtue of humility or truthfulness before God and one another. Jesus recommends that those who will receive the places of honor in the banquet of the kingdom are the poor, the lame, the blind and those who cannot repay us. Jesus invites all people and makes no exceptions or conditions and expects no return. There are no special places; in Jesus’ eyes, we’re all special people.
The Eucharist is a thanksgiving feast of God’s mercy and a humble wise disciple realizes that no one is worthy of God’s invitation. It is only through God’s grace that we joyfully can serve in God’s eternal table. The Rabbis had a saying which summarizes the spirit of humility. They tell us: “The best kind of giving is when the giver does not know to whom he is giving, and when the receiver does not know from whom he was receiving.”
