New Year & New Opportunities

As we begin a new calendar year, we look to a new era within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and at Holy Angels as we look to our new Family of Parishes: Ss. Peter and Paul, Newport; Sacred Heart, McCartyville; and St. Michael, Fort Loramie. This Family of Parishes will be an opportunity to be a thriving hub of Catholicism in the Archdiocese, but it will also present its own challenges. We will look at these challenges over the coming months.

These challenges arise from the difficulty of bringing together different parishes, different communities, different cultures and different organizations. However, an overlooked and onerous aspect of this process will be overcoming ourselves and taking up our cross. This is also known as becoming a saint. This is why as a staff we have been reading spiritual works which we reflect upon with each other. St. Josemaria said that spiritual reading has made many saints. Ultimately, what we need to be about as Catholics is saint-making. Therefore, we focus on talking about our faith over method because saints make reform possible. First, within our own hearts; then, in the hearts of others.

There will be an adjustment to life on First Fridays here at Holy Angels. Because of the looming modification to parish life that Beacons of Light will bring, and given that Fr. Aaron and I have more Masses between us on First Friday than we do on a Sunday, there will no longer be an evening First Friday Mass. We apologize for any inconvenience this could cause. However, with this adjustment, we are going to make another opportunity for confessions. We will end Adoration on First Fridays at 5:00 p.m. with Benediction and have confessions from 4:00-5:00 p.m. on First Fridays. We hope this will help to make another opportunity for you to go to Confession outside of during Mass. Because when we come together with our Family of Parishes, we will NOT be able to have Confessions during Sunday Mass any longer. So, I would encourage you to get into the habit of going at other times to prepare for this reality.

It is also with great joy that we are happy to announce we have renewed our FORMED subscription, and that we have a generous benefactor who has covered this cost for us. FORMED is a beautiful way to help inspire your family toward sainthood. If you have never used FORMED before, let this announcement be an invitation to check it out. I believe there is even a biblical walk-through of the Mass to help you deepen your prayer at Mass.

Thank you to everyone who decorated the church for Christmas. Holy Angels is always a beautimous sight to behold all year, but in a special way during the Christmas season. Also, thank you to those who set up the Nativity scene in church. I hope that this new year makes some new saints. May God bless and keep you.

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Jarred Kohn