Dear members and friends of the Sodality of Charity,
On All Hallows’ Eve, October 31, which the secular world calls Halloween, we at St. Gertrude the Great celebrated the feasts of Christ the King and All Saints with the annual All Saints party. As usual, it was a wonderful event, and you can see some photos of it in this newsletter and on our website. We have also remembered the poor souls this month with our two cemetery visits and Solemn Mass and absolution on All Souls Day (November 2).
We should also keep track of the current events. Bishop Dolan and Fr. McKenna do each month a radio program called Behind the Headlines. Their latest program deals with many important topics, especially about our firm resistance to the so-called Covid-vaccines. The program has serious topics, but His Excellency’s and Father’s style is very easy-going and funny, so I recommend you all to listen that online.
For those who use YouTube, Rev. Mr. Anthony Brueggemann has started a channel where he broadcasting some of our ceremonies, especially the daily High Mass. The channel is called “St. Gertrude the Great Live” and you can find it here.
This week we have the feasts of the patrons of our two parishes, St. Gertrude the Great and St. Hugh of Lincoln. On Friday there also the feast day of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The famous English hagiographer, Fr. Alban Butler (1710-1773), wrote of her: “This child of heaven, in her very recreations studied to practise frequent humiliations and self-denials; and stole often to the chapel, and there knelt down and said a short prayer before every altar, bowing her body reverently, or, if nobody was there, prostrating herself upon the ground. If she found the doors of the chapel in the palace shut, not to lose her labour, she knelt down at the threshold, and always put up her petition to the throne of God.” In 1852 Charles Alston Collins painted this nice work “The Devout Childhood of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary” where he portrayed this exemplary piety of St. Elizabeth. May she serve as one of the saints to be honored and revered by our Sodalists.
Our November Monthly meeting is on Saturday, November 20, from 8 AM to 2 PM. We will keep it as our Thanksgiving celebration and practice also for our December Saint Lucia procession. See you there.
Yours in Christ and Mary,
Fr. Lehtoranta
