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FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK……
FEBRUARY 1, 2004
Dear Fellow Parishioners,
What a wonderful experience some of us shared last week with the Week for Christian Unity Services that were held in the various houses of worship among the many different Christian Faith Communities in the Paso Robles/Atascadero area! It was an inspiring & uplifting weeklong series of events culminating in a glorious prayer service last Sunday, January 25th, 2004, at 7:00 p.m. in St. Rose of Lima Church in Paso Robles, hosted by our Old Mission San Miguel Parish. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those generous and self-sacrificing parishioners who faithfully attended the evening services each night during the octave including those who helped with the music, ushering, liturgical setup in the church, as well as those who helped with the refreshments and the setup of the parish hall for the social hour at St. Rose in Paso Robles last Sunday evening. All of you were a great example of what it means to be a loving Christian. I am also very grateful to Sr. Loretta for her leadership and direction in this vital annual celebration. She did a bang-up job!
We are getting ready for the next major season on our liturgical calendar for 2004 --- Lent. In preparation for this important liturgical season that will begin in just a few weeks with Ash Wednesday, February 25th, I'd like to complete our renewal project for the Sunday Liturgy that we started last October. We left off before Christmas with the element of "reverence" called forth by the Pastoral Letter "GATHER FAITHFULLY TOGETHER" as expressed through three traditional moments of contemplative silence: between the readings from Scripture, after the homily, and after Holy Communion. One other way to foster "reverence" in our Sunday worship is by enhancing our reception of Holy Communion by participating in a procession towards the altar that begins from the back of the congregation. The procession acknowledges that we are no longer individuals approaching the Lord's table but rather "…a Church partaking of the Sacred Banquet." (GATHER FAITHFULLY TOGETHER, p. 23. paragraph #70.) Diocesan Regulations have been established to enhance our "reverence" for Holy Communion and include standing after the "Agnus Dei" until everyone has received Communion. (See "How We Celebrate The Liturgy In The Diocese of Monterey"). Won't you help me put these regulations into practice? You'll be a blessing!!!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Raymond Tintle, OFM
Pastor
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