July 28, 2019

Help Is S till Needed! Again, any gift of time is most appreciated!  All proceeds benefit Catholic education through Blessed Francis Seelos Academy, our regional Catholic school.  Thank you in advance for your gift of time and your continued support of Catholic education.  And remember, God loves a cheerful giver! Blessings… and looking forward to seeing you at the festival!
 
Loaves and Fishes and Rags to Riches!
This past Saturday, July 20, a small army of hard working parishioners from both Saint Alexis and Saint Alphonsus and a number of school parents who have children enrolled at Blessed Francis Seelos Academy hosted the annual Gigantic Flea Market at Saint Alexis.  What a great success!  Many provided the “goods” while others sorted and stocked the table displays.  Some shared the gift of an hour or two while others gave literally days of their time.  Some worked before hand in preparation, some served our guests that day, some helped with the clean-up that followed, and some were present and helped out from beginning to end!
As of today, it looks like the amount made during the six hour shopping fury was $5,214.  It’s a story of rags to riches!  Sales will continue in Father Rodgers Hall through the evenings of Saint Alexis Festival Days that runs from July 31 to August 3.  All proceeds are directed to Blessed Francis Seelos Academy, our regional Catholic elementary school, where we support and grow educational programs for our children. 
From the helpful assistance of those who were present at the drop-off days to the kindness and support experienced by shoppers, a real difference was made by those who made this annual event a reality and great success.  We offer organized displays of “merchandise” with a “staff” who strive to always put the “customer” first in a welcoming and friendly manner.  A big part of the success of that day was the experience guests had of visiting our Wexford Catholic Community.
Thanks to all who contributed to the success of this year’s flea market in whatever way.  There are too many volunteers to list by name and not wanting to overlook anyone, I thank one and all!  Of course, the commanders in-chief (and C.E.O.s) of this massive undertaking must be identified – Lindsay Ries, Amy Novak and Sara Kennedy.  I am personally grateful to these women, for their leadership and enthusiasm.  The generosity of all who gave of their time and talent is a witness of stewardship for all.  
There are many ways one can define success.  Certainly it’s more than dollars and cents; that never captures the whole story.  The success of the annual Flea Market is a story of loaves and fishes; rags to riches; the giving of self and providing others with the welcome of Jesus.  Thanks to one and all!

Ollie, Ollie In - free!
   To all of our Extra Ordinary Ministers of Holy Eucharist, thank you for your ministry to the sick and homebound of the community.  Know that you are making a real difference  by connecting others to Jesus and the Church which they so love.   
     However, we are having a problem that you can help to resolve:  the parish's pyxes are disappearing!  No, I don't mean stolen, just not being returned.  Pyxes are sacred vessels because of what they hold - the Holy Eucharist.  It is necessary that they be recognized and as such, treated differently than other items that we commonly use.
    Pyxes should always be carried inside a burse - a small black leather pouch that normally has a band attached so that it may be worn around one's neck when carrying the Body and Blood of Jesus.  A pyx that contains the Eucharist should never be stashed in a pocket or tossed in a purse.  Again, it is sacred and should be treated as such.
    Secondly, pyxes (and burses) should be returned to church and the pyx purified and returned to proper place in the sacristy as soon as one has distributed the Eucharist.
    Please, dear ministers of Holy Eucharist, check your purses and pockets for pyxes and return them to church(where you found them) as soon as possible.  Without having pyxes available, you are depriving others of the opportunity to encounter Jesus in this sacramental form. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
 
Happy Parish Feast Day!         A little background information about our Saint Alphonsus:  Saint Alphonsus Maria Ligouri (September 27, 1696 – August 1, 1787) was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer,  philosopher and theologian.  Saint Alphonsus was known above all as a practical man who dealt in the concrete rather than the abstract. 
     In his day, Alphonsus fought for the liberation of moral theology from the rigidity of a heresy in the Church known as Jansenism.  His theology and writings concentrated on the concrete and practical problems of pastors and confessors.  At the University of Naples, Alphonsus received a doctorate in both canon and civil law at the age of 16.  He soon gave up the practice of law foerapostolic activity. He was ordained a priest and focused his pastoral efforts on popular parish missions, hearing confessions and forming Christian groups.
He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorist - CSsR) in 1732.  The congregation was formally recognized 17 years later.  Alphonsus’ great pastoral reforms were in the pulpit and confessional – replacing the pompous oratory of the time with simplicity, and the rigorism of Jansenism with kindness.  He was made bishop at age 66 after trying to reject the honor, and at once, instituted a thorough reform of his diocese.
     At 71, Alphonsus was afflicted with rheumatic pains which left the incurable bending of his neck.  Until it was straightened a little, the pressure of his chin caused a raw wound on his chest.  He suffered a final 18 months of the “dark night,” scrupulousness, fears, temptations against every article of faith and every virtue, interspersed with intervals of light and relief.
     His life is a practical model for the everyday Christian who has difficulty recognizing the dignity of Christian life amid the elements of problems, pain, misunderstanding and even failure.  Alphonsus is a saint because he was able to maintain an intimate sense of the presence of the suffering Christ through it all. He was beatified on September 15, 1816 by Pope Pius VII and canonized on May 26, 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI.  Learn more about St. Alphonsus and befriend him by your prayers.