The Thirty Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 17, 2024
“And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory, and then He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
…
”Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
“But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come.”
from today’s Gospel - Mark 13:26-27, 31-32 (+33)
With the help of Jesus, Mary, and all the saints, we should strive to always be ready for the end of time (as well as for the end of our earthly life). If we are ready, we need not be worried about the things of this world; and Jesus, our all-powerful God, will triumph over all and gather us in to His flock at the end of time.
November - Ordinary Time
The entire month of November falls during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time , which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during the praying of Offices and celebration of Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward. The month of November is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Church commemorates all her faithful children who have departed from this life, but have not yet attained the joys of heaven. St. Paul warns us that we must not be ignorant concerning the dead, nor sorrowful, "even as others who have no hope ... For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven ... and the dead who are in Christ shall rise. (https://www.catholicculture.org/)
Welcome to St. Eugene’s
St. Eugene’s is the cathedral church for the Diocese of Santa Rosa, located in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California. Our parish community includes more than 1700 registered parishioner households and a school for preschool through eighth grade students. Our parish was founded in 1950 and became the cathedral when the Diocese of Santa Rosa was established in 1962.
Announcements
Please check this week’s bulletin for all current announcements. Only special announcements or ones that didn’t make it into the bulletin are listed here.
November 17, 2024 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time bulletin - Prayer + Sacrifice
Dear People of God,
In our culture, we often associate the Fall with spooky things or a sense of death as the natural elements of the world seem to be turning to inactivity and often appear to be dying. However, in the Church, there is also an association with death for the month of November, because of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Both of which do focus on the reality that we will die one day and that we should want to be saints with God in heaven. That is our goal and deepest desire as human beings.
As Catholics, we recognize the concept of the Communion of Saints and praying for the dead. November is a great time for prayer for the dead and also making self-sacrifices on a regular basis for them. That will look different from Lent, but the general theme of sacrifice is still there. We should be mindful to visit a cemetery this month to remember the dead and to pray for them. We should practice self-abnegation in our ordinary activities. For instance, not putting salt on our food, not watching TV for a day or two, not doing something that we like as a small sacrifice. These sacrifices add up and are of assistance to our beloved dead.
May they rest in peace.
God bless,
Fr. Samuel Moses Brown
November 10, 2024 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time bulletin - Penitential Rite
Dear Father: Why do we almost always use the Confiteor at the beginning of Mass instead of one of the other options for the Penitential Rite?
Dear Reader: Previous to the Second Vatican Council, there were a set of penitential prayers that the priest said before entering into the sanctuary at Mass. These prayers were said inaudibly, but the congregation was invited to reflect at that time. After the Council, it was decided to create a public penitential rite in which the people of the congregation audibly participated. This has become known as the Penitential Rite. It was divided into three options: A, B, or C. These three options had been in the previous liturgy. Option C, is the most common in many parishes which includes three invocations of Jesus that are meant to say something about Him and how He relates to us. It is followed by: Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy. However, many parishes prefer Option A which has the prayer "I confess..." also known as the "Confiteor" which is the first word in Latin of that prayer. It gives people a prayer to say that can be used in other contexts and it gives voice to our communal need for forgiveness. In some ways, it is similar to an Act of Contrition. There is also an option B for the penitential rite that I have very rarely seen used with a congregation, though I do use it when I say a private Mass. The priest says: "Have mercy on us O Lord," then the people: "For we have sinned against you," then the priest again: "Show us, O Lord, your mercy," and lastly the people say: "And grant us your salvation."
May Our Lord bless you all of your days,
Rev. Samuel Moses Brown JCL
November 3, 2024 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time bulletin - Eucharistic Prayers
Continued from last week …
Dear Father: Why does it seem that sometimes the Eucharistic Prayer is much longer than other times?
Dear Reader: After the Second Vatican Council, as committees and study groups debated how to reshape the Roman Catholic Liturgy, they decided to either remake the Roman Canon or to make new Eucharistic Prayers, though the Council never mentioned either possibility. In the end, the second option became more agreeable. Pope Paul VI authorized the search for suitable prayers in other traditions or the composition of new prayers. Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV were born in that time period. Eucharistic Prayer II is based on a prayer written by a Roman Christian in the 3rd Century. It was expanded and refined for liturgical use in the modern era. Eucharistic Prayers III and IV were fresh compositions from the mid-twentieth century from a known theologian of the time. The three new prayers all contain a defined epiclesis invoking the Father to send down the Holy Spirit upon the gifts. Though some people wanted an epiclesis to be added to the Roman Canon, that idea was abandoned. These four prayers vary in length greatly. The Roman Canon is the longest and is about twice as long as Eucharistic Prayer II. Third is about two-thirds the length of the Roman Canon. These variations can be fairly noticeable during the Eucharistic Liturgy.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal guides how we say Mass and what we do at the Mass. According to the GIRM the Roman Canon and Eucharistic Prayer III are especially suited for Sundays and other days of greater solemnity such as a special feast day. The Roman Canon may always be used at any liturgy. The second Eucharistic Prayer is best used on weekdays. The GIRM discourages its use on Sundays possibly because of its shortness. The Fourth Eucharistic Prayer is not commonly used as it has its own preface which must be used with it. Some priests may have a favorite prayer that they like to use or they have selected one that they think goes particularly well with the readings or something else in the liturgy of that specific Mass.
May Our Lord bless you all of your days,
Rev. Samuel Moses Brown
October 27, 2024 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time bulletin - Eucharistic Prayers
Continued from last week…
Dear Father: Why does it seem that sometimes the Eucharistic Prayer is much longer than other times?
Dear Reader: Different priests will use different Eucharistic Prayers. In the Roman Missal, there are four primary ones from which to choose and then there are another six that can also be used. In the history of Christianity, different regions of the Christian world developed different Eucharistic Prayers, though they all shared the basic general structure of what a Christian Liturgy would be: gathering, reading of Scripture, sermon/homily, Eucharistic Liturgy. To this day all apostolic Christians (Catholics, Orthodox, Coptics, etc.) and the larger Protestant denominations (Anglicans and Lutherans) have this general structure.
However, the actual Eucharistic Prayer varied by region. As time went on, there became a bit more geographic penetration of Christianity in different directions and those new Christians would follow the patterns of the people who evangelized them. Thus the people in Spain or England would use what was being done in Rome, while people in Russia would imitate the liturgical traditions of Greece and Asia Minor. In the Western Church, we developed one main Eucharistic Prayer called the Roman Canon. It seems to have appeared in Italy at the close of the Roman era. We can assume that maybe it was written in the 3rd or 4th Century. It appears to have been known by St. Ambrose. All of our liturgical archaeology after the close of the Roman era indicates that this was the only Eucharistic Prayer being used by Christians in Western Europe. The prayer became an inherited tradition.
In the 19th and 20th Century, liturgical scholars started to question the prayer's characteristics and compare it to those of other liturgical families. One thing that was noted was that it does not make mention of the Holy Spirit, nor does it contain a defined epiclesis (a statement asking that the Holy Spirit change the bread and wine into the Sacred Species). The Eucharistic Prayers of the other Apostolic Churches have an epiclesis.
Continued next week……
May Our Lord bless you all of your days,
Rev. Samuel Moses Brown
October 20, 2024 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time bulletin - Do you believe? & Eucharistic Prayers
Dear St. Eugene's Parish,
As we continue to go through the second half of the Gospel of Mark, we continue to see conflicts in the Gospel. However, as easy as it is to review each of those conflicts, that's not really the story. The reason for all of those conflicts is to prod the reader to examine what he or she thinks about Jesus. In chapter 8, Peter declared Him to be the Messiah of God. The One who would save them. Then we see all these other people challenging Jesus in one way or another.
What do we believe about Jesus?
How have those beliefs been manifested in our life?
How does the Church's magisterium help to inform our beliefs and shape our faith?
God bless you all,
Fr. Samuel Moses Brown
Dear Father: Why does it seem that sometimes the Eucharistic Prayer is much longer than other times? At some Masses, it seems to go on for a bit and at others, it seems rather short.
Dear Reader: You are correct in believing that the Eucharistic Prayer varies in length for a variety of reasons. First, different priests have different styles in terms of how they celebrate the Mass in general. Some speak faster or slower, some believe in enunciation and others will mumble a bit. Some priests think it's a good idea to sing the Eucharistic Prayer. These factors will affect the technical length of the prayer without affecting the nature of the prayer itself.
Continue reading next week….
October 13, 2024 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - All Saints’ Day & All Souls’ Day coming
October 6, 2024 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Prepare!
September 29, 2024 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Receiving Holy Communion
September 22, 2024 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Humility & Helping Hand
September 15, 2024 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Penitential Rite
September 8, 2024 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Renew our faith
September 1, 2024 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Kneeling during Mass
Special Feature in the bulletin for August 25, 2024 - Why Do We Venerate Relics?
August 18, 2024 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time Bulletin - Sunday is special
August 11, 2024 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time Bulletin - Holy Eucharist => Eternal Life
August 4, 2024 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Signs and Miracles
July 21, 2024 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin - Ordinary Time
July 14, 2024 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin - Seek God’s presence
July 7, 2024 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin - Embrace Jesus
June 30, 2024 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin - Jesus heals
June 23, 2024 Bulletin 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time Bulletin - Stewardship
June16, 2024 Bulletin - Father’s Day - Special Message: The Head of the Family
May 26, 2024 Trinity Sunday Bulletin - The Mystery of the Trinity
May 19, 2024 Pentecost Bulletin - Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful
Del Pastor: Domingo de Pentecostés
May 12, 2024 Seventh Sunday of Easter - Ascension Bulletin - Follow Him to Eternity
May 5, 2024 Sixth Sunday of Easter Bulletin - Our Relationship with God
April 28, 2024 Fifth Sunday of Easter Bulletin - We are the branches
April 21, 2024 Fourth Sunday of Easter Bulletin - Jesus is Our Shepherd
April 14, 2024 Third Sunday of Easter Bulletin - Resurrection: nice idea or truth?
April 7, 2024 Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday - Bulletin - Several titles - 2nd Sunday of Easter
March 31, 2024 Easter Sunday Bulletin - Christ the Lord is Risen!
March 24, 2024 Bulletin - Welcome the Lord… at all times
March 17, 2024 Bulletin - Countdown to the Passion
March 10, 2024 Bulletin - The Light of God
March 3, 2024 Bulletin - Spiritual & Physical maintenance
February 25, 2024 Bulletin - Transfiguration - God’s Ways
February 18, 2024 Bulletin - All About Lent
February 11, 2024 Bulletin - Jesus Heals a leper - Thanking God
February 4, 2024 Bulletin - Jesus is the Messiah - the Healer
January 28, 2024 Bulletin - The Word of God
January 21, 2024 Bulletin — Time of Fulfillment in the Gospel of Mark
January 14, 2024 Bulletin - Ordinary Time/Gospel of Mark
January 7, 2024 Bulletin — Epiphany
Pastor’s Desk
Mass, Confession, & Adoration Schedule
Weekly Mass Schedule
Weekday Mass
Mon-Fri — 6:45 a.m. & 8 a.m.
Tues — 5:30 p.m. (Latin)
Saturday — 8 a.m.
Saturday Evening Vigil:
4:30 p.m. (English)
6:30 p.m. (Spanish)
Sunday Mass:
7:30 a.m.
9 a.m.
10:30 a.m. *
12 noon
1:30 p.m. (Latin)
5:30 p.m.
Only the Sunday, 10:30 a.m. Mass (*) will continue to be live-streamed on St. Eugene Cathedral YouTube Channel. An outdoor speaker and/or monitor will only be placed outside for special Masses/events that would require outside overflow seating.
Holy Day Mass Schedule
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2024 Immaculate Conception,
December 9
Mass Schedule and Dispensation.
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6:45 a.m., 8 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and
7 p.m. (Spanish)9:20 a.m. school Mass during the school year
Adoration Times
24 hours a day. Passcode required.º
º The Adoration Chapel is open for Perpetual Adoration. See the announcement above, the latest bulletin, or the Adoration web page for more information.
Confession
Saturday 3:00-4:30 p.m. or by appointment
First Saturday of every month prior to and during the 8 a.m. Mass
Sunday Masses Confession:
No regular schedule - dependent on priests’ availability.