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Matthew J. Geerlings
Music Director |
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The recent snowfall offered me a very rare opportunity for a Sunday off. It was nice to search out Masses online to see what other parishes music programs had to offer. Watching Masses from around the globe is a nice reminder of the universality of our Catholic faith. While nothing can substitute for actively participating in person at Mass, it is nice to live in a time where the technology exists to participate remotely when necessary.
The impact of the weather also had me wondering about individual parishes and their policies about closing their doors in rather extreme circumstances. I heard of one musician who walked over a mile in the snow only to find the doors closed and Mass canceled. While what we do is important, in certain cases I highly recommend calling to verify you are expected before braving the elements.
As always, please know if there is anything I, Jeremy, or Gloria Ann can help with, we hope you will reach out. As we begin this season of Lent let us pray for ourselves and one another.
Soli Deo Gloria |
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The Lord Will Raise Them Up
Feb. 3 10:45- Noon
Feb. 4 1:30-2:45
Online
As the Church receives a new translation of the ritual book for pastoral care of the sick and their anointing, join this online gathering of priests, deacons, and lay ministers engaged in pastoral care of the sick. |
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Preparing the Liturgies of the Paschal Cycle
You’ll find a multitude of resources online to assist in preparing the liturgies of Lent, Triduum, and Easter, including the annual preparation resource from the FDLC in both English and Spanish, a sample Lenten communal penance service, music suggestions, preparation checklists for Holy Week liturgies, updated rubrics for the Mandatum and text for the presentation of the sacred oils, resources for encouraging the faithful to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance, and more. |
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The Search for Sacred Synergy: Clergy/Musician Panel
Monday Feb 2, 1pm
The National Association of Pastoral Musicians invites clergy and musicians to explore the real challenges, tensions, and differing perspectives that often arise in liturgical ministry. Through honest conversation, shared experience, and pastoral wisdom, panelists will reflect on how to build trust, communicate effectively, and cultivate mutual respect. |
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Start Time for the Easter Vigil
The Roman Missal specifies that the Easter Vigil "must take place during the night, so that it begins after nightfall…." In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the Easter Vigil for 2026 should begin NO EARLIER THAN 8:45pm, and preferably at 9:00pm.
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Encouraging the Sacrament of Penance during Lent
Resources for parish leaders to encourage the faithful to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance, especially during Lent
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Shop ODWS
Thanks to everyone who ordered annual liturgical resources last fall. We served hundreds of parishes and other institutions, saving them thousands of dollars off retail price.
Don’t forget that you can shop all year online for archdiocesan resources to assist bereaved families, engaged couples, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and more. You can also find resources from national liturgical publishers at deep discounts. Parishes, schools, and other non-profits can always shop tax free. |
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Q. Must there be a new paschal candle each Easter or can we re-use a previous year’s?
A. While the rubrics of the missal don’t explicitly state that the paschal candle is new each year, this is assumed for a few reasons. First, an object that is already blessed need not ordinarily be blessed again, and the blessing of the candle is a normative part of the Easter Vigil liturgy itself. Second, the inscription of the candle with the current year is also a normative part of the Easter Vigil liturgy itself, which presumes that the candle is not already dated. Thus the implicit assumption is that the paschal candle is new each Easter. This is theologically consistent with the themes of newness that undergird Eastertide generally. A previous year’s paschal candle could possibly be stripped of the year and used in a chapel or kept as a backup should the current year’s be damaged in anyway.
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UNITY AND ESCHATOLOGY |
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"Help us to work together for the coming of your Kingdom, until the hour when we stand before you, Saints among the Saints in the halls of heaven, with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Blessed Joseph, her spouse, the blessed Apostles and all the Saints, and with our deceased brothers and sisters, whom we humbly commend to your mercy. Then, freed at last from the wound of corruption and made fully into a new creation, we shall sing to you with gladness the thanksgiving of Christ, who lives for all eternity." |
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— EUCHARISTIC PRAYER for RECONCILIATION I
Roman Missal |
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Pastoral Center | 100 East Eighth St | Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 | CatholicAOC.org |
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