St. Mary's Church, Roslyn: Pastor's Page

Ash Wednesday

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My dear people of St. Mary’s,

This upcoming week we celebrate Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Many Catholics think that Ash Wednesday is a Holy Day of Obligation, but it is actually not. However, attending Mass on that day and receiving ashes is the best way to begin the Lenten season. Each year, this day affords us an opportunity to remind ourselves that we are sinners in need of repentance, and also gives us the ability to publically profess our Catholic Faith by the visible sign of ashes on our foreheads. Ashes will be distributed at all Masses in the Church: 7:30 am; 9:00 am; & 12:15 pm. Ashes will also be distributed at the 4:45 pm prayer service and 7:00 pm Mass, both in Msgr. Ryan Hall.

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the only days of fast left on the Church’s calendar. All those who are between the ages of 18 and 59 are permitted on those days to eat one regular meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to one full meal. Also, Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence. That means that all Catholics 14 years and older are required to abstain from meat on those days. Of course, one may voluntarily go beyond these requirements, but this is the minimum. It is good to remember that one of the earliest Church documents we have, the Didache (known as “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles”, and dating from the First Century), mentions that the early followers of Jesus fasted every Wednesday and Friday of the entire year, in addition to other days, not to mention days of abstinence. That’s over a hundred days of fast each year. Knowing that, two days now doesn’t sound so demanding, does it?

The Church has always encouraged Catholics to take on some voluntary penance during the season of Lent. Remember that “giving something up” for Lent is not only for children, but is certainly for adults as well. I recommend that you think about this before Ash Wednesday, and that you choose something that will require an effort on your part, but which will not be impossible. Also, commit yourself to continuing the penance through the whole of Lent, even if you should slip a time or two. And remember, you shouldn’t give up something you don’t like (after all, that’s not a penance!), and you may not give up something which is a sin (because you shouldn’t be doing that in the first place!). Adopting such a penance for this season reminds us of the Great Penance that our Lord did for us throughout His whole life on earth, but especially on Good Friday. Doing penance is actually a form of prayer. It also teaches us self-discipline in the spiritual life. If we are able to say “no” to ourselves in a small thing, we will be better able to endure it when Life says “no” to us in a bigger thing.

Lent is also a wonderful opportunity to return to the Sacrament of Penance. Last year, you may recall, I preached frequently about the importance of making use of this powerful Sacrament, something Pope Francis is constantly stressing in his public statements. We will be offering extended hours of confessions throughout the season of Lent, and you may see the schedule elsewhere in this bulletin. We will have a total of 48 scheduled hours of confessions during Lent. That equals two full days in the confessional for me, and I am most happy to do it, because I am dedicated to this great Sacrament, and want you to have every opportunity to receive the tremendous graces it brings.

You will also read in this bulletin Bishop Barres’ first Lenten Letter. In it, he encourages all active Catholics of every age to invite one inactive Catholic back to Church this Lent. I think it is a wonderful idea. So often, those who have drifted away are simply waiting for an invitation to return. Don’t be shy. We know that God always invites us, but others may simply need an invitation from someone they know. So, ask yourself if there is someone you know whom you could invite to Mass this Lent. And, once they are here, the trust that Lord will do the rest.

—Fr. McCartney

An Explanation of Bishop Barres’ Coat of Arms

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Most Reverend John Oliver Barres, S.T.D., J.C.L., D.D.
Fifth Bishop of Rockville Centre

The coat of arms of a diocesan bishop is composed of the seal of his diocese and his personal arms, adopted when he first became a bishop.

In heraldry, a “Blazon” refers to a formal description and explanation of a coat of arms, usually in highly technical language. For example, heraldry makes use of two terms: dexter and sinister, Latin words for right and left. (So, if you are left-handed, you are sinister!) However, these are always viewed from the shield-bearer’s perspective. So, from the viewer’s perspective, the Dexter is on the left, and the Sinister is on the right.

By heraldic tradition, the personal arms of a bishop (on the right) are joined to the arms of his diocese (on the left). So, Bishop Barres’ personal coat of arms is found on the right side of the shield, and the coat of arms of the Diocese of Rockville Centre is on the left.

Above the shield is a Cross, and above that is a depiction of a bishop’s hat, called a galero, and no longer actually used. The color of the hat and number of tassels indicate the bishop’s place in the hierarchy of the Church. So, bishops generally use a green hat with green cords and six green tassels on each side; archbishops use a green hat with green cords and ten green tassels on each side; and cardinals have a red hat with red cords and fifteen red tassels on each side. Below the shield on a scroll is the bishop’s episcopal motto, chosen personally by him, sometimes taken from Scripture, and rendered either in Latin or the vernacular.

BLAZON

THE COAT OF ARMS OF THE DIOCESE OF ROCKVILLE CENTRE

The arms of the Diocese are composed of four sections in alternating colors of blue and gold, representing the two counties, Nassau and Suffolk, which make up the territory of the diocese. In the upper center of these four sections is placed a lamb’s head to honor the virginal innocence of St. Agnes, the titular saint of the Cathedral-Church in the See City (Rockville Centre). In the other three segments are scallop shells in reversed colors of the alternating fields. The shells are to pay particular honor to the heritage of the thirteen  tribes of Algonquin Indians that originally inhabited the area that is now Long Island and who employed the shells of the region in so many ways. The wavy silver border of the design indicates that the Diocese is an island. At the center of the design is a black roundel with three rocks, as taken from the arms of Pope Pius XII who erected the Diocese in 1957, indicating by a play on words that the diocese is “rock-ville center”. [Incidentially, the official Latin name for our diocese is Petropolitana in Insula Longa: literally, “Rock City on Long Island”.]

THE COAT OF ARMS OF BISHOP BARRES

For his personal arms, seen in the sinister impalement (right side) of the shield, His Excellency Bishop Barres has retained the design that was adopted at the time of his selection to receive the fullness of Christ’s Priesthood as a bishop when he became Bishop of Allentown.

The red and silver bars recall the Bishop’s family surname, “Barres.” The Bishop’s immigrant ancestor, Jacob Barres came from Prussia and first settled in Lehigh County in 1852.

The blue eagle with the halo is the symbol of St. John the Evangelist, honoring the Bishop’s baptismal name patron saint. The cross keys in the circle on the eagle’s chest symbolically express the Bishop’s dedication and fidelity to the
See of Peter and to the Holy Father.

The dolphin is taken from the arms of St. John Fisher, and the rose represents St. Thomas More, particularly his chain of office as Lord Chancellor of England. In the year 2000, Pope St. John Paul II declared St. Thomas More to be the Patron of Statesmen, Politicians and Lawyers. Both these saints, one a bishop and one a layman, were martyrs for the Catholic Faith and remained loyal to the Church and to Rome. Their symbols are depicted in red to indicate their martyrdom.

The axe, held in the talons of the eagle, represents President Abraham Lincoln, of whom the Bishop is a great admirer.

For his motto, Bishop Barres uses the phrase “HOLINESS AND  MISSION.” The Bishop’s motto derives from a phrase from the final section of the encyclical Redemptoris Missio, written by Pope St. John Paul II in 1990, titled “The True Missionary is the Saint.”

[The above was adapted from drvc.org]