Today’s Solemnity of the Assumption
Marian Altar, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, Tacoma; Solemnity of the Assumption 2015
This morning’s Mass at Holy Rosary was the last solemnity celebrated together by the parishes of Holy Rosary and Saint Joseph.
Father Maurer celebrated the Mass to honor Our Lady and give glory to God, and it was beautiful, uplifting, and holy.
Father chanted the prayers. We chanted the Ordinary of the Mass in English.
Francine read from the Revelation of Saint John and Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.
Cantor Cindy Choo led us in the Responsorial Psalm and the Alleluia.
The Gospel of course contained one of my favourite readings, Mary’s great Magnificat, which we say or chant every evening at Vespers.
We sang Marian hymns a capella throughout, ending Mass with the Salve Regina.
All together, we had twelve servers today.
Altar Servers from Holy Rosary and Saint Joseph, Solemnity of the Assumption 2015
They were absolutely magnificent. I often joke that a successful Mass for servers is one in which there are no collisions and no inadvertent fires.
Today they were an order of magnitude better than “successful”. Reverent, calm, attentive, purposeful, each one in the their place and doing their job. I could not ask for better servers at the altar of the Lord.
Extinguishing the candles
The partnership of these two parishes, forged over thirty years or so, was coming to a quiet end.
The pastor who rebuilt their liturgy and their community was celebrating his last solemnity here.
What the future will hold is God’s business, not ours. There will be days in the future to build, to grow, to celebrate together with our new pastor and partner parish.
Those days are coming, and they will be good days.
But for today, it’s okay to mourn a little.
Almighty ever-living God,
who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary,
the Mother of your Son,
body and soul into heavenly glory,
grant, we pray,
that, always attentive to the things that are above,
we may merit to be sharers of her glory.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.Amen.
The Solemnity Mass was simply BEAUTIFUL and GLORIOUS! The Spirit of the Blessed Mother radiates in the souls of the faithful rejoicing in God.
Last week a good friend of mine sent me a picture of our Church, but what so special about this picture is the rainbow that arched over the Church. We always tell our kids that “a rainbow is a sign that God will always keep His promises.” When I find myself down trodden with grief and sadness, I remember the Scripture story of Mary Magdalene weeping because she taught that the Body of Jesus has been taken away. Jesus words bring light and consolation: “Why are you weeping…Mary?” I hear our Lord saying to me…”Why are you weeping?” and then He calls me by name. Like Mary, my/our response…”They have taken my Lord…they have taken my friend…they have taken my joy…” I am reminded of what Pope Francis said, summarizing, do not hold on to death, but the joy of The Resurrection. And so, God sends a rainbow to remind us that He is faithful, He always keeps His promises. Our story continues, a chapter has ended, and a new chapter, a new beginning awaits.