May our prayer rise like incense, O Lord.
This weekend you will notice the use of incense at the Saturday evening and Sunday Masses. If you are reading this before Mass, I invite you to take special care to notice when and what we incense at the Mass. If you are reading this at home, after you have returned from Mass, I hope you recall that we used incense for blessing four times. Can you name the four moments and people and liturgical items that we blessed at Mass this weekend?
Do you know why we use incense over these four realities? Incense is used as an expression of reverence and prayer as found in the Scriptures, particularly Psalm 141, "may my prayer rise like incense..." and in Revelation 8.
In addition to Scriptural references, in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the churches guidelines for liturgical prayer, Chapter 1, paragraph, 27 states; "At Mass or the Lord's Supper the People of God is called together, with a Priest presiding and acting in the person of Christ, to celebrate the memorial of the Lord or Eucharistic Sacrifice.
In an outstanding way there applies to such a local gathering of the holy Church the promise of Christ: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst" (Mt 18:20). For in the celebration of Mass, in which the Sacrifice of the Cross is perpetuated, Christ is really present in the very assembly gathered in his name, in the person of the minister, in his word, and indeed substantially and uninterruptedly under the Eucharistic species."
How do you encounter Jesus when you come to the Church of St. Mary's for Mass? May all of us, parishioners, guests and visitors recognize the pervasive presence of Christ in our celebrations of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Lord's Supper.
This is the weekend for parishioners of the Church of St. Mary to take a ME25 Survey. The survey is available at the entrances to the Church or online through the parish website. Over the last few weekends the purpose and intent of the survey as part of the Renew My Church has been shared with parishioners. The remainder of my article is some frequently asked questions from Gallup regarding the survey. I hope you are able to complete the survey and that you find the following information helpful.
What is the purpose of this survey?
The Member Engagement Survey, ME25, will give us a collective view of the spiritual health of our parish. The data will show us where we are doing well and help us see the areas that need our attention to make us a stronger parish.
What does the survey entail?
The survey features 25 items carefully chosen to measure engagement and spiritual commitment that are essential to spiritual health. The survey will only take approximately five - ten minutes to complete.
Who should complete the survey?
We are asking all parish members aged 18 and older to complete the survey.
What about confidentiality?
All responses are confidential. We are working with Gallup to conduct this survey. Gallup is a member of the Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO) and, as such, abides by specific rules of conduct that include adherence to strict confidentiality in survey administration and reporting of results. Gallup will not reveal any individual responses to anyone.
How will the survey results be used?
The leadership team will receive the compiled results from Gallup and use them to gain additional insight into how the members feel about our parish. We will use the results to identify specific actions we can take to further meet the spiritual needs of our members. Support staff from the Archdiocese will assist myself and parish leadership in understanding the responses and interpreting them for communication to our parishioners later this fall.
Thanks for the many ways you share your faith and support the life and ministries of the Church of St. Mary.
God be with you and bless you this fall day!
Celebrating your 25th Wedding 
$25 in advance
