St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Temperance, Michigan

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“The Antonian” January 28, 2018

You’re invited to attend the first

“Parish Family” Fun-Raiser

of the year.

This Open House will take place

Tuesday, January 30

in Kenna Hall. Doors will open at

5:30pm. Burgers and

Dogs will be ready at

6:00pm. Bring a dish

to pass or a beverage to share.

The purpose of this

event is getting to know

your Brothers and

Sisters in Christ. Come,

share a simple meal in a

relaxed atmosphere, getting to

know your fellow parishioners.

This event is open to all ages.

There will be a sign-up sheet in the

Narthex. Reservations are helpful

but not required. Please contact

the Parish Office with any

questions, or to sign up.

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Candlemas Day Friday, February 2, 2018

Masses: 9:00am (OF-LM); 7:00pm (EF-MC)

This feast commemorates the Presentation of the Infant Jesus

in the Temple in Jerusalem by His Parents. It also designates the

purification of Mary 40 days after childbirth. The emphasis of the feast is on the Presentation of

the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the True Light of the world, therefore

this feast is popularly called Candlemas Day. Candles that will be used in the coming year

will be blessed that day. If you would like any candles from home to be blessed, you may bring

them to Mass.

The Mass with Jubilarians for 2018

will be Sunday, February 11, 2018 At the 9:00am Mass.

Parishioners who will be celebrating a milestone anniversary (25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50,+) in 2018, please contact the Parish Office by this Friday, February 2. Papal Blessings are ordered for 25th and 50th Anniversaries. Following the 9am Mass, all Jubilarian couples who attended the Mass are invited to a complimentary breakfast at the K of C Breakfast in Kenna Hall.

Ladies’ Mardi Gras Celebration Tuesday, February 13, 2018

1-3pm - Padua Hall

All ladies of the Parish are invited to our Mardi Gras Celebration!

Mardi Gras, literal translation - Fat Tuesday, is the final day of “Carnival”

season that began on the feast of Epiphany.

The food for this gathering will be appetizers and desserts. We will provide a cheese & cracker tray, a King Cake, a variety of paczkis and beverages. Please bring an appetizer or a dessert to pass.

RSVP by Monday, February 12 to Michelle or Linda in the Parish Offices.

Traveling Vocation Chalice January 28 Cousino Family February 4 Mike & Natalie Holup February 11 Paul Bazydlo February 18 Homero Ortiz

The Feast of St. Blaise Saturday, February 3, 2018

Blessing of Throats

will take place before the 9:00am Mass

(EF-MC)

on Saturday.

Page two St. Anthony Catholic Church, Temperance

MASS SCHEDULE Key to Abbreviations:

EF - Extra-ordinary Form (Trad. Latin Mass)

OF - Ordinary Form (New Rite; Novus Ordo)

LM - Low Mass; MC - Missa Cantata (Sung)

Monday, January 29, 2018 8:30am Connie LaPointe (OF-LM) by Mick & Bonnie LaVoy

Fr. Timothy Moran by John & Collen Clark

St. Francis de Sales (1622), B., D., Pt. of writers

(Trad.)

St. Gildas the Wise (570), Ab. (Hist.)

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

8:30am John Sager (OF-LM) by Dick & Marilyn Halker

St. Martina (228), V., M. (Trad.)

St. Bathildis (680), W. (Hist.)

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

8:30am Teresa VanHove (OF-LM) by Jeff & Holly Bunge

St. John Bosco (1888), Pt. F./Salesian Order, Pt. of

editors, apprentices & young boys (New, Trad.)

Thursday, February 1, 2018

8:30am Betty Sedlar by Irene McNeely

(OF-LM)

7:00pm Shirley Keller (EF-LM) by Steve & Pat Miller

St. Ignatius of Antioch (107), B., M. (Trad.)

St. Brigid (Bride) of Ireland (525), V., Ab., F., Pt. of

Ireland (Hist.)

First Friday, February 2, 2018

9:00am Judith & Jerry Quigley (OF-LM) by Nathan & Theresa Bylicki

7:00pm James & Veronica Fritsch (EF-MC) by Joan Fritsch

Presentation of the Lord (New, Trad.) Also known

as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and as Candlemas Day (Trad.)

First Saturday, February 3, 2018

9:00am Fr. Brian’s Intentions (EF-MC) St. Blaise (316), B., M. Pt. of those with throat

diseases (New, Trad.)

Blessing of Throats (New, Trad.)

St. Ansgar (865), B., Pt. of Scandinavia (New)

***************************************

Sunday Vigil 5:00pm The People of St. Anthony (OF-MC)

Sunday, February 4, 2018 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (New)

Sexagesima Sunday (Trad.)

9:00am Connie LaPointe (OF-MC) by Mick & Bonnie LaVoy

11:00am Jonathan Scout (OF-MC) by Carol & Jim Fuelling

12:30pm Lois Baer and

(EF-LM) Craig Baer by Greg & Karen Baer

St. Andrew Corsini (1373), B. (Trad.)

Readings for the Week

Monday, January 29: 2Samuel 15:13-14,30,16:5-13;

Mark 5:1-20

Tuesday, January 30: 2Samuel:18:9-10,14b,24-25a,30-19:3;

Mark 5:21-43

Wednesday, January 31: 2Samuel 24:2,9-17; Mark 6:1-6

Thursday, February 1:

1Kings 2:1-4,10-12; Mark 6:7-13

First Friday, February 2:

Malachi 3:1-4 or Hebrews 2:14-18

Luke 2:22-40

First Saturday, February 3:

1Kings 3:4-13; Mark 6:30-34

Sunday, February 4:

Job 7:1-4,6-7

1Corinthians 2:16-19,22-23

Mark 1:29-39

Alumni news….. St. Anthony Parish

offers Congratulations to the following

parishioner who has achieved Honors for

the recent marking period:

From St. John Jesuit High School

Christopher Koeniger - Class Honors

Congratulations for a job well done!

This Week’s Calendar Monday, January 29, 2018 8:30am - Mass 9am - 3pm - St. Augustine HS Enrichment 5-6:15pm - Religious Ed, Grades 1-8 Tuesday, January 30, 2018 8:30am - Mass 5:30pm - Family “Fun” Raiser - Kenna Hall Wednesday, January 31, 2018 8:30am - Mass 6:15 - 7pm- Perpetual Help & Prayers 7:30pm - Catholic Conversations

- Padua Hall Thursday, February 1, 2018 8:30am - Mass 6-6:30pm - Confessions 7:00pm - Mass 7-9pm - Choir First Friday, February 2, 2018

9:00am - Mass 10am - 2pm - HFS - Kenna Hall 7:00pm - Mass, with Exposition & Benediction

Blessing of Candles at each Mass First Saturday, February 3, 2018 9:00am - Mass;

Blessing of Throats before Mass 1-3pm - Free-throw Competition

- Kenna Hall 3:30-4:30pm - Confessions 5:00pm - Mass Prayer Blankets - Narthex Sunday, February 4, 2018 9:00am & 11:00am - Mass 12:30pm - Mass Prayer Blankets - Narthex

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

The Offertory Story January 21, 2018

# Env. assigned: 289; # Env. used: 110

Envelope total $ 4,187.50 Loose: $ 310.00 Children’s Envelopes: $ 5.11 Total $ 4,502.61 Weekly Budget amount..$ 5,250.00 +Over/-Under Budget $ - 747.39 Year To Date +- $ +6,210.20

Other: Books, CD’s. etc. 23.00 Candles 54.50 Christmas 50.00 Church in Europe 10.00 Donation 20.00 Funeral 150.00 Holy Day 15.00 Initial Offering 100.00 Total for Other: 422.50

Contribution Statements for 2017

will be sent upon request for tax purposes.

Please contact Michelle in the Parish

Office.

Please keep in your prayers all our service men and women,

especially: Kenneth Lee Ziegler, Jr, Army

Sherri Fischhaber from Liturgical Publications, our bulletin printer, will be in our office the week

of January 29th, securing new ads for our bulletin. Please consider purchasing an ad,

sponsoring a charity, or In Memory of a Loved One. Your participation makes our bulletin

successful, and you attract customers!

Sherri Fischhaber 419-450-5475

Sfischhaber@4lpi.com

We are collecting palms from last

year’s Palm Sunday to burn for Ash Wednesday. Please return any palms from home to the marked box in the Narthex by 2pm on Sunday, February 11 so they can be burned in time for Ash Wednesday, February 14.

Page threeSt. Anthony Catholic Church, Temperance

Liturgical Assignments for February 3 & 4, 2018

Mass Priest Lector Altar Servers

Saturday, 5:00pm Mass

Fr. Brian J. Holup B. & L. Ullery

Sunday, 9:00am Mass

Fr. Brian K. Dressel L. & P. Cousino

Sunday, 11:00am Mass

Fr. Brian K. Shade S. Updike

Sunday, 12:30pm Mass (EF-LM)

Fr. Brian -- J. Hajdu

….Let us Pray for…. Clark Alcock Shelly Allred Maria Baer

Sherry Bailey John Bordine Fred Borowski Tom Brannan

Toni Breininger Jack Burns

Marie Burtscher Brendan Campbell

Bob Carey Cheryl

Bonnie Cornprobst Elwood Cousino Lowell Cousino

Amy Crumm Phillip Curtis

Linda DeFalco Janie Delauter

Frank Dobberstein Larry Dusseau

Cynthia Dvorsky Scott Ferguson

John Fowler Ron Frier

Jim Fuelling Marcia Gilson

Ben Gotha Margaret Gotha Mary Graham

Sheila Greisinger Dan Grycza

Debbie Grycza Justin Gyra

Steve Haman Carolyn Harper

Colson Hess Barbara Hite

Michelle Hollinger Richard Holmes II

Sharon Horkey Beth Huner

JoAnn Huntwork Bill Hurley

Rosemary Jacobs Frances Jones Marie Joseph Judy Katafiasz

Michael Katafiasz Hannah Kaufman

Jim Kulwicki Bud LaPlante Martin LaVoy

Audrey Lawrence Jim Lemble

Brenda & Ron Liwo Dick MacAdams

Bob McNear Sandy Maenle Edward Malik Sandy Mitchell Rhonda Morton Steve Murzynski

Patty Muskat Karl Nagley

Bonnie Nolan Nathan Nusbaum

Tim O’Brien Tyler & Jen Oehlers

Austin Oehlers Frank Parker

Angelique Quiren Veronica Rakebrand

Rachel Renn Kaye Ritzenthaler

Carol Romero Sam, Courtney & Ava

Adrian Sandelin Steve Smith

Kimberly Spight Ann Sommers

Mazie Sue Springer Vic Stevens

Audrey Tavares Tom Townsend

Carole VanBrandt Virginia VanKirk

Aaron Vyse Pat Webber

Judy Wertenberger Richard Wheeler

Vicki White Rebecca Williams Debbie Wisniewski

Peter Williams Kathy Young

ST. ANTHONY’S DIRECTORY

PASTOR

Father Brian Hurley……….734-854-1143

fatherbrianhurley@stanthonytemperance.org

Rectory……...…………………734-854-1143

4605 St. Anthony Rd., Temperance, MI 48182

Fax……………………………..734-854-4622

Web site…………....stanthonytemperance.org

E-mail……...……….…....stanthony@bex.net

OFFICE STAFF:

Michelle Lindsey, Parish Secretary...734-854-1143

Linda Moeltner, Business Office…734-854-8445

Padua Hall………………….….734-854-9120

Kenna Hall…………………..…734-854-9162

4635 St. Anthony Road *************************

DIRECTOR OF LITURGY & MUSIC

Eric Hite 419-266-0571 ehite820@gmail.com

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Ginny Stout, RE Coordinator….734-854-1160

Email……....dredu@stanthonytemperance.org

*******************

Weekend Mass Schedule

Saturday 5:00pm(OF-MC)

Sunday 9am & 11am (OF-MC); 12:30pm (EF-LM)

Holy Days Check bulletin

Sacrament of Penance

Saturday 3:30-4:30pm

Thursday 6:00-6:30pm

Devotions

First Friday 7:00pm Mass

First Saturday 9:00am Mass

O. L. of Perpetual Help - Wednesday @ 6:15pm

Prayer Blankets

Sandy Maenle……………………….847-7813

Prayer Chain

Miriam Dressel……………..…..734-888-1192

************************************

Our Sacramental Policy Six-month Parish registration and

participation are required for Baptism,

Confirmation and Marriage.

Baptisms: Arrangements must be made in

advance and parents must attend a baptism

class. The Church requires that at least one of

the parents be a practicing Catholic, and the

Godparents must be active, practicing, fully

initiated Catholics at least 16 years of age. If

two Godparents: must be 1 male & 1 female; if

one Godparent: may be male or female.

Marriage: Arrangements must be made at

least nine months in advance. Please call the

rectory office. Officiate at the ceremony must

be St. Anthony Parish Pastor or a family

member.

Funerals: Officiate must be St. Anthony

Parish Pastor or a family member.

Please note: The services of the Parish

Organist are used for all sacramental liturgies.

Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick:

Thursday, 6:30pm; call the Rectory to register;

or by appointment.

CHRISTIAN SERVICE UPDATE: Our Advent Tree was put up for the first Sunday in Advent, Dec. 3rd. We asked for donations for the New Beginnings Mercy House in Ida, MI which

helps out mothers and their babies in difficult times; the Catholic Charities; and a veteran's family. The veteran was a mom with three children who passed away after surgery. The children are being taken care of by the grandparents. We worked with Kim Koberstein of the VFW Post 9656 Lambertville to help out with the needs of the family with gift cards, clothes for the children and food from our food closet. The donations were given out on Wed., Dec. 20th. Thank you to all the parishioners and Religious Education

students who generously donated items to the families. They were very thankful for all they received. Also, thank you to the parishioners who adopted families for Christmas. The families were very overwhelmed with all that they received! Thank you to Barb Eckhardt, Ken and Miriam Dressel, and Jim VanBrandt for helping sort, pack and deliver the donations. God Bless!

Linda Sloan, Christian Service Commission

PRAYER FOR THE RETURN OF NON-PRACTICING CATHOLICS

Good Shepherd, You never cease to seek out the lost, to call home the stray, to comfort the frightened, and to bind up the wounded.

I ask You to bring the people I hold in my heart back to the practice of the Faith, and to remove all obstacles that prevent them from receiving Your abundant mercy,

which flows sacramentally through the heart of Your holy Church.

Through the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, their Guardian Angels, their Patron Saints, and the ever-prayerful St. Monica, may You pardon their sins and

unshackle them from whatever hinders their freedom to come Home. For You, O Good Shepherd, have loved us to the end and offered Yourself to the

Father for the salvation of all. Amen.

Prayers for the return of a non-practicing Catholic also should be accompanied by sacrificial and private acts of fasting, and almsgiving in their name.

The Holy Father’s Monthly Prayer Intention - February

Universal: Say ‘No’ to Corruption. That

those who have material, political or spiritual power may resist any lure of corruption.

Upcoming Events There are many events planned at St. Anthony in the coming weeks. Below are a few highlights and updates of past events :

Rosary for the Innocents - Jan. 22 - There was a tremendous response to this! May God Bless all who participated!

**Parish Family “Fun Raiser” - Jan. 30 - This open house will begin at 5:30pm in Kenna Hall. It’s an informal get-together for all parish members of all ages; a chance to get to know each other. Sign-ups in the Narthex. There will be a variety of supervised games for the kids

K of C Breakfast - Feb. 11 **Mass with Jubilarians - Feb. 11, 9:00am Mass **Mardi Gras - Feb. 13 - Ladies Gathering, 1-3pm in Padua Hall Ash Wednesday - Feb. 14 - Masses at 8:30am & 7:00pm; distribution of

Ashes at each Mass. Annual Soup Supper served from 5-6pm in Kenna Hall. More details to come.

Prelude to St. Patrick’s Day - Feb. 17 -Annual event hosted by St. Anthony Knights of Columbus - lots of fun, music, and fellowship. Tickets are available in the Parish Office. See the insert in today’s bulletin for more details. The Band “Extra Stout” will be performing for us in the Narthex between the 9:00 & 11:00am Sunday Masses on February 4. (Kind of a prelude to the Prelude!)

Little Sisters of the Poor - Feb. 24 & 25 - We will welcome the Little Sisters of the Poor for their annual appeal.

Annual Lamb Dinner - March 10 at 6:30pm in Padua Hall. More details to come.

Semi-Annual Blood Drive - Saturday, March 24 in Kenna Hall **Indicates separate articles may be found scattered throughout today's bulletin.

Catholic Conversations Our next meeting will be

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

7:30 pm in Padua Hall

January’s Topic:

The Communion of Saints

Everyone is welcome to join us - no

reservation necessary!

Our Annual Baby Shower for

Hea r tb ea t wi l l b e

wrapping up in the next

week. Items needed are

new or clean, gently used

clothing, sizes newborn to

2T, diapers, all sizes; large items, such

as car seats, strollers, etc. Items may

be placed in the box in the Narthex by

the end of the day Sunday,

February 4. Please call for pick-up

of any larger items.

Thank you to Tracy

Bowser and family who

h a v e g r a c i o u s l y

volunteered to deliver the

i tems on Monday ,

February 5.

BE A LIFE SAVER! The Heartbeat of Monroe, Inc.

Baby Bottle Campaign Please return all bottles with loose change, cash or checks THIS weekend, January 27 & 28. Your donations mean that the women, men and unborn children who need help in our own community will have a place to turn to for support and encouragement.

Church un-

decorating will take

place NEXT Saturday,

February 3 at 10:30am

(following the 9am Mass

& Carmelites’ Prayer).

It takes about 2 hours; all help will be

appreciated!

Pictorial

Directory - 2018

Every 5 years the

Parish publishes an

u p d a t e d F a m i l y

Di r ec tory which

includes photos of

Parish families.

We would like to get

started with the committee to work on the

Directory for this year; please contact

Michelle in the Parish Office if you are

interested in helping out with the

planning, designing, etc. for this project.

Two Directory companies have stopped

by the Parish Office in the last week to

compare what they have to offer for

directories. The 2018 book should be the

best yet. Come and be a part of it!

2013 Book

Fr. Brian’s Blarney

Prayers Requested

Please pray for the eternal repose of

the soul of Fr. Paul Czarnota’s dad.

Mr. John Czarnota died early Friday

morning of January 26th. The funeral

will be Monday, January 29th at

10:30am at Ss. Cyril and Methodius

Slovak Catholic Church in Sterling

Heights.

Family Fun Raiser

If you have not signed up for the

Family Fun Raiser, please do so by

Monday, January 29th at noon.

Schedule

There were a few scheduling

conflicts, so there won’t be a St.

Patrick’s Day party on March 17th,

because the fundraiser for the

Whiteford Fire Department is that

evening in Kenna Hall. Therefore,

we will be able to have the Lamb

Dinner, which will be on Saturday,

March 10th. The Walleye Faith and

Family Night is March 24th, so please

let me know if you would like to

attend. I will call and order tickets for

those who would like to go.

Liturgical Calendar

In the Extraordinary Form this year,

there is an overlap between the end of

the Christmas Cycle and the

beginning of the Easter Cycle.

Septuagesima (or 70 days out) and the

beginning of “Pre-Lent” falls on

January 28th, but Candlemas or The

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

is February 2nd. In the Ordinary

Form, it is still Ordinary Time until

Ash Wednesday on February 14th.

In Pre-Lent, the color will be violet

and the Alleluia will be dropped as in

Lent. For Ordinary Time, the color

will be green and the Alleluias will

still be sung. For the Feast of the

Presentation, the color will be white,

but the Alleluia is not sung due to it

falling in Pre-Lent.

There are two articles following that

debate the Liturgical Season. The

first is a rebuttal of the second. The

second article has a good graph and

good tables to be able to follow along,

but the first seems to have history and

tradition on his side.

When Does the Christmas Season

End? Gregory Dipippo: January 12, 2018 http://

www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2018/01/

when-does-christmas-season-

end.html#.Wms2I2aZOmk

A friend has just brought to my

attention an article by Jennifer Miller on

CatholicCulture.org, which discusses the

question of when the Christmas season

officially ends; I have also seen a few

similar discussions on social media. With

all due respect to the author, this article

incorrectly asserts that in the

Extraordinary Form, the Christmas

season officially ends with the Baptism of

the Lord on January 13th. Liturgically,

the Christmas season ends on the feast of

the Presentation of Christ in the Temple

and Our Lady’s Purification, on February

2nd.

Prior to the 1960 revision of the rubrics,

the liturgical books of the Roman Rite did

not refer to either Christmas or Epiphany

as “tempora – seasons”, and indeed,

neither the Missal nor the Breviary had a

rubric on liturgical seasons per se. In the

1960 rubrics, within the newly-created

section on the seasons of the year (title

V I I I ) , “ t h e s e a s o n o f t h e

Nativity” (tempus natalicium) is

subdivided into two parts, “the season of

Christmas” (tempus Nativitatis) which

runs from First Vespers of Christmas to

None of January 5th, and “the season of

the Epiphany” (tempus Epiphaniae),

which runs from First Vespers of the

Epiphany to January 13th. In the body of

the Missal, the Sundays after Epiphany

are given a new header, “the time per

annum before Septuagesima”, the

forerunner of the widely and rightly

detested term “ordinary time.”

The designation of the second part as

the “season” of Epiphany serves to

explain the position of the Baptism of the

Lord on January 13th, after the

unjustifiable suppression of the octave of

Epiphany, which is older than that of

Christmas, in 1955. Apart from that, none

of this new terminology describes the

liturgical texts of the season particularly

well.

In the Temporal cycle, there are a

maximum of six Sundays after Epiphany.

The Gospels of these Sundays, the

arrangement of which is extremely

ancient, are as follows.

First Sunday, within the octave of

Epiphany – Luke 2, 42-52, the finding of

Christ in the Temple. (The feast of the

Holy Family was permanently fixed to

this Sunday in 1921, but its Gospel is the

same; the monastic orders retained the

older celebration of the Sunday.)

Second Sunday – John 2, 1-11, the

wedding at Cana.

Third Sunday – Matthew 8, 1-13, the

healing of a leper and of the centurion’s

servant.

Fourth Sunday – Matthew 8, 23-27, the

calming of the storm on the sea.

Fifth Sunday – Matthew 13, 24-30, the

parable of the wheat and the tares.

Sixth Sunday – Matthew 13, 31-35, the

parables of the mustard seed and of the

leaven.

Of these six Gospels, the first three

always occur before the Purification, the

fourth can occur either before or after it,

and the fifth and sixth always occur after

it. The placement of the Finding in the

Temple, the only recorded episode of Our

Lord’s life between His infancy and the

beginning of His public ministry, is

obvious. From the most ancient times, the

writings of the Fathers attest that the

Wedding at Cana was celebrated as part

of the Epiphany, a tradition to which the

historical Office of the Epiphany refers

several times. (In the post-Conciliar three

-year lectionary, this Gospel is now read

on this Sunday only in year C; the

modern Ambrosian lectionary, which

corrects some of the grosser defects of the

reformed Roman one, reads it in all three

years.) The two miracles read on the

Fourth Sunday are the first ones

specifically recorded in the Gospel of St Matthew.

These Gospels, therefore, are all very

much an extension of the theme of

Epiphany, which means “manifestation.”

After celebrat ing the pr ivate

manifestations of the Savior in His

infancy, the Church commemorates the

sole recorded episode of His youth, His

public manifestation at His Baptism, and

His earliest miracles in both the Synoptic

and Johannine traditions. However, the

two Gospels which can only occur after

the Purification break away from this

Epiphany theme, being solely parables, as

are those of Septuagesima and

Sexagesima.

It is true that Septuagesima can arrive

before the Purification; its earliest

possible date (which has not occurred

since 1818, and will not occur again until

2285) is January 18th. It is also true that

when this happens, the series of Gospels

after Epiphany is interrupted; this year,

for example, Septuagesima falls on

January 28th, and therefore, the Gospels

of the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Sundays

after Epiphany will be read at the end of

the liturgical year. These facts are,

however, irrelevant to the original

arrangement of the season after Epiphany,

in which the first four Gospels continue

the theme of that feast, an arrangement

which predates the institution of

Septuagesima. All of which is to say, the

underlying theme of the Christmas

season, the revelation of God’s salvation

in the Incarnation of His Son, breaks off

liturgically with the Purification, and not

before.

We should also take note here of a

much more significant fact about the

arrangement of the liturgical year. The

earliest possible date for Ash Wednesday

is February 4th; there will therefore

always be an interval of at least one day

between the closure of the Christmas

cycle on February 2nd, and the beginning

of Lent.

In the Sanctoral cycle, the month of

January is a fairly busy one, and has been

for a long time; the feasts of the Saints

that occur within it have no bearing on

the Christmas season. The article cited

above correctly notes that the daily

commemoration of the Virgin Mary after

Compline is traditionally the same from

Christmas to the Purification, and

changes on February 3rd. It also states

that this is “(t)he only remaining liturgical

hint of the Christmas Cycle … within the

Liturgy of the Hours.” (Technically, this

arrangement is optional in the new

Office, and might more accurately be

described as the memory of a hint.)

However, this is not true of the traditional

rite. Between Christmas and the

Purification, the Saturday Office and

Little Office of the Virgin use the Collect

and several antiphons from the feast of

the Circumcision. Much more

importantly, the Votive Mass of the

Virgin for the whole of this period uses

the same Collect, as well as the Epistle

and Gospel from the Dawn Mass of

Christmas; it should be remembered that

for a very long time, all major churches

had at least one Votive Mass of the

Virgin every day.

In practical terms, none of this has

much effect on the liturgy, and the

discussion on social media seems to focus

mostly on the appropriate time for taking

down Christmas trees and crèches,

whether in church or at home. Both of

these are, of course, noble customs which

should always be encouraged and

maintained, but neither of them has any

formal liturgical place. In regards to

Christmas trees, it would be perfectly

harmonious with the Catholic tradition to

leave them up until February 2nd, without

ever forgetting that very dry conifers can

burn with an incredibly dangerous speed

and intensity. In regards to crèches, I

have observed a custom in a number of

European churches that seems to me very

sensible, and a good way to present and

celebrate the events of Christ’s life more

vividly through the liturgy. Having

“arrived” at the adulthood of Christ in the

liturgical year, so to speak, with the feast

of His Baptism, the manger scene is taken

down. A statue of the Infant Jesus

continues to be displayed prominently in

the church, and only removed after the

celebration of His Presentation in the

Temple.

Christmas to Candlemas: When is

the Real End of the Christmas

Season? By Jennifer Gregory Miller| Jan 07,

2018 https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/

liturgicalyear/blog/index.cfm?id=106

This post was originally published in

January 2014. It is revised and now

includes the 1962 Extraordinary Form

dates for Christmas. This post contains

tables which may not be easily displayed

on mobile devices.

The Christmas season ended on the

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Or did

it?

It seems inevitable every Christmas that

there will be polite disagreement among

Catholics as to when the Christmas

season officially ends. Usually the

discussion revolves around when to take

down the Christmas decorations. Most of

my friends will wait until after the

Epiphany or after the Baptism of the

Lord. But every year someone will say

that that they are following the traditional

and official end of the Christmas season,

February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas,

which is the Feast of the Presentation of

the Lord or Purification of the Blessed

Virgin Mary (commonly called

Candlemas, in Greek Hypapante).

I wonder if it is mainly an argument of

semantics? Is the dispute over the actual

length of the Christmas Season,

comparing the Ordinary Form calendar

with the older 1962 Extraordinary Form

(or even earlier calendars)? Or is the

disagreement over the Christmas Cycle

(or Period or Section) and not the actual

liturgical Christmas season (also known

as Christmastide)? Or is this about

“tradition” (small “t”) not related to the

Church, but a longstanding secular family

or cultural custom?

TRACKING FAMILY FEASTS AND

REMEMBRANCES I have always enjoyed studying and

understanding the structure of the

liturgical calendar. I am from a family of

seven children, and I know and celebrate

all the birthdays and anniversaries and

even death anniversaries of all my

siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts,

uncles and cousins. When I was newly

married, I added new celebrations to our

calendar—my husband’s birthday, our

anniversary, my in-laws’ birthdays and

anniversaries. As the years progress, I’ve

added my children’s birthdates, their

sacrament anniversaries, and other

milestone dates. These dates have become

familiar to me and even more dear than

my original family dates.

Through my baptism I became a

daughter of God and a member of the

Family of Christ. Shouldn’t I get to know

the dates and ins-and-outs of the calendar

of my other family, the Church?

The Liturgical Year has many

intricacies. The Sanctoral Cycle

(calendar with the feasts of the saints) is

usually easier to follow because the dates

are fixed (with some exceptions) but the

Temporal Cycle of the liturgical seasons

(which follows the redemptive life of

Christ) is more changeable from year to

year. How will the Church seasons fall

during this particular Liturgical Year?

How is the date chosen for Easter? Will

Lent and Easter be late or early this year?

Will Advent be short or long? What day

of the week is Christmas? How long will

be the Christmas season? I equate looking

at the Church’s calendar to my family

looking ahead to see what day of the

week their birthday will be this year. So it

is with this thought process I want to

understand more closely whether or not

Candlemas is or has been part of the

Christmas season.

Although there are several differences

between the current General Roman

Calendar (also referred to as the Ordinary

Form or OF) and the 1962 Extraordinary

Form Calendar (EF), the structure of both of the liturgical seasons is still very

similar. Below is a combined calendar

(created by my friend, Michele Quigley)

of both the Ordinary Form and

Extraordinary Form calendars.

Comparing the two calendars, the colors and weeks do not vary except the three weeks of Pre-Lent beginning with

Septuagesima (I do think the white section after Pentecost is the same for both calendars, for Trinity and Corpus Christi

Sundays). In the sections of green, which is in both calendars Tempus per Annum, “The Season Throughout the Year,” the

designations of titles differ. Both “Time after Epiphany” and “Time after Pentecost” are the two names used to designate

which part of the Tempus per Annum falls in the Extraordinary Form Calendar, whereas in the current Ordinary Form these

are both designated as “Ordinary Time,” but both calendars view this time/season as a whole.

EXAMINING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON MORE CLOSELY Examining just the Christmas seasons of each calendar, Christmas begins on December 25 and has an octave of

Christmas ending on January 1. Epiphany falls on January 6, except in the current US calendar where it is transferred to

Sunday. Each calendar has the Christmas season end on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is moved to Sunday

(with two exceptions) in the current (OF) calendar, but always January 13 in the 1962 (EF) calendar.

The table below breaks down the seasons in both calendars:

In the current (OF) calendar, the length of the Christmas season varies depending on what day Christmas falls. In 2017-18, the

Christmas Season lasted 16 days, but it can vary in length from 15 to 20 days. The following table illustrates how the feasts would fall

and the length of the season depending on the day of the week Christmas falls.

Christmas Season in the current Ordinary Form Calendar (OF), US observation

*When the Solemnity of the Epiphany is transferred to the Sunday that occurs on January 7 or 8, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is

celebrated on the following Monday (General Roman Calendar, Roman Missal 3rd Edition, 2011).

In the 1962 calendar, the length of the Christmas season (or Christmastide) is fixed at 20 days, because the feast of Epiphany is not

transferred to Sunday and the Baptism of the Lord is always on January 13 (with one exception**).

Christmas Season in the Extraordinary Form 1962 Calendar

**When January 13 is a Sunday, Mass and Vespers of the feast of the Holy Family are said, omitting the commemoration of the feast of

the Baptism of the Lord.

There are some shades of differences, but in both calendars the Christmas season does not continue after January 13 and cannot be

longer than 20 days in length.

CYCLING OR RIDING THE TIDE The main difference in comparing the two calendars is that many pre-Vatican descriptions divide the year by two cycles, the Christmas

and Easter Cycles. Some use terms like “Period” or “Section” to try to illustrate the division of the year. The seasons of Advent,

Christmas, and Time after Epiphany point to the Incarnation of Christ and the feast of Christmas, so the seasons make up the Christmas

Cycle. The Easter Cycle consists of pre-Lent, Lent, Easter and Time after Pentecost. This was a later division and designation and not

always mentioned in translations or missals that I have found.

While the official descriptions in Church documents of the current Ordinary Form calendar don’t have these separate

designations, I have found the separation of Christmas and Easter Cycles described in various books, including Adolf

Adam’s Liturgical Year: Its History and Its Meaning After the Reform of the Liturgy, which was written for the current OF

(1969) calendar. There does seem to be a natural division, but the documents do continually emphasize that the Paschal

Mystery is at the center and heart of the Liturgical Year, and all events of the Liturgical Year point back to that one central

Feast of Easter. There is no balancing of Christmas vs. Easter; Easter is the highest feast of the whole Liturgical Year, and

this is reflected in every Sunday being another Easter, and the length of the Easter Season is actually 50 days, compared to

Christmas which is 20 days at the most.

Solemnity of

Christmas

December 25

Feast of the Holy

Family, within the Octave of

Christmas

Octave of Christmas &

Solemnity of Mary, Mother

of God

Solemnity of the

Epiphany of the

Lord (in the US)

Feast of the Baptism of

Our Lord

Length of

Christmas

Season

Sunday Friday, Dec. 30 Sunday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 8 Monday, Jan. 9* 16 days

Monday Sunday, Dec. 31 Monday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 7 Monday, Jan. 8* 15 days

Tuesday Sunday, Dec. 30 Tuesday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 6 Sunday, Jan. 13 20 days

Wednesday Sunday, Dec. 29 Wednesday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 5 Sunday, Jan. 12 19 days

Thursday Sunday, Dec. 28 Thursday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 4 Sunday, Jan. 11 18 days

Friday Sunday, Dec. 27 Friday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 3 Sunday, Jan. 10 17 days

Saturday Sunday, Dec. 26 Saturday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 2 Sunday, Jan. 9 16 days

Birth of the Lord, December 25

Octave of the Birth of the Lord, January 1 (formerly Circumcision)

Holy Name of Jesus, 1st Sunday between Octave & Epiphany or January 2

Epiphany of the Lord, January 6

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, first Sunday after Epiphany

Baptism of Our Lord

Jesus Christ, January 13

Length of

Christmas Season

Sunday Sunday, Jan. 1 Monday, Jan. 2 Friday, Jan. 6 Sunday, Jan. 8 Friday, Jan. 13 20 days

Monday Monday, Jan. 1 Tuesday, Jan. 2 Saturday, Jan. 6 Sunday, Jan. 7 Saturday, Jan. 13 20 days

Tuesday Tuesday, Jan. 1 Wednesday, Jan. 2 Sunday, Jan. 6 Sunday, Jan. 13 Not observed** 20 days

Wednesday Wednesday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 5 Monday, Jan. 6 Sunday, Jan. 12 Monday, Jan. 13 20 days

Thursday Thursday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 4 Tuesday, Jan. 6 Sunday, Jan. 11 Tuesday, Jan. 13 20 days

Friday Friday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 3 Wednesday, Jan. 6 Sunday, Jan. 10 Wednesday, Jan. 13 20 days

Saturday Saturday, Jan. 1 Sunday, Jan. 2 Thursday, Jan. 6 Sunday, Jan. 9 Thursday, Jan. 13 20 days

There are some weaknesses in the

argument that the Christmas season or

celebration continues through February

2nd. Some confusion can stem from older

writings, such as Dom Prosper

Guéranger’s The Liturgical Year, citing

the importance of the number 40 (which

ends at Candlemas) and the parallelism

with Easter, and his use of the term

“Christmastide” for that whole time

period from Christmas to Candlemas. But

in The New Rubrics of the Breviary and

Missal (1962), Christmastide is defined as

“(tempus Nativitatis) from I vespers of

Christmas to none [midafternoon] on 5th

January inclusive.” The OF or current

calendar does not use this term.

Secondly, Pre-Lent (or Septuagesima)

in Extraordinary Form calendar, which

begins with Septuagesima (the ninth

Sunday before Easter), often falls before

February 2. For example, 2015 it fell on

February 1st, and in 2016, January 24. So

the focus in the Extraordinary Form

cannot continue celebrating Christmas

when pre-Lent arrives. Even the

Christmas Cycle ends earlier during those

years.

Also, the Christmas season always ends

on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in

both calendars. I have never found any

traditional Church calendar that continued

the “Christmas Season” all the way

through Candlemas. It is more of the

“Christmas Cycle“ that one can see

prolonged Christmas focus for 40 days of

Christmas which ends on Candlemas. The

Christmas Cycle is different than the

actual Christmas season. After the

Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas

Season ends. The priest wears green

vestments, and “Time After Epiphany”

begins.

The green in the “Basic Cycle” or

“Tempus per Annum” is not a celebration

like the Easter and Christmas seasons, but

does continue to focus on the

Manifestation of Christ. It is not

Christmas anymore, but a time of spiritual

growth, applying the gifts we have

learned through the Advent and Christmas

seasons. And it is a time of rest before the

Easter Cycle begins. But the time is not

the Christmas “celebration.” No one says

it is still Easter as the summer months

continue or on All Saints Day, or the

Solemnity of Christ the King, even

though that time could be considered part

of the “Easter Cycle.” The same rules

apply to the Christmas Cycle. The green

vestments signal a time of no feasts.

As mentioned under the tables above,

tempus per annum or Ordinary Time is

included in both calendars and is

considering liturgically one seamless

time. Although there are designations of

“Time after Epiphany” and “Time after

Pentecost” in the pre-Vatican calendar,

the masses are interchangeable and linked

through both time periods. In the EF or

1962 liturgy, the masses not used during

the first part of the year in “Time After

Epiphany” are tacked on at the end of the

“Time after Pentecost” cycle, showing the

seamlessness of the readings and liturgy.

KEEPING TRADITION WITH A

SMALL “t” In looking at the calendar, cycles, and

seasons, it seems Candlemas was born as

a date fixed to Christmas, and originally

this feast was February 14, forty days

after Epiphany. The Emperor Justinian in

542 shifted Christmas to December 25 for

the whole eastern Empire, which moved

the Presentation to the current date of

February 2, 40 days after Christmas. This

feast day, not part of a season, concludes

the focus of the Christmas Cycle. It is a

feast that points back to Christmas, when

the Light of the World was born, but even

more so leads forward to Easter, where

we celebrate Lumen Christi (the Light of

Christ).

The only remaining liturgical hint of the

Christmas Cycle is within the Liturgy of

the Hours. The Marian antiphons of the

Liturgy of the Hours do reflect the change

of focus on the Incarnation of Christ to

the Paschal Mysteries. The Marian

Antiphons sung at the end of the Night

Prayer shift after the feast of the

Presentation of the Lord. Alma

Redemptoris Mater began the first

Sunday of Advent. Ave Regina Caelorum

is sung from February 2nd until the Easter

Vigil.

There is evidence of cultural customs to

keep Christmas decorations until

February 2. Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

has a poem entitled Ceremony Upon

Candlemas Eve which describes this

tradition:

Down with the rosemary, and so

Down with the bays and misletoe;

Down with the holly, ivy, all

Wherewith ye dress’d the Christmas hall;

That so the superstitious find

No one least branch there left behind;

For look, how many leaves there be

Neglected there, maids, trust to me,

So many goblins you shall see.

Christmas decorations before the

Victorian period were minimal, mostly

evergreens and herbs and crèche scenes.

Modern times tend to have much more

decorations, including lights and

Christmas trees. So while decorations

might have remained until Candlemas,

they weren’t as invasive as current

Christmas decorations. I do think many

people like to follow this tradition

because the actual Christmas season is

exhausting, and waiting until February

2nd is easier than having to take down all

those decorations after a harried

Christmas.

While there is no proof that the Church

has continued the Christmas season for 40

days until Candlemas, the feast of the

Presentation of the Lord does stand very

prominently and is considered a

“Christmas feast day.” The tradition

including the feast of Candlemas as part

of the Christmas season is not liturgically

historical, but indicating that it is part of

the Christmas Cycle during the Time after

Epiphany is liturgically correct. The

Vatican takes down the Christmas

decorations after the Baptism of the Lord,

except the crèche/nativity scene. There

seems to be more indication that keeping

up the Christmas decorations is a cultural

custom rather than an official religious

Tradition.

In our own homes and families, we can

follow familial or cultural traditions in

our homes. But if we are trying to follow

the Liturgical Year, it is important to

know the Church’s calendar and liturgy to

know what is correct to form our

domestic churches.

Jimmy and Carrying the Cross by Joe Sixpack

Jimmy was a twelve year old boy, ordinarily good and obedient to his parents. But one afternoon his mother told him he couldn’t go swimming. Jimmy went swimming anyway, and his mother found out. When Jimmy returned, his mother told him how disappointed she was over his disobedience. Jimmy told her he was sorry, and that he wouldn’t do it again. His mother said, “Well, Jimmy, I forgive your disobedience, but I still have to punish you. You can’t ride your bike for a week.” Jimmy thought of a way to cut down his punishment. After dinner, he offered to dry the dishes for his mother. This was very unusual, if you knew Jimmy. His mother saw right through the plan, but she was good about it and when he finished told him, “Jimmy, you've been a good boy by drying the dishes for me, so I’ll take off some of your punishment. I’ll reduce your punishment from a week to four days.” God is a very merciful God. In fact, He’s perfectly merciful, because He is…well, perfect. But because He is perfect, He must also be perfectly just. A fallacy of non-Catholic Christianity that has crept into Catholic thinking is, when God forgives sin He also forgets. In other words, it’s wrongly believed that when God forgives sin He also pardons the temporal punishment due to those sins. But this isn’t true. That would make God neurotic, imperfect. There still has to be a price paid for the offense, and this is a sense of justice God has given even to us, as imperfect as we are. After all, that is the whole premise behind our criminal justice system. If a criminal went before the judge and said he was sorry, it wouldn’t be right if the judge simply said, “That’s okay. The People forgive you. Go on home.” The same is true of God. He most certainly forgives when we unburden ourselves of our sins and ask forgiveness in the confessional, but He still demands justice. Mortal sins forgiven in the confessional release us from eternal punishment in hell, but both mortal and venial sins that are forgiven still have the price of temporal punishment to be paid. There are only two places where that temporal punishment can take place: here on earth in this life or in purgatory. Most of us don’t pay the full price of our sins in this life, so we end up paying for it in purgatory. Purgatory is like hell, but with two differences. The first difference is that we only remain in purgatory until the debt is paid and we are purified until we are perfect. The other difference is that our punishment is most intense when we arrive, but it lessens as we get closer to perfection. Therefore, it makes sense to do all we can to make reparation for our sins so as to escape the temporal punishment of purgatory as best we can. This is best done by the gaining of an indulgence. Indulgences remit all or part of our temporal punishment by doing good works prescribed by the Church. There is a partial indulgence, which remits a portion of the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin. There is also a plenary indulgence, which remits all the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin. To gain a plenary indulgence, the penitent not only performs the prescribed

© Sixpack Productions #98

work, but also fulfills the usual conditions of going to confession and receiving Communion within eight days prior to or after the indulgenced act. What Jimmy did was tantamount to a partial indulgence. He did a good work for his mother, and she in turn took away part of the punishment he deserved for his disobedience. There is no doubt that Jimmy could have had all his punishment abolished if he’d done something much bigger, something truly extraordinary, which would have been like a plenary indulgence. Being in a state of grace, praying, and performing good works to gain indulgences will remit the punishment due to forgiven sin, but there is more we can do, as is seen in the following story. A French servant girl waited on her old and sickly mistress for many years. The rich lady once told her that she’d left large amounts of money and property to her family members in her will, including even her most distant relatives. The servant girl, who was both poor and faithful to her mistress, expected some such gift herself, but learned from her mistress that she wasn’t even in the old lady’s will. Shortly before her mistress died, she gave the girl a crucifix made of painted plaster. She said, “Ann, this is the gift I leave you as a sign of my love and appreciation for all you’ve done for me over the years.” Ann thanked her mistress, but she was terribly disappointed. “Only a crucifix,” she thought. Ann hung the cross over her bed and prayed before it each night before retiring. But as she prayed, she couldn’t help but feel some bitterness and resentment about so meager a gift. One night she thought, “I’ve been faithful to my mistress all these years, yet all I get from her is a cross. She gives great amounts of money and property to all these other people who haven’t even been to visit her or cared about her in the least. Oh God, is that just? Don’t I deserve more for all my work and patience and the care of this woman?” Her bitterness led Ann into a fit of anger. She jerked the crucifix from the wall and smashed it onto the floor in a thousand pieces as she shouted, “I don’t want your gift, Madame Beauvilliers! There is your cross in pieces at my feet!” But as Ann looked at the pieces on the floor, her eyes widened. There on the floor among all the broken pieces of the crucifix were many beautiful diamonds! “Good God!” she cried, burying her face in her hands. “Good God, have mercy on me. Forgive me for having been so ungrateful, rude and bitter.” Ann ran from her room to apologize to her mistress. She knocked at the door of the bedroom, but there was no answer. She went into the room and approached the bed, only to find her aged mistress dead. In this story, Ann felt bitter and angry because she felt unjustly treated by her mistress. It was only when she discovered the diamonds that she realized her mistress had indeed treated her well. We are all like Ann far more often than we like to think. None of us like to experience difficulties in life. We become upset, impatient or angry over the crosses God allows to come our way, especially when they seem unjust. That merely shows how foolish and ungrateful we can be! When God sends us a cross to bear, He is really sending us a handful of diamonds. Those crosses are gifts to help us get to heaven. If, instead of being impatient or angry about a cross, we were to patiently bear it and offer it back to God as a gift in reparation for our sins and the sins of the world, we would not only accomplish the remission of some of our temporal punishment, but we’d also grow in holiness in the sight of God and man. So don’t waste any of your suffering. Thank God for it, and offer it back to Him in reparation for the offenses made against Him by the world and yourself. The Church tells us you will benefit for it in this life and in the next, because this is What We Believe...Why We Believe It. Do you have additional questions about what the Church teaches regarding mercy and justice? If so, go to JoeSixpackAnswers.com for answers. Ask and see the Church’s answer! © Sixpack Productions #98