Extraordinary community news

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News (May 12, 2013):

The Apostleship of Prayer

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee my prayers, works, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Thy Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the intentions of all our associates, and in particular for the intention recommended by our Holy Father, the Pope.

Perhaps you have seen the above Morning Offering of the Apostleship of Prayer or similar prayers in a traditional missal or prayer book, such as The Blessed Sacrament Prayer Book. Have you ever stopped to consider what The Apostleship of Prayer is, or how one becomes an Associate? Clearly this must have been a fairly major entity, due to the prevalence of such prayers in so many pre-Vatican II books.

Unbeknownst to many Catholics, The Apostleship of Prayer still exists, and in fact maintains an impressive web site, www.apostleshipofprayer.org. Membership is free, and those who sign up on-line will be mailed an information package. The organization is dedicated to praying for the Holy Father’s two monthly intentions. Some excerpts from their web site explain the Apostleship’s history and objectives:

The Apostleship of Prayer began in France in 1844. At that time Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet told a group of Jesuit seminarians who were eager to work on the missions: “Be apostles now, apostles of prayer! Offer everything you are doing each day in union with the Heart of our Lord for what He wishes, the spread of the Kingdom for the salvation of souls.”

In 1861 the first Messenger of the Sacred Heart was published. Besides promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, this periodical also tried to develop in its readers an awareness of the needs of the Universal Church. In time the Pope himself proposed a particular monthly intention and since 1929 a specific mission intention has also been proposed to the faithful for their prayerful attention.

At the center of the Apostleship of Prayer is the Morning or Daily Offering. In this simple prayer, we offer every moment of our day to God. We strive to take seriously the call we received in baptism to be “a royal priesthood” (see 1 Peter 2: 9). ...Pope John Paul II once said that the practice of praying the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful.” It is a daily reminder to make our entire day, our whole life “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12: 1).

In 2005 the Synod of Bishops urged in Proposition 43 “Eucharistic Spirituality and Sanctification of the World” through daily participation in Holy Mass. The Proposition goes on to mention the Apostleship of Prayer by name: “The daily offering (taught, for example, in the Apostleship of Prayer, practiced by millions of Catholics worldwide) can help each one to become a ‘Eucharistic figure,’ following the example of Mary, uniting one’s own life to that of Christ, who offers himself for humanity.”

The Pope’s monthly intentions are posted on the Apostleship’s web site. Those for May, 2013 are as follows:

General Intention: For Administrators of Justice: That administrators of justice may act always with integrity and right conscience.

Missionary Intention: For Seminaries: That seminaries, especially those of mission churches, may form pastors after the Heart of Christ, fully dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel.

Pentecost Octave Masses

Ann Arbor’s Old St. Patrick’s Church will be celebrating the Tridentine Mass every day throughout the Pentecost Octave. Holy Mass will be offered on Pentecost Sunday, May 19 at 12:30 PM; on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:30 AM; on Tuesday at 7:00 PM; on Thursday and Saturday at 8:30 AM, and finally on Trinity Sunday, May 26 at 12:30 PM. Thanks to pastor Fr. Gerald Gawronski and to Paul Schultz for organizing this splendid observation of a neglected Octave. Note that the Church marks each day of the Pentecost Octave as a First Class Feast, with Gloria and Credo. It’s worth mentioning that the weekend of May 25-26 is shaping up to be one of the busiest ever, Tridentine Mass-wise.

Upcoming Juventútem Masses

Juventútem Michigan has a number of special upcoming Masses. As part of their Pentecost Pilgrimage for Christian Culture (read more and sign up at www.juventutemmichigan.com), there will be special Masses in the Extraordinary Form on Sunday, May 19 at 12:30 PM at St. Mary Church in Lowell, MI, and at 5:00 PM on Monday, May 20 at St. Mary Church in Westphalia, MI.


On Friday, May 31 at 7:00 PM, Juventútem’s monthly last Friday Mass will be held at Grand Rapids, Michigan’s beautiful Basilica of St. Adalbert, pictured. Young adults age 18-35 are invited to a dinner after Mass. For more information, see the Facebook event page.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 05/13 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop, Confessor, & Doctor)
• Tue. 05/14 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Assumption-Windsor (St. Boniface, Martyr)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Josaphat (Detroit) and Assumption (Windsor) bulletin inserts for May 12, 2013. Hat tip to A.B., author of the column.]