The Liturgical Year: The Cycle of Feasts and Seasons

An essential component of our Parish Faith Formation Process here at Saint Paul Parish is the Church Calender, the Liturgical Year. The Paschal Mystery -- the life, passion death, resurrection, ascension into Spirit-filled glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the sending of the Spirit-- is at the basis of our identity. We enter into this mystery in baptism, are nourished in it in Eucharist, and live it on our journey through the liturgical year (which reveals in a recurring cycle the entire mystery of Christ). Over the centuries the Christian calendar developed as a direct response to the catechetical needs of the Faithful. It is, you might say, the Church's lesson plan.

In keeping the cycle of Christian feasts and seasons we find that it "keeps" us - it gives us our identity as Catholic Christians.

Part of how we keep the Church Calendar is through the celebration of "Seasonal Parish Celebrations" each year to help parishioners connect with the wonderful customs and traditions of the Church Seasons, and to enable them to live these traditions on a daily basis in their homes. Through these gatherings such as our Advent Parish Celebration, Mardi Gras Parish Celebration, Easter Egg Hunt, and All Saints/All Souls Bonfire, folks of all ages will know our faith identity because these gatherings are the sharing and celebrating of our faith. There is also a very strong catechetical element to these gatherings: the "why do we do this?" and "what does this mean?" information that describes our rich faith tradition.

We celebrate appropriate feasts well; feasts such as Saint Francis of Assisi with the Blessing of Pets, Saint Blase with the Blessing of Throats, Shrove Tuesday with the Burning of Palm, May Devotion, etc. In these very celebrations there is instruction in the ways of faith: God's gift of creation, God's healing presence in our lives, Mary's motherly concern and intercession for us.

We celebrate the seasons fully: Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. Each season has its own character, its own "feel", and the experience of each is formational, shaping us as Catholic Christians. Sunday is central and essential. Mass is central to Sunday, but so too the seasonal celebration of Sunday Vespers, or Evening prayer.

In celebrating our faith according to the Liturgical Year, the whole story of Christ and of God's People is unfolded year by year. This story includes history, moral teaching, prayer, service, and community.

By entering into the cycle of feasts and seasons we enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ who is all times and seasons, the beginning and the end of our lives. This, after all, is the purpose of religious education: being in Christ.

A schedule for the celebrations for the current Liturgical Year is listed below the information on this page about our current Liturgical Season.

Pertinent information on the celebration of Feasts and Seasons also is often included as inserts in our weekly Sunday Bulletin. For further information on the Liturgical Calendar and on Celebrating Feasts and Seasons, please contact our parish office at 836-7535.

Our Current Liturgical Season

There are about 34 weeks of Ordinary Time in each Liturgical Year. But there is nothing ordinary or plain about these weeks. They encompass many wonderful feasts and celebrations. So why is it called Ordinary Time? In this case, ordinary refers to oridnal - a way of counting or ranking something. We are counting the Sundays to determine where we are in our Lectionary Cycle.

The primary liturgical color used during Ordinary Time is green, which expresses hope and trust.

Celebrations of the Cycle of Feasts and Seasons

at Saint Paul Parish

The Year of Priests - 2010

Saint Paul Parish seeks to fully live out the Church Year and fully celebrate the Cycle of Feasts and Seasons. It is in so doing that we are formed in our Catholic Christian identity. Sunday Mass is celebrated weekly at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Saturday's rotating Masses include January thru April at Precious Blood, May thru August at St. Paul and September thru December at St. Rita. Below is listed the schedule for our parish celebrations of the Cycle of Feasts and Seasons for the current Liturgical Year - The Year of Priests 2009-2010. Resources are also distributed to enable families to fully celebrate the Feasts and Seasons of our Church in their own homes. Our parish celebrations of our Feasts and Seasons are open to persons of all ages: infants, children, teens and adults. Our parish facility is fully accessible to persons with disabilities. For further information about any of our Liturgical Year celebrations, please contact the parish office at 836-7535.

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