Catholic Current – Week of May 11, 2023

May is the month of Mary. In this week’s episode we visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to learn about the history of the month of Mary and popular Marian devotions, such as praying the rosary. The Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer. It begins with the Apostles' Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. The Our Father, which introduces each mystery, is from the Gospels. The first part of the Hail Mary is the angel's words announcing Christ's birth and Elizabeth's greeting to Mary. St. Pius V officially added the second part of the Hail Mary. The Mysteries of the Rosary center on the events of Christ's life. There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and––added by Saint John Paul II in 2002––the Luminous. Learn more about how to pray rosary

May is also Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  In this week’s episode we highlight a story out of the Diocese of Tulsa which reflects the diversity and richness of our faith! Fr. Samuel Perez, Pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Miami, Oklahoma celebrates mass every weekend in Chuukese for local Micronesian Catholics in addition to five other masses in English and Spanish. People in the pews wear brightly colored traditional clothing and hairstyles. One Micronesian family from southwest Missouri makes the almost two-hour drive to hear Scriptures, prayers and songs in Chuukese. Adding a weekly Mass in Chuukese has improved not just Mass attendance but religious education enrollment at Sacred Heart, from 30 students to 120. Baptisms are up too: Father Perez’s calendar in May had 11 baptisms for members of the Micronesian community.  Farming jobs attracted many of Oklahoma’s Micronesian natives from the island of Chuuk in the South Pacific. For their part, the community members are grateful that Father Perez has worked to learn their language and integrate their culture into the worship experience. “It shows that he really cares,” one altar server said.  Father Perez points out that he made a lot of pronunciation mistakes early on, and he’s still learning. There was no textbook; he caught on by repeating words his parishioners taught him. “They were very patient with me,” he said. “My accent is thick. I don’t know how much they understand me, but it looks like they’re OK with it.”  Father Perez wants every Catholic to feel welcome and included in their Church home. “When God calls you to be a priest, you are called to serve all people.” 

The Diocese of Tulsa is currently celebrating its 50^th anniversary jubilee year.  Click here learn more about the Diocese and the Chuukese Catholic Community at Sacred Heart Church: https://dioceseoftulsa.org/

Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, was at the Vatican to mark the 50th anniversary of a joint declaration signed by St. Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III in 1973 outlining the beliefs shared by their churches. Pope Tawadros II called for unity between Catholics and Copts during Pope Francis' general audience. Read the CNS Rome story and watch the video of this historic meeting.