Bill Hao

Weekly Reflection
Spiritual Blindness and Deafness

Is there a difference between spiritual blindness and spiritual deafness? Spiritual blindness is when someone can’t see the truth. Spiritual deafness is when someone won’t listen to the truth. The Pharisees were spiritually blind because although they saw the miracles that Jesus did, they couldn’t see the truth of what Jesus did – that He was the Messiah. This is due to their lack of faith in Jesus. We see this spiritual blindness played out in Mark 8, when the…

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Weekly Prayers

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Prayers of the Faithful Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel, our Savior Jesus Christ healed the deaf and mute man in the Decapolis with the command “Ephetha!”; which means “Be opened!” In faith, let us offer these prayers to the Lord:           L. We pray for our parishioners. May the Lord Jesus Christ heal our spiritual blindness and deafness, and lead us with the light of truth, so that we can work and worship…

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Celebrating the Assumption of Mary

In 1950, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in his apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus (God Ineffable or Indescribable). It was about time, for not only had canonized Saints written about it, the Christian faithful since the early Church had already been expressing that article of faith in their traditions, prayers, devotions, sacred images and liturgies. In his proclamation, Pope Pius XII tied in the dogma of the Assumption with the three preceding…

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Did Mary die before her Assumption?

The Apostolic constitution of Pope Pius XII states: “We pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” — Pope Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus, 1950 The question of whether Mary died is significant especially in the context of the Assumption. The story of the Dormition of Mary from the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is…

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Saints of the Month

What are saints and why pray to saints?   Saints are persons who have died and have gone to heaven. They lived a life of heroic virtue because of their love for Jesus Christ. The saints are the good and faithful servants of the Lord (cf. Matthew 25:21), they are the blessed ones who have inherited the kingdom (cf. Matthew 25:34). Christians need to be reminded of the saints because although saints are human persons like us, they inspire us to…

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Welcome to the RCIA program!

RCIA means Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults; some parishes call it the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults). Either way you call it, it is a process through which unbaptized adults and children over the age of seven undergo formation in the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. The RCIA may sometimes include adult Christians (Protestants) who have already been baptized or adult Catholics who have already been baptized in the Catholic Church, but have not yet…

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2024-2025 RCIA Liturgical Rites Schedule

February 2, 2025 Rite of Welcome and Acceptance February 16, 2025 The Rite of Anointing       March 2, 2025 The Rite of Sending March 8, 2025 The Rite of Election March 23, 2025 3rd Sunday of Lent (The First Scrutiny) March 30, 2025 4th Sunday of Lent (The Second Scrutiny) April 6, 2025 5th Sunday of Lent (The Third Scrutiny) April 19, 2025 Easter Vigil April 27, 2025 Mystagogical Catechesis I May 11, 2025 Mystagogical Catechesis II May 25, 2025…

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Sunday School

Sunday School for the children of our parish begins on August 25, 2024. We have implemented a new curriculum in order to better adapt to the needs of our parish family. Our goal is not only to teach the faith, but also to encourage our children and their parents to practice the faith. Parents are welcome to sit-in our classes. Our Sunday School is supplemented by our online classes for children, teens and adults. Special classes are available for children…

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