ST. GERTRUDE THE GREATROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH4900 RIALTO ROAD : WEST CHESTER, OHIO 45069PH: 513-645-4212 • FAX: 513-645-4214www.traditionalmass.org • www.sgg.org

THE MOST REV. DANIEL L. DOLAN, PASTORTHE REV. ANTHONY CEKADA, THE REV. JULIAN LARRABEE

TRADITIONALLATIN MASSSUNDAY MASSES 7:30 AM LOW 9:00 AM HIGH

11:30 AM LOW 5:45 PM LOW

SOLEMNITY OF ST. GERTRUDE

LAST SUNDAY AFTER

PENTECOST

NOVEMBER 22, 2009

¶Vespers, Benediction and NovenaSunday Vespers and Benediction asannounced. Perpetual Novena to the SacredHeart and Benediction: Friday eveningafter Mass. Other Novenas and Devotions,as announced.

¶Blessing of Religious Articles: FirstSunday of the month after the morningMasses, at communion rail.

¶Children’s Confessions: One Sunday ofthe month at 10:40 AM, as announced.

¶Blessing of Expectant Mothers: ThirdSunday of the month after all Masses.

¶Prayer Chain: To request prayers for yourspecial intentions or needs, or to assist inthe Prayer Chain, please call the office.

¶Appointments & Sick Calls: Pleasephone the church office.

¶Catholic Books & Religious Articles: Afine selection is available in the Gift Shopafter the Masses on Sunday.

¶Baptisms: Saturday morning byappointment. At least one parent as well asthe sponsor (only one sponsor is required)must be practicing Roman Catholics who

do not belong to the Novus Ordo Religion.Novus Ordo and non-practicing Catholicsmay not serve as sponsors. The Church willprovide a sponsor in case of necessity. TheChurching of New Mothers follows thebaptismal ceremony. Please makearrangements through the church office.

¶Confirmation: Confirmation is solemnlyadministered at Pentecost of each year, andprivately as requested. According to canonlaw, children should, if possible, beconfirmed before First Holy Communion.

¶First Holy Communion: Childrenshould make their First Holy Communionwhen they have reached the age of reason(usually between the ages of five and eight)and know the rudiments of the Faith (theFirst Communion Catechism.) First HolyCommunion is administered each year onthe Feast of Corpus Christi.

¶Matrimony: If you are contemplatingmarriage, please make an appointment tospeak with a priest before setting a date.

¶Extreme Unction: Your priests serve awide area and must often travel far toadminister this sacrament. Please do notput off making arrangements until the lastmoment. Let us know if a church member

is sick, hospitalized or in danger of death.

¶Mass Intentions: Individual Massintentions as well as Purgatorian Societyenrollments are available in the vestibule,and may be given in with the collection orat the office.

¶Registration: Please complete a card atthe Gift Shop or phone the church.Collection envelopes will be mailed.

¶Dress Code: Ladies—Please wear amodest dress and a head-covering. No tightfitting, low-cut, short, slit, or sleevelessdresses. No pants or shorts. Men & Boys—Please wear a shirt and tie, with either suitcoat, jacket or sweater, and dress shoes. NoT-shirts, sweat shirts, sweat pants, tennisshoes, sneakers, shorts, jeans or Sports logojackets.

¶New at St. Gertrude’s? Welcome! In thevestibule you’ll find a pamphlet explainingthe traditional rules observed here for thereception of Holy Communion. There isalso a Visitor’s Card to fill out if you wantmore information on St. Gertrude’s or onthe traditional Latin Mass. A freeinformation packet on the traditional LatinMass is available to newcomers. Stop by theSocial Hall after Mass for refreshments.

Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven..

✠ ANNOUNCEMENTS ✠ POETRY CORNER

¶NOVEMBER 22, 2009 • LAST SUNDAY

AFTER PENTECOST • OCTAVE DAY OF ST.GERTRUDE THE GREAT • ST. CECILIA •Catechism classes are at 10:40 AM as arechildren’s confessions, more confessionsare heard from 11-11:20 AM. Today wehonor the heavenly patroness of musicand the arts, St. Cecilia.

¶THIS WEEK...Is a short one, what with

Thanksgiving. Tomorrow we close theOctave and Novena of St. Gertrude. St.John of the Cross comes Tuesday.Remember choir practice tonight.(Please note the three Masses today andtomorrow.) Wednesday is the patronessof philosophers and young ladies lookingfor suitable husbands, St. Catherine.Thanksgiving is Thursday, and OurLady of the Miraculous Medal andmeat come Friday. The simply splendidGospel of St. Andrew’s Vigil isanticipated on Saturday. Light yourAdvent wreath tonight.

Collection ReportSunday November 15 .................................$3,964.00

Thank you for your generosity!Remember St. Gertrude’s in your will!

UshersNOVEMBER 29, 2009

7:30 AM Kent Maki, Scott Pepiot, Volunteer, Volunteer9:00 AM Mike Briggs, Mark Lotarski, Paul Puglielli, Steve Weigand

11:30 AM Bob Uhlenbrock, Dennis Hille, Kirby Bischel, Volunteer5:45 PM John Seyfried

ServersNOVEMBER 28 - 29, 2009

•SAT 11/21 7:30 AM LOW: J. Simpson, T. Simpson8:00 AM LOW: M. Briggs

•SUN 11/22 7:30 AM LOW: A. & S. Brueggemann9:00 AM HIGH: CHAPLAINS: R. VandeRyt, Joseph. LotarskiTH: John Lotarski, Cross: Brendan LotarskiAC’S ; A. Richesson, T. SimpsonMITRE: A. Wanke CROZIER: N. McCloreyTORCH: J. Simpson, N. McClorey, B. Lotarski, J. Lacy, 11:30 AM LOW: A. D. Kinett5:45 PM LOW: A. Beaver

SONG FOR THE PRESENTATION OF MARY

Ay, ay, ay, beautiful girlin your lovely attire!Ay, ay, ay, what lovely steps you take!

Girl, hardly had youbegun to walk,when you hadthe desire to fly.

Up the high stepsceaselessly you climb,since ascending is for youa natural inclination.

Those who brought you,you leave behind,as you do allAdam’s children.

Seeing you go upleaves us in admirationeven though we don’t knowyour final destination.

Blessed your parentswho bring as a presentthe best offeringthe world has ever seen.

At this rate, girl,I assure you, if you’reheading for Heaven,you’ll be there in no time.

Now enter the temple,if it’s God you’re seeking,and one day he will comein search of you.Ay, ay, ay, what lovelysteps you take.

–Sor Juana Inés De La CruzSor Juana Inés de la Cruz †1695 was a Mexican manand a poet, dramatist and spiritual writer.

The translation of this kind of Spanish languagepoetry is dicey. Its vivacious tones, almost meant to bedanced, come across as casual to our ears, but theoriginal conveys a different sense, not at all irreverent.

–Bishop Dolan

¶ “Prepare for Advent”Visit our Gift Shop to getready for this season ofgetting ready. AdventWreaths, as well as goodspiritual reading are available. Be sure toprepare an Advent Wreath (three purpleand one pink candle) for your familydining table or shrine. The first candlemay be lit on Saturday evening orSunday.

¶THANKSGIVING

Join us for a special holidayMass of Thanksgiving. onThursday, November 26th, at9:00 AM. with patrioticmusic. Holy Mass is the best

way to give thanks! Let’s joyfully andthankfully stress the religious character ofthis holiday. The abstinence istraditionally dispensed on the Friday afterThanksgiving and meat may be taken.¶NEXT SUNDAY

Next Sunday is the First Sunday ofAdvent, the beginning of a new liturgicalyear. The Lighting of the AdventWreath is at 7:20 AM, and the AdventProcession and Blessing of the AdventWreath will take place at 9:00 AM.Catechism Classes are at 10:45 AM.¶ Set your missal: Advent I, 2nd collect ofSt. Saturuninus, 3rd of Our Lady. Prefaceof the Trinity.

BLESSING OF THE ADVENT WREATH(recite next Saturday evening)

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.R. Who made heaven and earth.

Let us pray. O God, by whose word all thingsare sanctified, pour forth Thy blessing uponthis wreath, and grant that we who use it mayprepare our hearts for the coming of Christ andmay receive from Thee abundant graces.Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

Let us pray. Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee,O Lord, and come, so that we may escapethrough Thy protection and be saved by Thyhelp from the dangers that threaten us becauseof our sins. Who livest and reignest foreverand ever. R. Amen.

NOVENA PRAYER FOR ADVENT

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment, inwhich the Son of God was born of the Most Pure

Virgin Mary, at midnight in Bethlehem, inpiercing cold. At that hour, vouchsafe O my God,to hear my prayer and grant my desires throughthe merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ and His

Blessed Mother. Amen.(Traditionally said 15 times a day from

St. Andrew’s Day until Christmas.)

¶CONGRATULATIONS & PRAYERS

To Gino and AnneVanderPutten on theBaptism of their newborn

son, Colin Michael, November 21st.

¶PIANO AVAILABLE

A Studio Baldwin piano is availablefor a family with children who arelearning to play. Please contact Mrs.Kinnett at 534-0855 if interested.

✠ THE CALENDAR ✠ BISHOP’S CORNER

MON 11/23/09 OCTAVE DAY OF ST GERTRUDE THE GREAT

ST CLEMENT, PM ST FELICITY, M

11:20 AM Low Mass †Nadine Henry (Gerry Keaveney)4:00 PM Knights of the Sacred Heart5:00 PM Low Mass †Helen Nugent (Christopher Browne)

TUE 11/24/09 ST JOHN OF THE CROSS, CDST CHRYSOGONUS, M

8:00 AM Low Mass Eamon Shea (Bob Brueggemann)11:20 AM Requiem Low Mass and Absolution

†Isabelle Roedel (M/M Mark Lotarski & Family) 5:00 PM Low Mass †Poor Souls for Mattingly Family conversions 6:30 PM Choir Practice

WED 11/25/09 ST CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA, VM8:00 AM Low Mass †Josephine Haggerty (M/M Joe Praschak)

11:20 AM Low Mass Ernie - Happy Feast Day (Bishop Dolan)5:00 PM Low Mass Poor souls - Special intention (MAW)

THUR 11/26/09 ST SYLVESTER, AB, ST PETER OF ALEXANDRIA, BPMTHANKSGIVING DAY

9:00 AM Votive Low Mass of Thanksgiving For all of the Blessings of God and St. Gertrude (Bishop Dolan)

FRI 11/27/09 NO SCHOOL ABSTINENCE DISPENSED

OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

5:15 PM Rosary & Confessions5:45 PM Low Mass of Our Lady of the Miraculous

Medal In Honor of the B.V.M. (Tom & Stella Simpson)Novena and Benediction, Confessions

SAT 11/28/09 VIGIL OF ST ANDREW

ST CATHERINE LABOURE

7:15 AM Confessions7:30 AM Low Mass Pro-Life Cause (Rosary Confraternity)

Confessions8:00 AM Sermon and Low Mass Happy Birthday Paulina

(The Fathers) Confessions

SUN 11/29/09 ADVENT IST SATURNINUS, M

7:30 AM Low Mass In Honor of St. Raphael (Diane Brueggemann) 9:00 AM Procession and High Mass

For the People of St. Gertrude 10:45 AM Catechism Classes11:30 AM Low Mass Anna Kurtz (August W. Kurtz)

5:45 PM Low Mass †Frank Cekada (S.&C. Niehaus)

Blessed St. Gertrude’s Day, and happyanniversary. Today we keep the solemn, publicfeast of our patroness with great thanksgiving,and yes... thanksgiving! It is easier to say thankyou when covered with compliments andcomfort, as we have so often been. But the bitter gifts are best,God sends them too! Still, He always encloses a “sweetnessconversion kit” with each cross. Those who stand on the sideof Christ Crucified by the God Who is love can never lose,but the victory begins with a “gratitude attitude.”

I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving. But forit to be so, say thanks for everything. Don’t divide your lifebetween “delete” and Deo Gratias. Start by saying thanks forthat humiliating scene, that troubling personality, thatpersistent pain. These, too, come from the hands of an AllProvident God, and are “thanksworthy in Christ Jesus OurLord.” As you can imagine, we at St. Gertrude the Great havean awful lot to be thankful for.

Use your imagination and memory in quiet prayer. Bringthe good and the bad back before God, offer it upon thepaten, make it part of your Holy Eucharist or SacredThanksgiving. God means that you should have peace in yoursouls and in your life! But peace comes through prayer, theprayer which lets us say “thank you” to God for everything.

Remember the old days, when we were taught to saythank you when Sister corrected us in school? Imagine if evengrown ups practiced that! What humility, what honesty wouldreign, what peace! Well, you could try it in your life. What adifference one thank you can make!

I’m grateful for all of our St. Gertrude the Great faithful,those who still are, and those who are not, and those who arestruggling or suffering. I’m especially grateful for those whohave stepped forward to help us keep this great church going,and those who have never stopped doing so, and those whohave dropped us like the proverbial hot potato. I love you allin Our Lord’s Sacred Heart, and place you daily in Mary’sheart for safe keeping.

May their Heart keep yours thankful. HappyThanksgiving!

–Bishop Dolan

V. Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God.R. It is meet and right to do so.

HOLY COMMUNION

What is Holy Communion?Holy Communion is the daily food

of your soul.

(Holy Communion is the receivingof the Body and Blood of Jesus underthe appearance of a little wafer of bread.)

Did you ever ask yourself why OurLord chose bread and wine for thisSacrament instead of something else?

Bread and wine formed the dailyfood and drink for the bodies of thepeople who lived in Palestine in OurLord’s day.

So it would seem that Our Lordmeant this Sacrament to be the dailynourishment of our souls.

Then, Our Lord makes us say in theprayer which He taught us, “OurFather...give us this day our daily bread.”(St. Matthew, 6, 11.)

(Now we should take more care ofour souls than of our bodies.)

Our Lord also tells us not to worryabout “what we shall eat or what we shalldrink” for our bodies. (St. Matthew, 6,31.)

So that Our Lord means that whenwe recite the Our Father we should askGod to “give us this day the daily bread”of our souls, namely, Holy Communion.

Our Holy Mother the Church hasalways understood this to be Our Lord’sintention with regard to HolyCommunion.

The first Christians (who lived inthe very beginning of the Church in thetimes of the Apostles who had lived withOur Lord) received Holy Communionevery day (Acts, 2, 46.)

The council of Trent (in the year1526) said that “the faithful shouldreceive Holy Communion every daywhen they heard Mass.” (Session XXII,Ch.5.)

In our own times Pope Pius X issueda decree urging everybody to daily

✠ HOLY COMMUNION

Communion (Dec. 20, 1905.)Consequently, receive Holy

Communion every day when possible.

After all, who knows better what isgood for you, you yourself or Our Lordand His Church?

Since they want you to receive HolyCommunion, every day, do so.

It will do you good. You may regretnot having received Communion whenyou could have done so.

If you are in the state of grace, if youhave no mortal sin on your soul, or ifyou had a mortal sin but receivedabsolution for it in confession, and if youhave a good intention, Our Lord andHis Church invite you to receive HolyCommunion any day and every day.

Remember, you are not obliged to goto confession before receivingCommunion unless you have a mortalsin on your soul.

So, examine your conscience, and ifyou find no mortal sin there, and youhave a good intention, go toCommunion every day because HolyCommunion is the daily bread of yoursoul.

Why Daily Communion?

1. To get strength to keep down sensualpassions;2. To obtain pardon of daily venialsins;3. To avoid falling into mortal sins;4. To receive an increase of sanctifyinggrace;5. To receive a pledge of eternal life;6. To obtain pardon of any mortal sinof which you may not be conscious;7. To obtain pardon of venial sins;8. To obtain a diminution of thetemporal punishment due to sin;9. To be preserved from future sins;10. To obtain blessings for self and forothers;11. To gain Indulgences and help theSouls in Purgatory.

RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION

EVERY DAY!!!

Wisdom from the Desert

Abba Poeman said, “I will tell youwhy we have so much difficulty; it isbecause we do not care about ourbrother whom Scripture tells us toreceive. Moreover we do notremember the woman of Canaan (cf. Matt, 15.22) who followed theLord crying and begging for herdaughter to be cured, and the Lordheard her and gave her peace.”

Abba Poeman said this about theson of Shemai, “His mistake was tojustify himself, whoever does thatdestroys himself.”

THANKSGIVING

Lord God of Hosts, we render thanksFor all Thy mercies sure;Thy tender love environs usand will through life endures.Teach us to know Thy perfect willAnd truly humble be;May we in gladness praise Thy nameThrough all eternity.Lord God of hosts, we offer thanksAnd call upon Thy name;A psalm of praise to Thee we sing,Thy wondrous love proclaim.Thou art our refuge and our strength,There is no other power;If sudden danger threatens us,We find in Thee a tower.Lord God of host, we proffer praise,Direct us on our way;With grateful hearts we worship TheeOn this Thanksgiving Day.

–Greenville Kleiser

✠ TIMELY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ✠ GREAT PROMISE OF ST. GERTRUDE

Words of Our Lord to St. Catherine ofSiena on respect due the priest.

You must not sin against them becauseif you do, you are really sinning notagainst them but against me. This I haveforbidden, and I have said this is mywill that no one should touch them.

For this reason no one has excuse tosay, “I am doing no harm, nor am Irebelling against holy Church. I amsimply acting against the sins of evilpastors.” Such persons are deluded,blinded as they are by their ownselfishness. They see well enough, butthey pretend not to see as to blunt thepricking of conscience. If they wouldlook, they could see that they arepersecuting not these ministers, but theblood. It is me they assault, just as it wasme they reverenced. To me redoundsevery assault they make on myministers: derision, slander, disgrace,abuse. Whatever is done to them Icount as done to me for I have said andsay it again: No one is to touch mychrists. It is my right to punish them,and no one else’s.

But the wicked show how little theyreverence the Blood, how little theyvalue the treasure I have given them fortheir soul’s life and salvation. You couldreceive no greater gift than that I shouldgive you myself, wholly God and whollyhuman, as your food.

–The Dialogue

A Prayer for UnityO God the Father: Origin of Divinity,good beyond all that is good, fair beyondall that is fair, in whom is calmness, peace,concord: Heal the dissensions that divideus from one another, and bring us backinto the unity of love that resembles yourdivine nature.

–Saint Dionysius of Alexandria alsowrote to a priest who instigated aschism: “You ought to have suffered allthings rather than have caused a schismin the church. To die in defense of itsunity would be as glorious as layingdown one’s life for its faith.”

Those Holy Wounds

I look upon Christ Crucifiedand see the meaning of loveTo suffer so, for those we doand do not know, is the

stuff True Love’s made ofEach opened wound from whichHe bleeds is a fountain ofgrace that fallsOn each of us, who answer Him,those different times He callsAnd when we offer His Holy Woundsto His Heavenly Father aboveHe’ll heal those wounds of ourown souls, with His plenteouslove.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee thewounds of our Lord Jesus Christto heal the wounds of our souls.

My Jesus, pardon and mercy bythe merits of Thy Holy Wounds.

–John Seyfried11/15/09

Please practice the powerful devotion to theHoly Wounds for the pressing needs of theChurch, and for our brethren at St. ClareChurch.

Let us beware of complaints,resentments and evil-speaking againstthose who are ill-disposed to us,discontented with us, or hostile to ourplans and arrangements, or who evenpersecute us with injuries, insults, andcalumnies. Rather let us go on treatingthem as cordially as at first, or moreso, as far as possible showing themesteem, always speaking well of them,doing them good, serving them onoccasion, even to the point of takingshame and disgrace upon ourselves, ifnecessary to save their honor. All thisought to be done, first, to overcomeevil with good, according to theteaching of the Apostles; and secondly,because they are our allies rather thanour adversaries, as they aid us todestroy self-love, which is our greatestfoe; and since it is they who give us anopportunity to gain merit, they oughtto be considered our dearest friends.

–St. Vincent de Paul

TO HIM WHO EVER THOUGHT

To him who ever thought with love ofmeOr ever did for my sake some good deedI will appear, looking such charityAnd kind compassion, at his life’s lastneedThat he will out of hand and heartilyrepent he sinned and all his sins be freed

–Gerard.Manley.Hopkins

Sister Mary Jeremy noted that Hopkins’spoem is based on a passage in theRevelation of St. Gertrude:

Having heard a preacher declare that noperson could be saved without the love ofGod, and that all must at least have somuch of it as would lead them to repeatand to abstain from sin, the Saint began tothink that many, when dying, seemed torepent more from the fear of hell than fromthe love of God, Our Lord replied: “WhenI behold anyone in his agony who hasthought of Me with pleasure, or who hasperformed any works deserving of reward,I appear to him at the moment of deathwith a countenance so full of love andmercy, that he repents from his inmostheart for having ever offended Me, and heis saved by this repentance.”

That few readers of this poem haverecognized it as a close paraphrase of St.Gertrude’s lines is one of many evidencesthat her influence, though strong, hasbeen, as was her cloistered life, hidden.