First Friday & First Saturday

September 4th & September 5th

Honor the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose infinite love was poured out for us on the Cross. Join us for Mass offered in reparation for sin, in thanksgiving for His mercy, and in response to His invitation: "Behold this Heart which has so loved mankind." 

Overnight Eucharistic Adoration 

Following the 9:30 AM Mass on Friday through the 8:30 AM Mass on Saturday, September 5th. Spend time in the peaceful presence of Our Eucharistic Lord. Whether for a few moments or an hour, come and keep watch with Christ, offering your prayers for our parish, our families, and the needs of the world. 

Parishioners are invited to sign up in the Narthex to serve as guardians during this overnight vigil of prayer and love. 

 
Why First Fridays? 

The Church has long honored First Fridays as a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, encouraging the faithful to receive Holy Communion and make acts of reparation for sin. In addition, every Friday throughout the year remains a penitential day, reminding us of Christ's saving sacrifice on the Cross. 

"The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent."  — Code of Canon Law, Canon 1250 

The Gift of Eucharistic Adoration

Eucharistic Adoration gives us the opportunity simply to remain with Jesus—to step away from the noise of daily life and rest in His presence. Bring Him your joys and sorrows, your gratitude and worries, the needs of those you love, or simply sit quietly with Him. Adoration does not require special words; it only asks that we come and spend time with the Lord.

The saints remind us how deeply this time can shape our spiritual lives. St. Alphonsus Liguori praised time spent before the Blessed Sacrament as especially fruitful, while St. Carlo Acutis famously called the Eucharist “my highway to Heaven.” Whether for an hour or only a few quiet moments, time with Christ in the Eucharist draws us closer to Him and helps us carry His love into our families, our parish, and the world.

Catholic Conversations

September 5th

Are There Different Levels in Heaven and Hell?

When we speak about heaven and hell, we often think simply in terms of two eternal destinations. But the Catholic understanding of eternal life invites us to consider something deeper: Will everyone experience heaven in exactly the same way? Are the sufferings of hell the same for every soul? And what do merit, reward, justice, and mercy have to do with our eternal destiny?

Sacred Scripture reminds us that God “will repay everyone according to his works” (Romans 2:6), while also teaching that eternal life is a gift of grace that none of us could ever earn on our own. The Church helps us hold these truths together. Everything begins with God’s grace, yet our response to that grace matters. The choices we make, the love we give, the sacrifices we offer, and the ways in which we cooperate with God’s grace have eternal significance.

Catholic Conversations Returns

Join us Saturday, September 5, following the 8:30 AM First Saturday Mass, for a delicious breakfast and the return of Catholic Conversations. For this month's gathering, we will watch a video presentation by Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, entitled Levels of Heaven & Hell: What Are They? from his Explaining the Faith series.

Through the video and our conversation together, we will explore what the Catholic faith teaches about the different degrees of glory in heaven and punishment in hell, the meaning of merit and reward, and what these teachings reveal about the perfect justice and infinite mercy of God.

Whether these are questions you have wondered about for years or ideas you have never encountered before, we invite you to come, enjoy breakfast, deepen your understanding of the Catholic faith, and join the conversation.

First Saturday, September 5
Following the 8:30 AM Mass

Come with your questions—and perhaps leave with a deeper appreciation for the eternal life to which Christ calls each of us.