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.

Parish Feast Day

The Most Holy Name of Mary

September 12th - 13th

Each year, the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary gives our parish family a special reason to gather in prayer, gratitude, and celebration. As Our Lady of the Mountains, we rejoice in the Blessed Mother’s loving intercession and in the name of Mary—a name cherished by Christians for centuries as a reminder of her faith, humility, and complete trust in God.

Celebrated by the Church on September 12, the feast has deep roots in Catholic devotion and honors the woman whose yes to God brought the Savior into the world. For Our Lady of the Mountains, it is also a celebration of who we are as a parish family, united under the patronage and maternal care of Our Blessed Mother.



Parish Picnic — Sunday, September 13

Following the 11:00 AM Mass on Sunday, our celebration continues with our Parish Feast Day Picnic. Come enjoy good food, fellowship, and time together as one parish family. Whether you have been with us for many years or have only recently found your way to Our Lady of the Mountains, you are warmly invited.

Sacred Art by Clorinda Bell

Throughout the weekend, the Narthex will also feature a special art show by noted religious artist Clorinda Bell, whose distinctive sacred artwork is already familiar to our parish through several pieces displayed at Our Lady of the Mountains.

The show will be open Saturday, September 12, from 3:30–7:30 PM and Sunday, September 13, from 9:00 AM–1:00 PM, with Clorinda present to meet visitors and share her work.

Come celebrate with us as we honor the Most Holy Name of Mary, give thanks for the blessings God has bestowed upon our parish, and enjoy the fellowship of our parish community.

Most Holy Mary, Our Lady of the Mountains, pray for us!

Mexican Martrys

Tuesday, September 15th

Relics of the Mexican Martyrs Come to Our Lady of the Mountains

On Tuesday, September 15, Our Lady of the Mountains will have the privilege of welcoming the sacred relics of six Mexican Martyrs—priests and Knights of Columbus who gave their lives rather than renounce the Catholic faith during the religious persecution that swept Mexico in the 1920s.

The years surrounding the Cristero War were a time of intense suffering for the Church in Mexico. Churches were closed, public worship was restricted, and priests and lay Catholics faced imprisonment, exile, and even death for remaining faithful. Among those who courageously persevered were St. Luis Batis Sáinz, St. Rodrigo Aguilar Alemán, St. Miguel de la Mora, St. Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero, St. José María Robles Hurtado, and St. Mateo Correa Magallanes—the six martyrs whose relics will be present at our parish.

Their witness is not simply a story from another time. The relics remind us that these saints were real men who loved Christ, celebrated the Sacraments, served God's people, and ultimately entrusted their lives completely to Him. Venerating their relics gives us a beautiful opportunity to pray in the presence of these witnesses to the faith and to ask their intercession for our families, our parish, and the Church.



We are especially grateful to the Knights of Columbus for bringing the relics of these brother Knights and martyrs to Our Lady of the Mountains and making this extraordinary opportunity available to our parish community.

The relics will be available for veneration from 9:00–9:30 AM and again from 10:00 AM–6:00 PM, with a Communion Service at 9:30 AM and the Rosary at 5:30 PM.

Bring your family. Bring your faith. Come spend some time with the saints—and encounter the courageous witness of Catholics who remained faithful to Christ unto death.