This Sunday the Church celebrates Trinity Sunday—the great solemnity dedicated to the mystery at the very center of our faith: one God in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost celebrate specific events in salvation history, Trinity Sunday is somewhat unique because it celebrates a doctrine: who God is. READ MORE

As we continue our observance of the Month of Mary, one of the Marian traditions we have highlighted during the Easter season is the ancient antiphon Regina Caeli, whose title means “Queen of Heaven.” This joyful hymn dates back to at least the 12th century and became widely known throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. Tradition even tells of Pope Gregory the Great hearing angels sing the opening words during a procession in Rome during a time of plague, though the historical origins of the hymn are likely earlier and developed gradually within the prayer life of the Church. READ MORE

Earlier this month our parish participated in a unique tradition of the Roman Catholic Church: the May Crowning. Our school celebrated on May 1st with students wearing their finest clothes, including first communicants in the attire they wore for their recent First Communion Mass. These second graders, along with the eighth graders—soon to be confirmed and graduated—led the proceedings, including a procession, presentation of flowers, a Litany of Mary, and ultimately the crowning of Mary by two eighth graders chosen by their peers for exhibiting qualities associated with Mary. Our parish crowning was more modest, but included both English- and Spanish-speaking members of the parish gathered around the Marian statue outside the ELC. Siblings who recently received First Communion and Confirmation crowned Mary, and her crown will remain throughout the month of May. READ MORE

As we enter in to the month of May, our attention turns in a special way to the Blessed Virgin Mary—Mother of God, model of discipleship, and, for us, our beloved patron. In a season marked by new life, blooming flowers, and lengthening days, the Church’s devotion to Mary feels especially fitting. Just as the earth brings forth beauty and life, so too Mary brought forth Christ, the source of all grace. READ MORE

Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish is seeking a Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator to develop, oversee and implement formation programs in catechesis, spiritual growth, and community service as well as nurturing a lively understanding and engagement in the Catholic Faith bringing a practice of life in Christ and the Church. READ THE FULL JOB DESCRIPTION HERE

This week we turn our attention to the Sacrament of Confirmation, one of the three Sacraments of Initiation along with Baptism and the Eucharist. In Confirmation, the grace first given at Baptism is strengthened and deepened through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Church prays that those being confirmed will be sealed with the Spirit and equipped to live as faithful witnesses of Christ. READ MORE

In these days of the Easter season, our parish rejoices as children approach the altar to receive Holy Communion for the first time. This moment is not simply a milestone or a rite of passage—it is a profound entrance into the heart of the Church’s life: the Eucharist. READ MORE

The Book of Blessings is not a comprehensive list of all available blessings. Blessings are also found in other liturgical books and may even occur outside of formal texts. Still, it is a useful resource that gathers blessings from a variety of sources, making them more accessible and more portable than many other liturgical books. The vernacular forms included are approved translations of official Latin texts. READ MORE

Divine Mercy Sunday arrives as both a continuation and a deepening of Easter. Just one week removed from the Resurrection, the Church invites us not to move on, but to linger—specifically, to linger in mercy. If Easter proclaims that Christ is risen, Divine Mercy Sunday asks us to consider what that means for us: that sin, death, and even our deepest wounds are not the final word. READ MORE

We have made it to the biggest celebration of the liturgical year-Easter. How do we distinguish and celebrate it? It’s so big in fact that we changed the day of worship in Judeo-Christian tradition from Saturday(Sabbath) to Sunday, the day of resurrection. Another term for Sundays throughout the year are “little Easters.” We recognize this in that Sundays don’t count as part of the forty days of the Lent (some people don’t apply their lenten fasting to Sundays). READ MORE

This week we continue our exploration of the books related to rituals/rites of the church. These are liturgies in which sacraments beyond communion are shared. In the Order of Penance, the Church gives voice to both personal and communal reconciliation. With multiple forms—from individual confession to communal celebrations—it reflects a pastoral sensitivity while maintaining the integrity of sacramental absolution. READ MORE

Among the liturgical books of the Church, there is a particular family that often goes unnoticed—not because they are unimportant, but because they appear only at decisive moments. These are the ritual books: the texts that accompany the faithful at the thresholds of Christian life. If the Roman Missal orders the Church’s daily worship and the Liturgy of the Hours sanctifies the passing of time, the ritual books mark transformation. They are the Church’s companions at moments of becoming—when one is baptized, confirmed, reconciled, anointed, married, or commended to God. READ MORE

Among the many books used in Catholic worship, some are familiar to most parishioners—the Roman Missal, the Lectionary, and perhaps the Book of the Gospels. There are also other liturgical books that most people rarely encounter but that quietly shape how the Church celebrates her liturgy. One of these is the Ceremonial of Bishops. READ MORE

The Season of Lent is not only a season of penance, austerity, and sacrifice. It is a very special season of preparation for those who will be coming into the church at Easter. At any point during the year, those who have considered becoming Catholic have entered into Christian Initiation (formerly Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults and now called Order of CIA) which has several different phases beginning with Inquiry. We have 15 people who will be baptized this Easter (what a tremendous blessing) many of whom are children (in the eyes of the church anyone eight and older is considered an adult). READ MORE

American Catholics are quite accustomed to the music resources that have been common in our parishes over the past several decades—missalettes like Breaking Bread, Heritage Missal, and Music Issue, or hymnals such as Glory and Praise and Gather. These resources serve our communities well. What many may not realize, however, is that the Church also has an official book that contains the sung texts assigned specifically to the Mass: the Graduale Romanum (Roman Gradual). READ MORE

LITURGY CORNER Liturgical Books: Breviary You may not be familiar with the term Breviary, but it is the essential tool of the other great liturgy of the Church—the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office). Working as dynamic partners, the Liturgy of the Hours and the Liturgy of the Eucharist (Mass) provide ceaseless prayer across the world. We have covered how the Roman Missal, the Lectionary, and the Book of the Gospels function within Mass. The Breviary is the catch-all term for the books or volumes that contain and direct the prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. READ MORE

The Church has a remarkable way of teaching us through signs. Sometimes those signs are grand and unmistakable. Other times they are small customs that quietly shape how we enter into a season. Two beautiful traditions help us move from Ordinary Time into the penitential season of Lent: burying the Alleluia and burning last year’s palms. READ MORE

While the Roman Missal and the Lectionary are the books most frequently used at Mass, the book that is most visibly highlighted is the Book of the Gospels. Often large and relatively thin, it is not uncommon for this book to appear richly adorned, even golden in its exterior. When it is used (and it is not strictly required), it becomes part of the entrance procession. At Mary Queen, the deacon—or a lector when no deacon is present—processes with the Book of the Gospels held slightly elevated. It is then placed prominently on the altar, the central furnishing of our worship. This placement is not accidental. The first half of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, reaches its high point in the proclamation of the Gospel. READ MORE

This weekend we celebrate several exciting liturgies in the life of our parish. John Becerra, who has served faithfully as a deacon and pastoral associate at Mary Queen for several years, will be ordained a priest on Saturday, January 31, at 10:30am at Christ the King Cathedral. John has been a deacon for ten years and now transitions into a new phase of ministry through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. In this ordination, God’s grace is poured out upon him, transforming him so that he may act in persona Christi, particularly in the celebration of the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation. Because this is a liturgy we experience only once every year or two, it is worth taking a closer look at some of its unique and powerful elements. READ MORE