From the Pastor Feb 8/9

Not Quite Las Vegas

We celebrate our share of weddings here at Holy Redeemer. Last year, we had twenty-five, and we already have dates reserved for twenty-nine this year. We aren't quite Las Vegas, but Chatham is very popular for destination weddings. Very few of our weddings involve parishioners. The vast majority are couples who want a Cape Cod wedding. Luckily, I only have to officiate at about half of the weddings. Many couples bring in a visiting priest, maybe their college chaplain, the priest from their home parish, a family friend, or a relation. I still must be on-call if the planned celebrant has a flight canceled or gets caught in Cape traffic.

Since so many couples come here from out-of-town, I don't do much of the marriage prep for these couples. When a couple calls me to ask if they can have their wedding at Holy Redeemer, I say yes, but they have a few hoops to jump through. Only people who live in Chatham or who own a summer home here in the parish have a right to get married here. So, if they don't qualify, they need permission from their local parish priest. That is because he has "custody of their soul."  It sounds ominous, but according to Canon Law, the priest in their home parish is responsible for giving them the sacraments. He can hand that right off to me by writing a letter of permission. I've never had a pastor refuse to do that for a couple. 

Even though the couple won't have their wedding in their home parish, I always send them there for their marriage preparation program. It is much easier for the engaged rather than trying to schedule them to come here from Boston, New York, or points beyond. Besides, I want them to get to know the community in their home parish. Hopefully, if they aren't attending Mass, they will establish a relationship with their local pastor and start to go.

I don't mind couples coming to Holy Redeemer for their destination weddings. I want to do everything possible to promote the celebration of a Catholic wedding. The number of Catholics choosing a sacramental wedding in church has dropped considerably in the past couple of decades. It is hard to compete with the beach. So, when a couple wants to marry in church, I try to facilitate that. Also, it's nice when couples come up to me at church to tell me they were married here years ago. Almost every summer, a couple or two will call and ask if they can renew their vows or have an anniversary blessing here because it is where they celebrated their wedding.     

This weekend is World Day of Marriage. It is held this weekend in anticipation of St. Valentine's Day next Friday. Today, after the homily, I'm inviting couples to join in renewing their wedding vows. Catholics, among all Christians, take marriage the most seriously. Along with Orthodox Christians, we are the only ones who believe it to be one of the seven sacraments. Among all Christians, only Catholics take seriously Jesus' statement that in marriage, couples enter into an unbreakable bond patterned after God's covenant with us. 

Catholics develop their understanding of marriage's importance from scripture. Actually, marriage imagery bookends the Bible. It starts in the Book of Genesis when God creates humans, male and female. God envisions Adam and Eve's relationship as patterned after God's unbreakable covenant with humankind. The final pages of the Bible's last book, Revelation, depict Heaven as a marriage feast. 

The Church is here to support Catholics in their marriages. It wants to help couples defend against breakdown, marital fatigue, or lust for others by providing counseling services and retreat programs to help good marriages remain strong and for the renewal of troubled ones. 

One of those retreat programs, the Worldwide Marriage Encounter, will be held soon at Corpus Christi Church in E. Sandwich. It is meant for married couples who want a richer, fuller life together. Worldwide Marriage Encounter is designed to deepen and enrich the joys a couple shares together, whether they have been married a short time or many years. The next Marriage Encounter will occur April 25-27th at Corpus Christi Church in E. Sandwich. This weekend encounter is non-residential (overnight). To learn more, Call Corpus Christi Church at 508-888-0209.

We also want to assist those whose marriages ended in divorce, sometimes through no fault of one of the parties. They need to be encouraged to learn if the annulment process can help them, but we want to comfort everyone hurting from the failure of a marriage relationship.

In your charity, please pray for all the couples planning to celebrate their weddings here at Holy Redeemer this year. Ask God to give them a strong resolve to be faithful to their vows. Call down God's blessings on all our parish couples, especially those in stained marriages. Encourage those whose marriages failed but are now in marriages filled with love. May all couples find strength from God's Holy Spirit to live married lives and share family love.

Start Returning Baby Bottles 

It is time to return the baby bottles parishioners took to fill with loose change as part of the Baby Bottle Boomerang to celebrate Sanctity of Life Month. Holy Redeemer has held this fundraiser to benefit Your Options Medical Centers for several years. Your Options is an agency that offers pregnant women services such as ultrasound tests and counseling to help women considering abortion know all their options. Pro-life people need to be ready to help women with problem pregnancies with prayerful and financial resources. We need to meet our words with action. Please return the filled bottles to one of the baskets for that purpose at the welcome desks at the entrances to the church. 

Catholic University Collection

While many parishioners are Holy Cross and Boston College alumni, and we're all Notre Dame fans, the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., is also a foremost Catholic institution of higher learning. As the national university of the Catholic Church in the United States, founded and sponsored by the bishops of the country with the approval of the Holy See, The Catholic University of America is committed to being a comprehensive Catholic and American institution of higher learning, faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ as handed on by the Church. Dedicated to advancing the dialogue between faith and reason, The Catholic University of America seeks to discover and impart the truth through excellence in teaching and research, all in service to the Church, the nation, and the world.

This weekend, the annual Catholic University collection will be taken up at the Offertory. Please be generous in your support for this important institution.

Fr. Sullivan on Vacation Next Week

Like many parishioners, Fr. Sullivan will vacation in a warmer climate next week. Fr. Rich Furlong, a retired diocese priest, will be celebrating Masses next weekend and all week long. Please welcome Fr. Furlong and pray for Fr. Sullivan to have a safe and relaxing time away.

Coffee & Donuts

We aim to spoil your appetite. Coffee & donuts or other refreshment will be offered after Masses this weekend and the first weekend of the month as we go forward. Everyone is invited to our newly renovated Parish Center to join the conversation and fraternity of parish life by going to the hall through the elevator lobby doors.