The 4 Minute Catechism
Looking into the Liturgy
Would you like to know more about what we do when we pray together in the Sunday liturgy? Why does Father Mark kiss the altar on his way to the Presidential Chair? The What? Yes, the presider's chair is called the Presidential Chair. Why does Fr. Paul look from East to West as he gathers the prayers of the community into the Collect? The What? The Collect, or Opening Prayer. From the beginning of the liturgy until the Final Blessing every prayer sung or spoken, every gesture, even the prescribed silence carries great meaning.
In this Year of Faith, the pastoral staff are preparing weekly snippets into the what and why of the Sunday liturgy. We have named this the 4 Minute Catechism and it will take place 4 minutes before every liturgy begins. So, if you are hungry to know just a sprinkle of the whats and whys, come 4 minutes early to every Sunday liturgy for the next 9 weeks (until Holy Week) beginning on Sunday, January 20th when Fr. Mark will open the 4 Minute Catechism. For a look at previous snippets you may have missed, click on the appropriate date listed below.
Sunday, January 20, 2013 - "Looking into the Liturgy"
Sunday, January 27, 2013 - "Liturgy of the Word - Overview, First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, Second Reading"
Sunday, February 3, 2013 - "Liturgy of the Word - Gospel Acclamation, Sequence; Gospel, Homily, Profession of Faith, Prayers of the Faithful"
Sunday, February 10, 2013 - "Liturgy of the Eucharist"
Sunday, February 17, 2013 - "Liturgy of the Eucharist" (Continued)
Sunday, February 24, 2013 - "Eucharistic Prayer"
Sunday, March 3, 2013 - "Communion Rite"
Sunday, March 10, 2013 - "Communion Rite (Continued)"
Sunday, March 17, 2013 - "Concluding Rites"
As the ninth pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, I want to welcome you to our website. It is our sincere hope that you will find this new website both useful and informative about all of the events and activities that make our parish such a warm and vibrant community.
We recently celebrated 80 years of ministry in the Farmington/ Farmington Hills area with many events over the past year, culminating in a mass of thanksgiving in June. To prepare for our future, we have undertaken a Total Parish Pastoral Plan that has been developed in consultation with over 200 of our faithful parishioners. Our progress toward the implementation of all of the recommendations to improve our ministries and service to our community is being overseen by a Tracking Committee comprised of members of the parish. A summary of the strategic plan for our parish is available on this website. Many of the recommendations that have been and will be implemented in the near future include better servicing the needs of our members and greater transparency of our financial information.
One of our proudest ministries at Our Lady of Sorrows is our exemplary elementary school. As one of the largest Catholic elementary schools in the Archdioceses of Detroit, our mission is to educate our students spiritually, intellectually, and academically to be disciples of Christ throughout their lifetime. For more information on our school and what it can offer students and parents, please visit the school home page.
Thank you for visiting us on the world wide web.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Mark S. Brauer
