Dear Friends in Christ, The Fifth Principle of Evangelical Catholicism states that: “The sacred liturgy, through which the seven Sacraments are celebrated and the Hours of praise are prayed, makes present to us the saving mysteries of the Lord Jesus. The liturgy must therefore be celebrated in such a way that the truth of the…

Dear Friends in Christ, The campus of St. Mary’s Church sits on a path between the Greenville Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army, and for this reason, we often have the very poor and homeless on our door step. The vast majority of these persons are men, and they are usually on foot and traveling…

Dear Friends in Christ, 1. From Monday 15 September through Friday 19 September, the church will be closed to all visitors, and no sacraments will be celebrated here on those days. That is the week of the annual Retreat for Priests of our diocese, and we’re taking advantage of that time to replace our 12…

Dear Friends in Christ, Several items for your attention: 1. We have a new parish website, and I encourage you to have a look and learn how you can more easily keep up with life at St. Mary’s. The new site is at our old web address, www.stmarysgvl.org, but everything else is new. For example,…

Dear Friends in Christ, If you regularly attend Mass here but are not registered, then you are not an active parishioner. If you are registered but do not attend Mass here each Sunday, then you are not an active parishioner. If you are registered and attending Mass but not supporting the parish according to your…

Dear Friends in Christ, 1. This Friday, 15 August, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation, and there will be three Masses: 7 am, 12 noon, and 7 pm. 2. A holy day of obligation is a day on which Catholics are obliged to attend Mass,…