Parish Office (863) 453-4757 Fax (863) 453-2620

The Feast of Corpus Christi June 23, 2019

Parish Office Hours Monday through Friday 9 AM to 2:30 PM

Pastor

Assisting Clergy Fr. Leo Frechette Fr. Gerald Grogan Retired

Deacon Dan Hoppe Schedule of Masses

Saturday Confession 3:30 PM English 6:30 PM Spanish Vigil Mass 4 PM English 7 PM Spanish Sunday 8 AM and 10:30 AM

Holy Days Vigil Mass 5:30 PM 8 & 10:30 AM Daily Mass Monday-Friday 8 AM The Feast of Corpus Christi First Friday Mass and Holy Hour “As often as you eat this bread and 8 AM drink this cup, you proclaim the death Visit us on the web! www.ologap.org of the lord until he comes” (1 Cor. 11: 26). Page 2 Our Lady of Grace

Religious Liberty Week – June 22 -29, 2019 Religious Liberty Under Attack Concrete Examples Join us, June 22 - June 29, as we pray, reflect, and take action on religious liberty issues, in this country. • HHS mandate for contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs. The mandate of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) forces health insurance coverage of sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs and devices as well as contraception, along with “counseling and education” to promote them. Though commonly called the “contraceptive mandate,” the federal mandate also forces employers to sponsor and subsidize coverage of female sterilization in their health insurance coverage benefits. The mandate does not exempt Catholic hospitals, colleges, universities, separately incorporated elementary or high schools, or other ministries of service. HHS does not deem them “religious employers” deserving conscience protection because they are not covered by a narrow provision of the tax code primarily aimed at “houses of worship.” • Christian students on campus. In its over-100-year history, the University of California Hastings College of Law has denied student organization status to only one group, the Christian Legal Society, because it required its leaders to be Christian and to abstain from sexual activity outside of marriage. • Catholic foster care and adoption services. Boston, San Francisco, the District of Columbia, and the state of Illinois have driven local Catholic Charities out of the business of providing adoption or foster care services—by revoking their licenses, by ending their government contracts, or both—because those Charities refused to place children with same-sex couples or unmarried opposite-sex couples who cohabit. • Discrimination against Catholic humanitarian services. Notwithstanding years of excellent performance by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Migration and Refugee Services in administering contract services for victims of human trafficking, the federal government changed its contract specifications to require us to provide or refer for contraceptive and abortion services in violation of Catholic teaching. Religious institutions should not be disqualified from a government contract based on religious belief, and they do not somehow lose their religious identity or liberty upon entering such contracts. And yet a federal court in Massachusetts, turning religious liberty on its head, has since declared that such a disqualification is required by the First Amendment—that the government somehow violates religious liberty by allowing Catholic organizations to participate in contracts in a manner consistent with their beliefs on contraception and abortion. The Feast of Corpus Christi Page 3

Vatican issues document on challenges of ‘gender ideology’ to Catholic education Inés San Martín, Jun 10, 2019, Crux ROME BUREAU CHIEF

ROME - In light of changing definitions of love and sexuality fueled by “gender theory,” the Vatican on Monday released a new document looking into issues such as “third sex,” transgenderism, and polyamory. The document was released by the Congregation for Catholic Education and discussed the response Catholic schools should have to the changing societal landscape. Titled Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a path of dialogue on the question of gender in education, the document is in many ways a compilation of several remarks given by Pope Francis, who has often expressed his concern over the impact gender ideology has on children. The 30-page document begins with three quotes from the last three popes: Pope Francis, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II. In Francis’s words, gender theory “denies the difference and reciprocity in nature of a man and a woman and envisages a society without sexual differences, thereby eliminating the anthropological basis of the family.” This ideology, the quote continues, “leads to educational programs and legislative enactments that promote a personal identity and emotional intimacy radically separated from the biological difference between male and female. Consequently, human identity becomes the choice of the individual, one which can also change over time.” The Argentine pope has often spoken against this ideology, saying that it harms children and that it’s an attack against the family. The document, signed by Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi on Feb. 2, says that “it is becoming increasingly clear that we are now facing what might accurately be called an educational crisis, especially in the field of affectivity and sexuality.” Quoting Benedict, it claims that in many places, educational curricula are being planned and implemented which “allegedly convey a neutral conception of the person and of life, yet in fact reflect an anthropology opposed to faith and to right reason.” Yet, the document says this issue should not be looked at in isolation from what John Paul II defined as “education in the call to love,” which should offer “a positive and prudent education in sexuality” within the context of the inalienable right of all to receive “an education that is in keeping with their ultimate goal, their ability, their sex, and the culture and tradition of their country, and also in harmony with their fraternal association with other peoples in the fostering of true unity and peace on earth.” The final quote belongs not to the Polish pontiff, but to the Second Vatican Council Declaration on Christian Education, Gravissimum Educationis. Page 4 Our Lady of Grace

In an introductory letter, Versaldi said that the idea for it came in 2017, during the congregation’s general assembly, after bishops from around the world expressed their concerns over the growth of gender education in schools. According to the document, a distinction has to be drawn between gender ideology and the research on gender that human sciences have undertaken. The ideologies of gender, as Francis has said, also seek “to assert themselves as absolute and unquestionable, even dictating how children should be raised,” precluding dialogue. On the other hand, there’s work on gender which tries instead to “achieve a deeper understanding of the ways in which sexual difference between men and women is lived out in a variety of cultures.” To the latter, the Catholic Church should be open “to listen, reason and propose.” The document says in the present cultural context, “it is clear that sex and gender are no longer synonyms or interchangeable concepts, since they are used to describe two different realities.” “Sex is seen as defining which of the two biological categories? … The problem here does not lie in the distinction between the two terms, which can be interpreted correctly, but in the separation of sex from gender,” it continues. The separation of sex from gender is at the root of the various “sexual orientations,” the document argues. These are no longer defined by the sexual difference between men and women, but it can “assume other forms, determined solely by the individual.” Furthermore, the concept of gender depends on the “subjective mindset of each person, “who can choose a gender not corresponding to his or her biological sex, and therefore with the way others see that person (transgenderism).” The document also says that the duality in male-female couples is seen as a conflict with the idea of “polyamory,” meaning a relationship that involves more than two individuals. This leads to a claim that relationships are not necessarily built to last, and are instead flexible, depending on the desires of the individuals. This has “consequences for the sharing of the responsibilities and obligations inherent in maternity and paternity.” This redefinition of gender and the plurality of new types of unions are in direct contradiction to the model of marriage as between a man and a woman, which in turn is portrayed as a “vestige of patriarchal societies.” The ideal pushed forth by this redefinition is that individuals should be allowed to choose their status, and that society should not only guarantee this right but provide material support, “since the minorities involved would otherwise suffer negative social discrimination.” Despite the clash this theory poses with Catholic education, the document acknowledges that there can be points in common, such as the fact that children should be taught to The Feast of Corpus Christi Page 5

appreciate the equal dignity of men and women; to respect every person in their particularity and difference, so that no one should suffer bullying, violence, insults or unjust discrimination based on their specific characteristics (such as special needs, race, religion, sexual tendencies); and to appreciate the values of femininity. Nonetheless, the most “radical forms” of gender theory also create “a gradual process of denaturalization,” giving both sexual identity and family a “liquidity” and “fluidity” that characterize other aspects of post-modern culture, often rooted with a “confused sense of freedom.” These forms of ideology create educational programs that try to negate the sexual differences between men and women, and confuse freedom with the idea that people can act “arbitrarily as if there were no truths, values and principles to provide guidance, and everything were possible and permissible.” The document acknowledges that in some cases, sex isn’t clearly defined. But it’s up to medical professionals to make a therapeutic intervention, and it’s not up to parents, or society, to make an arbitrary decision. Male and Female He Created Them also argues that the process of identifying sexual identity is made more difficult by the “fictitious construct known as ‘gender neuter’ or ‘third gender’” which obscures the fact that “a person’s sex is a structural determinant of male or female identity.” The ideas of intersex or transgender, the document says, lead to a masculinity or femininity that is ambiguous. In addition, these concepts “presuppose the very sexual difference that they propose to negate or supersede.” The document also notes that even though gender ideology aims to remove the idea of complementarity between men and women, particularly when it comes to procreation, by proposing alternatives such as in vitro fertilization and surrogacy, at the end of the day, a man and a woman are needed for either process to work. In keeping with the teachings of the Catholic Church, it also says that children enjoy the right to grow up in a family with a father and a mother. The document also underlines the primacy of parents in educating their children, which is supplemented by the subsidiary role of schools and the Church. Quoting Francis, it also says that this educational alliance has entered into crisis. “There is an urgent need to promote a new alliance that is genuine and not simply at the level of bureaucracy, a shared project that can offer a positive and prudent sexual education that can harmonize the primary responsibility of parents with the work of teachers,” the document says. The full 30 page Vatican document can be downloaded from: https://zenit.org/articles/new- vatican-document-provides-schools-with-guidance-on-gender-issues/ Page 6 Our Lady of Grace

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE SICK OF THE PARISH SATURDAY JUNE 22 Claudette Laverriere John Minadeo Jade Jackson 4:00 pm + Arlene Naida by Charles Naida.. Rosa Arosemena Gregory Syfert J.R. Lejeune 7:00 pm + Mass in Spanish Zulmira DaSilva Bruno Litwinski Jaxson Thrift Debra Kemmett Julie Johnston Andres Clavijo SUNDAY JUNE 23 Gerald Martin Liliana Morales Todd Carlson 8:00 am Roselle Tederous & Rosalie Marie Carlson Jeanette Nardone Dick Carlson Kingsley by M/M Nelson Tederous. Eileen Rosendale Beatrice Yolman 10:30 am + Annie Kozak by Husband Philip. And for those who care for the sick, for the deceased MONDAY JUNE 24 member’s and benefactors of the parish, and for our loved ones. 8:00 am Special Intention for the repose of the Soul of Christopher & Ashley Sullivan & Family by Patrick COUPLES FOR CHRIST In behalf of the Couples for Christ- Sebring, we would like Sullivan. to express our deepest gratitude for your help and the TUESDAY JUNE 25 support of the parishioners in our fundraising raising- A 8:00 am Special Intention for the repose of Taste of Filipino Culture III- activity held Sunday, June 2, the Soul of Colin & Driselle 2019 at the Grogan Center. With the parish’s support we Sullivan by Patrick Sullivan. were able to raise $2,477.01. This amount will be used to pay part of the expenses of 8 youth delegates to the CFC- WED JUNE 26 Youth National Conference at the University of San Diego, 8:00 am + Leesa Hanlin by Paul & Justine San Diego, CA. Devlin THURSDAY JUNE 27 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 8:00 am Novena of Mass for Life – For a The Knights of Columbus will have their Installation of greater respect for all human life by Officers on Tuesday, June 25th in the Grogan Center the K of C. at 6 pm. All members of the Parish are invited to FRIDAY JUNE 28 come. 8:00 am For our Parish Family SATURDAY JUNE 29 PETERS PENCE COLLECTION 4:00 pm +Harriet Johnsen by Neal Roche. Next week, we will take up the Peter’s Pence 7:00 pm + Eternal rest for Antonio Chavez by Collection, which provides Pope Francis with the Chavez family. funds he needs to carry out his charitable works around the world. The proceeds benefit our brothers SUNDAY JUNE 30 and sisters on the margins of society, including 8:00 am + Bruce Lillpop by Mary Lee Lillpop victims of war, oppression and natural disasters. 10:30 am + Roland Seguin by His Sister Please be generous. For more information, visit Margot Burt. www.usccb.org/peters-pence.

Staff & Ministries

Administrative Assistant Betty Heiring [email protected]

Religious Education

Angie Heiring [email protected] (863) 453-7537

Music Gene Ryan [email protected]

Associate Youth Director Angie Heiring (863) 453-7537 Raphael’s The Mass at Bolsena (1512)

Prayer Group The Mass of Bolsena depicts an episode that took place in Kevin Murphy 1263 in Bolsena, near Orvieto, an hour north of Rome in Italy. During the Mass celebrated by a priest from Prague, Women’s Guild Debbie Augusta - on his way to Rome, at the moment of consecration the President blood of Christ trickled from the host, staining the (863) 385-8872 corporal – the white square cloth on the altar - and thus

Respect Life dismissing the doubts of the priest-celebrant on Dick & Marie Carlson transubstantiation (that is to say the changing of the (863) 471-2134 substance of the bread and wine into that of the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist). The miracle led to the Parish Council establishment of the feast of Corpus Christi and the construction of the Cathedral of Orvieto, to which the President Judy Pounds corporal was transferred. Pope Julius II (1503 to 1513), witnesses the miracle kneeling to the right of the altar, Vice President with his staff of Cardinals and the recently formed Swiss Piedad Sarmiento-Noriega Guard. Raphael draws a contrast between the attitude of Secretary faith and adoration by Pope Julius on the right of the altar Judy Nugent and the argumentative attitude of the Reformers on the

Members altar’s left side. Debbie Augusta Maureen Cool The Pope asked St Thomas Aquinas, living at that Darlyne Devany time, to write hymns for the feast and he wrote two of Jim McGann the best-known hymns on the Eucharist: the Tantum Karen Hecker Ergo (Down in Adoration) and O Salutaris (O Saving Tina Starling Teresa Torres Victim). That blood-stained corporal – the white square cloth on the altar - may still be seen in the Basilica of Orvieto north of Rome in a reliquary which is a replica of the Basilica.