Basilica of Saint Louis King of France The Old

209 Walnut Street Saint Louis, Missouri 63102 FIRST CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time September 27, 2020

PARISH FOUNDED IN 1770 PRESENT CHURCH DEDICATED IN 1834

Sunday September 27 Thursday October 1 8:00 AM Ethel Doerhoff 7:00 AM Mr. & Mrs. P. Hernandez (popularly known as the Old Cathedral) 10:30 AM Parish Family 12:10 PM Mary Ann & John Simon &

(Live Streamed) Family 209 Walnut Street 12:00 PM John & Therese Duker St. Louis, Missouri 63102 5:00 PM Celebrant’s Intentions Friday October 2 7:00 AM Michael & Ryan Simon & Family Phone: 314.231.3250 Monday September 28 12:10 PM Anthony & Anna Simon & Email: [email protected] 7:00 AM Mario Luis Ventura Family Website: www.oldcathedralstl.org 12:10 PM Ellie & Joe Simon Saturday October 3 Tuesday September29 7:00 AM Judge John J. Driscoll 7:00 AM Elena Sioson 5:30 PM Mel & Tess Doerhoff 12:10 PM Emilie & David Duker Sunday October 4 Wednesday September 30 8:00 AM Parish Family 7:00 AM Paola & Paul Duker 10:30 AM Paul & Paula Duker 12:10 PM Matthew Simon (Live Streamed) Sunday Masses 12:00 PM John & Therese Duker 5:00 PM Celebrant’s Intentions 5:30 PM (Saturday Evening) 8:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 12 NOON, Live Stream Mass and 5:00 PM

Welcome all Parishioners and Visitors of The Old Cathedral to our live stream service. During these Daily Masses trying times, it is important to maintain spiritual communion with the Lord. We would like to offer you, for this purpose, the opportunity to attend a live stream Mass. Monday through Friday Live Stream Mass 7:00 AM and 12:10 PM Sundays - 10:30 AM

SATURDAY– 7:00 AM You can access the live streams through the link on our homepage at:

www.oldcathedralstl.org

Readings for the week of September 27, 2020

Sunday: Ez 18:25-28/Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 [6a]/Phil 2:1-11 or 2:1-5/Mt 21:28-32 Monday: Jb 1:6-22/Ps 17:1bcd, 2-3, 6-7 [6]/Lk 9:46-50 Confessions Tuesday: Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 or Rv 12:7-12a/Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5 [1]/Jn 1:47-51 Daily, 11:30 AM—12:00 PM Wednesday: Jb 9:1-12, 14-16/Ps 88:10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15 [3]/Lk 9:57-62 Saturdays, 4:30 PM—5:15 PM Thursday: Jb 19:21-27/Ps 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14 [13]/Lk 10:1-12 Friday: Jb 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5/Ps 91:1-2, 3-4ab, 4c-6, 10-11 [11]/Mt 18:1-5, 10 Marriage Saturday: Jb 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17/Ps 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130 [135]/Lk 10:17-24 Please arrange at least six months in Next Sunday: Is 5:1-7/Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20 [Is 5:7a]/Phil 4:6-9/Mt 21:33-43 advance of the desired date. To reserve a date or for more Observances for the week of September 27, 2020 information, please contact Tracy Marklein at 314.231.3250. Sunday: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday: St. Wenceslaus, Martyr; St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs Devotions Tuesday: Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels Perpetual Help Devotions: Wednesday: St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church Tuesdays, 12:00 PM Thursday: St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church Friday: The Holy Guardian Angels Saturday: Weekday in Ordinary Time Next Sunday: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Respect Life Sunday

We welcome our devoted parishioners, neighbors who come so Sunday, 09/20/20 Weekly Giving regularly, our downtown working people, Saint Louisans of all faiths and our many visitors from all over Online Donations $265.00 The Old Cathedral has long been recog- the world. Sunday Collection $2652.00 nized as one of the most historic and Serving you in this beautiful beautiful churches of its time. Old Cathedral is a privilege. Total $2917.00 Our parish is proud of its more than 240 Father Nicholas Smith year history as a self-supporting Roman Rector Catholic Parish. Your presence, prayer and Director, Office of Sacred Worship generous kindness continue to make it so. Instructor, Kenrick -Glennon Seminary

Father Charles Samson Your weekly envelope donations can still be made by mail or in person by check at the In Residence Old Cathedral rectory or you can set up online donations at oldcathedralstl.org. Faculty, Kenrick -Glennon Seminary By uniting as a parish community and with continued prayer, we will face these

challenging times with faith together.

Basilica of Saint Louis, King Dear Old Cathedral Parishioners and Visitors:

Two sons are ordered by their father to go out and work in the vineyard. This is not an unreasonable request. Presumably, the father owns the vineyard and therefore the sons have a stake in its success. It is to their benefit, and is their duty, to obey.

We know that the first one says he will not, but then does; the second one says he will, but then does not. That the first son is the one who actually does the will of God sets the stage for the real rhetorical punch of Jesus’ message. Speaking to the chief priests and elders of the people, Jesus says to them, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

These words are meant to get their attention, obviously, for as religious leaders, they would have seen themselves as both morally and socially superior to tax collectors and prostitutes. They also reflect something found in the words of the prophet Ezekiel as he relays the Lord’s message to his people: When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity … [he dies]. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, he does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life.

Everyone has a choice as to how to act – just like the sons in the parable; just like the chief priests and elders; just like the tax collectors and prostitutes. And the interesting thing about these words in Ezekiel is that the Lord is acknowledging not just those who repent and follow God’s way, but also those who “turn from virtue to sin.” This is a good description of the second son – and likely the religious leaders in this story – as their words signify obedience and piety, while their actions say otherwise.

Jesus is celebrating God’s mercy, and his compassion upon those tax collectors and prostitutes (and others) who initially rejected God in making their life choices, but who eventually turned away from sin to life. He is also pointing out that virtue – in this case, the status and learning of the religious leaders – does not make them immune to disobedience and unrighteousness. Understanding God’s will, committing to it, and doing it, are what bring life.

Blessings upon your week. Stay safe!

-Father Smith

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, virgin and Doctor of the Church (October 1) In keeping with the French roots of our city, there is a beautiful statue of Saint Therese of Lisieux in our Cathedral.

Saint Therese of Lisieux (born Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin) was born on January 2, 1873, and died on September 30, 1897, was a French Discalced Carmelite nun. She is popularly known as “The Little Flower of Jesus” or simply, “The Little Flower.” Therese saw herself as "the Little Flower of Jesus" because she was just like the simple wild flowers in forests and fields, unnoticed by the greater population, yet growing and giving glory to God. Therese did not see herself as a brilliant rose or an elegant lily, by simply as a small wildflower. This is how she understood herself before the Lord - simple and hidden, but blooming where God had planted her. She has been a highly influential model of sanctity for Catholics and for others because of the simplicity and practicality of her approach to the spiritual life. Together with Saint Francis of Assisi, she is one of the most popular saints in the history of the Church. Saint Pius X called her “the greatest saint of modern times.” Therese felt an early call to religious life and, overcoming various obstacles, in 1888 at the age of 15, she entered religious life, joining two of her elder sisters in the cloistered Carmelite community of Lisieux, Normandy. After nine years as a Carmelite religious, having fulfilled various offices such as sacristan and assistant to the novice mistress, and having spent her last eighteen months in Carmel in a “night of faith,” she died of tuberculosis at the age of 24. Her book, published after her death, was a brief edited version of her journal called "Story of a Soul." (Collections of her letters and restored versions of her journals have been published more recently.) Therese is well known throughout the world, with the Basilica of Lisieux being the second largest place of pilgrimage in France after Lourdes. In 1997, Saint John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church.

Becoming The Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France

In order to receive the title of basilica, a church must have historical significance, prestige, or be a major center of worship. The Basilica of St. Louis, King of France passes these qualifications. The first example of the Church being worthy of basilica status is the fact that the church is the oldest parish west of the Mississippi River. In the early years of St. Louis, the church was the most significant in the archdiocese, known as the “Mother Angels are always around us, but do we church” of the entire western United States. There are acknowledge their presence only five major basilicas in the world: St. Peter’s, St. and invite them to work in our lives?

John Lateran, and Mary Major in Rome; and St. Francis It’s relatively easy to profess our belief in angels, but are we and St. Mary in Assisi, Italy. In the United States there conscious of their existence in our daily lives? Do we invite are 14 “minor basilicas”. these spiritual creatures to accompany us on our daily journey?

The symbols of being a basilica is the conopeum (the God created angels to be his spiritual messengers in umbrella) and the tintinnabulum (six foot high, carved of the world, and besides announcing major events, such as wood mounted on a bell). Today the conopeum can be the birth of the Messiah, they also have a mission of being seen at a weekly mass with red and yellow stripes and the with us and protecting us from spiritual danger. basilica’s seal. Also on it is the coat of arms of Pope Their work is often hidden, but that does not mean we can- John XXIII, the Cardinal, and Bishop Rosati (builder of not notice their effects. Sometimes we can see their activity, the Old Cathedral). The tintinnabulum is also kept within either in heavenly inspirations in our soul, or in moments the church, but is only carried during a procession. when we are saved from harm at the last minute. Whatever the case may be, angels are real and are concerned for The role of cathedral would be passed on to the New our spiritual and physical well-being. Cathedral in the Central West End on October 14, 1913. For many decades, the Old Cathedral was hidden among In the 19th-century book The Glories of the , the abandoned buildings and old warehouses of the St. the author reflects on the reality of angels and recalls a story Louis Riverfront. It remained this way until the clearing of a person who tried to think about all the angels who were of the riverfront and construction of the Gateway Arch present in the world. grounds began, and was the only building protected as a A certain holy person being one day standing near a win- historical landmark. Because of its historical dow which opened on a populous street, was suddenly significance to the city and Catholicism, the Old favored with a ray of divine light, by which she saw that Cathedral was granted status as a “minor basilica” in the men lived in an almost total forgetfulness of spiritual United States. things … How many angels pass by with these poor people, said she, and yet no one thinks of them. Greatly affected at this consideration, she went to a fair, which was then being The Basilica of St. Louis, King of France is worthy of held in the vicinity, to pay her respects interiorly to the its title because it stands today as a symbol of our proud angels whom she knew to be there in great numbers, in the past. company of those of whom they had care, and who were quite unmindful of them. Behold a practice worthy of Bryan Buer—Old Cathedral Historian imitation! The author then goes on to encourage us to greet these invisible angels when we go about our daily business. When you walk through town, salute interiorly the angels of those whom you meet. When you go to the country, pay homage to the blessed spirits … When you enter into a church, or a public assembly, let holy faith manifest to you the presence of the angels. When you make a journey, entertain yourself with the angels of those who travel with you. When among your friends, say from time to time a little word to their angels—and when alone with yourself, speak to and entertain these blessed spirits. This can radically change our view of the world, opening to us the reality of a hidden reality we may never see in this life. Our world is full of creatures, both visible and invisible. If we are conscious of that fact on a daily basis, our eyes will look differently on the people we meet. Angels are among us and we owe much of our life to their protective care.

Philip Kosloski | Sep 11, 2020 /Aleteia

Saint Wenceslaus, martyr (September 28): Wenceslaus I (c. 907 – 28 September 935) was the duke of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935, purportedly in a plot by his own brother, Boleslav the Cruel. His martyrdom, and the popularity of several biographies, quickly gave rise to a reputation for heroic goodness, resulting in his being elevated to sainthood, posthumously declared king, and seen as the patron saint of the Czech state. He is the subject of “Good King Wenceslas,” a Saint Stephen’s Day carol written over 900 years later, in 1853, that remains popular to this day. Wenceslas is usually described as exceptionally pious and humble, and a very educated and intelligent man. In September 935 (in older sources 929) a group of nobles—allied with Wenceslas’ younger brother Boleslav—plotted to kill the Duke. After Boleslav invited Wenceslas to the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Stara Boleslav, three of Boleslav’s companions—Tira, Cesta, and Hnevsa—murdered Wenceslas on his way to church after a quarrel between him and his brother. Boleslav thus succeeded him as the Duke of Bohemia.

Saint Lawrence, missionary and martyr, and Companions, martyrs (September 28): Ruiz, a Chinese-Filipino, became the ’ protomartyr after his execution in Japan by the Tokugawa Shogunate during its persecution of Japanese Christians in the 17th century. He was born in , , to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother who were both Catholic. His father taught him Chinese while his mother taught him Tagalog. Ruiz served as an altar boy at the Binondo Church. After being educated by the Dominican friars for a few years, Ruiz earned the title of escribano (calligrapher) because of his skillful penmanship. He became a member of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. He married Rosario and they had two sons and a daughter. The family led a generally peaceful, religious, and con- tent life. In 1636, while working as a clerk for the Binondo Church, Ruiz was falsely accused of killing a Spaniard. Ruiz sought asylum on board a ship with three Dominican priests. Ruiz and his companions left for Okinawa on June 10, 1636. The Tokugawa shogunate was persecuting Christians by the time Ruiz had arrived in Japan. The missionaries were arrested and thrown into prison, and after two years, they were transferred to Nagasaki to face trial by torture. He and his companions faced different types of torture. On September 27, 1637, Ruiz and his companions were taken to the Nishizaka Hill, where they were tortured by being hung upside down over a pit. This form of torture was known as tsurushi in Japanese or horca y hoya (“gallows and pit”) in Spanish. The method was supposed to be extremely painful: though the victim was bound, one hand was always left free to that victims may signal their desire to recant, leading to their release. Ruiz refused to renounce Christianity and died from blood loss and suffocation. His body was cremated, with the ashes through into the sea.

Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels (September 29): These biblical messengers signify God’s transcendence and loving care: Michael (meaning “Who is like God?”), Gabriel (“God’s Strength”), and Raphael (“God’s Remedy”). Michael is the patron of security forces and the sick; Gabriel is the patron of telecommunications and the postal service, and Raphael is the patron of travelers and the blind.

Saint Jerome, priest and Doctor of the Church (September 30): Saint Jerome (ca. 347 – 30 September 420) is best known for his translation of most of the Bible into Latin (the translation that became known as the Vulgate), and his commentaries on the Gospels. He was born at Stridon (which could have been in the modern territory of Croatia, Slovenia, or Bosnia) around 347. He was not baptized until about 360-366, when he had gone to Rome with his friend Bonosus to pursue rhetorical and philosophical studies. He studied under the grammarian Aelius Donatus. There Jerome learned Latin and at least some Greek. Although initially skeptical of Christianity, he was eventually converted. After several years in Rome, he travelled with Bonosus to Gaul and settled in Trier. Next came a stay of a least several months, or possibly years, at Aquileia. In 373 on a journey through Thrace and Asia Minor into northern Syria, he because seriously ill at Antioch, and resolved to lay aside his secular studies and devote himself to God. Seized with a desire for a life of ascetic penance, he went for a time to the desert of Chalcis, to the southeast of Antioch. Returning to Antioch in 378 or 379, he was ordained by Bishop Paulinus, apparently unwillingly and on condition that he continue his Ascetic life. Soon afterward, he went to Constantinople to pursue a study of Scripture under Gregory Nazianzen. He seems to have spent two years there, then left, and the next three (382-385) he was in Rome again, as secretary to Pope Damasus I and the leading Roman Christians. He was given duties in Rome, and he undertook a revision of the Latin Bible, to be based on the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. He also updated the Psalter containing the Book of Psalms then at use in Rome based on the Septuagint. Though he did not realize it yet, translating much of what became the Latin Vulgate Bible would take many years and be his most important achievement. In August 385, he left Rome for good and returned to Antioch. He traveled to Alexandria, but late in the summer of 388 he was back in Palestine, and spent the remainder of his life in a hermit’s cell near Bethlehem leading a life of incessant activity in literary production. It is recorded that Jerome died near Bethlehem.

The Holy Guardian Angels (October 2): A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group, kingdom, or country. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity. The concept of tutelary angels and their hierarchy was extensively developed in Christianity in the 5th century by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. The theology of angels and tutelary sprits has undergone many refinements since the 400s. Belief in both the East and the West is that guardian angels serve to protect whichever person God assigns them to, and present pray to God on that person’s behalf. All you holy men and women of God, pray for us.