Mary Queen of the Apostles Parish

IMPORTANT UPDATE: ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT ON TUESDAYS Again due to unforeseen circumstances, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Tuesdays will not be held until further notice. We are grateful to everyone who signed up for Adoration on Tuesdays. You are welcome to pray in the church, which is open Monday-Friday, 8:30-4PM (except on holidays), keeping in mind that Jesus is present 24/7 in the Holy Eucharist in the Tabernacle.

LIVE-STREAMING OF MASSES We will stream and upload the 8AM Masses on Monday and Tuesday mornings and the 4:30PM Sunday Vigil to enable our homebound to connect with the parish. For the rest of the week, EWTN telecasts a number of daily Masses, and our Cathedral streams its weekday Masses at 12N. On Sundays, besides the Masses on EWTN, Channel 43 (WUAB-TV) broadcasts two Masses: 8AM and 10AM from our Cathedral. We realize this will be an inconvenience to some folks, but we tried to reach a compromise based on our recent survey. Initially, one possibility was to cut the streaming entirely but we will not do that.

Here's the link to "Q-Tube":
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4N7DhiHNNxaPnTKO3py7-g

We will also livestream these Masses on our parish Facebook page. You can view the video and other information on this page without being a Facebook member which you can access directly from our parish website mqabrookpark.org or Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Mary-Queen-of-the-Apostles-Catholic-Parish-342319779750650

About an hour after Mass concludes, the video will be uploaded to Q-Tube (our parish's YouTube channel). which you can access directly from our parish website: mqabrookpark.org or at "Q-tube" as shown above.

"Permission to reprint, podcast, and/or stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license A-621009. All rights reserved."

Brothers and Sisters,

The month of November is dedicated to praying for the dead with a special emphasis on the souls in Purgatory. Such prayers are an act of love and the greatest way that we continue to love those who have gone ahead of us. As love refers to willing another’s good, it is a desire for one’s true good that is realized most fully by our actions on that behalf. For those who precede us in death, that action is in the form of our prayers for them.

Among the Corporal Works of Mercy is the burying of the dead. The Christian expression of this act of love comes from our Jewish spiritual roots, as burial was important among our ancestors in anticipation of the resurrection. Jesus affirmed the accuracy of this belief, teaching that the dead will rise (himself rising as the first fruits of the future Resurrection), and so we continue to inter our dead. The Church teaches, and right faith demands, that—whether cremated or laid in a casket—the remains of the deceased are to be kept together out of respect for the body and in anticipation of the resurrection.

Among the Spiritual Works of Mercy, then, is praying for the living and the dead. Our prayers are efficacious. God has designed that we can share in his life-giving love by helping one another to grow closer to him, that is, to realize the true Good. This is so for the living as well as for the dead.

Although not perfectly understood, it is accepted that a soul after death can no longer do anything for itself, being shaped by one’s choices in life. If they have ultimately chosen God, then they are bound for the fullness of his presence in Heaven, but must undergo a merciful purgation of all remaining attachments to sin if as yet imperfect. This cleansing and healing is only accomplished by the work of God’s grace and, apparently, is aided by our prayers on earth as we share in one another’s salvation.

Catholic professor Dr. Peter Kreeft explains Purgatory well: “If you really think that you can endure and enjoy the full light and fire of God a second after you die, being essentially the same kind of being you are now, without any kind of divine operation on your soul, then you dangerously underestimate either your sinful nature, God’s holiness, or the gap between them.”

It is not with despair that we pray for our departed loved ones, or with fear that we anticipate our own transition into eternity, but with hope—that is to say, trust. God has big plans for every single person. There is a saintly position in Heaven that is meant to be filled by each of us. That is where God wants us. So, if we cooperate with his will (doing everything with sainthood in mind), then all that remains is to allow God’s grace to bring our plan and his plan together.

Likewise, we are called to pray with the same hope for our beloved dead, admittedly not really knowing if they are “home yet.” But, it is far better to pray for someone who has entered into glory—prayers that God will surely use for his purpose—than not to pray for a soul languishing in purgation because we foolishly assumed that they had automatically entered into Heaven.

Remember: God’s plan is for you to become a saint. Just keep going… one day, hour, moment at a time. And pray with trust for those who have gone ahead of you. Our Father in Heaven does not want us to despair, but to recognize his love for us and to trust him by working with his grace.

May this November be a time of quiet peace as we contemplate eternity. Let us love, through our prayers, those who have been called onward.

In amore Christi,

Fr. Michael

AM 1260 THE ROCK NEWS!  THANK YOU to everyone who prayed, volunteered and contributed to the AM 1260 The Rock’s Fall Spirit Drive.  As a listener-funded lay apostolate, we are sincerely grateful for your support in keeping Catholic radio thriving.  Didn’t get a chance to participate?  You can still make your gift at www.am1260therock.com or by calling 216-227-1260.

As November is dedicated to the Holy Souls, let us also remember those faithful departed priests. AM 1260 The Rock and Catholic Cemeteries Association invite you to join Father Doug Brown, Chaplain of AM 1260 The Rock, and other Rock listeners on Monday, November 18, at 3PM at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brook Park for a Graveside Prayer Service for the Deceased Priests of the Cleveland Diocese.  We will pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and read the names of those priests of our Diocese who have died in the last 12 months. Meet us at Holy Cross Cemetery in the St. John Paul II Mausoleum.

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Classes are held Monday evenings  6:45-8:15pm (Sept-May)

Contact Trish Solon for more information

216-433-1440 x21

The hall is used for parish functions and events, such as parish dinners sponsored by the Queen's cooks, Night at the Races sponsored by the Holy Name Society, and a Spring Salad Luncheon sponsored by the Ladies Guild.
McMcafferty Hall is not available or rented out for private functions.