Fourth Sunday after Pentecost


Friends in Christ,

Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. The Gospel reading for this Sunday features Luke’s account of the miraculous catch of fishes and the summoning of the first Apostles by Our Lord. What is most notable in the story is Simon’s reaction to the miracle. Falling down before Jesus, the fisherman proclaims, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” The man whom Jesus would later rename Peter, to be the rock upon which he would build His Church, acknowledges from the beginning both the majesty of Our Lord and his own unworthiness to be in His presence. If he then follows Him without hesitation, we should also remember that this self-condemned sinful man abandoned Jesus and thrice denied any association with Him on the night He was betrayed. Even after he became head of the Church at Rome, he was subject to the weakness and inconstancy of all human flesh, a vulnerability highlighted in the apocryphal story of his flight from Nero’s persecution. From the beginning, the Bishop of Rome has always been a man worthy of our reverence but desperately in need of our prayers.


Calendar of Special Observances

Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.

DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)

Sunday, July 6 – Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (II)

Monday, July 7 – Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Bishops and Confessors (III)

Tuesday, July 8 – St. Elizabeth of Portugal, Queen, Widow (III)

Wednesday, July 9 – Feria (IV)

Thursday, July 10 – Seven Holy Brothers Martyrs, and Rufina and Secunda, Virgins and Martyrs (III)

Friday, July 11 – Feria (IV) – Commemoration of St. Pius I, Pope and Martyr

Saturday, July 12 – St. John Gualbert, Abbot (III) – Commemoration of Ss. Nabor and Felix, Martyrs


Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost with English or Spanish translation, followed by commentary on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost by Dr. Michael P. Foley.


Latin Mass Schedule: Sundays

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • 11:30 a.m., Saint Thomas Aquinas

  • 12:30 p.m., Saint Ann

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • 8:30 a.m., Saint John the Baptist (Tryon)

  • 1:00 p.m., Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock)

  • 1:30 p.m., Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro)

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • 12:00 p.m., Prince of Peace (Taylors SC)

  • 1:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC)

Note: Travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the regular schedule of Sunday Mass times.


Latin Mass Schedule: Weekdays (July 5 - July 12)

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • Saint Ann – Wednesday, 6:00 p.m.

  • Saint Thomas Aquinas – Thursday, 7:00 p.m.

  • Saint Ann – Friday, 7:00 a.m.

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • Our Lady of the Mountains (Highlands)Thursday, 9:30 a.m.

  • Saint John the Baptist (Tryon)Friday, 8:30 a.m.

  • Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock) – Friday, 9:30 a.m.

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – No daily Mass this summer (starting June 2)

Note: The summer Mass schedule for Prince of Peace parish went into effect Monday June 2nd and no daily Latin Masses are scheduled at Prince of Peace Monday-Saturday this summer.

Travelers are advised to contact parish offices to confirm weekday and Saturday Mass times, since local schedules are sometimes subject to change without notice, especially on or around holidays, holy days of obligation and other special feast days.


Announcements

First Sunday Food and Fellowship – First Sunday Food and Fellowship is this Sunday July 6 at St. Thomas Aquinas after the 11:30 a.m. Latin Mass (1:30-3:30 p.m.). All are invited! 

SAVE THE DATE: Sunday July 13, 12:30 p.m. Welcome Back Fr. Jones Celebration – The Carolina Traditional Liturgy Society will be organizing a potluck after the Saint Ann parish 12:30 p.m. Latin Mass to welcome back Fr. Jones, who is returning to Saint Ann to serve as parochial vicar and chaplain for the Latin Mass chapel. See you there! 

Deacon David Carter, FSSP Interview - The July edition of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) newsletter, Meménto, featured an interview with newly ordained Deacon David Carter, a Saint Ann parishioner who is seminarian with the FSSP in Nebraska. The interview, also notes the influence (among several), of the Saint Ann parish Latin Mass in fostering his vocation. The newsletter can be read at this link.

Paraclete Press in Massachusetts is a distributor of books, CDs, and chant materials from Benedictine Monks of the Abbey in Solesmes (France), which was established by the great liturgist Dom Prosper Guéranger. He, as many recall, revived Gregorian Chant for the modern era and generated renewed interest in the liturgy. To browse through some of their selections please click on this link.

Daily Holy Face Chaplet for Sacred Liturgy (perpetual novena) – It has been recommended to all friends of the sacred liturgy in the diocese to consider continually praying the powerful Holy Face chaplet, under the banner of Our Lady of the Holy Name. To pray the chaplet, please see this link.

Cardinal Burke’s Prayer for Pope Leo XIV His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Burke has released a prayer for Pope Leo XIV. Please consider praying this daily for the Holy Father as he leads the Church.

Prayer for Pope Leo XIV: Vicar of Christ on Earth and Shepherd of the Universal Church

O Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Lord of Heaven and of Earth, Our Lady of Guadalupe, guide and protect the Roman Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV. Through your intercession, may he receive in abundance the grace of the Successor of Saint Peter: the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity of our Bishops and of all our brothers and sisters in the Mystical Body of your Divine Son. Unite Pope Leo’s heart to your Immaculate Heart, leading him to rest his heart ever more securely in the glorious-pierced Heart of Jesus, so that he may confirm us in the Catholic faith, in the worship of God in spirit and truth, and in a good and holy Christian life.

In the tumult of the present time, keep Pope Leo securely within the hollow of your mantle, in the crossing of your arms, protecting him from Satan, the Father of Lies, and from every evil spirit. Implore Our Lord to grant him, in particular, the wisdom and courage to be a true Shepherd of the Church throughout the world. With you, I place all my trust in Christ, the Good Shepherd, Who alone is our help and salvation. Amen.

Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother, have mercy upon us!

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us!

Pope Saint Leo the Great, pray for us!

PDF copies can be accessed at these links: [English] [Español] [Latin]


Holy Face Devotions

Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus are offered each week at the following churches on the indicated days:

  • St. James (Concord) – Monday, 10-10:30 a.m. (in the cry room)

  • St. Mark – Tuesday, 4:45 p.m. (special time for Tuesday July 8)

  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesday, 6:00 a.m.

  • St. Ann – Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. (following 7:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • St. Michael the Archangel (Gastonia) – Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. (following 8:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • St. Vincent de Paul – Tuesday, 8:40 a.m.

  • Holy Spirit (Denver) – Tuesday, 10-11:00 a.m. (following the 9:15 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country (Boone) – Third Tuesday, at 6:45 p.m. after Mass in the Youth Room

  • St. John the Baptist (Tryon) - First Saturday, 9:30 a.m. (after 8:30 a.m Latin Mass)

Note: Days and times may be subject to change due to holidays.

“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth” (from Canticle to the Holy Face by Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who took the name in religion, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face).


Latin Mass and Liturgical News

  • The Introductory Dialogue to the Preface by Dr. Michael P. Foley, New Liturgical Movement (June 27, 2025). [The Introductory Dialogue to the Preface]

  • Cardinal Burke Marks Golden Jubilee With Prayer for Pope Leo XIV by Raymond Cardinal Burke, National Catholic Register (June 29, 2025). [Cardinal Burke Marks Golden Jubilee]

  • Cardinal Raymond Burke’s Keynote Address to the Faith and Culture Conference, Latin Mass Society of the UK (June 14, 2025). [Cardinal Burke Keynote Address]

  • Vatican grants exemption from Traditional Latin Mass restrictions to Texas parish by Madalaine Elhabbal, Catholic News Agency (July 2, 2025). [Vatican grants exemption]
  • Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Voice of the Family UK (July 2, 2025). [Mary’s Visitation]

  • Is the Traditional Latin Mass Booming? by Stephen P. White, The Catholic Thing (June 26, 2025). [Is the Traditional Latin Mass Booming?]

  • French Monks Uncork ‘Civilization of Wine’ with World’s First Abbey Wines Museum by Solène Tadié, National Catholic Register (June 27, 2025). [French Monks]

  • Hungary’s Camino: The Road to Mary’s Shrine by Evelyn Whitehead, National Catholic Register (June 28, 2025). [Hungary’s Camino]

  • Florence’s Crazy Soccer Game on the Feast of St John the Baptist by Greg DiPippo, New Liturgical Movement (June 24, 2025). [Florence’s Crazy Soccer Game]

  • The New Founders of Rome, Part 2: The Monuments by Claudio Salvucci, The Missive, July 14, 2023. [The New Founders of Rome, Part II]



Saints and Special Observances

Saint Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal is also known as Elizabeth (or Isabella) of Aragon, since she was born in the Spanish kingdom in the year 1271. The daughter of King Peter (Pedro) III of Aragon and Constance of Sicily, she was married to King Denis of Portugal around the age of ten. He was about ten years older. The two children resulting from the marriage were Alphonso IV, who succeeded his father as king of Portugal, and Constance of Portugal, queen of Castile.

Elizabeth was known as the “Peacemaker” in her lifetime because of the aptitude for diplomacy she displayed in resolving disputes between factions in both the Aragonese and Portuguese realms. Sadly, she was unable to find peace and happiness in her marriage to King Denis whose interest in other women produced half a dozen illegitimate children during a reign that spanned more than 46 years. Devoutly religious, Elizabeth sought solace in performing works of mercy and devoting herself to pious activities such as prayer and fasting.

While her husband won fame by promoting agricultural renewal, encouraging literary efforts in the Portuguese language and establishing the first university in Portugal, Elizabeth was known and loved throughout the nation for her generous donations to hospitals and orphanages. She also established a college for the purpose of training young women to be farmers. A frequent visitor in hospitals and asylums, she gave herself to the care of the worst cases wherever she went. Elizabeth was said to have cured the cancerous foot of a patient by kissing it after she had washed it over the woman’s objections.

The queen’s powers of diplomacy were put to the ultimate test when her son fell out with his father and sought to overthrow him. Elizabeth actually rode out between the battle lines drawn up by the two combatants and prevailed on her son to throw down his arms and ask his father’s forgiveness.

King Denis died in 1325, affording Elizabeth the opportunity to begin a new life within the monastic ranks of the Poor Clares, taking up residence as a tertiary member of the order in a house near the convent. Undertaking pilgrimages, she developed a following and was credited with performing miracles, including the restoration of sight to a blind child.

Called on once more to resolve a serious dispute – this time between her son and her son-in-law, the king of Castile – Elizabeth was exhausted by the journey she had to make to bring about peace between the disputants. Falling ill, she died on July 4, 1336. Memorialized by a shrine erected in Coimbra, Elizabeth was not canonized until 1625 when Pope Urban VIII declared her a saint in response to numerous miracles attributed to her intercession. Her feast day is the 8th of July, according to the traditional Roman Calendar.


Closing Commentary

In closing, we return to a commentary from The Liturgical Year of Dom Prosper Guéranger, OSB, “On Holy Communion, During the Time After Pentecost.” The first part of the commentary (Before Communion) was presented in this space in a prior issue. We offer here an excerpted portion of the second part (After Communion), providing a link to the complete text below.


On Holy Communion, During the Time After Pentecost


After Communion

Act of Adoration

Thy presence within me, O Lord, is joy and sweetness to me; and yet, before indulging in the delight it brings, I feel impelled to prostrate my entire being before thy Sovereign Majesty. I must, I will, first adore thee, for thou art the great God of heaven and earth. Thou standest in no need of me, and yet thou comest down to this my nothingness. Where, then, shall I begin, if it be not in humbling myself profoundly before thee, and acknowledging that thou art Lord, the Only Begotten and Consubstantial Son of the Father; that thou art He by whom all things were made, the Eternal, the Infinite, and the supreme Judge of the living and the dead. Thy Seraphim, who see thee in thy unveiled majesty, and drink their fill of everlasting happiness from thy divine essence, those glorious Spirits, as thy Prophet tells us, cover their faces with their wings; they tremble before thee, as the Church tells us; and yet, while trembling in thy presence, their love is as ardent and as tender as though they were nothing but love. I would follow their example, O my God; I would offer thee, at this moment, the creature’s first duty to its Creator,—adoration. Thou art so nigh to me, at this happy moment, that my being feels renovated and almost lost in thine; how then can I be otherwise than overwhelmed by the weight of thy glory? Yes, I do adore thee, O Eternal, Infinite, Immense, All-powerful! before whom all created beings are as though they were not. I confess, before thee, my own nothingness; I acknowledge thine absolute dominion over me, and over everything which thy power and goodness have produced in creation. King of ages! Immortal and Invisible in thine essence! Glory be to thee! Accept this first homage of a soul to which thy love has deigned to unite thee.


Act of Thanksgiving

There is another homage which I owe thee, O my God!—it is gratitude. Thou often invitest me to partake of the divine gift, wherewith thou, before leaving this earth, didst enrich us. But, woe to me, if, because I can easily and often have it, I value so much the less its greatness! Wretched familiarity, which blunts the sentiment of gratitude, and deadens faith, and takes all ardor from love; may thy grace, O Lord, preserve me from its vile influence. For thousands of years, the human race was in expectation of the favor, which thou hast just been bestowing upon me, Abraham, the father of believers; Moses, thy much loved friend; David, the inspired chanter of thy mysteries; none of these received thee: and this Bread of Angels has come down from heaven for me! Oh! unheard of goodness of a God incorporating himself with his creature! Who is there that could measure its length and breadth, or scan its height, or fathom its depth? These expressions of thine Apostle, regarding the mystery just given to me, teach me what is the value of the wondrous gift thou hast bestowed upon mankind. With what humble and lively gratitude, then, should it not be received! Thou hast not been deterred, either by my nothingness, or the coldness of my feelings, or my infidelities; be thou blessed, then, my Lord, for that out of thy desire to give thyself to me, thou hast overstepped every limit, and removed every obstacle. I give thee thanks for this, and for every Communion thou hast hitherto so graciously given me. Deign to enlighten me more and more, as to the magnificence of thy gift; deign to cherish within me the sentiment of love; that thus my longings for thy visit may be increased; and that I may know how to honor, as I ought, thy presence within me, and that I may never dare to approach thee out of custom, or without my conscience assuring me that I am bringing with me the profound respect due to thee. [On Holy Communion during the Time after Pentecost