Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (New Chapel Opens)
**NOTICE: This Sunday October 5 begins the new Latin Mass schedule and location for the Diocese of Charlotte.
Latin Masses will only be offered at the Chapel of the Little Flower in Mooresville.
757 Oakridge Farm Highway, Mooresville, NC 28115
Sunday Latin Masses
10:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m.
All other Latin Masses at the diocesan parishes have been discontinued. See schedule below.
Chapel of the Little Flower
(Photo: Diocese of Charlotte/Catholic News Herald)
Friends in Christ,
Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday is the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, also celebrated in some locations as the External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary, the feast itself falling on October 7th. Pope Pius V originally called for the celebration, as Our Lady of Victory, to commemorate the Christian victory at the naval Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. His successor, Pope Gregory XIII, subsequently designated the first Sunday in October as the feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. On the day of the Battle of Lepanto, Pope Pius had called on the people of Rome to pray the Rosary while processing through the streets of the city. The popular belief was that the intercession of Our Lady had enabled the forces assembled by the Christian princes of Europe to turn back the Muslim invasion of the West. October is the month of the Rosary and one of two months especially dedicated to Mary. St. Dominic received the Rosary beads and prayers to be prayed in a vision of the Blessed Virgin he experienced in 1214. He is depicted on the left in Caravaggio’s painting (above); St. Peter Martyr is on the right.
**Diocese of Charlotte Announces New Latin Mass Chapel Details**
As noted above, the Diocese of Charlotte has announced the opening of the new Traditional Latin Mass chapel in Mooresville, which begins tomorrow Sunday October 5. This chapel will be the only location where the Traditional Latin Mass will be offered for the Diocese of Charlotte.
Chapel of the Little Flower
Mooresville, NC 28115
Sunday Latin Mass Times
- 10:00 a.m.
- 12 noon
Holy Days: TBA
Chaplain: Fr. Brandon Jones
Website: https://charlottediocese.org/TLMChapel/
Origins of the Chapel Name
The Catholic News Herald described the origins of the chapel name: “Its name is derived from nearby St. Thérèse Parish, honoring the way St. Thérèse of Lisieux described herself as “The Little Flower” – a symbol of her humility and trust in God.”
Chapel Details
- Seating capacity is 364 persons and a cry room is available
- Masses will be offered only on Sundays and Holy Days
- All other sacraments and programs will occur at one’s parish
- The chapel will have no collections as attendees are asked to continue to support one’s parish
Father Reid especially noted that Saint Ann parish will bear much of the financial costs of keeping the Chapel of the Little Flower open and encourages our continued generosity (and our occasional visits!)
The Chapel of the Little Flower is the diocese’s first chapel exclusively dedicated to the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.
For additional details please see this article by the Catholic News Herald at the link below.
Chapel of the Little Flower to open for Traditional Latin Masses Oct. 5
We will share additional information about the chapel when announced by Father Jones and the diocese and thank everyone for their patience as Father Jones begins his tenure as chaplain.
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, the Little Flower, pray for us!
Calendar of Special Observances
Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.
DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)
Sunday, October 5 – Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (II) – (USA) External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary (II)
Monday, October 6 – St. Bruno, Confessor (III)
Tuesday, October 7 – Our Lady of the Rosary (II) – Commemoration of St. Mark I, Pope and Confessor
Wednesday, October 8 – St. Bridget of Sweden (III) – Commemoration of Ss. Sergius, Bacchus, Marcellus & Apuleius
Thursday, October 9 – St. John Leonardi, Confessor (III) – Commemoration of St. Denis, Bishop, and Rusticus and Eleutherius, Martyrs
Friday, October 10 – St. Francis Borgia, Confessor (III)
Saturday, October 11 – Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary (II)
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost - External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary
The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for both the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost and the External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary with either English or Spanish translations, followed by commentaries by Dr. Michael P. Foley.
Latin Mass Schedule: Sunday October 5
Diocese of Charlotte
Chapel of the Little Flower (757 Oakridge Farm Road, Mooresville, NC)
- 10:00 a.m.
- 12:00 p.m.
Note: Only Sunday Latin Masses and Holy Days will be offered at the Chapel. All other Sunday and daily Traditional Latin Masses at the other diocean parishes have been discontinued. These changes only affect Latin Masses in the Diocese of Charlotte.
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
Diocese of Charlotte
- Daily Latin Masses have been discontinued at all diocesan parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte.
Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses
- Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Monday-Friday, 12:00 p.m.
- Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Saturday, 8:00 a.m.
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.
Special Announcements
Holy Hours for Our Chaplain, Father Jones
Seven Sisters Apostolate seeks to strengthen the Church by strengthening her priests. Their aim is to cover all priests with prayer by having groups of (at least) seven women each praying one Holy Hour one day of the week for a particular priest (a yearly renewable commitment). They are looking for coverage for Fr. Brandon Jones as he takes up this challenging task of pastoring the Chapel of the Little Flower. Any interested women interested in praying for Fr. Jones may contact Valerie Giggie for more information: SevenSistersCharlotte@gmail.com
**New Book** The Cassock: Sign of Christ, Sign of Contradiction, by Fr. Lawrence Carney (with Cardinal Burke’s Forward)
Slaying Dragons Press will be releasing an excellent new book on the cassock, authored by Fr. Lawrence Carney, the Holy Face priest (who visited St. Thomas Aquinas parish a few years ago). The Cassock: Sign of Christ, Sign of Contradiction examines the powerful witness of the cassock and its impact on both the priest and faithful. It also shares the examples of Blessed Rolando Rivi and the Claretian Martyrs of Barbastro who wore the cassock even to martyrdom. Cardinal Raymond Burke wrote the book's forward and it’s being published by Slaying Dragons Press, run by St. Thomas Aquinas parishioner and local writer Charles Fraune. To pre-order your copy, click here.
Announcements
Potluck/Festival - Thank You – We thank everyone who participated and supported the three TLM-parishes feasts/potlucks last Sunday. We also thank Fr. Jones for blessing the Saint Ann attendees with the relic of Saint Michael the Archangel. Please consider praying for Father Jones this weekend as he prepares to offer the first Latin Masses at the Chapel of the Little Flower.
Support a New Children’s Book on Praying the Rosary
– The author of a new “Pray & Play” book designed to help young
children learn the Rosary has launched a Kickstarter fundraiser to help
publish the book. The author, Shelbie Lopez, grew up attending the
Traditional Latin Mass and uses the traditional methods of St. John
Bosco to teach little children the Rosary while also helping make the
family Rosary (with young children) more possible. To learn more and
help support the publishing of this book, please click here.
Father Reid’s Homily on Gratitude and Hope – In case you missed it, we share Father Reid’s helpful homily recently on where things go from here and how to respond spiritually. [PDF Download] [September 21 ~ 15th Sunday after Pentecost]
Daily Holy Face Chaplet for Sacred Liturgy (perpetual novena) – For the preservation of the Traditional Latin Mass, 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.
National Latin Mass Pilgrimage – Saturday October 11, Washington, D.C. The pilgrimage begins at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in Arlington and concludes at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew in Washington D.C. To learn more click on this link.
Cardinal Burke’s Prayer for Pope Leo XIV – His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Burke has released a prayer for Pope Leo XIV. Please see the prayer at the end of this update and consider praying this daily for the Holy Father as he leads the Church.
PDF copies can also 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, 5:30 p.m.
- 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 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
- Chapel of the Little Flower to open for Traditional Latin Masses Oct. 5 by Patricia Guilfoyle, Catholic News Herald (September 28, 2025). [Chapel of the Little Flower]
- The Fire of Faith: Guard the Flame (video), Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey (October 1, 2025). [Fire of Faith]
- St Robert Bellarmine’s Hymn for the Guardian Angels by Greg DiPippo, New Liturgical Movement (October 1, 2025). [Guardian Angels]
- The Simili modo: Canonical Modifications, Part II by Dr. Michael P. Foley, New Liturgical Movement (September 26, 2025). [Simili modo Part II]
- Celebrating the Great Feast of Michaelmas by Rachel Shrader, Good Catholic (September 29, 2024). [Michaelmas] (alternate link here)
- The Feast of St Michael and All Angels by Greg DiPippo, New Liturgical Movement (September 29, 2025). [St Michael and All Angels]
- A ‘Pilgrimage of Hope’: Relics of St. Thérèse Return to the US After 25 Years by Joseph Pronechen, National Catholic Register (September 25, 2025). [Pilgrimage of Hope]
- The Legend of Ss Cosmas and Damian by Greg DiPippo, New Liturgical Movement (September 27, 2025). [Ss. Cosmas and Damian]
- Pope Leo urges Catholics to pray daily Rosary for Peace in October by Devin Watkins, Vatican News Service (September 24, 2025). [Rosary for Peace]
Saints and Special Observances
Our Lady of the Rosary is a memorial that has been observed for more than 450 years. Pope Pius V instituted the celebration in 1571 to commemorate the Christian victory at the naval Battle of Lepanto on October 7th of that year. Originally it was christened “Our Lady of Victory,” a title which reflected the widely held popular belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary had intervened to bring about the triumph of Christian forces in their struggle against the Turks. Pope Gregory XIII, who succeeded Pius V the following year, designated the first Sunday in October as the feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. On the day of the battle his predecessor had called on the people of Rome to pray the Rosary while processing through the streets of the city. The fall of Famagusta to the forces of the Ottoman Empire two months earlier, and the torture and subsequent massacre of the defenders who survived, had induced incipient panic among the Romans. They turned out in massive numbers in response to the pope’s request.
The triumph of the Holy League at Lepanto marked an epochal turning-point in the long struggle against the threat of Muslim domination, ending Turkish control of the Mediterranean and halting the spread of the Ottoman Empire into central and western Europe. The Battle of Lepanto is generally considered one of the greatest naval engagements in history. The Turkish fleet of 275 galleys was commanded by Ali Pasha; the Holy League countered with a somewhat smaller naval force under the command of Don John of Austria, the illegitimate half-brother of King Philip II of Spain. At least 15,000 Muslims were killed, and almost 8,000 Christians perished. Twice that many Christians were wounded, including a gallant Spaniard named Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra whose left hand was permanently disabled by gunfire. Thirty-four years later, in 1605, he published the first part of the work that many consider the greatest novel ever written, The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha, a fact commemorated in the last stanza of G. K. Chesterton’s famous poem about the great naval battle, Lepanto:
Cervantes on his galley sets the sword back in the sheath
(Don John of Austria rides homeward with a wreath.)
And he sees across a weary land a straggling road in Spain,
Up which a lean and foolish knight forever rides in vain,
And he smiles, but not as Sultans smile, and settles back the blade. . . .
(But Don John of Austria rides home from the Crusade.)
Closing Commentary
We offer, in closing, excerpts from the commentaries of Dom Prosper Guéranger, OSB, on “October 7th – Feast of the Most Holy Rosary” followed by a link to the full text of each from The Liturgical Year.
October 7th – Feast of the Most Holy Rosary
It is customary with men of the world to balance their accounts at the end of the year, and ascertain their profits. The Church is now preparing to do the same. We shall soon see her solemnly numbering her elect, taking an inventory of their holy relics, visiting the tombs of those who sleep in the Lord, and counting the sanctuaries, both old and new, that have been consecrated to her divine Spouse. But today’s reckoning is a more solemn one, the profits more considerable: she opens her balance sheet with the gain accruing to our Lady from the mysteries which compose the Cycle. Christmas, the Cross, the triumph of Jesus, these produce the holiness of us all; but before and above all, the holiness of Mary. The diadem which the Church thus offers first to the august Sovereign of the world, is rightly composed of the triple crown of these sanctifying mysteries, the causes of her joy, of her sorrow, and of her glory. The joyful mysteries recall the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of Jesus, Mary’s Purification, and the Finding of our Lord in the Temple. The sorrowful mysteries bring before us the Agony of our blessed Lord, his being scourged, and crowned with thorns, the carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion. While in the glorious mysteries, we contemplate the Resurrection and Ascension of our Savior, Pentecost, and the Assumption and Coronation of the Mother of God. Such is Mary’s Rosary; a new and fruitful vine, which began to blossom at Gabriel’s salutation, and whose fragrant garlands form a link between earth and heaven.
In its present form, the Rosary was made known to the world by St. Dominic at the time of the struggles with the Albigensians, that social war of such ill-omen for the Church. The Rosary was then of more avail than armed forces against the power of Satan; it is now the Church’s last resource. It would seem that the ancient forms of social prayer being no longer relished by the people, the Holy Spirit has willed by this easy and ready summary of the Liturgy to maintain, in the isolated devotion of these unhappy times, the essential of that life of prayer, faith, and Christian virtue which the public celebration of the Divine Office formerly kept up among the nations. Before the thirteenth century, popular piety was already familiar with what was called the psalter of the laity, that is, the Angelical Salutation repeated one hundred and fifty times; it was the distribution of these Hail Marys into decades, each devoted to the consideration of a particular mystery that constituted the Rosary. Such was the divine expedient, simple as the Eternal Wisdom that conceived it, and far-reaching in its effects; for while it led wandering man to the Queen of mercy, it obviated ignorance which is the food of heresy, and taught him to find once more “the paths consecrated by the Blood of the Man-God, and by the tears of his Mother.” (Leo XIII, Epistle encycl. Magnæ Dei Matris, de Rosario Mariali. Sept. 8, 1892)
Thus speaks the great Pontiff who, in the universal sorrow of these days, has again pointed out the means of salvation more than once experienced by our fathers. Leo XIII, in his Encyclicals, has consecrated the present month to this devotion so dear to heaven; he has honored our Lady in her Litanies with a new title, Queen of the most holy Rosary; (Supremi Apostolatus Officio, Sept. 1, 1883) and he has given the final development to the solemnity of this day by raising it to the rank of a second class Feast, and by enriching it with a proper Office explaining its permanent object. (Decret. Sept. 11, 1887, Aug. 5, 1888) Besides all this, the Feast is a memorial of glorious victories which do honor to the Christian name.
Soliman II, the greatest of the Sultans, taking advantage of the confusion caused in the West by Luther, had filled the sixteenth century with terror by his exploits. He left to his son, Selim II the prospect of being able at length to carry out the ambition of his race: to subjugate Rome and Vienna, the Pope and the Emperor, to the power of the Crescent. The Turkish fleet had already mastered the greater part of the Mediterranean, and was threatening Italy when, on the 7th of October, 1571, it came into action, in the Gulf of Lepanto, with the pontifical galleys supported by the fleets of Spain and Venice. It was Sunday; throughout the world the confraternities of the Rosary were engaged in their work of intercession. Supernaturally enlightened, St. Pius V watched from the Vatican the battle undertaken by the leader he had chosen, Don John of Austria, against the three hundred vessels of Islam. The illustrious Pontiff, whose life’s work was now completed, did not survive to celebrate the anniversary of the triumph; but he perpetuated the memory of it by an annual commemoration of our Lady of Victory. His successor, Gregory XIII, altered this title to our Lady of the Rosary, and appointed the first Sunday of October for the new Feast, authorizing its celebration in those churches which possessed an altar under that invocation. [October 7th - Feast of the Most Holy Rosary]