Cathedral of St. Peter

Please click the link below to sign up to attend Mass this week and the second link for next week.  There is a limit of 70 people per Mass beginning June 8.  PLEASE ARRIVE 10 MINUTES BEFORE MASS - ******* NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED IN ONCE MASS HAS BEGUN AND THE DOORS WILL BE LOCKED******.  For the safety of everyone, please bring your mask.  We look forward to seeing you.

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Dear Friends at St. Peter Cathedral,

As I was thinking about the advice St. Paul gives to people of faith about how to live in joy.   I began to realize how really practical his advice is for us.  He doesn’t tell us to just “lighten up”, as if we can simply command ourselves to do that.  Instead, he suggests some practices that lead to greater peace and joy as well as a lessening of anxiety and fear. 

He tells us to direct our attention toward things that can lift us up and open us out to life and the world in a positive way (in the Letter to the Philippians 4:6-9).  These are the things we should be attentive to: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” 

We often are drawn to all that is wrong in others, in places, in the government and its leaders.  We hear all the angry and outraged voices that are so prevalent today.  Paul would not tell us to live in a vacuum or a hermetically sealed world of our own imagining.  Of course, we are citizens and neighbors and need to be concerned.  It is just that, amid all the negativity and real problems of our time, the world God created as good is still the underlying reality.  People are continuing to respond to life with love, courage, and generosity all around us.  These are demonstrations of the “excellence” St. Paul tells us to become conscience of.  There is also the beauty of light reflecting off the frosty ground, leaves turning gorgeous colors, moonlight shining through the clouds, the spontaneity of a child, and so much else.  Take time to look on such gifts.  Turn aside from the problems to gaze on the gifts.  They are reflections of God.

We, as people of faith, have the tremendous image of God’s power, love, and mercy in Jesus Christ.  The love that goes into the deepest depths of self-emptying to lift us up out of the prisons of our sins and anxieties.  Think of these things.  They are spiritually therapeutic and incentives to prayers of thanksgiving.  This brings peace and joy.

May God bless all of you and lead you to joy.

Fr. Steve St. Jules


 

 

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Mass Request Form
Requests for Mass Intentions may be completed on the above form with a donation of $10 per Mass and returned to the church office.

Parish Registration

SUNDAY:         7:00 AM
MONDAY:        8:45 AM
TUESDAY:       7:30 PM (Men's Rosary)

409 N. First Street
Rockford, IL  61104

Phone: 815-962-8515
Fax: 815-962-8526

One of the primary ways boys in Troop 37 earn their way to summer camp and other adventures is through the Christmas Wreath Sale. For sales attributed to a specific scout, a portion of every sale goes directly to the boy’s scout account. Other sales support Troop activities for all scouts.

Please visit: https://t37bsa.us/wreaths/ and choose Order From The Troop. Orders Are Due Monday,
November 2. 

Wreaths will be delivered after November 21

Any questions, please call Karen Winkelmann at 815-967-0781