June 2017 - Overview for the Month

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist, I place my trust in you.

Highlights

Called the Wonder Worker because of the numerous miracles attributed to him while he was living and since his death. He is one of the most popular saints in the Catholic Church and is implored as the patron of lost things and a hundred other causes. He was a preacher and theologian and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII.

Recipe of the Month

Italian Wedding Soup

Since June is the month for weddings this would be a good time to try your hand with this soup.

Activity of the Month

Sacred
Heart
Enthrone-
ment

The Enthronement is the recognition of the Royal Power of Jesus Christ over the family which pledges to live in union with the Sacred Heart by love, grace and obedience to His Commandments.

Symbols

St. Boniface

The Archbishop of Mentz established the foundation for Christianity in Germany. His emblem refers to his defense of the Gospel as he met the blow of death while confirming baptized converts.

St. Barnabas

One of the Apostolic Fathers, whose feast day in olden times was celebrated by young lads and clerks bedecked with roses. This shield is divided.

St. Peter & St. Paul

The interwoven symbols of Sts. Peter and Paul are used at Winchester, where the cathedral church is dedicated to these saints.

The Trinity

The triquetra is one of the many symbols that clearly express the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee.

The month of June is dedicated to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. This month falls within the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, which is represented by the liturgical color green. This symbol of hope is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. It is used in the offices and Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward.

The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of June 2017

National Leaders: That national leaders may firmly commit themselves to ending the arms trade, which victimizes so many innocent people. (See also Apostleship of Prayer International Website)

Feasts for June

The feasts on the General Roman Calendar celebrated during the month of June are:

1. Justin, Memorial
2. Marcellinus and Peter, Opt. Mem.
3. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Memorial
4. Pentecost; Whitsunday, Sunday
5. Boniface, Memorial
6. Norbert, Opt. Mem.
9. Ephrem, Opt. Mem.
11. Trinity Sunday, Solemnity
13. Anthony of Padua, Memorial
18. Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Solemnity
19. Romuald, Opt. Mem.
21. Aloysius Gonzaga, Memorial
22. Paulinus of Nola; John Fisher and Thomas More, Opt. Mem.
23. Sacred Heart of Jesus, Solemnity
25. Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday
26. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, Opt. Mem.
27. Cyril of Alexandria, Opt. Mem.
28. Irenaeus, Memorial
29. Peter and Paul, Solemnity
30. First Martyrs of the Church of Rome, Opt. Mem.

Focus of the Liturgy

The readings for the Sundays in June 2016, are taken from St.John and St. Matthew and are from Year A, Cycle 1.

June 4th - Pentecost Sunday	In this Gospel, Jesus gives priests the power to forgive sins.
June 11th - Trinity Sunday	This Gospel tells us that whoever believes in Jesus might not perish but might have eternal life.
June 18th - Corpus Christi	"I am the living bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever."
June 25th - 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time	Jesus tells us not to fear those who can kill the body but rather those who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

Highlights of the Month

As we begin to feel the warmth of summer, we can reflect that we celebrate the feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 23) and the Immaculate Heart of Mary (June 24). God is Love and the Sacred Heart of Jesus — present on earth in the Blessed Sacrament — is the human manifestation of God's Love for men. Appropriately June is considered the month for weddings where human hearts join and cooperate with the Creator in bringing forth new life. The family they create is a human reflection of the Blessed Trinity.

Other principle feasts of this month are St. Justin (June 1), Sts. Marcellinus and Peter (June 2),St. Norbert (June 6), St. Boniface (June 5), St. Ephrem (June 9), St. Anthony of Padua (June 13), St. Aloysius Gonzaga (June 21), Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More (June 22), the Birth of St. John the Baptist (June 24), St. Josemaria Escriva (June 26), St. Cyril of Alexandria (June 27), St. Irenaeus (June 28), Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29) and the First Martyrs of the Church (June 30).

The feast of St. Barnabas (June 11) is superseded by the Sunday liturgy. The feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (June 24) is superseded by the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist.

A Time of Love

Following Pentecost, the Church begins her slow descent from the great peaks of the Easter Season to the verdant pastures of Ordinary Time, the longest of the liturgical seasons. Like the lush June growth all around us, the green of the liturgical season points to the new life won for us by the Redemption of Jesus Christ, the new life of Charity. For Our Lord came to cast the fire of His love on the earth, and to that end, sent His Holy Spirit at Pentecost in the form of tongues of fire.

Ordinary Time is the hour to “go out to all the world and tell the good news.” The feasts of June highlight this expansion of the Church. At least ten times, the Church vests in the red of the martyrs whose blood is the very seed of her growth. She also celebrates the feasts of the apostles Peter and Paul, and the birth of St. John the Baptist, proto-disciple and prophet.

We too are called to be witnesses like the apostles and martyrs. May the Heart of Jesus inflame our hearts so that we may be worthy of our Baptismal call to holiness. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.