After Pentecost

We are now in the liturgical season often called “After Pentecost” or “Ordinary TIme”.  The liturgical color for this season is green, a sign of hope and life.  It is the time of  sanctification, the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians.  It is at this time when we focus on the reality that through the gift of faith that comes only from the Holy Spirit working through the means of grace, Christians trust in Christ as Savior and proclaim Him in their daily lives by service to their neighbors.  It is during this season after Pentecost that we as a church strive to stress vocation, evangelism, missions, stewardship, almsgiving, and other works of mercy and charity as ways in which Christ empowers us by His grace to share the Gospel with others.  It is the last age of mankind, commencing with the entry of the Holy Spirit into the world, the sending of the Apostles to “the ends of the earth” and concluding with the coming again of Jesus the Christ.

The season runs from Trinity Sunday (June 19, 2011) through the feast of the Reign of Christ (November 20, 2011) the sunday before Advent 1 (November 27, 2011).  During this season we will use two different liturgical musical settings.  From June 26 through September 4 we will be singing the Schubert setting of the liturgical music and singing the sursum corda (The Lord be with you, lift up your hearts…) and saying Eucharistic Prayer #2.  Psalms will usually be spoken and our song of praise will be the Gloria found on page #365 in the hymnal.  From September 11 (Rally Sunday- Choir returns, Children’s Formation resumes, etc) we will be singing the St. Denis setting of the liturgical music (including the Gloria)and, in addition to singing the sursum corda, the celebrant will sing the preface (the part before the sanctus (Holy, Holy)) of Eucharistic Prayer #1 and our psalms will be chanted.