Dear Parishioners:
Sacred Heart of Jesus & Immaculate Heart of Mary
Last weekend, we celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi. The date of the Feast of Corpus Christi was set at the request of Christ Himself, who appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque on June 16, 1675. The traditional date of Corpus Christi is the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, which falls one week after Pentecost Sunday. Yet, in the United States, its celebration is delayed until Sunday.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the Friday after the octave (eighth day) of the Feast of Corpus Christi. So, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls 19 days after Pentecost, which is seven weeks after Easter. This year, that was Friday, June 11.
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary has been an emphasis in the Church’s preaching since the seventeenth century with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was in 1944 that Venerable Pope Pius XII instituted the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary imploring Mary’s special intercession and protection amidst the Second World War.
He asked us to plead Our Lady’s intercession for "peace among nations, freedom for the Church, the conversion of sinners, the love of purity and the practice of virtue" (Decree of May 4, 1944). This is a message still relevant today! This feast is celebrated the day after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Audio-Visual Upgrades
Since the beginning of the pandemic last year, my staff and I have been working to upgrade the audio-visual capabilities in St. Malachy church. We have come to believe the essential nature of these capabilities for the future of our ministry and evangelization.
We’ve had some good help from parishioners, especially Michael Jasiak, whom you see regularly filming Saturday evening Masses. Michael has been working in the audio-visual industry for the last 2-3 decades. He is in the know of how things are advancing especially through his work for Indiana University. Michael is one great example of someone bringing their personal time-talent to serve the ministry needs of his parish.
For our audio equipment upgrades, the major pieces will include new speakers, new wireless receivers, and new system. We know this will give us a better quality of sound in the church along with better reliability. All of our audio equipment was original to the church in 2008 and is due to be replaced.
For our visual equipment, we’ll be mounting two stationary cameras and getting software for editing the video from a laptop. This will include running wire for hardwiring equipment to our internet connection.
This work is being fully funded by one generous benefactor from our parish and a grant through the Archdiocese. We are very thankful for this opportunity.
Audio-Visual Volunteers
As I mentioned, Michael Jasiak has been our main volunteer for recording Masses and other services and events like Tenebrae, Funerals, Weddings, etc. Some staff like John Kiefer and Jenny Zeunik have also helped us to record school Masses, the living rosary, etc. We are looking for others who would like to share their time-talent with us in this new area of need in our parish. If this is something you are open to, please get in touch with John Kiefer at to find out more on how you can help.
Good things are happening here and there are more good things to come! So, stay tuned.