Confirmation 2016 at Saint Mary's Assumption

God bless our newly Confirmed in the Faith.  God bless our pastor, shepherds, and His Excellency, Bishop Tissier de Mallarais.

15th Annual Laetare Dinner Theatre

D. Kallal, S. Crouse, M. Grahek, K. Matteson, B. Kohler

The Game's Afoot!

Love, jealousy, envy, spite... murder!! All ingredients that might make for one of Fr. Haynos' Sunday sermons! But no, nothing of the kind. This was instead the stuff of the 15th Annual Laetare Dinner Theatre and this year's production of "The Game's Afoot!", a Murder Mystery/Comedy in Two Acts by Kenneth Ludwig.

Mrs. Hilary Flanery, Director/Actress of the Queen's Players of St. Mary's Assumption, assisted by Mrs. Vicki Hinzpeter, once again led her fearless troupe of actors in delighting two sold-out audiences with their production on another Laetare Sunday weekend. And how fitting for this weekend it was, as Holy Mother Church gives us this brief break in the midst of the long penitential season of Lent to stop and rejoice, remembering that soon we will be celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday, just three weeks hence. It is with this great Hope that we are emboldened to persevere in our sacrifices and reparations until then. But this Laetare weekend our focus is rejoicing in the Truth, and relaxing for this time in some merriment and mirth shared together among the faithful, all of which is rendered effortless by the entertainment of the Queens Players.

The play opens with the last scene of a production of a Sherlock Holmes play at the Palace Theatre in New York, circa 1936. Mr. Matt Grahek leads the cast as the dashing William Gillette, the star of the play, who is shot during the final scene, but survives this attempt on his (.... or was it his?) life. The story then moves to Mr. Gillette's mansion in Connecticut where he and his elderly mother, played most convincingly by the far-more-youthful Miss Emily Crouse, are entertaining their actor friends on Christmas Eve.

J. Binsfeld, M. Grahek, S. Crouse, H. Flanery (under blanket)

As guests arrive at the party, it is not long before the suspicion arises as to who might be responsible for the attempt on Gillette's life, and others' lives too, it soon becomes apparent. But it is with the arrival of Daria Chase (Mrs. Hilary Flanery) gossip columnist and socialite extraordinaire, with a hairdo that is a perfect combination of Cruella DeVil and Don King, that the tension begins to heat up. The flames of suspicion are fanned by Daria's gossipy rendition of what happened at the Killington ski resort just one year prior when actress Aggie Wheeler's (Miss Bernadette Kohler) millionaire husband suddenly dies in an accident on the slopes, money-hungry actor Simon Bright (Mr. Kyle Matteson), despite already having a girlfriend, comes to the quick and emotional rescue of seemingly-sweet Aggie and marries her, and it is further revealed that a doorman at the theatre has had his throat slit. Everyone present becomes at once a suspect!

Matteson, Kohler, Kallal, Flanery, E. Crouse, Grahek, S. Crouse

Daria soon turns to her experience as a medium to call up from the dead a witness to the murders. Mrs. Flanery is hilarious as she attempts the summons of "Lorentia!!" and the guests all get nervous over what is taking place as well as being potentially blamed for the murder they did (or did not) commit. Daria herself is then mysteriously stabbed in the back and her corpse hidden (after Gillette's elderly mother confesses quite matter-of-factly to the crime) in the retractable bar. Felix and Madge Giesel (played by the ever-dry Mr. Steve Crouse and Mrs. Donna Kallal who could win a screaming contest anywhere!) two more actors at the party, add their own measures of anxiety, suspicion, and jealousy to the ring, when in walks Inspector Goring (Miss Jane Binsfeld), a younger Miss Marple if there ever was one, complete with her British accent, to attempt to solve the crimes once and for all. Gillette, a real-life Sherlock Holmes wannabe, is not about to see his mother convicted, but is also intent on finding the murderer(s). And thus the tale ensues!

The production is definitely a murder mystery turned comedy as the cast was brilliant in their delivery of lines, facial expressions and gestures, and especially as regards dropping St. Mary's parishioners' names into their lines. The left-right-left-right shift of faces and eyes in perfect sync with each other and the sound track was laugh-out-loud funny each time nurse Karen Hayes' name was mentioned. 

If audience reaction was any indication, the show was a magnificent success. The catered pre-performance dinner and drinks were delicious; the opportunity for friends to relax and enjoy one another's company and the evening's entertainment was sublime.

All proceeds of the annual production go to Queen of the Holy Rosary Academy, where children pre-K through 8th grade are taught in a traditional Catholic setting, assist at Mass several times a week, and learn their faith, in a concerted effort to fulfill the Academy's mission to raise up children who will become faithful Catholic leaders by way of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, or as single or married Catholic men and women.

And so, a hearty thanks and God's blessings on all the cast and behind-the-scenes crew members of the Queens Players for their many hours of hard work on this year's production of "The Game's Afoot", and for entertaining well our beloved priests, faithful, friends, and family. We hope to have the privilege of enjoying many more Laetare Dinner Theatre productions in the years to come!

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Our Lady of Fatima Pilgrim Statue Visits our Chapel

Today marks the end of the three day visit of our Lady of Fatima Pilgrim Statue to Saint Louis, Saint Mary's Assumption Chapel with her procession through Lafayette Square in Saint Louis.  Early next week she will visit our school, Queen of the Holy Rosary Academy where the school will be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart, as our Chapel was today.

Her trip throughout the U.S. District will last through 2017 wherein we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Fatima.  Her schedule for 2015 can be found here.

May she protect and bless us!
 

"In 2014 the U.S. district commissioned a special statue of Our Lady of Fatima, hand carved and painted according to the vision described by Sister Lucy in her memoirs.  It was blessed in August 2014 by outgoing District Superior, Father Arnaud Rostand and solemnly crowned on the departure of the route on March 25, 2015 by current District Superior Father Jurgen Wegner.

In the spirit of the past Rosary Crusades, we seek to deepen our relationship with our beloved Mother; to recall that the rosary is an indispensable means of salvation especially for our families; to foster an apostolic spirit of sacrifice whose source is the Mass and whose most common expression is found on the practice of the duties of state; to assist the Pope with our prayers, and thereby hasten the triumph of the Immaculate Heart."  

- from the book 'Our Lady of Fatima Pilgrim Statue, Devotional Book' 

- hsdad

Dangerously Close

HSDAD

Prescribed by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII for the month of October after the recitation of the Rosary.

To thee, O blessed Joseph, do we have recourse in our tribulation, and, having implored the help of thy thrice-holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. By that charity wherewith thou wast united to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly affection with which thou didst embrace the Child Jesus, we beseech thee and we humbly pray, that thou wouldst look graciously upon the inheritance which Jesus Christ hath purchased by His Blood, and assist us in our needs by thy power and strength.

Most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, protect the chosen people of Jesus Christ; keep far from us, most loving father, all blight of error and corruption: mercifully assist us from Heaven, most mighty defender, in this our conflict with the powers of darkness; and, even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the supreme peril of His life, so now defend God's Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; keep us one and all under thy continual protection, that we may be supported by thine example and thine assistance, may be enabled to lead a holy life, die a happy death and come at last to the possession of everlasting blessedness in Heaven. Amen.

Latin 
Ad te beáte Joseph, in tribulatióne nostra confúgimus, atque, imploráto Sponsæ tuæ sanctíssimæ auxílio, patrocínium quoque tuum fidenter expóscimus. Per eam, quæsumus, quæ te cum immaculáta Vírgine Dei Genitríce coniúnxit, caritátem, perque patérnum, quo Púerum Iesum ampléxus es, amórem, súpplices deprecámur, ut ad hereditátem, quam Iesus Christus acquisívit Sánguine suo, benígnus respícias, ac necessitátibus nostris tua virtúte et ope succúrras.

Tuére, o Custos providentíssime divínæ Famíliæ, Iesu Christi sóbolem eléctam; próhibe a nobis, amantíssime Pater, omnem errórum ac corruptelárum luem; propítius nobis, sospítator noster fortíssime, in hoc cum potestáte tenebrárum certámine e cælo adésto; et sicut olim Púerum Iesum e summo eripuísti vitre discrímine, ita nunc Ecclesiam sanctam Dei ab hostílibus insídiis atque ab omni adversitáte défende: nosque síngulos perpétuo tege patrocínio, ut ad tui exémplar et ope tua suffúlti, sancte vívere, pie émori, sempiternámque in cælis beatitúdinem ássequi possímus. Amen.

Brothers in the Fight

From The Remnant Newspaper.com:

"At the Catholic Identity Conference in Weirton, WV, this weekend priests from all the major traditional Catholic fraternities and priestly societies came together to encourage the faithful to keep the old Faith and be not discouraged. Here we have two diocesan priests (who offer the old Mass only), one priest of the Fraternity of St Peter, one priest of the Society of St Pius X, and one priest of the Institute of Christ the King. ..."

God bless our Holy Priests.

HSDAD

Sancte Pie Decime