Monthly Meeting for September 2013: St. Joseph's Shrine

On Saturday, 14 September, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and sixth anniversary of the implementation of Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum", Sursum Corda will be visiting the Shrine of St. Joseph, located just north of downtown St. Louis.  Founded in 1843 by the Jesuits, the Shrine is a beautiful example of Romanesque Revival architecture, and is the location of the only Vatican-authenticated miracle in the Midwest.

Although we have visited the Shrine in the past, this time we will be having a High Mass celebrated by Canon Ueda, with a choir formed from our own members.  (Anyone who may be interested in joining the choir, or serving, is encouraged to contact the office at St. Francis de Sales for further information.)  The Mass is open to the public, so feel free to invite your friends and family to join us.

We will meet at St. Francis de Sales at 9:30, so as to then carpool to the Shrine for Mass, which will be sung at 10:00.  (Note the time change!)  After Mass there will be time for prayer and touring the church, and then we will meet at 1:00 for a picnic at Tower Grove Park.

The Shrine is located at 1220 North 11th Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63106.  For more information, please contact the Oratory.

All are welcome to attend.  Hope to see you there!

August meeting reflection

Last weekend saw another enjoyable Sursum Corda get-together at St. Francis de Sales Oratory. This one was made more special by the addition of some of the young adults from the Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago! A few enthusiastic St. Louis Susum Cordians were on hand to greet them on Friday night but the majority of the record attendance (41!!) came on Saturday, which began with eight ‘o clock Mass. After a breakfast in the hall, everyone piled into vehicles for the hour and a half drive to Onandoga Cave in Leesburg, MO. In spite of being very cold and clammy, the cave tour was most impressive and instructive. (Did anyone know that property is now measured in volume, not area? So you own any caves or other natural resources under your property down to the center of the earth!) Everyone had a chance to discuss the cave at a picnic lunch outside of the visitors center before heading over to the McCanns’ home in Kirkwood for a barbecue and volleyball! We were also treated to a spiritual conference by Canon Ueda on Pope Francis’ new encyclical Lumen Fidei, a powerful reminder of the importance of faith in our lives. The gathering broke up after ten ‘o clock Mass, followed by brunch on Sunday to end one of the most enjoyable weekends of my life. Things at the convent were never quiet as the girls discussed everything from old movies, to the Civil War, to family Christmas traditions! I wish especially to thank Nikki for organizing the event, Canon Ueda for reminding us of the spiritual purpose of our gathering, and the McCann family for graciously opening their home to us.

―T.L.

July meeting reflection

Here is a reflection written by one of our members about the July Sursum Corda meeting:

July 20, 2013 found the young adults of Sursum Corda meeting at the St. Louis Zoo in the Living World for our monthly gathering. This was one of our largest turnouts so far. Though we missed the presence of our dear Abbé Alex, we were happy to welcome several new faces. Among these faces were two young men from the Institute's Seminary near Florence, Italy: Abbé Jacob Gonzales and Abbé Jonathon Fehrenbacher. We were honored to have them join us for the day's events. We were also honored to have with us, for what was probably the last time before he leaves for the seminary, our candidate for the priesthood, David Sampayo. We will all miss him, and keep him in our prayers.

The weather was hot, but it didn't prevent us from having a wonderful afternoon. Judging by the time spent viewing the different animals, the most popular seemed to be the wild cats. Before leaving for the Oratory, we took a break at the concession stand area to cool off with cold drinks, giant misting fans, and good company. After leaving the Zoo, we all made our way to the Oratory where we gathered in the Church for Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, celebrated by our beloved Canon Ueda. During this there was a silence and peace that settled over everyone. It was such a beautiful moment to recollect oneself. We prayed the Rosary there together kneeling before the Holy Eucharist, exposed in the monstrance. Adoration was closed by the singing of "Salve Regina." We then moved to the basement of the church where we were joined by Canon Avis to enjoy pizza, drinks, and ice cream while watching a movie. We thank all of those who have worked make this possible. We especially thank Canon Ueda for all of the tireless work he puts into every Sursum Corda meeting. God bless him. Praise God that we have such grace-filled opportunities available to us these days. Deo Gratias!

―A.M.