And then there is good ol’e St. Nicholas. His feast day is on December 6th. But, of course, we delay his special day, turn him into a more Nordic incarnation, and honor him on the same day we do Jesus Christ. As Matthew, Mark, and Luke each wrote of this scene with few differences in their versions. Only in Mark’s gospel do we learn that he had two sons, Alexander and Rufus. Simon was more than a symbolic icon for Jesus’ message to us. He was a real person, like any one of us, who played a fundamental role on the day of Jesus’ death. Christ, we, the people of St. Simon of Cyrene Catholic Parish, one Parish Family with ministry sites at St. Agatha & St. Martin de Porres Churches, profess a life-giving, all-embracing faith, fostering full participation in worship that nourishes us to care for one another and extend our lived faith, relentless hope and life-giving love Saint Simon of Cyrene . Memorial: December 1. Simon of Cyrene helped Christ carry the cross on the way to Calvary(Matthew 27.32; Mark 15.21; Luke 23.26). His son Saint Rufus (Mark, 15.21; Romans 16.13) is also worshiped as a saint. Simon of Cyrene is mentioned in three of the four Gospels. Bl. Agnello of Pisa: Saint of the Day for Thursday, March 13, 2025; To Perceive Animals as God's Gifts: Prayer of the Day for Thursday, March 13, 2025; Daily Readings for Wednesday, March 12, 2025; St. Fina: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, March 12, 2025; Prayer to St. Joseph: Prayer of the Day for Wednesday, March 12, 2025 St. Agatha Church 3147 W. Douglas Boulevard Chicago, IL 60623 Ph: (773) 522-3050 Office Hours Mon. -Fri. 9 a.m. -4 p.m. Masses: Sunday: 9:00 a.m Thursday 7:30 a.m. Getting to Know Our Parish Patron St. Simon of Cyrene Feast Day: December 1st Simon of Cyrene was pulled from the crowd, commanded to carry the cross of Jesus. He likely felt the St. Simon of Cyrene at St. Agatha -St. Martin de Porres Mass Offering $4,558.60 GiveCentral 1499.00 *Kolbe House-Special 113.00 Total: $6,170.60 Thank you for your Generosity! For whom shall we pray Mark 15:21: “A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.” Luke 23:26: “As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.” The Modern Monastic Order Of Saint Simon of Cyrene When I launched the idea and gave an explanation of why African-Americans and Orthodox Christians should celebrate the feast day of St. Simon of Cyrene, a couple of criticisms came up from within the church. One criticism is a reasonable issue. Saint Simon of Cyrene, also known as Simon the Cyrenian, was a significant figure in the early Christian community during the first century. He is widely recognized for his remarkable act of assisting Jesus Christ in carrying the cross on the way to Calvary, an event deeply embedded in Christian tradition. Born in Cyrene, a city located in present-day Libya, Simon was a devout Jew who had Sidney Poitier was cast as Simon of Cyrene in The Greatest Story Ever Told that was directed by George Stevens and released in 1965. [19] In the 1979 comedy film Monty Python's Life of Brian is a vignette alluding to Simon of Cyrene. A seemingly pious and generous man offers to one of the condemned carrying a cross, "Brother, let me shoulder He is mentioned to be from Cyrene, which is in modern-day Libya, and is mentioned to be the father of Rufus and Alexander. St. Simon of Cyrene 5"x7" Print. Price St. Simon of Cyrene at St. Agatha -St. Martin de Porres Mass Offering $3,367.00 GiveCentral 1792.00 Universal Offering for May, 2024 1670.00 Kolbe House-Special 5.00 Total: $6,834.00 For whom shall we pray As Catholic historian Matthew Bunson notes, we know very little about Simon of Cyrene, aside from several passages in Scripture (Matt. 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26), and there is no tradition of his being honored as a saint. Of course, he is known for helping Jesus carry his cross to Calvary and thus has an honored place in salvation history. Among the figures who cross the stage of the Paschal Triduum is a man I consider the patron saint of bystanders, as well as a pretend bystander. Let me introduce Simon of Cyrene. What tomorrow is? Saint Patrick's Day and what do we do on Saint Patrick's Day? So that we don't get pinched. Pinched. That is right. We wear green. Does anybody know why we wear green? Cuz Saint Patrick was a patron saint of. Ireland. That's right. That's right. You know, but few of us know why we really celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. We'll do St. Simon of Cyrene at St. Agatha -St. Martin de Porres Mass Offering $4,191.00 GiveCentral 1159.00 Universal Offertory for January 2024 1640.43 Kolbe House-Special 80.00 Total: $7,070.43 For whom shall we pray St. Agatha Church, 2:00pm-3:30pm —————————— St. Simon of Cyrene Men’s Group Annual Mother’s Day Dinner Saturday, May 11, 2024 Purcell Hall -4300 W. Washington Blvd. 4:00pm -9:00pm-Sign-up sheets are available at both Church Locations -St. Martin de Porres Credit Union Located in Purcell Hall 4300 W. Washington Blvd Some traditions celebrate him as St. Simon of Cyrene, with a feast day on December 1. Whatever his fate, we can try to accept our cross willingly from God and let Jesus' suffering transform our St. Simon of Cyrene, one with Our Savior in bearing His cross, pray for us! St. Simon of Cyrene, a foundation stone of the Christian Church in Africa, pray for us! pray for us! Next Sunday, November 12, 2023 Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings: Wisdom 6:12-16 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 25:1-13 St. Martin de Porres Credit Union
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