Welcome to our June 2025 Newsletter. Below you will find what's happening this month. If you have any questions about anything you read here, please just respond to this email or you can use the color boxes throughout that will take you to different sources for more information. Our website also has a calendar on the home page where you can find a quick glance at all that is happening at our parish. Check it out!
June is dedicated to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
Composed by St. Margaret Mary Alocoque
O SACRED Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.
I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.
I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants. Amen.
In union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I consecrate my loved ones, family members and my future to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
What do you know about Pope Leo?
Pope Leo XIV Trivia
Answer the questions below to see how much you know about our new pope.
In what city was he born?
Lima, Peru
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Chicago, Illinois
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Rome, Italy
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What online game does he like to play?
Wordle
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Candy Crush
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Angry Birds
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He has a bachelor's degree in what subject?
Theology
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Mathematics
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Archeology
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In his family, he is the youngest of how many boys?
5
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2
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3
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June is full of Special Sunday Solemnities!
Read more below about the beauty of our Church.
We have recently passed through the Easter season where themes of darkness and light, death and resurrection, despair and hope, fear and faith in grief and joy were observed. The first four Sundays in June remind and celebrate core aspects of Catholic faith: the Resurrection, the fulfillment of Christ’s promise of sending an advocate—the coming of the Holy Spirit, the belief in three persons in one God, and the true body and blood of Christ present in the Eucharist. The last weekend of June honors St. Peter and Paul, who played significant roles in spreading the Christian message during the early church days.
The weekend of May 31 and June 1st we celebrated the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. But wait, many of you are thinking, “the Ascension is always on a Thursday!” In fact, the Council of Nicaea set the date for the celebration of the Resurrection in 325, it chose to keep Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox in spring. This decision also set the day for the Ascension being forty days after Easter, on a Thursday. But today, many ecclesiastical provinces, including our USCCB, transferred the Thursday celebration to the following Sunday to provide for a wider celebration.
The Ascension signifies the conclusion of Jesus’ earthly mission. According to our belief, He united His divine nature with human nature through the Incarnation at the moment of the Annunciation. Jesus' time on earth began with his birth and was briefly paused for three days by His death on the Cross. During that period, it is said that He descended into the realm of the dead and delivered the Gospel to those who had died before Him, allowing them to proceed to heaven if they accepted Him as their Savior. On the third day following His death and burial, Jesus is believed to have been raised from the dead, an event referred to as the Resurrection. He then spent the next 40 days teaching and preparing His disciples for their mission of preaching and baptizing people.
The celebration acknowledges Jesus' exaltation and the conclusion of his earthly life as a precursor to the gift of the Spirit. The ascended Jesus remains with us due to his promise, "I am with you always; yes, to the end of time." He is always present and, in all locations, imparting a new energy onto the earth, the energy of the Holy Spirit to disseminate his Good News of salvation by bearing witness to him. Thus, today's feast celebrates Jesus’ glory following his suffering and death – the glory in which we also aspire to partake. The Ascension and Pentecost together signify the commencement of the Church. The feast of the Ascension communicates that the Church must be a mission-oriented community, led by God’s Spirit and assured of God’s protection even amidst suffering and mortality. Jesus ascends to call forth the Advocate — whose work at Pentecost will be observed the following week — and, like the disciples, he calls upon us to preach the Good News.
This solemnity offers us hope.
June 7-8
The Solemnity of Pentecost with Christmas and Easter, ranks among the greatest feasts of Christianity. It commemorates not only the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Mary and Disciples, but also the fruits and effects of that event: the completion of the work of redemption, the fullness of grace for the Church and its children, and the gift of faith for all nations.
The eleven remaining Apostles returned to Jerusalem after the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Per Acts 1:14, “All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, with his brethren.” They chose Matthias as an apostle as a replacement for Judas Iscariot.
After nine days of prayer, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples. They heard a sound like a “mighty wine.” And “tongues as of fire” were resting on their heads. Note how all the great theophanies in Christ's life occurred during the course of prayer. After His baptism, for instance, when Jesus was praying the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, it was during prayer at night that the transfiguration took place on Tabor. Pentecost followed precedent. The small community of Christians had prepared themselves through prayer for the coming of the Paraclete.
When the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, they immediately began proclaiming the Gospel. In fact, three thousand people were baptized that day. The disciples, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, were answering Jesus’ call to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The Holy Spirit is vital in the mission and witness of the Church, so we consider Pentecost the birthday of the Church. Peter, the first Pope, preaches for the first time and converts thousands. The apostles and believers for the first time, were united by a common language, and a common zeal and purpose to go and preach the Gospel. This solemnity offers us the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the empowerment it brings to us believers.
June 14-15
Trinity Sunday is observed on the Sunday following Pentecost, eight weeks after Easter Sunday. This day invites us to reflect on the central mystery of our faith: one God in three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When we make the sign of the Cross, we affirm our belief in the Trinity and recall our baptism, when we were marked as God's own.
We frequently invoke the Trinity in prayer and liturgy. The Glory Be is recited at the end of every decade of the rosary. We are baptized in the name of the Trinity and profess our faith in the Trinity with each recitation of the Nicene Creed. At the conclusion of Mass, we receive blessings from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The origins of the celebration of Trinity Sunday goes all the way back to the Arian heresy of the fourth century, when Arius denied the divinity of Christ by denying that there are three Persons in God. To stress the doctrine of the Trinity, the Fathers of the Church composed prayers and hymns that were recited on Sundays as part of the Divine Office, the official prayer of the Church. Eventually, a special version of this office began to be celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost.
June 21-22
Most people grew up knowing the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ as Corpus Christi Sunday, which is Latin for the "Body of Christ". In the Roman Catholic Church in the West, Corpus Christi has been celebrated as a solemnity on the Sunday following the Most Holy Trinity Sunday since the liturgical reforms of Vatican II. The essence of this solemnity is to celebrate the tradition and belief in the Eucharist as the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
On the night before he died, Jesus shared one last meal with his Apostles. During this Last Supper, "he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.' And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.'" (Luke 22:19-20)
Through the Apostles' successors, the Catholic Church has been following Jesus’ command to "do this in memory of me" for more than 2,000 years. "In order to leave them a pledge of (his) love, in order never to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, (Jesus) instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and resurrection and commanded his Apostles to celebrate it until his return; 'thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament.'" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1337)
June 28-29
The last weekend of June we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Peter and Paul. The two well-known saints are often spoken of as the two men most responsible for spreading the Christina message in the days of the early church. Saints Peter and Paul are two of the most important figures in the history of the Church. They were leaders who spread the message of Jesus and helped build the early Christian community. Both are remembered as apostles who gave their lives for their faith. The Church celebrates them together because of their deep connection in spreading the Gospel.
Peter focused on leading the Jewish Christians. He taught the Jewish people that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for. He preached to those who already believed in God and helped them see how Jesus fulfilled God’s promises. Peter helped unite the Jewish followers of Jesus.
Paul focused on preaching to the Gentiles. He believed the message of Jesus was for everyone, not just the Jewish people. He traveled to many cities and countries, bringing the Gospel to those who had never heard of Jesus. Paul opened the doors of the Church to the wider world.
Their missions complemented each other. Peter strengthened the Church from within, keeping it grounded and united. Paul expanded the Church, bringing in new believers from many cultures and backgrounds. Together, they helped the Church grow in numbers and in faith.
In a sermon in the year 395, St. Augustine of Hippo said of Saints Peter and Paul:
“Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so, we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.”
Holy Family Prayer Chain
Would you like to join our Prayer Chain and become a prayer warrior lifting the intentions of our people to the Lord? We need people who have a heart for intercessory prayer and can be confidential with the prayers that come in. If you'd like to join the prayer chain group, please use the button below. If you would like to submit a prayer request, you can visit our website anytime and use the form there to submit a request for yourself or a loved one.
Nocturnal Adoration
Each month on the first Thursday, we offer a beautiful time of Adoration before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Please come spend time with Him by signing up for a one-hour shift. Use the button below to sign up. This is a wonderful way to get involved at our parish while spending time with Jesus. You will never regret this time with our Lord. Let's pack the church!
Please note that the first hour has music. The rest of the hours are for silent prayer. If you have any questions, please contact Gerald Phillips at 325-518-5674.
What activities do we offer this month
at Holy Family?
All young adults (18-29 years old) are invited. If you've never come to something, now is the time. You don't have to be a regular yet, just come and meet some new people. All are welcome!
Summer fun begins for young adults with an Abilene Flying Bisons baseball game on June 6. (For ticket info, text Kate 214.532.6707).
Several HF young adults have been working to help make details come together for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. Join them at the Abilene convention center at 4 pm on June 7 for Mass, followed by a downtown procession.
Watch for news on more gatherings this month and the development of a women’s Bible Study!
We give a warm welcome to our new members who have just moved to Abilene, are returning home for the summer, and/or have graduated high school! We are praying for you.
Knights of Columbus will be having a Brisket Sale. They will be cooking briskets that can be picked up on July 3rd after 6 p.m., just in time for your 4th of the July celebration.
Briskets will be $12 a pound, and proceeds will go to support the Project Gabriel ministry here at our parish that supports women in crisis pregnancies.
If you'd like to place an order, please send an email to council18101@gmail.com with your name, phone number, and the number of pounds of cooked brisket you wish to buy. You can pay when you pick up at the parish center.
Youth Activities: From Diana Masga (CYM)
Holy Family Youth have some exciting things planned for the summer. Watch for Youth Nights in the Youth Center on certain Sundays all summer from 6-8 p.m.
We especially need help with the June 7th Eucharistic event with the Bishop and would love to have a great turn out from our young people! There will be a sign up coming soon for the Father's Day handouts and if you haven't made it on a SEARCH Retreat, there is one coming up in July! This is a great opportunity to grow in your faith and relationship with Jesus.
If you have any questions or need further information, don’t hesitate to contact Diana at 940-447-1921.
Knights of the Altar
Holy Family is excited to offer Knights of the Altar for boys and girls, ages seven and older, who have already received their First Communion and who are willing to make a special commitment to leadership and service. They will undergo rigorous training, and they are expected to exercise great responsibility. Serving at the altar of God is a huge privilege! We are looking for more young men and women, as well as adult volunteers, to help with this ministry. If you have received your First Communion and are 8 years old, you are eligible. More trainings are coming soon. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Light at 325-370-4847.
