A fresh coat of paint in Herlev

It has taken all week to give Vor Frue Kirke in Herlev a new coat of paint. Three painters from the firm Roel Jensen A/S have been working since Monday. The church was last painted seven years ago. This time it cost DKK 73,000! Your church tax at work!

Members of the Sakraments Church choir. Today we had a great mass with a great singing. 

I really appreciate their commitment to singing in the church to praise and thank God.

God Bless You 

Fr.Theva omi

Dear Friends!

It’s good that we take a summer vacation to relax and enjoy time with our families and friends. I hope that, with God’s blessings and grace, you had a safe and restful journey, and are refreshed to begin a new season with us in our parish.

Can we take a holiday from our spiritual activities? No. Our lives are spiritual journeys, and we can never rest in our search for God and for the path that he has chosen for us. No matter where we travel, no matter where we go, we must thank and praise God. Ever mindful of God, we must try to follow the words of our Lord Jesus, “that men always ought to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1–8),” and of St. Paul, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).” Practicing ceaseless prayer, our souls will always be fulfilled.

In September, we begin a new parish year. Families will have returned from their vacations, new families will have come into our midst, and children will have returned to school. Parents and families will be adjusting to new circumstances, and some will have to adjust to new homes and customs, adapting to our Danish society and language. I look forward to the new year with you: new families, new challenges, and new experiences.

I am very grateful to the many parishioners who volunteer their time and services in so many ways. If there is an area in which you would like to help, or an area where I or the parish can assist you, please let me know. I hope that this will be a good church year for us all, a time during which we come closer to God and to one another.

On 1 August, Vor Frue Kirke will receive a new parish priest. Fr. Leo Kertz, omi, who has been the parish priest for the past 15 years, will retire, and Fr. Allan Courteau, omi, will assume these responsibilities. He will be installed officially on 11 August by Bishop Kozon.

It is with pleasure that we welcome Fr. Allan to our parish. He has been the parish priest at Sankt Knud Lavard Kirke in Lyngby for many years, loved by the parishioners for his hard work and simplicity. We welcome him warmly to our parish and community.Fr. Leo has truly been a beloved pastor. His dedication and love for all have been recognized again and again. His caring and sharing with all who have come to church and to our mission house are well known. He always has a welcome smile for everyone. I truly admire his commitment and dedication. Thank you, dear Fr. Leo, for your service. You will always remain in our thoughts and prayers.

I also must thank Fr. Michael Bradley, omi, for his dedication and support. Although he is retired, he keeps himself busy with scheduled Masses and visits to the sick and elderly. I am always amazed at his energy. He is a real example for all of us, and he is truly the “father figure” in our midst. We pray that God may give him good health, so that he may continue to serve our church for many years to come.

For me, this is a privileged time. I feel honored to be called on to offer the Sacraments of the Church to our congregation. As I come to know you and spend my life with you, I am conscious of each of you at Mass. I look forward to a new year with you, because it is always like a new beginning.

May you have a very good year and enjoy each day in it. God bless you all.

–Fredrick Anton Thevaraj, omi

Calendar of events and announcements

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Remember! Summer time ends Sunday 27 October. Set your clocks back one hour.

1 September – First Holy Communion and Confirmation classes. Instruction for First Holy Communion and Confirmation begins 1 September for both parishes. At Vor Frue Kirke, it continues through the first Sunday in May 2014. Children and parents are requested to attend the Danish Sunday Mass at 9:30 am, with instruction following immediately after Mass. Dear parents, there is no instruction for your children in English. They attend Danish schools and speak good Danish. If parents wish to volunteer to teach the children in English, please contact Thevaraj.

20 October – World Mission Sunday. In all Catholic parishes throughout the world, a special collection will be taken on behalf of our brothers and sisters in critically poor areas: parishes, clinics, schools, instruction of children and adults, in all areas of real need. Let your generosity know no bounds. Thank you.

1 November, Friday – Solemnity of All Saints. This is a Holy Day of Obligation. This is also the First Friday of the month, and a Mass will be celebrated at Vor Frue Kirke, 7:30 pm.

2 November, Saturday – Feast of All Souls. The feast will be celebrated on Sunday at Vor Frue Kirke at 11:30 am and Sakramentskirke at 6:00 pm.

16 November, Saturday – Work Day at Vor Frue. We need as many hands, young and old, as possible to thoroughly clean all the areas where our many activities take place. We begin at 9:00 am and will work in the yard in front of and behind the Church and rectory, raking leaves, washing windows, setting the kitchen in order, and performing all of the chores that cannot be done on a daily basis. This is your parish. Come and give a helping hand. Thanks!

23 November, Saturday – Parish Retreat Day. The day will begin at 9:00 am and will close with Mass at 5:00 pm. Please take advantage of this day of growth in your personal life of faith. More information will be made available later.

30 November, Saturday – Advent Hygge at VFK. We are now almost at the door of the Advent season. As in previous years, we will gather on Saturday 30 November at 3 pm in the parish hall. We shall make Christmas decorations, advent wreaths, or whatever you would like to make. We will provide decorating materials and candles. If you have your own favorite bowls, dishes, advent holders, ribbons, etc., bring them with you. This arrangement is for everyone.

October – Month of the Holy Rosary

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The photo above shows a stained glass window with Mary, Jesus, and Saint Dominic. It depicts the presentation of the Rosary to Saint Dominic. The stained glass window is located in Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church, Hicksville, New York, USA.

The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. According to an account by 15th-century Dominican friar, Mary appeared to St. Dominic in 1206 after he had been praying and doing severe penances. Mary praised him and gave him the Rosary as a mighty weapon, explained its uses and efficacy, and told him to preach it to others.

Some Catholics consider the Rosary’s 150 Hail Marys a substitute for the 150 psalms for those persons who don’t have the time, education, or opportunity to pray the Hours of the Divine Office. Thus “Mary's Psalter” is a shortened, simplified “breviary” – alongside the Divine Office of the Church.

The Rosary, Pope Leo XIII declared, “is composed of two parts, distinct but inseparable – the meditation on the mysteries and the recitation of the prayers. It is thus a kind of prayer that requires not only some raising of the soul to God, but also a particular and explicit attention.”

Through the meditations of the complete Rosary, one recalls the chief mysteries of the Christian religion. The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as The Joyful, The Sorrowful, The Glorious, and The Luminous. Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae, added the five Luminous Mysteries in 2002 .

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on 7 October. It was instituted to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in gratitude for the protection that she gives the Church in answer to the praying of the Rosary by the faithful.