Church guide

Shrine Sunset

August 24-25, 2019 Dear Pilgrims, Our interesting and popular Summer Reflection Series concludes this week. On Wednesday, August 28, immediately following daily Mass, Reverend Richard Berube, S.S.E. will be providing the final talk this week, “Surprising Conversations: Peter, Paul and the Woman at the Well”. A light lunch is available for purchase afterwards. We hope you can join us! Our daily Masses will continue through this Friday, August 30. We invite you to join us to celebrate the Mass. It is a nice way to spend a small part of your day; thanking God for all His good gifts and to receive the comfort, consolation and peace of His Real Presence in the Eucharist. Next weekend is also the final Saturday evening and Sunday 9 a.m. Masses. Going forward, after Labor Day weekend, we will only celebrate the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sundays until the end of the pilgrimage season, October 13, which is also the date of our annual Harvest Dinner. We hope you will be able to attend this important fundraiser in support of the Shrine. If you have not been to the dinner before, it is a delicious turkey dinner with all the trimmings, including apple and pumpkin pie. Can’t make it? We would love donations of squash and potatoes from your own garden or grocer! We still have many nice items in our gift shop, including rosaries, prayer cards, t-shirts, and good books to read. The Missionary of Wall Street: From Managing Money to Saving Souls on the Streets of New York is written by Stephen Auth and is now available in our Gift Shop The book is on sale at discounted price of $15. I strongly recommend reading it. If you can’t afford it, the Shrine will gift it to you free. It’s that good a book that I want people to read it. The financial support and generosity of our pilgrims, both far and near, help us to sustain this ministry and these beautiful grounds. We appreciate your help very much and cannot do it without all of you. May God bless you and your loved ones! Fr. Brian Cummings, S.S.E. Spiritual Director

Ever thought about participating in a silent retreat? Take a look at what our communications manager has to say about her own experience last week at Saint Anne's Shrine. "My silent retreats with the Edmundites have reminded me to slow down and pay attention. It's a game of extreme mindfulness and I love playing." -Lynn Monty #Edmundites #Retreat #mindfulness #Wellness #SpiritualJourney #Awakening #GoodVibes

Please join us this summer for our Summer Reflection Series every Wednesday starting July 3rd!

Dear Pilgrims, The Solemnity of Pentecost is an extremely important feast day for our faith. The bestowing of the Holy Spirit upon the early disciples propelled the birth of the Church and transformed cowering disciples in hiding into bold public proclaimers of Jesus being raised from the dead. We believe that the Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church some 2,000 years later as we navigate the complexities and challenges of the modern and technological world. This Pilgrimage Season we again ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we offer many programs to nurture the faith lives of the People of God. In the coming Sundays we will have the Blessing of Automobiles and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The 5-Day Silent Retreat is near capacity with 19 of 20 registrations filled. The Wednesday Reflection Series begins July 3 and the presenters and topics have been finalized and listed on our webpage. Weekend retreats with St. Michaels College incoming students and a weeklong retreat by lay associates of the Carmelite Order are scheduled in July. The Family Day for the Diocese of Burlington is scheduled for July 7 beginning with a 12:15 p.m. Mass celebrated by Bishop Coyne followed by a cookout for all provided by our benefactors. Our feast days of St. Anne on July 26 and the Assumption of Mary on August 15 are planned. The summer pilgrimage season looks promising! We also recognize Sandy Kinney, our Administrator, as she has decided to retire after 50 years of dedicated and faithful service to the Shrine. On July 14 we will honor Sandy with gratitude at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. As we say farewell to Sandy - who will always be close in North Hero to always help us - we welcome with enthusiasm Nancy Dulude to succeed her in this important role as Administrator, collaborating with us Edmundites in serving you, the People of God. We have much to be grateful for, especially the many people who continue to give of themselves for this ministry at the Shrine. As we journey this summer, I always want to express my gratitude to you for your support of this Edmundite apostolate. Let us join in prayer together this pilgrimage season and pray for one another and for our beloved Church and world. God bless you! Fr. Brian Cummings, S.S.E. Spiritual Director

The Shrine staff is busy preparing for the 2019 Pilgrimage Season at Saint Anne's Shrine! Beginning this Saturday evening, May 18th, Mass will be offered at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday evenings and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. Call the Shrine office at 802-928-3362 for schedule or visit www.saintannesshrine.org. We look forward to sharing with our neighbors and friends, old and new!

I am writing to you during the Easter Octave which is the 8 days following Easter Sunday. It is a beautiful week as we continue to celebrate the Easter liturgy everyday singing the Gloria and chanting “alleluia, alleluia” after the dismissal at each Mass. We hear various Gospel stories of the risen Jesus appearing to his disciples who are in despair, confused and in fear. Mary Magdalene, the first to proclaim the Lord’s resurrection, continues as a central character weeping and conversing with a supposed "Gardner". Her tears of sorrow are transformed to tears of joy when the risen Jesus calls her by name. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus are also in a desperate state as they walk “downcast.” In the breaking of the bread by a “stranger” they discover the risen Lord in their midst and they run back to the Upper Room to share the news. Finally, Jesus appears on the beach while his disciples are in a boat fishing as he prepares breakfast for them and the intimate dialogue with Peter takes place with Jesus asking him three times “Do you love me?” followed by the mandate to “Feed my sheep.” These stories give us hope in the resurrection and reassure us of Christ’s presence in our lives today. -- Rev. Brian J. Cummings, S.S.E.

A joyous Easter to you and all your loved ones!

Saint Anne’s Shrine and The Society of Saint Edmund will host the 9th Annual Shrine Spring Social Tuesday, May 7, 2019 6:00 p.m. in the Pomerleau Center Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, VT Join us to recognize and support the good works of the Edmundites Donation is $50 per person to benefit the mission of the Shrine. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP to Saint Anne’s Shrine 802.928.3362 Or email [email protected] by April 30 Checks and credit cards accepted Not able to attend? You can still support the Edmundite Mission by donating online at www.saintannesshrine.org or by sending your check to: Saint Anne’s Shrine, P.O. Box 280, Isle La Motte, VT 05463 May we suggest you bring a friend(s) or if you are unable to attend, pass along this invitation to someone who may be interested in learning more about the mission of Saint Anne’s Shrine.

JOIN US Easter Mass will be celebrated at the Shrine in the Boucher Building on Sunday, April 21 at 10:30 a.m.

Join us on a Lenten Journey… Lent is an incredible gift to us. Some of us receive it with eagerness as a time of healing and growth; others receive it with trepidation of the challenges and sacrifices that Lent can pose; still others receive it with indifference. And yet regardless of where we are in our spiritual journeys, we are all given an opportunity during these 40 days to turn our hearts back towards God and deepen our relationship with God and others in a special way. It offers a chance to take time to reflect on our lives and renew our commitment to open our hearts to God through prayer. With this in mind, the students, faculty, staff, and members of the Saint Michael’s College worshiping community have come together to offer their reflections on the daily Scripture readings and what they are saying to us in our lives today...how they challenge and encourage us to feel God’s presence, love, and forgiveness each day during this sacred time. Each day of Lent, there will be a new reflection on this blog, based on the Scripture readings of the day, from Ash Wednesday through Easter. We encourage you to join us on a Lenten journey of reflecting and praying with us through this site. http://smclent.blogspot.com/

God’s love will always be there for us like the love of a welcoming parent and we can never earn this for it is a free gift. Many times while ministering at the Shrine this simple message is the only thing people seeking reconciliation need to hear. We sometimes think we can pray ourselves into heaven while overlooking the fact that God’s grace and salvation is pure gift. The resurrection of Jesus is what saves us with eternal life. The season of Lent prepares us to celebrate this mystery of our faith. - Rev. Brian Cummings, S.S.E.

Even though winter continues here at the Shrine; repairs and improvements to the buildings, equipment, statues, and other areas keep our small staff busy! We continue to host school and parish groups on retreat throughout the winter months and look forward to welcoming our visitors and pilgrims during the coming Pilgrimage Season! We thank you for keeping in touch with your calls, letters and generous support. You make this ministry possible! We assure you of continued remembrance for you, your loved ones and your intentions in our Masses and prayers. God's blessings!

Advent is a time of waiting, in which we prayerfully prepare and patiently wait for the coming of God as Emmanuel, in the child Jesus. Enjoy this meditation on "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" with scenes from Saint Anne's Shrine in Isle La Motte.