THE ANGELUS PRAYER - traditional Catholic prayer

The leader reads what is in regular text. 

The others read who is in bold text. 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.


Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 



Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

Description and history of the Angelus prayer

The Angelus prayer dates back to the monasteries where the monks prayed the hail Mary in the evening with the ringing of the bells back in the 11th century.  It evolved into the Angelus prayer we know today back in the 16th century. 

The Angelus prayer recalls the visit of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to announce Jesus’ upcoming birth. We pray the Angelus at a set time, pausing our busy days and remembering the incarnation, when Jesus became man and dwelt amongst us here on earth. 

Traditionally, communities have prayed the Angelus at 6:00 am, noon, or 6:00 pm. This short devotional prayers sanctifies the hours of our day and focuses us toward Christ. Pausing at a certain time each day for this prayer breaks the the noise of daily life and brings prayer in the middle of our work or rest. 

Through this prayer we join the global community of Catholics around the world, uniting us with believers in a shared rhythm of faith. 

Teresa of Avila - readings for Memorial Mass - 15 October 2026

Teresa of Avila - readings for Memorial Mass - 15 October 2026 

For the Mass at St Joseph Catholic School, Madison, Mississippi 

Reading 1- Romans 8:22-27

Brothers and sisters: We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.

In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11

R.    (10)  The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
R.    (John 6:63)  Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.


The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.


R.     The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye.


R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just.


R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb.


R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.


Alleluia - John 15:9b, 5b

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in my love, says the Lord; whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.
R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel - John 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.


I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

15 October 2026 - St Teresa of Avila - homily for Thursday of the 28th week in Ordinary Time - John 15:1-8

Teresa of Avila was born in 1515, more than 500 years ago. She entered the Carmelite monastery at the age of 20 against the wishes of her Father. She experienced great physical and spiritual challenges in her first years as a nun. During the first 20 years in the monastery, she lived a very conflicted life. She followed her religious duties as a nun, yet was still very attached to worldly comforts and social status. One day during Lent in the year 1554, she entered the chapel and saw the statue of the wounded Christ. Overwhelmed with feelings of Christ’s love for her, she fell to the floor in tears and surrender to him. This event changed her life dramatically. 

Teresa realized that she and the other nuns needed to return to a life of simplicity and humility, to get back to the roots of the hermits who lived on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land in the 12th century, the beginnings of the Carmelite order. The Carmelite monk St John of the cross joined Teresa’s efforts of reform and renewal of the Carmelite order; this led the establishment of a new religious order named the discalced or barefoot Carmelites. Teresa of Avila is the author of two important books on Catholic spirituality: The Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle. She died in the year 1582 at the age of 67. 

Right now, around 16,000 monks and nuns are members of the Discalced Carmelites living in monasteries around the world. Teresa was named as the first female doctor of the Church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI, alongside St Catherine of Siena. I have visited the city of Avila several times on pilgrimage. The city of Avila has one of the best preserved medieval walls surrounding a city in all of Europe. Teresa’s presence is still very much felt in this city many centuries after her death. As a member of the secular Carmelites myself here in the Diocese of Jackson, I very much experience Teresa of Avila and her spirituality as a part of my priesthood. 

St Teresa of Avila is a great Church reformer, theologian, spiritual leader, and mystic. One of the things I take away from the life of St Teresa of Avila and her spirituality is how prayer is not to be a rigid chore that we do or to be focused on the words, put prayers is to be seen as a conversation between close friends, as a part of our friendship with God and our friendship with Jesus. 

One of the things I take away from the life of St Teresa of Avila and her spirituality is how prayer is not to be a rigid chore that we do or to be focused on the words, put prayers is to be seen as a conversation between close friends, as a part of our friendship with God and our friendship with Jesus.

In our Gospel today, we here about the parable of the vines and the branches. It is so important that we feel connected to Jesus and maintain a personal relationship with him. Through Jesus we are connected to the Father and connected to our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. As we pray together and worship together as a school community, we come together today to offer mass for Luke Anglin, whose is connected to different members of our St Joseph community. We unite our prayers with the prayers of our Mother Mary, with St Joseph, our school’s patron, St Teresa of Avila and all the members of the community of saints. 

I am reminded of a wonderful prayer written by St Teresa of Avila that talks about how in our works and our actions and our presence, we can be the presence of Christ in the world: 

Christ has no body but yours, 
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks 
compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
 yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
 Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
 Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

25 October 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - prison ministry

Lord Jesus - you are our strength.

Christ Jesus - you bring us the joy of our faith. 

Lord Jesus - you are a model for all believers. 

Priest: We now turn to our heavenly Father in humility and faith. In our prayers, we lift up our needs, the need of the Church, and the needs of the world. Our merciful Lord indeed hears the cry of the poor:

1. For our Holy Father Leo XIV, Bishop Kopacz, and all our clergy and Church leaders. May they approach their ministry with the humility and contrite hearts, leading us all in truth and mercy. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For the leaders of the nations of the world and of communities here in the United States. May listen closely to the cries of the poor, the marginalized, the stranger, and the vulnerable. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For the oppressed and those who suffer. For those who seek justice, peace, or physical healing in their lives. May they experience the comforting and uplifting hand of Christ in their time of need. We pray to the Lord. 
4. May all of us Catholics recognize our spiritual poverty before God. May we treat one another with deep compassion and empathy. We pray to the Lord. 

5. That unborn children may be safely welcomed into the world and protected by our laws and our hearts. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For an end to the death penalty in our country. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For missionaries serving in remote and difficult areas throughout the world. May their service be rooted in the love of Christ, may they be protected from harm, and may they be sustained by the Holy Spirit. May we serve our fellow brothers as missionaries here at CMCF. We pray to the Lord. 

8. We pray the upcoming Kolbe Catholic prison ministry retreat that we will have here at CMCF in January. We pray for the men who will be leading the team in that retreat. We pray to the Lord. 

9. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. For those who have asked for our prayers. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: Heavenly Father, receive the prayers of your humble people. May our words and actions spring from a sincere heart. Grant us your mercy. We make these prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Bulletin Reflection - 25 October 2025

We are winding up the month of October this upcoming week. The big feast day we have this upcoming week celebrates St Simon and St Jude. I not only think of St Jude as associated with the famous children’s hospital in Memphis, but many people can relate to St Jude as the patron saint of seemingly impossible causes. The Catholic faithful have a special love for the tender heart of St Jude, who will pray with us and present our prayers to the heavenly Father. When we feel lost or when we feel overwhelmed with things, St Jude will be there for us. With great joy this weekend, we celebrate our first women’s ACTS retreat in the Jackson metro area. We are very excited to have these women end their retreat with the 10:30 am Mass at Holy Savior this Sunday. Have a blessed week everyone. Father Lincoln. 

25 October 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - 10:30 am Mass Holy Savior

Introduction: We welcome everyone today at Mass at Holy Savior. We especially want to welcome our visitors today and all of the women who attended the ACTS retreat this weekend at Our Lady of Hope retreat center. It is a blessing to be able to celebrate our ACTS retreat here at Holy Savior at Mass this morning. May the Lord open our hearts and minds to the way he is present to us in word and in sacrament at Mass this morning. 

Lord Jesus - you are our strength.

Christ Jesus - you bring us the joy of our faith. 

Lord Jesus - you are a model for all believers. 

Priest: We now turn to our heavenly Father in humility and faith, lifting up our needs, the need of the Church, and the needs of the world. Our merciful Lord indeed hears the cries of the poor. 

1. For our Holy Father Leo XIV, Bishop Kopacz, and all our clergy and Church leaders. May they approach their ministry with the humility and contrite hearts, leading us all in truth and mercy. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For the leaders of the nations of the world and of communities here in the United States. May listen closely to the cries of the poor, the marginalized, the stranger, and the vulnerable. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For the oppressed and those who suffer. For those who seek justice, peace, or physical healing in their lives. May they experience the comforting and uplifting hand of Christ in their time of need. We pray to the Lord. 
4. May all of us Catholics recognize our spiritual poverty before God. May we treat one another with deep compassion and empathy. We pray to the Lord. 

5. That unborn children may be safely welcomed into the world and protected by our laws and our hearts. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For missionaries serving in remote and difficult areas throughout the world. May their service be rooted in the love of Christ, may they be protected from harm, and may they be sustained by the Holy Spirit. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For all the women who attended the ACTS retreat this weekend. For their families and loved ones. May the Holy Spirit who was alive in their hearts during this ACTS retreat weekend continue the spirit of the retreat in their everyday lives. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. For those who have asked for our prayers. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: Heavenly Father, receive the prayers of your humble people. May our words and actions spring from a sincere heart. Grant us your mercy. We make these prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.