Autumn is a very busy season for most Catholic parishes, specifically within the Society of Saint Pius X. At St. Michael’s Church in Bethany, Oklahoma, this is no exception.
This season is filled with many great feasts, the first being the Feast of the Holy Rosary on October 7th. With St. Michael’s being a mission chapel, the faithful participated in a procession the following Sunday reciting the Holy Rosary as led by their pastor, Fr. Matthew Stafki.
The Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ is perhaps the most celebrated of all autumnal feasts. Taking place on the last Sunday of October, we remember the Psalm from the Gradual verse, “He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. And all kings shall adore Him, all nations shall serve Him” (Ps. 71:8,11). Following the final blessing, the faithful took Father’s lead in a Eucharistic Procession, singing hymns in honor of Our Lord while pausing halfway to perform Benediction. Upon returning to the chapel, another Benediction occurred and the faithful recited a Consecration of the World to the Sacred Heart, a beautiful reminder of our promises to fight for Holy Mother Church.
One last noteworthy feast is that of the Feast of All Saints on November 1st. It is tradition at St. Michael’s to have a celebration in honor of this great feast. Children ranging in ages of 1-13 don their best representation of their chosen saint and Father selects a winner of the contest based on their appearance as well as how much the children are able to tell about the life of their chosen saint. After naming this year’s winner, Father had the task of tasting numerous, flavorful, chilies made by parishioners competing in the third annual Chili Cook-Off. The top three winners were chosen and Catechism themed games commenced for the children, where they played to win tickets that would be used to purchase religious articles from the prize table.
