Praying for Joy During a Pandemic With your family, pray through the joyful mysteries of the Rosary with the meditations below. Pause after each mystery to further contemplate how you might be called to apply the “5 ingredients for joy” to your own life — particularly during this unique season. The Annunciation + Docility Docility […]

Six Feet Apart Rewind your imagination to a pre-pandemic Sunday morning Mass at Ascension. You enter the sanctuary and see unmasked faces smiling, singing, or whispering hushed instructions to wiggling children. You feel the bustle of bodies squishing into already-full pews. You share the sign of peace with an open hand and heart. After Mass […]

If the Church is not Crying… Rewind your imagination to a pre-pandemic Sunday morning Mass at Ascension. Feel the bustle of bodies squishing into the already-full pews. See a mother straighten her daughter’s hair bow, a father remind his son to genuflect, or a grandmother remove her grandchild from an elbow-deep plunge into the baptismal […]

The Sensory Experience of a Feast As Catholics, we are often playfully criticized for the all of the “bells and smells” of our faith. While the customs of our faith may seem ordinary to many cradle Catholics, imagine bringing a friend (who is not familiar with the Catholic faith) to Mass for the first time. […]

In your pre-pandemic life, how frequently did you walk in or out of a church sanctuary, dip your fingers in Holy Water, and bless yourself with the sign of the cross? If you are like many others, you may have took this practice for granted, without full gratitude for the gift of having Holy Water […]

If you are a younger Catholic, you may not be aware that sharing the “sign of peace” did not become a common part of our liturgy until about a half-century ago — which makes the practice relatively modern in Catholic terms! Although not mandatory, handshakes and exchanges of the phrase, “Christ’s Peace be with you,” […]

There are two principle components of each Mass: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. (For well informed YFF, Homeschool, or ACS parents — yes, there are technically 4 parts of each Mass when you include the smaller Introductory and Concluding Rites). During the first major component of Mass, the Liturgy […]

Jesus in the Eucharist: After experiencing a prolonged Eucharistic fast, it is likely that you are particularly grateful for the opportunity to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Perhaps your experience of separation has made your experience of encounter much more meaningful. Or, perhaps what you expected of yourself — what you expected to feel […]

Facemasks Facemasks have become a symbol of the pandemic, and — unfortunately in some cases — a symbol of angst, anger, and division. If you passionately fall on one side the mask debate, fear not — the Ascension Family Life Ministry will not attempt to sway your personal mask-wearing philosophy. Nevertheless, public mask-wearing does influence […]

Grief If you have attended Mass at Ascension since our church reopened, you have likely noticed some changes. If you are a parent, you may find it difficult to explain these changes with your children while you are trying to come to terms with them yourself. If you are like many families, going to Mass […]