Engaging Faith

Sadly, the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, the crypt church, Fr. David Scheidler, CSC, passed away recently. He was a young man of 55 years old, a dynamic preacher, and a dorm chaplain at Notre Dame, a brother to seven siblings, and an uncle to many. He suffered from a rare form of cancer. Sharing something of this priest’s story with your students and watching all or parts of Fr. David’s funeral Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame can help your students have an up close view and be able to reflect on several aspects of the Catholic faith. For example: The love of family (note the family members in the front rows, Fr. David’s sister serving as cantor, and other siblings doing the readings) The family of a religious community (note the priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross in attendance) The connection between ordination classmates (the bishop-celebrant and Fr. David were classmates) The connection between Baptism and death The connection between the vows of Holy Orders and death The message of hope in the readings and the homily Assignment Read about the life of Fr. David Scheidler CSC from the links above. Watch his funeral Mass. Write a four-paragraph reflection on what you witnessed. Write a prayer for the soul of Fr. David.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes an indulgence as “a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.” (No. 1471) Through indulgences, the infinite merits of Christ, as well as the merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, are applied to our purification in this life or the life to come (in purgatory). A plenary indulgence removes all of the temporal punishment due to sins (“plenary” means full or complete). Other indulgences are known simply as partial indulgences. Those obtaining a plenary or partial indulgence can choose to apply it either to themselves or to the souls of deceased persons. Listed here are some opportunities for plenary indulgences during the time of the corona virus.