Natural Family Planning

Synod Mass with Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger

Oct 24, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger will celebrate a special liturgy Sunday, October 24, at 5 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany to mark the start of the worldwide synod taking place in dioceses across the country and around the globe at the invitation of Pope Francis.

Guided by the theme “For a Synodal Church: communion, participation, and mission,” the synod is an effort to give local Catholics an opportunity to give voice to their experience of faith and have a role in developing plans to direct the future of the Church. It is the first phase of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will be held in 2023.

“We are already very much doing ‘synodality’ in our Diocese, through our parish networks and other efforts to mobilize the local Church at the grassroots level. We are celebrating this liturgy as a sign of our recommitment to the goal of including everyone in the process moving forward,” said Bishop Scharfenberger. “We want to encourage the people themselves to consider what and who should be part of the mission of their parishes and to think outside the box about how we can best draw others to Jesus Christ.”

The October 24 liturgy is open to priests, deacons, parish life coordinators, and two lay representatives from each parish. The Mass will be livestreamed on the diocesan website at www.rcda.org/livestream.

Consecration to St. Joseph

Nov 1, 2021, 5:15 PM – 6:15 PM

Bishop Ed chose All Saints Day, Nov. 1, 2021 for the consecration date, with 5:15 PM Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. We will start the consecration preparation on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, and use the book, Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, https://shopmercy.org/consecration-to-st-joseph-the-wonders-of-our-spiritual-father.html . The format of the preparation is similar to the other consecrations we do.

Diocesan Marian Consecration

Dec 8, 2021, 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM

To aid us in preparing for Consecration, Bishop Ed recommends the book 33 Days to Morning Glory (see special discount information on the webpage) by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, which includes the works of St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Blessed Mother Teresa, and Pope St. John Paul II. The daily reading takes only 3-5 minutes and then is pondered during the rest of one’s day. The 33-day preparation can be done alone or in a group. Please take note of the following important dates:

Friday, November 5, 2021: Start date of the book, 33 Days to Morning Glory. Do not worry if you begin the preparation late or fall behind on chapters. Simply catch up when you can.

Wednesday, December 8, 2021: The RCDA Marian Consecration Mass Event, 12:15 p.m., at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The preparation will culminate with the renewed Consecration to Jesus through Mary at our cathedral on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (holy day of obligation). More info.: https://www.rcda.org/MarianConsecration

Natural Family Planning

What is NFP?

Fertility and women’s health care within the Diocese of Albany

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