The mission at St. Jude Parish will take place in the church at 633 S. Walnut St. in Rochester March 23-25 at 6:30 p.m. each evening, with light refreshments following.
The St. Peter mission will take place on April 6-8 at 2600 Maine St. in Quincy at 7 p.m. each evening, also with refreshments following.
A well-known author and radio host, Father Albert says that even though Catholics have been signing themselves with the Sign of the Cross since the third century, many don’t know the meaning of being “signed and sealed” with the cross. “The three nights of the parish mission will focus on what it means to sign ourselves in the name of the Father (on Sunday evening), and of the Son (on Monday evening) and of the Holy Spirit (Tuesday evening),” he says.
“Ideally a person should attend each evening to get the full message. However, coming one or two evenings will certainly not pose any disadvantage,” Father Albert says. “There is no need to bring anything to the mission. Each evening’s mission service consists of a Liturgy of the Word in which I will preach for 40 minutes. Each evening will last exactly one hour.”
Father Albert has been a Franciscan friar for 38 years and a priest for 30 years. He was a missionary in China for over a decade. He is the author of seven books on spirituality and is the co-host of Spirit and Life, a radio show heard every weekend on Relevant Radio Network.
A native of New Orleans who now lives in Texas, Father Albert is a full-time itinerant preacher. “I give parish missions throughout the year. I am typically booked up two years in advance,” he says. “Though I am stationed at a friary outside Fort Worth, I am rarely home. Last year I flew United Airlines 121 times; consequently I am the only Franciscan friar in the United States who has reached the highest frequent flyer status called ‘1 K.’”
Father Albert naturally brings his background to the missions he preaches. His time in China had a great influence on him. He responded to the Franciscan Friar’s call for friars to join the “China Project” to bring the Franciscan presence back to mainland China. He studied the Chinese language and culture for two years in Taiwan before going to mainland China.
“I initially lived in the city of Wuhan where I taught English in a Chinese university. After one year there, I went on to live in the capital of Beijing. I taught for two years in a Chinese university and then was hired as director of human resources for the international accounting firm, Deloitte-Touche. In that capacity I was in charge of all HR issues for our 300 local employees in the Beijing office.
“On weekends I ministered as priest and pastor for the English-speaking Roman Catholic foreigners who lived in Beijing,” he says. “I was forced to return to the United States in January 2004 when the Chinese security police discovered where I lived and what I was up to.”
People who attend the mission will have the opportunity to purchase Father Albert’s books, CDs and DVDs, including his recent best-selling book and DVD Catching Fire, Becoming Flame: A Guide for Spiritual Transformation.
Both parishes will provide babysitting during the missions and welcome visitors from their surrounding areas. For more information on Father Albert, visit his website at www.AlbertOFM.org.