Third Sunday after Epiphany (Chapel Masses Cancelled)

***CANCELLATION NOTE: Due to the winter storm, Masses at the Chapel of the Little Flower are cancelled. Please see note from Father Jones in the Chapel Announcements section below or at this link.

For other Latin Mass parish schedule changes please see our special announcement page and verify with the parish website.

Friends in Christ,

Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday is the Third Sunday after Epiphany. In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, we hear the words of the centurion that we repeat almost verbatim just before Communion at every Mass: “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed” (Matthew 8:8b). Jesus marveled at the faith of this Roman soldier: “Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. . . .” Then He issued a prophetic warning to the children of Israel: “And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Let us pray that we will not be found without faith but, like the centurion, when we say, “Lord, I am not worthy . . .” be found to merit the salvific care of Our Lord Jesus Christ by our unquestioning belief in Him.


Calendar of Special Observances

Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.

DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)

Sunday, January 25 – Third Sunday after Epiphany (II)

Monday, January 26 – St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr (III)

Tuesday, January 27 – St. John Chrysostom, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church (III)

Wednesday, January 28 – St. Peter Nolasco, Confessor (III) – Commemoration of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

Thursday, January 29 – St. Francis de Sales, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church (III)

Friday, January 30 – St. Martina, Virgin and Martyr (III)

Saturday, January 31 – St. John Bosco, Confessor (III)


Third Sunday after Epiphany

The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for the Third Sunday after Epiphany. A link to Dr. Michael P. Foley’s New Liturgical Movement commentary is also provided.


Traditional Latin Mass Schedule

Diocese of Charlotte Sunday Masses

Chapel of the Little Flower (757 Oakridge Farm Road, Mooresville, NC)

  • 10:00 a.m. (Low) - cancelled 1/25 due to storm
  • 12:00 p.m. (Sung) - cancelled 1/25 due to storm
  • Chaplain: Fr. Brandon Jones
  • Chapel related questions? Email Father at: tlmchapel(at)rcdoc.org

Note: Only Sunday Latin Masses and Holy Days are offered at the Chapel. This is the only Diocese of Charlotte location which offers the Traditional Latin Mass.

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, the Little Flower, pray for us!


Diocese of Raleigh Sunday Masses

  • 1:00 p.m., Sacred Heart (Dunn, NC)
  • 4:30 p.m. - First Sunday, Holy Name Cathedral (Raleigh, NC)
  • For additional locations and Masses please see our Mass Times webpage


Diocese of Charleston Sunday Masses

  • 1:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC)
  • 12:00 p.m., Sacred Heart (Charleston SC)
  • 5:30 p.m., Stella Maris (Sullivans Island, SC)


Diocese of Charleston Daily Traditional Latin Masses

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Monday-Friday, 12:00 p.m.
  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Saturday, 8:00 a.m.
  • For additional locations and Masses please see our Mass Times webpage

***Cancellation Note: Per the parish bulletin, no public Masses will be offered Sunday January 25 at Prince of Peace Church due to the winter storm.

As a reminder, travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the schedule of Mass times.


Upcoming Special Latin Masses

Monday February 2: Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

  • 6:30 p.m. – Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC)
  • 7:00 p.m. – Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) (Includes a blessing of candles during Latin Mass)

Wednesday February 18: Ash Wednesday

  • 12:00 p.m. – Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) (Includes distribution of ashes)
  • 6:30 p.m. – Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC) (Includes distribution of ashes)


Chapel of the Little Flower Announcements


***NOTE: Sunday's Masses are Cancelled Due to Storm***

Due to the winter storm, Father Jones has cancelled Masses at the Chapel of the Little Flower on Sunday January 25. Please see Father Jones' announcement:

In light of the approaching inclement weather, Bishop Martin has granted a dispensation from this Sunday’s Mass obligation to all Latin rite Catholics present in the Diocese of Charlotte. Out of an abundance of caution, Masses at the Chapel of the Little Flower are cancelled for Sunday, January 25. Please stay safe. God bless you!

Fr. Jones


Mass Intentions for Sunday

Sunday January 25 - + Enrique Froilan Valle and +Elena de Valle (Mr. and Mrs.) By Luis

Lost and Found

The Chapel has a growing collection of items left behind after Mass. If one is missing a missal, book, or other item, please see the new table in the cry room.

Father Jones’ Contact Info

If one has questions about the Chapel of the Little Flower, that are not related to one’s parish, please email Father Jones directly at: tlmchapel(at)rcdoc.org

Parish Bulletins Now Available at the Chapel

To help Chapel attendees/visitors stay connected with their parishes, the Chapel is providing Sunday bulletins from Saint Ann and Saint Thomas Aquinas parishes.

Mass intentions for the Chapel of the Little Flower

Mass intentions have now been filled through February and new Masses are currently unavailable. The Mass intentions book will be reopened sometime in February for the Spring Masses.



General Announcements

Prince of Peace Parish Winter Storm Announcement – Due to the winter storm, per the parish website, no public Masses will be offered on Sunday January 25 at Prince of Peace Church in Taylors, SC.

Book Announcement: Meditations on the Litany of Humility – Local publisher Sensus Fidelium Press has released an enriching new book on the Litany of Humility according to the writings of the saints. Meditations on the Litany of Humility: From the Examples of the Saints unpacks this important litany through the examples and words of the saints themselves who practiced this foundational virtue. Sensus Fidelium Press and Sensus Fidelium, are run by local parishioner, Steve Cunningham. To order your copy, click here.

(NEW) Has Sensus Fidelium Helped Grow Your Faith? – Sensus Fidelium, the online traditional Catholic apostolate run by local parishioner Steve Cunningham has helped many grow in their faith through its rich traditional Catholic content (we link to it each week). If it has helped you grow in your faith, might you consider supporting their fundraising campaign with a tax-deductible gift to help them expand their reach and share the perennial Church teachings to more souls? Click here to support them.

(NEW) Traditional Carmelite Lenten Enrollment – Lent is approaching and the Discalced Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel invite the faithful to enroll their family and friends in this annual Lenten Enrollment. The Hermits will be offering the following for the benefit of those enrolled:

  • 40 Traditional Latin Masses celebrated according to the Carmelite Rite;
  • 40 days of prayer according to the Divine Office, as well as other daily prayers; and
  • 40 days of fasting and penance.

Intentions can be for the living or deceased. There is no charge for enrollment, but the Discalced Hermits survive entirely on alms received from the laity to support their apostolate. Please remember the Hermits in your almsgiving during the Season of Lent.

The deadline to enroll is Tuesday February 17, the day before Ash Wednesday. To enroll in the Lenten Enrollment, click here.

Fr. Ripperger to Offer Lenten Mission at Saint Thomas Aquinas (March 6-7) – Saint Thomas Aquinas parish is blessed to welcome back Fr. Chad Ripperger, SMD, a priest and exorcist with the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother (the Doloran Fathers), to offer a Lenten Parish Mission in March. Father will offer the mission on Friday March 6 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday March 7 at 7:00 p.m. Please note: As noted last year, the conference is geared toward adults, and would not be appropriate for younger children. Childcare will be offered. Registration is required. To register click here.

Help Thy Neighbor – For those looking to help those struggling financially this time of year, Fr. Reid announced a link to the parish’s Help Thy Neighbor program, which helps families in need. To give, one can either write a check to St. Ann with "Help Thy Neighbor" in the memo line, or donate at the parish’s online link.

The FSSP 30-Day Novena to Our Lady thru February 11th – A thirty-day novena is underway in preparation for the renewal of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s (FSSP) consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in February. The novena consists of a daily Rosary and Memorare and concludes February 11 (Our Lady of Lourdes). Saint Ann parish has two parishioners at the FSSP’s seminary in Nebraska. Please consider praying this novena. To learn more click here.

Support Our Parishes – Father Reid noted that Saint Ann parish will bear much of the financial costs of keeping the Chapel of the Little Flower open and encourages our continued generosity (and our occasional visits!). Parishioners from other parishes should continue to support their own parish.

Rosary for the Traditional Latin Mass – A Rosary is offered for the restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass in the church on Sundays after the 11:30 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church.

Daily Holy Face Chaplet for Sacred Liturgy (perpetual novena) – For the preservation of the Traditional Latin Mass, it has been recommended to all friends of the sacred liturgy in the diocese to consider continually praying the powerful Holy Face chaplet, under the banner of Our Lady of the Holy Name. To pray the chaplet, please see this link.

Cardinal Burke’s Prayer for Pope Leo XIV – His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Burke has released a prayer for Pope Leo XIV. Please see the prayer at the links below and consider praying this daily for the Holy Father as he leads the Church. PDF copies can be accessed at these links: [English] [Español] [Latin]


Holy Face Devotions

Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus are offered each week at the following churches on the indicated days:

  • St. James (Concord) – Monday, 10-10:30 a.m. (in the cry room)
  • St. Mark – Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.
  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesday, 6:00 a.m.
  • St. Ann – Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. (following 7:00 a.m. Mass)
  • St. Michael the Archangel (Gastonia) – Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. (following 8:00 a.m. Mass)
  • St. Vincent de Paul – Tuesday, 8:40 a.m.
  • Holy Spirit (Denver) – Tuesday, 10-11:00 a.m. (following the 9:15 a.m. Mass)
  • Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country (Boone) – Third Tuesday, at 6:45 p.m. after Mass in the Youth Room
  • St. John the Baptist (Tryon) - First Saturday, 9:30 a.m. (after 8:30 a.m Mass)

Note: Days and times may be subject to change due to holidays.

“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth” (from Canticle to the Holy Face by Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who took the name in religion, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face).


Traditional Latin Mass and Liturgical News

  • A Monastic Revival in America? Two Monks Discuss Renewal in a Post-Christian Age (Video) by St. Michael and Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbeys (January 22, 2026). [A Monastic Revival in America]
  • New Church Architecture: St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina by Shawn Tribe, Liturgical Arts Journal (January 22, 2026). [Saint Catherine of Sienna Church]
  • The Two Feasts of St Peter’s Chair by Greg DiPippo, New Liturgical Movement (January 18, 2025). [Two Feasts]
  • Audience with Pope Leo XIV, Communiqué of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), January 20, 2026. [Audience with Pope Leo XIV]
  • Pope Leo XIV Meets FSSP Leaders Amid Visitation, ‘Traditionis Custodes’ Fallout by Edwin Pentin, National Catholic Register (January 20, 2026). [Pope Leo XIV Meets FSSP Leaders]
  • Pope Leo XIV proclaims Franciscan Jubilee Year by Almudena Martínez-Bordiú, EWTN News (January 12, 2026). [Franciscan Jubilee Year]
  • The Three Epiphanies of Our Lord (Feast of the Epiphany) by Dom Prosper Guéranger, The Liturgical Year. [Feast of the Epiphany]


Saints and Special Observances

The Conversion of St. Paul (January 25th) celebrates the extraordinary events surrounding the metamorphosis of Saul, the zealous persecutor of early Christians, into St. Paul, the man most responsible for the spread of Christianity throughout the world. As a young man, Saul had not only witnessed the stoning of the first martyr, the deacon Stephen; he had taken charge of the coats laid at his feet by those who took them off to cast their killing missiles. He stood by with stony indifference as Stephen called on Jesus to receive his soul and spoke his last words of surpassing forgiveness: “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”

Saul studied under the renowned rabbinical teacher, Gamaliel, a leader among the Pharisees and a member of the Sanhedrin. On track for a notable career himself, “Saul, as yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” approached the high priest seeking letters of introduction to the synagogues in Damascus. His plan was to hunt down followers of Jesus and bring them back bound to Jerusalem for trial and punishment. Permission granted, the zealous young Jew set out for the Syrian city in search of prey.

But something happened on the road to Damascus—something that changed Saul and changed the world. As he was nearing the city, he suddenly found himself surrounded by an intensely bright light shining down from heaven. “And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me!” Saul asked, “Who art thou, Lord?” And the voice replied, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.”

This was but the beginning of the most spectacular and consequential conversion in the history of Christianity.

Awestruck, Saul asked the Lord what he wanted him to do, and Jesus told him to get up and go into the city where he would receive further instructions. The problem was that the heavenly radiance that had engulfed him and driven him to the ground had left him blind. His companions, who had understood little, if anything, of what had happened in their presence, found it necessary to take Saul by the hand and lead him into Damascus. Lost in the dark of his sudden sightlessness, and overwhelmed by his encounter with Christ on the road, Saul spent three days in prayer, neither eating nor drinking the whole time.

There was a follower of Christ in Damascus named Ananias to whom the Lord appeared in a vision, telling him, “Arise and go into the street that is called Strait, and seek in the house of Judas, one named Saul of Tarsus. For behold he prayeth.” And as he prayed, Saul saw a man named Ananias coming to him and laying hands upon him in order to restore his sight. Ananias was understandably reluctant to take on the task, being fearful of the man whose reputation had preceded him. He knew that Saul had come to Damascus to seek out and arrest followers of Christ and carry them bound to Jerusalem to be interrogated by the Jewish authorities. But the Lord told him again to go, saying that he had selected Saul to proclaim his name “before the Gentiles, and kings, and children of Israel. For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

So it was that Ananias sought the street called Strait and found the house of Judas, and going in he laid hands on the blind man, saying, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus hath sent me, he that appeared to thee in the way as thou camest; that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.” And immediately his vision was restored, and Saul rose up and was baptized. He remained in Damascus for some days, preaching that Christ was the Son of God in the synagogues he had planned to visit on a very different mission.

According to his own account in the Epistle to the Galatians, rather than return to Jerusalem, Saul withdrew into Arabia where he fasted and prayed in preparation for the work he was to undertake. It was only after three years that he went back to Jerusalem to introduce himself to Peter and James, the “brother” of Jesus, before setting out on his first monumental journey of evangelization: now not Saul but Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Note: All quotations are from the Gospel reading for the Conversion of St. Paul (Acts 9:1-22).

Liturgical note: This feast day is commemorated thirty days after Christmas, on January 25, however it is suppressed on years – like this year – when it falls on a Sunday.


Closing Commentary

In closing, we share a commentary extracted from The Liturgical Year of Dom Prosper Guéranger on “Third Sunday after Epiphany.” A link to the full text of the great liturgist’s commentary follows the extract.


Third Sunday after Epiphany

The human race was infected with the leprosy of sin: the Son of God touches it by the mystery of the Incarnation, and restores it to health. But he requires that the sick man, now that he is healed, shall go and show himself to the Priest, and comply with the ceremonies prescribed by the law; and this to show that he allows a human priesthood to cooperate in the work of our salvation. The vocation of the Gentiles, of which the Magi were the first fruits, is again brought before us in the faith of the Centurion. A Roman Soldier, and millions like him, shall be reputed as true children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; while they who are the sons of this Patriarch according to the flesh, shall be cast out from the feast chamber into the gloom of blindness; and their punishment shall be given as a spectacle to the whole earth.

Let men, then, saved as he has been by the coming of the Emmanuel, sing a hymn of praise to the power of the God who has wrought our salvation by the strength of his almighty arm. Man had been sentenced to death; but now that he has God for a Brother, he shall not die: he will live: and could he spend his life better than in praising the works of this God that has saved him? [The Third Sunday after the Epiphany]

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To Our Readers and All Friends of the Latin Mass: May you be abundantly blessed by God in this joyous season of Christmas.