Dear Family!

Every year we observe Religious Freedom Week. This year we observe it from June 22nd to 29th. It begins with the feast day of Saint Thomas More and Saint John Fisher (Both on the 22nd of June) and we also celebrate the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on the 24th of June (the only other birthdays we celebrate in the Catholic Church are the birth of our Lord and our Blessed Mother) and end with the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. If we look at all these personalities it is obvious why we are observing Religious Freedom Week.

Dear Family!

Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers, grandfathers, Godfathers, and priests! I thank all of you for your support and prayers to Deacon Enock on his 25th anniversary of his Diaconate. We had a special thanksgiving mass for him last week at 11am and I thank all the volunteers in preparing for his reception. We were glad for Deacon Enock’s family for their participation and thanking God for Deacon Enock’s continued service and ministry to our parish.

Dear Family!

A wise priest once said, “when man stands before the throne of God... all joy is restored, then there is nothing else for him to offer but to give thanks. Hence, the Eucharist or “thanksgiving” is the state of the perfect man. The Eucharist is the life of Paradise.”

Eucharist the only thing that draws us all to the church - it is rightly called the Source and Summit. 2nd Vatican taught us that Christ is revealed in the Eucharist. It is the power of the other that helps us to build the church in the Name of Jesus. We are never to imagine Christ acting as an isolated individual; the church is always associated with him, ‘clustered around him.’ We see the close bond between the Church and the Eucharist.

Pope Benedict taught that the Church is the celebration of the Eucharist; the Eucharist is the Church; they do not simply stand side by side; they are one and the same; it is from there that everything else radiates.

Dear Family!

Happy Trinity Sunday to all of you! The Doctrine of Trinity is called a ‘mystery’ because this truth can never been known by reason alone. Only God can reveal the truth to us (CCC 261). The Doctrine of Trinity is not unique to Christianity: it transcends all religion and is a key ingredient of universal life and culture (Diarmuid Murchu). The Trimoorthy of Hinduism, the Buddhist doctrine of the three bodies, the Zoroastrian triplicate of Zurvan, the Egyptian cult of Isis, Seraphis and the divine child Horus and some thirty thousand years of traditional Trinitarian worship in the prehistoric times all point to the same One God seen in three persons.

Dear Family! Happy Pentecost Sunday to all of you! Christians or the ‘People of the Way’ from the beginning, believed in the doctrine of the Trinity with unhesitating faith. As Saint Augustine taught us, “Every measure of Christian progress comes through a spiritual and reasoned understanding of the Trinity,” knowledge and the centrality of Pentecost is crucial for all Christians. Jesus as the Christ (Messiah) can only be understood within the realm of the Spirit (Anointed with the Spirit).

Dear Family!

The monthly Talks and Sharing of Faith commenced with a great response. Thank you for your participation. I saw people coming from other parishes and actively involving themselves in the sharing of faith. The 72 Disciples ministry has done a great service to our parish family in organizing the event well. Our sincere thanks to the all the volunteers who are part of different ministries within the 72 Disciples. I urge you to try it at least once - come and join the talks. Our next talk will be on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14th at 6:30pm. Please come to Mercy Hall and enjoy getting to know each other and Monsignor Gregory Malovetz will be enlightening us on ‘Eucharist and the Second Vatican Council.’

Dear Family!

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers! We began our Marian Month on the 1st of May. My best wishes to our children who have received their First Holy Communion and also thank them for their participation in honoring our Blessed Mother last Sunday with the May Crowning ceremony. My sincere thanks to Escarlen Duran, Diane Volk, Sr. Ellen, Jo-Ann Scott, Mrs. Caligiuri and all the volunteers who have prepared our children for this important Sacrament. A special thanks to the family, especially the parents for their generosity and faith in preparing our children for the Sacrament.

Dear Family!

My sincere thanks to Escarlen Duran, Diane Volk and Joanne Scott for their dedicated service in training our children for their First Holy Communion. Last Saturday we had 17 children receiving Holy Communion and this Saturday we have 18 children receiving their Holy Communion. We thank the parents, God-Parents, Grandparents, and all family members in making these celebrations.

Dear Family!

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally known as ‘The Good Shepherd Sunday.’ All three years (A, B & C) we read from the same parable (John 10). The sacred writers of the Old Testament beautifully presented God (Holy Name of God) as the Good Shepherd and in the sacred writers of the New Testament presented Jesus as the Good Shepherd since they perfectly understood and believed that Jesus is the incarnation of God the Father, revealing us His identity by what he does as the Good Shepherd. In the same way ‘the sheep’ or ‘the flock’ are the land and people of Israel in the Old Testament and ‘The Church’ in the New Testament.

Dear Family!

We are witnesses! This is the theme we reflect and pray about this third Sunday of Easter. Every age has seen its own witnessing spirit of Christians after the Resurrection of Jesus. The word ‘Martyr’ in Greek means one who bears witness (to Christ). This was the standard in which the witnessing spirit was lived out in the early church. Witnessing spirit ranges from inflicting pain on oneself to extreme measures of penance in the early church. The middle ages saw the ascent of the spiritual journey, the dark night of the soul, radical Religious Life in poverty, chastity, and obedience. What is the nature of today’s witnessing?

Dear Family!

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday to all of you! As I shared with you in my Easter Vigil homily encouraging new members of our parish family, the National Eucharistic Revival ministry has organized a seven-week reflection series every Thursday from Divine Mercy Sunday to Pentecost, April 13 to May 25.

Seven prominent Catholics are writing articles for the series: Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of Indianapolis; Sister Maria Miguel Wright of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist; biblical scholar and author Jeff Cavins; Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle; Canadian priest and author Father Harrison Ayre; Kately Javier, coordinator for Adult Formation and Hispanic catechesis for the Washington Archdiocese; and Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Dear Family!

I wish you all a wonderful, grace-filled Easter! As this is the most important day for the Church, let us be mindful of the essence of what we believe! “Because Easter Sunday is the commemoration of Christ’s Resurrection, this day is the greatest solemnity of the liturgical year” (CCC 1169).

Dear Family!

First of all, a word about Church’s instruction on veiling of statues and images - this is what the Roman Missal teaches us: “In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from [the fifth] Sunday [of Lent] may be observed. Crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, but images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.” The Church recommends this practice to ‘heighten our senses’ and build within us a longing for Easter Sunday. This tradition can further be practiced at home - you could also cover the statues and images that are at home!