7th Sunday of Easter
A few months ago, I had the singular privilege of a private meeting with Pope Francis. We were a small group of pastors, composed largely of non-Catholics. The Holy Father wished to discuss our work for Christian unity. The phrase I remember him saying with greatest frequency was: Tutti dentro. It means, “Everyone in.” He clearly wanted us to emphasize that the Church is made for the whole human race, not a select few. At the center of his concern was unity. We are all brothers and sisters, he said multiple times. The Church’s primary longing is for everyone to join Her. This longing is at the heart of this Ascension feast day. We hear the longest recorded prayer of the one whom Pope Francis represents. Jesus’ concern is unity, praying to the Father, “that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:11). The deep unity of all people in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit is what Jesus most desires. It is what He ascends to accomplish. Do we have this same burning desire in our hearts, too? Or do we see Christian unity as an unrealizable dream? Or worse, as something that threatens our own narrow tribal interests? This feast is a wonderful time to consider our attitude toward Christian unity, and to commit to do whatever we can to foster it. It is the Pope’s desire because it is that of Jesus — and it should be ours, too. — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. According to Webster’s dictionary the definition of a mother is as follows:
1. a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth.
2. give birth to.
The above definition is accurate but does not really cover what it means to be a mother for many are mothers without ever giving birth. To truly be a mother in my opinion means you must be loving, caring, nurturing, guiding, educating with the best interest of the other in your heart. I have been blessed in my life not with just a mother who gave me birth and filled the above outlined role perfectly and still does today, but I also was blessed with teachers, friends, and co-workers who also acted like mothers toward me in my lifetime. They looked out for my best interests even when I failed to do so myself. They worked with my mother and filled in for my mother when she could not be there, for example when I was away in N.H. attending Franklin Pierce University – with my mother over 300 miles away I had others that gave me the advice she would give and gave me the guidance she would give to keep me on the correct path. Let us remember on this Mother’s Day to thank God and thank all those who have loved us and treated us as if they were our mothers which would include our Blessed Mother in heaven. I wish all of you who are mothers or fill the role of mother a very happy and grace filled Mother’s Day.
God Bless you and have a wonderful week, Fr. Michael
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SCRIPTURAL REFLECTIONS ON STEWARDSHIP
“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”
How strong is your faith? When you have an opportunity to either defend or clarify a question about our Catholic faith, do you do it? Or, do you remain silent so that others don’t think you are weird? Pray for the courage to be strong in all circumstances and to joyfully share your witness with others.
PRAYER REQUESTS
That God will relieve their suffering and restore them to health. Please pray for Please pray for: Kellie Salata, Kelly Chinchar, Jessica, Daniel Breslin, Stanley, Helen Traina, Joseph Marrone, Bill Marshall, Anthony, Michael, Joseph, Jessica Esopo, William, Steve, Audra, Bernadette, James Weiss, Baby Ford, Rosemary Malangone, Elizabeth Malangone, Sue West, Danny, Colleen Emery, Richard, Joan Russo, Christina Martin, Mornia Evans, Valerie Valverde, Diana McGuckin, Pat Peterson, Manny Scarangella.
Please consider sponsoring our Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, and the oil for the Sanctuary Lamp.
The gift of Bread & Wine for the first two weeks of May has been given in memory of Cecelia & George Furman & Bertha Nemec by Mr. & Mrs. George Furman. The second two weeks have been given in memory of Jerry, Mary, Antonia & Michael D’Alessio by Rose D’Alessio.
The gift of Altar Flowers for the second two weeks of May have been given in memory of Lenny Falato by his family.
The gift of the Sanctuary Lamp for the first two weeks of May has been given in memory of Maria & Michele Totaro by Maria & Nicola Totaro. The second two weeks have been given in memory of the Deceased Members of the Camacho Family by the Family.
We appreciate and are very thankful to all our parishioners and friends who continuously support our church. God bless us all.
To all our Lectors and Catechists or Religious Education Teachers, thank you very much. God bless you all!
Thanks to Rose and Lenny Sunga for the orchids and to the Sanzari Family for the altar flowers and to all who help and support our church.
Opportunities for Parish Support
There are several ways you can help support our parish and honor loved ones at the same time. As you may have noticed on the first Sunday of every month in our bulletin, we thank the donors of our Altar Gifts. You can donate the Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, or the Sanctuary Lamp in a two-week block for $50 in someone’s memory. We have blocks open for this year. We also need to purchase a new Easter candle each year (the tall candle on the altar) for $300-$400 which can also be donated in someone’s memory. You do not have to fund the entire amount, anything you wish to donate towards the purchase of our Easter candle is appreciated. We also have masses available for your intentions. If you wish to honor someone in any of these ways, please call the rectory.
Prayer for our Nation
God our Father, giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for your glory and dwell among your people. Send your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation’s leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing your will. Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, patroness of our land, grant us the courage to reject the “culture of death.” Lead us into a new millennium of life. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Praying the ROSARY
The Rosary is a meditation, a time to recall and think about the life of Jesus as seen and experienced by Mary. As the model of faith, Mary’s life sets a pattern that we strive to follow: saying ‘yes’ to God’s will in our lives and sharing His love and message with others. The Mysteries of the Rosary form a mini lesson of faith, using the highlights and significant moments of the life of Jesus. Like paging through a family scrapbook, we see in brief the events of salvation history that are the core of our belief and the hope of our eternal life.
OUR ADVERTISERS OF THE WEEK
WE NEED BULLETIN ADVERTISERS!!
We would like to thank all the advertisers who have supported us throughout the past year. Our parish benefits greatly from the ads you see in the bulletin. The revenue pays for the printing which is an important means of communication for the parish. If we do not have enough advertisers, the cost of our bulletin goes up. We thank the local businesses that advertise with us especially in these tough economic times. We have some spaces on the back of our bulletin that need filling so if you would like to advertise your business as well as benefit your church, please contact John Patrick Publishing at 1-800-333-3166.
Please support our advertisers at the back cover of bulletin.
***CALENDAR IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE***