From the Pastor
April/22/2010
It is with a real sense of sadness that we extend our sympathy to our Bishop Barbarito on the death of his mother, Anna Marie, who died on Saturday, April 17th, and was buried this past week in Brooklyn. She had bravely fought cancer these last few years of her life, and now, God has called her home to be with Him after a very beautiful life that included daily Mass and Holy Communion. May she enjoy happiness with the Lord and her husband forever, and may our Bishop and his sister and her family be consoled that God really loves His faithful followers!
This Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday, a.k.a., The World Day of Prayer for Vocations. It is set aside for us to pray in a special way for more vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life. In this Year for Priests, we pray even more intensely that God will raise up from among us more good and faithful people to answer his call to serve as one of His Priests. Once they are called, we pray that they may be guided throughout their life of service and not succumb to the power of the Evil One. We also join in asking God to extend the call to for more to become Religious Brothers and Sisters and Permanent Deacons.
Perhaps an invitation from you to your children or other members of your family who are open to God’s call to serve Him and His people in one of these capacities will cause them to think and open their hearts to the possibilities of sharing God’s love with a world in need of that love. If you qualify and are considering the possibilities that God is calling you to try out the seminary or convent to discern whether to are being called to serve Him in religious life, remember the words of a famous manufacturer: “Just do it!” Remember, the seminary or convent is a place of discernment; you will not be ordained or professed in solemn vows for many years. There, you are just given ample opportunity over several years to explore the possibility of a call to priesthood or religious life.
Speaking of shepherds, we extend congratulations to Archbishop-elect Thomas Wenski, a priest-son of Palm Beach County, who has just been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to head the Archdiocese of Miami, which is the largest diocese south of Philadelphia and east of Huston. I just had dinner with him at his Orlando home ten days ago, and you would have thought he was the proverbial “cat that swallowed the canary.” The Archbishop served most of his priesthood in the Miami area before he was named six years ago to head the rapidly expanding diocese of Orlando. The 59-year old son of a Polish-immigrant father and Polish-American mother, he is well suited to lead the Miami-area Catholics, as he speaks fluent Haitian Creole, Spanish, English and a decent amount of Polish.
The enormous task that lies ahead of him will require a lot of energy and even more prayer, so please include this native son of our area in your prayers so that he will be a good shepherd. And, please don’t take any negative publicity in the media at face-value; they love to stir up controversy even where it doesn’t really exist. Yes, the devil has his minions at work, even when they may not realize he is using them.
Next Sunday, May 2nd, the Diocese of Palm Beach will celebrate our annual Marian Rosary Festival, beginning
at 2:00 p.m. at Emmanuel Parish. Once again, our own Bishop Barbarito has accepted the invitation to celebrate the devotions honoring Mary, the Mother of Our God. Events will include the procession of various Marian images, the recitation of the Rosary, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The Knights of Columbus, parish chapters of the CCW, and Rosary groups from throughout our diocese are welcome to join in this celebration, followed by a multi-cultural fiesta of food and entertainment provided by different ethnic groups participating in the festival. You and your family are invited to honor Mary, too, with your prayer, and mark the beginning of Mary’s month of May.
On Saturday, May 8th, our little children, who have been preparing this year for their First Holy Communion, will receive Jesus at their special Mass at 10:30 a.m. I thank the teachers of religion and the parents of these children who have brought them to this point of their lives, most especially by the good example they have given through lives of volunteer service and deepened prayer. May they continue to show their faithfulness by teaching our children receive the Lord often in the Eucharist, attending Mass each and every Sunday as a means of growing
stronger in the spiritual life through this Bread of Angels.
There is a special notice in this week’s bulletin about our opening of a second counseling center on campus (the first is the diocesan-sponsored Catholic Charities Counseling office in the old convent, above the Parish Gift Shop). The new one is called Divine Mercy Healing and Counseling Center. Please check its announcement elsewhere in this bulletin. God bless you!
Very Rev. Canon Tom
This Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday, a.k.a., The World Day of Prayer for Vocations. It is set aside for us to pray in a special way for more vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life. In this Year for Priests, we pray even more intensely that God will raise up from among us more good and faithful people to answer his call to serve as one of His Priests. Once they are called, we pray that they may be guided throughout their life of service and not succumb to the power of the Evil One. We also join in asking God to extend the call to for more to become Religious Brothers and Sisters and Permanent Deacons.
Perhaps an invitation from you to your children or other members of your family who are open to God’s call to serve Him and His people in one of these capacities will cause them to think and open their hearts to the possibilities of sharing God’s love with a world in need of that love. If you qualify and are considering the possibilities that God is calling you to try out the seminary or convent to discern whether to are being called to serve Him in religious life, remember the words of a famous manufacturer: “Just do it!” Remember, the seminary or convent is a place of discernment; you will not be ordained or professed in solemn vows for many years. There, you are just given ample opportunity over several years to explore the possibility of a call to priesthood or religious life.
Speaking of shepherds, we extend congratulations to Archbishop-elect Thomas Wenski, a priest-son of Palm Beach County, who has just been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to head the Archdiocese of Miami, which is the largest diocese south of Philadelphia and east of Huston. I just had dinner with him at his Orlando home ten days ago, and you would have thought he was the proverbial “cat that swallowed the canary.” The Archbishop served most of his priesthood in the Miami area before he was named six years ago to head the rapidly expanding diocese of Orlando. The 59-year old son of a Polish-immigrant father and Polish-American mother, he is well suited to lead the Miami-area Catholics, as he speaks fluent Haitian Creole, Spanish, English and a decent amount of Polish.
The enormous task that lies ahead of him will require a lot of energy and even more prayer, so please include this native son of our area in your prayers so that he will be a good shepherd. And, please don’t take any negative publicity in the media at face-value; they love to stir up controversy even where it doesn’t really exist. Yes, the devil has his minions at work, even when they may not realize he is using them.
Next Sunday, May 2nd, the Diocese of Palm Beach will celebrate our annual Marian Rosary Festival, beginning
at 2:00 p.m. at Emmanuel Parish. Once again, our own Bishop Barbarito has accepted the invitation to celebrate the devotions honoring Mary, the Mother of Our God. Events will include the procession of various Marian images, the recitation of the Rosary, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The Knights of Columbus, parish chapters of the CCW, and Rosary groups from throughout our diocese are welcome to join in this celebration, followed by a multi-cultural fiesta of food and entertainment provided by different ethnic groups participating in the festival. You and your family are invited to honor Mary, too, with your prayer, and mark the beginning of Mary’s month of May.
On Saturday, May 8th, our little children, who have been preparing this year for their First Holy Communion, will receive Jesus at their special Mass at 10:30 a.m. I thank the teachers of religion and the parents of these children who have brought them to this point of their lives, most especially by the good example they have given through lives of volunteer service and deepened prayer. May they continue to show their faithfulness by teaching our children receive the Lord often in the Eucharist, attending Mass each and every Sunday as a means of growing
stronger in the spiritual life through this Bread of Angels.
There is a special notice in this week’s bulletin about our opening of a second counseling center on campus (the first is the diocesan-sponsored Catholic Charities Counseling office in the old convent, above the Parish Gift Shop). The new one is called Divine Mercy Healing and Counseling Center. Please check its announcement elsewhere in this bulletin. God bless you!
Very Rev. Canon Tom