Summer Plans for Our Parish
It has been just three weeks since our school has closed for the summer and the parish facilities have quieted down considerably. I miss seeing and hearing our children in the classrooms, corridors and schoolyard – they are so full of life and vitality! We all know how fortunate we are to have such a vibrant school and I want to take this opportunity to thank our principal, Bud Tosti, and the entire school staff for keeping our school open and in-person this past year; both our students and their [...]
UNDERSTANDING TRUE FREEDOM BEFORE GOD
“Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty works have been wrought by his hands?” (Mk. 6:2b) As we celebrate Independence Day this weekend, we rejoice in the freedom God has provided all of us in this country as the result of a hard battle against an oppressive and unjust regime. We hear throughout the gospels that God’s love is to be shared equally with all people, especially the abandoned, the forgotten, the neglected and the oppressed. After Jesus removes an [...]
Go Back to Mass – Bishop Barron Video
I'm delighted to see so many of you returning to church for Sunday Mass; it's so important for us as faithful individuals and as a community of faith! For the few of you who have not yet returned, I offer you this short but very informational video from Bishop Robert Barron. I hope it will inspire you to join us in person and look forward to seeing you in church! Msgr. Brouwers
USCCB Press Release
As you have probably read or heard on the news, the U.S. bishops have been engaged over the past several months in a sometimes heated debate regarding the Eucharist and who should be receiving it. Abp. Jose Gomez, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, provided a press release last week; it includes a statement from him and Q and A on the issue. Although it appears to me to be a bit of damage control and an attempt to rewrite the story, I offer it for your reflection. [...]
FAREWELL AND GOD BLESS MSGR. CARROLL
“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4) Seventeen years ago, Msgr. Carroll retired as pastor of St. Hilary of Poitiers parish, Rydal, PA, and Msgr. Jagodzinski invited him to come here as a senior priest. This is a designation given to a priest who has reached the age of 70 and is able to continue serving but is no longer required to be involved in administrative duties. Five years later, having reached the canonical retirement age, Msgr. Carroll chose to stay here, celebrating Sunday [...]
THE MOST HOLY TRINITY (Year B)
Deuteronomy 4:32 – 34, 39 – 40 We have returned to Ordinary Time, that is, time ordered according to God’s plan for our salvation. As we do so, the Church has offered us over these next two Sundays the opportunity to reflect on two very important aspects of our faith: the Blessed Trinity and The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. These are two fundamental beliefs that inform everything else we believe about God. This Sunday, we focus on the mystery of the Holy Trinity. As we read in [...]