Dear Parishioners,

Time just seems to be flying right by us! We have come to the last Sunday of July. As we continue to persevere though this pandemic, we must always thank Almighty God for the graces and blessings that he has bestowed upon us. We also thank God for the gift of his creation. We have had some increasingly warm weather this week, but it’s all a gift from the creator of the universe. In today’s gospel we hear Jesus give us another parable about the Kingdom of heaven. He compares it to a pearl that one finds in a field. I would go so far as to say that we are that shiny pearl here in Bedford Stuyvesant. As disciples of the Lord Jesus, we continue to build up the Kingdom of God right here and now. St. Paul reminds us in today’s second reading that all things work for good for those who love God. All the work we do here at St. Martin de Porres Parish is for the good. We have done such good work here and we will continue to keep that up, all with God’s grace of course. It is my prayer every day that the good work we do here at this parish will give honor and glory to God our Father.

As I mentioned last week at the Masses that I celebrated, I want to thank all of you for your cooperation in fulfilling the guidelines outlined by the Diocese of Brooklyn and New York State as you came back to Church for Mass. There were no problems at all! Thank you for your patience and understanding as we begin to embrace this “new normal” for worship. We want to ensure the safety and good health of each person that walks though the doors of our churches. Please continue to follow those guidelines and practice social distancing. As always, I will continue to keep all of you updated as we move through the phases here in New York State.

Parish Calendar 2020-2021

In normal circumstances, our parish calendar would have already been finalized and distributed to the parish community. Because we are still in the midst of this pandemic, it would be imprudent for us to plan activities and social gatherings. Just this past Saturday, I met with some of the parish heads of societies to place essential activities of dates on the parish calendar. It is my hope that sometime in the Fall, I will call a meeting with all heads of parish societies and groups to plan for the upcoming Pastoral Year 2020-2021. I would safely say that all social gatherings planned for the Fall must be postponed to the Spring or next year. We will know more information about in the upcoming weeks.

Celebration of the Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation

Because of Covid-19, we were unable to celebrate the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation with our young people. We are in the process of dialoging with families to see when we will be able to celebrate these important sacraments. I will keep all of you updated as to when this will occur.

Wishing all of you a peaceful and blessed week,

Father Alonzo Q. Cox