Dear Parishioners,
As we rapidly move through the month of October, we continue to give thanks and praise to God for the many blessings and graces that he has bestowed upon us and his Church. A parishioner told me after Mass last Sunday that days just seem to blend in with one another. It may seem that the effects of the coronavirus has made us think that way. We continue to ask ourselves what the new “normal” looks like? Ultimately, Christ remains the same yesterday, today and forever. We must never forget that. We hear so beautifully in today’s second reading from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, that we must endure in hope. St. Paul tells us that the Gospel did not come in word alone but in power and in the Holy Spirit with conviction. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to move us, not focusing on what the new “normal” will look like, but allowing our minds, hearts and souls to be rooted in Christ Jesus.
Annual Catholic Appeal 2020 & Parish Stewardship Program
Over these last two weekends, I had the opportunity to speak at the Masses about this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal. I thank each of you again for your continued generosity in contributing the ACA each year. Our parish goal is $65,024. To this date we have pledged $19,524 from 69 parishioners. Since returning back to Mass after the lockdown, we have been averaging about 300 people in attendance total from each of our three churches. The key to having a successful ACA is participation. If each family from our parish participated, contributing any gift that they can, we will be able to make our goal by January 2021. We as a parish have also been asked to participate in the Parish Stewardship Program. It is a completely separate entity from the ACA. The objective of the Parish Stewardship Program is to get better at connecting with parishioners, making it easier for you to connect with our faith community and help sustain our parish financially. You will be seeing much more in the bulletin and hearing from me and other parishioners about our Parish Stewardship Program.
Feast of St. Martin de Porres
We will celebrate as a parish community the Feast Day of St. Martin de Porres. It will take place on Sunday, November 8 beginning at 10:30AM at Our Lady of Victory Church. As is the custom, only one Mass will be celebrated that day. Masses will not be celebrated at Holy Rosary or St. Peter Claver churches. There will be the Saturday night vigil Mass at 5:00PM on Saturday November 7 at St. Peter Claver Church. This year we will welcome His Excellency Most Reverend Witold Mroziewski as the Main Celebrant and Homilist. Bishop Witold is one of the Auxiliary Bishops of the Diocese of Brooklyn and serves as Pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Maspeth. We look forward to welcoming him to our parish.
Covid19 Restrictions
I want to remind you that we are still following the restrictions and guidelines set forth for places of worship in New York State. Please continue to wear your face masks while in church. Be sure to practice social distancing and to sanitize your hands when you come into church and when you leave.
Wishing you a peaceful and blessed week,
Father Alonzo Q. Cox