From the Parochial Vicar’s Desk
Dear Parishioners,
It is good to be back! Permit me to use this platform to thank you immensely for your prayers during my long European tour, where I attended some conferences and met some friends around Europe. I had my first conference in Rome with an intense, nay scorching heatwave ravaging significant parts of Europe. Despite the fierce weather, I had the opportunity after the conference to visit some priest friends in the Netherlands and celebrated my 15th priestly anniversary in Germany with the unique set of priests ordained on 07/07/07. Speaking about heat waves, can you imagine a world without fire or light? That sounds like the original state of the cosmos before creation. According to the book of Genesis (1:1-2), “…the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, with a divine wind sweeping over the waters. Then God said, let there be light, and there was light’.” That light became the good that illumined the evil that was the darkness. Against this backdrop, the readings for this weekend draw attention to how we can become the light in this dark world. Can you imagine a world without good (wo)men with the fire of perfection and a sense of order? That will be cataclysmic, like the picture painted about the original State of Nature described by Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan, “life would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
To guard against the tendency to degenerate to that level of a state of nature, we need good (wo)men like Jeremiah (Jer. 38:4-6,8-10), we need to resist sin to the point of shedding blood (Heb. 12:1-4), and we need to radiate like light/fire in telling the truth if we have the hopes of saving our society (Lk. 12:49-53). Long story short, we need to be prophets. At any rate, William Barclay describes a prophet as one who has “God’s wisdom in his mind, God’s courage in his heart, and God’s truth on his lips.”
Just so you know, I ended my European trip with a three-week program in Porto, culminating in the visit to the Pilgrimage Site of Fatima, where I had the opportunity to wrap things up by praying and lighting candles for all of you at the Sanctuary of our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima in Portugal. It was my first time in that beautiful pilgrimage site of our Blessed Mother’s appearance in 1917. With that, I feel confident that God will continue to bless every one of you.
The Repose of the Soul of Susana Gyamfi Konadu
On a sad note, we regret to announce the sudden departure of Mrs. Susana Gyamfi Konadu, the mother of our beloved Fr. Bonsu, our summer priest. Mrs. Konadu died in Ghana this Monday. Please pray for her peaceful repose, for Fr. Bonsu, and the consolation of their family and friends.
Annual Catholic Appeal
Once again want to thank all of you who have made a pledge to this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal. As you know, monies that are raised through the appeal go to help support the work of the Diocese of Brooklyn, such as Catholic Charities, Catholic Migration Services and Vocations to the Priesthood. Each parish is assigned a goal to raise throughout the year. Or goal here at St. Martin de Porres is $63,586. We have pledged to date $35,252. The key to having a successful campaign is 100% participation. If every family in our parish made a pledge, we would definitely make our goal and even go over it. Any monies that are received over the goal comes directly back to the parish. If you have not yet made a pledge, please consider doing so. Thank you all for you your generosity.
Have a joyful and peaceful week,
Fr. Franklin Ezeorah