Category: From the Pastor’s Desk

From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Parishioners,

Today we celebrate as a parish family the memorial of our patron, St. Martin de Porres. His actual feast day is November 3, but because of the NYC Marathon last Sunday, it would have been a bit hectic gathering everyone from each of our three churches for the one parish Mass at Our Lady of Victory. We are blessed to have an image of St. Martin de Porres at each of our three beautiful churches. St. Martin was a born to a Spanish father and a Black mother who was a slave. He became a lay Dominican Brother and devoted his life to serving the poor and needy. Since the canonical merger of our three churches, St. Martin de Porres has been an example to us of faith, courage and hope. We continue to ask his powerful intercession upon us to be faithful and holy witnesses of Christ the Lord. We welcome Father Frank Black, Pastor of St. Matthew parish and Dean of our Deanery as the main celebrant and homilist for our Mass. Our gospel today depicts the second coming of Christ. We know neither the day nor the hour, but we must be ready to welcome the Lord Jesus. Let us pray that Christ will continue to shed his love and mercy upon our parish community here in Bedford Stuyvesant. Continue reading “November 14, 2021” →

From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Parishioners,

Today’s gospel depicts this poor widow, who gave just two small coins to contribute to the treasury. Jesus acknowledges this woman as an example of tremendous faith, giving the little that she had to fulfill her duty. With only two small coins amounting to a few cents, this woman gave more than the other wealthy people who contributed from their surplus. The Lord is showing us that no matter what we may have, he wants us to give ourselves completely to him. We are the Lords, and we belong to him. We pray every day that our lives will forever and always be rooted in him. Jesus reminds us that we don’t need places of honor or accolades, but only that we give of ourselves for the honor and glory of God. Continue reading “November 7, 2021” →

From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Parishioners,

Today, in addition to it being the 31^st Sunday in Ordinary Time, it is also Halloween! Halloween has become one of the most popular “holidays” most especially amongst young children. I can remember as a kid growing up taking much effort in figuring out what I wanted to wear as a costume for Halloween. My nieces and nephews host Halloween parties for their friends, where the only admission to the party is that you are in a costume. The commercialization of Halloween has become associated with demons, goblins and ghosts. Halloween has a Christian origin though. Halloween is known as All-Hallows Eve, as tomorrow, November 1^st is All Saint’s Day. Centuries ago, young children would dress up as popular saints on October 31 to honor the saints of the Catholic Church. Many of our Catholic schools have kept this tradition of students dressing as saints. On this Halloween, may we continue to call upon the intercession of the saints in heaven as we strive to live our lives as saints here on this earth.

All Saints Day and All Soul’s Day Mass Schedule

This Monday, November 1^st is All Saint’s Day. Because this solemnity falls on a Monday, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year. We will though have Mass celebrated at each of the three churches, 9:00AM at Holy Rosary, 12:00Noon at St. Peter Claver and 7:30PM at Our Lady of Victory Church. Please note that there will not be an 8:00AM Mass at Our Lady of Victory Church Monday morning. The next day, November 2^nd is All Soul’s Day. Masses again will be celebrated at each of the three churches, 9:00AM at Holy Rosary Church, 12:00Noon at St. Peter Claver Church and 7:30PM at Our Lady of Victory. Again, please note that there will not be an 8:00AM Mass at Our Lady of Victory on Tuesday morning. Continue reading “October 31, 2021” →

From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Parishioners,

October seems to be flying right by! As soon as you know it, the “holiday” season will be upon us. But let’s not go there yet! We still have a lot of the Fall season to enjoy. The liturgical calendar has several beautiful feasts and memorials, one of which is this Monday, October 18, which is the Feast of St. Luke. As you know, St. Luke is one of the four evangelists who authored the Gospels. Each of the evangelists gives a unique contribution to sacred scripture. St. Luke gives us a beautiful Marian synopsis of the gospels. One of his focus points was the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is in his gospel that we have the Magnificat, as Mary proclaims the greatness of the Lord. Through the powerful intercession of St. Luke, may we continue to encounter the love and mercy of Christ the great High Priest. Continue reading “October 24, 2021” →

From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Parishioners,

October seems to be flying right by! As soon as you know it, the “holiday” season will be upon us. But let’s not go there yet! We still have a lot of the Fall season to enjoy. The liturgical calendar has several beautiful feasts and memorials, one of which is this Monday, October 18, which is the Feast of St. Luke. As you know, St. Luke is one of the four evangelists who authored the Gospels. Each of the evangelists gives a unique contribution to sacred scripture. St. Luke gives us a beautiful Marian synopsis of the gospels. One of his focus points was the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is in his gospel that we have the Magnificat, as Mary proclaims the greatness of the Lord. Through the powerful intercession of St. Luke, may we continue to encounter the love and mercy of Christ the great High Priest. Continue reading “October 17, 2021” →

From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Parishioners,

The month of October is popularly known as the month of the rosary. Last Sunday we celebrated the Memorial of the Most Holy Rosary at Holy Rosary Church. It was a beautiful celebration! I take this opportunity to thank all of you who came to pray and worship with us. I want to thank the members of our parish Rosary Society who were represented in great number at the Mass. I thank them for all the work that they do in supporting our parish community both financially through their fundraising efforts and of course spiritually with their promotion of Marian devotions. We are truly blessed here at St. Martin de Porres to have such dedicated and supportive ministries that focus on the love Christ has for the Church and his people. The Lord gives us a beautiful example of discipleship in today’s gospel. Jesus encourages his disciples to leave everything and follow him. He gives us one of the most profound and beautiful statements of faith, “nothing is impossible with God”. May we allow the words of the psalm to resonate within us, “fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy”.

2021 Diocese of Brooklyn Annual Catholic Appeal

I wish to thank all of you who have already contributed to this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal. Our goal here at St. Martin de Porres is $63,586. We have pledged thus far $45,120. The key to having a successful ACA is participation. We are asking everyone to participate in this year’s ACA that we will be able to achieve our goal. Any monies collected beyond the goal comes directly back to the parish. I thank each of you for your financial support here at St. Martin de Porres.

St. Martin de Porres Parish School of Faith Formation & RCIA

In person classes for our school of faith formation has begun. All students who are preparing to receive the sacraments of initiation must be registered in our school of faith formation. Registration forms can be filled out on our parish website at www.smdpp.org. Adults who are looking to join the Catholic Church or who need sacraments of initiation may begin the RCIA process this Fall. For inquires or questions, please contact me or Ms. Michelle Joseph our Director of Faith Formation. Classes have begun.

Parish Bible Study Program

Many of you have asked when we as a parish community can have a Bible study program here at St. Martin de Porres. Both Father Franklin and I along with members of our parish staff have been in conversation about the logistics of a weekly Bible study evening. We have several ideas of how to implement it. We will most likely begin during the season of Advent.

Columbus Day Holiday

This Monday, October 11 is Columbus Day. It is a national and federal holiday. The parish office will be closed. Only one Mass will be celebrated that day, which will be at 8:00AM at Our Lady of Victory Church. There will not be a 12:00 Noon Mass at St. Peter Claver Church.

Wishing you a blessed and peaceful week,

Father Alonzo Q. Cox

From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Parishioners,

We as a parish community celebrate the memorial of the Most Holy Rosary this Sunday. We are blessed to have one of our churches, that make up this parish, dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. As we celebrate this beautiful memorial, we continue to pray that our Blessed Mother will intercede for us, bringing ourselves closer to the heart of her son, Jesus Christ. As Catholics, we have this beautiful devotion that is the Holy Rosary. Each of the mysteries always connects to Christ our Savior. Each of the mysteries of the rosary are etched in beautiful stained glass at Holy Rosary Church. We continue to give thanks and praise to God for the gift of this beautiful church and God’s holy people who make it their spiritual home. Our scripture readings this Sunday speaks to us about family. In addition to belonging to a family by blood, we do belong to a spiritual family, that is the Church. We are members of that family, united in the love and mercy of Christ. As in any family, we must continue to support and love one another. Let us keep the words of the psalm alive in our hearts, may the Lord bless us all the days of our lives. Continue reading “October 3, 2021” →

From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Parishioners,

Today is the last Sunday in the month of September! We have officially arrived at the season of Fall/Autumn. You have heard me say to you that this is my most favorite time of the year. The weather is spectacular, not too hot and not too cold. I enjoy watching the Fall foliage and the smell of chimneys starting to roar again. The change of seasons reminds me of the beauty of God’s creation. As we begin this new season and a new month, we know that a new liturgical year is right around the corner with Advent. In just a few short weeks, I will be meeting with our parish pastoral council. At that meeting, we will discuss some of the new initiatives that will begin come the new liturgical year. We are looking to begin bible study courses along with adult catechetical sessions on the teachings of the Catholic Church. You will hear much more about these new initiatives and programs in the upcoming weeks. As always, everyone is invited to become more involved in the life of our amazing parish here in Bedford-Stuyvesant. If there is a ministry that you feel called to, please feel free to reach out to the head of that ministry or contact me at the parish office.

Continue reading “September 26, 2021” →

From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Parishioners,

What a beautiful celebration we had last weekend in honor of St. Peter Claver! It began with Mass at the co-cathedral of St. Joseph with Bishop DiMarzio and the unveiling of the new Brooklyn Chapter of the Knights and Ladies Auxiliary of St. Peter Claver. Last Sunday we gathered at St. Peter Claver Church for a liturgy filled with joy commemorating the centennial anniversary of the founding of St. Peter Claver Church. We continue to celebrate as a parish family this great milestone of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ for over 100 years now. I take this opportunity to thank the anniversary committee, who has worked so hard in planning and organizing events to highlight this important moment in the life of St. Peter Claver Church. I want to thank our parish choir, under the direction of Ms. Joan Delahunt and Mr. Joseph Murray. They have worked tirelessly over these last few weeks to make our liturgies prayerful and beautiful.

Continue reading “September 19, 2021” →

Dear Parishioners,

I cannot believe that we have come to Labor Day weekend! Summer just seemed to fly right by this year. As we begin another pastoral year together, we pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide and unite us together as a community of believers. We pray most especially for our youth who will begin another academic year. May the spirit of knowledge and fortitude be with them as they grow in the image and likeness of Christ the Lord. In today’s Gospel Jesus says to a deaf man: “Ephphatha”—”be opened.” his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. The opening of the man’s ears is a sign. Consider what it means for ears to be opened to hear the Word. As we begin a new pastoral year together, let us take heed of the words of Christ today as we journey together this year, may Christ the great High Priest be the core of all that we say and do. May Jesus Christ be praised, now and forever. Continue reading “September 5, 2021” →