Letter from the Pastor
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May 29, 2022Two of our young parishioners Christopher Kowalski and Vincent McAllister, last Saturday, joined the likes of Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon; Stephen G. Breyer, associate justice, United States Supreme Court; Steven Spielberg, Academy Award-winning film director; 3 American Presidents, Martin Luther King, Jr., Michael Jordan, Hank Aaron and John Wayne and many more famous men in becoming Eagle Scouts. An Eagle Scout has always carried with it a special significance and prestige. The Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in Boy Scouts of America.
The award is a performance-based achievement whose standards have been well maintained over the years. Not every boy who joins a Boy Scout troop earns the Eagle Scout rank. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank.
Congratulations to both young men and their families; we, your parish family, are very proud of you.
This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. Memories are important, our past is important, even the difficult and sinful ones. It is when we forget our past, good or bad that we find ourselves adrift. We cannot pretend that there is no history of our nation, and like our personal history, there are proud moments and moments of shame. Yet through it all there have always been men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. This is the weekend we remember.
On this Memorial Day Weekend, we remember in our prayers all those who died in service of our country and for the freedoms, which we enjoy. We are also grateful to the families who had their sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, sacrifice their lives for us.
Memorial Day was first known as Decoration Day. It was the day when the graves of the Civil War dead were decorated. The custom of placing flowers on the graves of the war began on May 5, 1866, in Waterloo, NY. In 1868, Gen. John A. Logan, then president of the Grand Army of the Republic, declared that May 30th would be a day to decorate with “flowers the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” After 1971, the date was fixed to the last Monday in May.
Tomorrow we will celebrate this day. Many people see it as just another day off, the unofficial beginning of the summer season, a 3-day weekend. But for those who have lost someone because of war or military action, it means much more.
Because men and women have died for this country, we have the freedom to preach God’s word freely. We have the right to live at peace in our own homes. We have the right to pursue peace, prosperity and happiness.
So, before the BBQ’s, parades and family celebrations, attend Mass on Memorial Day at 9:00 AM. Then go to the Pearl River parade to honor the fallen. The Parade will start at 10:15 A.M. on North Middletown Road. The parade route then heads south to Central Avenue and then down to Braunsdorf Park when at 12 noon the annual Memorial Day celebrations will take place.
This year’s guest speaker will be U.S. Army Combat Veteran and NYPD Lieutenant Commander Detective Joseph Orecchio. Joe served both as an enlisted soldier and as an Officer in the Army’s Military Police Corps. His unit was activated to serve in Iraq where he served in combat. He is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal as well as the Army Commendation Medal and the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
I encourage all of you to come and be a part of the celebrations.
