Letter from the Pastor
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June 4, 2023Welcome to June, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1856, Pope Pius IX designated the Friday following the Feast of Corpus Christi as the Feast of the Sacred Heart; this year it will be June 16. Ever since, the month of June has been devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and His immense love for us all.
The term “Sacred Heart of Jesus” denotes the entire mystery of Christ, who is true God and true Man, Word Incarnate and Savior, containing an infinite divine-human love for us.
On June 16, 1675, Our Lord spoke to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun, belonging to the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, through private revelations about His Sacred Heart. He asked her specifically to promote a feast that honored His Sacred Heart:
I ask of you that the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi be set apart for a special Feast to honor My Heart, by communicating on that day, and making reparation to It by a solemn act, in order to make amends for the indignities which It has received during the time It has been exposed on the altars. I promise you that My Heart shall expand Itself to shed in abundance the influence of Its Divine Love upon those who shall thus honor It, and cause It to be honored.
The visions lasted for 18 months and during that time Our Lord gave her the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart. Sister Margaret Mary died in 1690 and was canonized by Pope Benedict XV on May 13, 1920.
In the month of June, we see the great humility of Christ, in allowing Himself as God to become one of us, and loving us not only as God, but also as a fellow human. It is to the Sacred Heart that we turn in reparation for our sins and that of the whole world.
Prayer to the Sacred Heart
Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, O my amiable Savior. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces, which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things, be conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.
This month belongs to the love and humility of the Sacred Heart, not human sinfulness and pride.
Thank You
Last Sunday we concluded the Easter Season with Solemn Vespers and the extinguishing of the Easter Candle. It also concluded the parish choir season. The choir will resume in September. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Music Director, Mark LaRosa for his hard work in presenting the treasury of our Church music down through the centuries. I also would like to thank our choir members for their commitment and true ministry that they have in singing God’s praises. Sacred music brings us to a beauty and a higher level in our prayer before God. Music at Mass is our prayer and sung not for us but for the honor and glory of God.
Congratulations
This Friday evening, June 9th our School will conduct its 67th Graduation Exercises. The Class of 2023 is a very unique class in our school history. It is an all-boys class—16 boys, all the girls left, which is not reflective of the boys!! They are a wonderful class and good leaders of our school. We will miss them and wish them the best in their respective high schools.
