Letter from the Pastor
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June 30, 2024We welcome back for the summer months, Fr. Pius. We are so happy that you are with us again this year. Father is from the diocese of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka; he was ordained in 2013. Father is presently studying Dogmatic Theology in Rome at the Roman Pontifical Urban University. Welcome to your summer home!Once again this month, our parish has been greatly privileged to have the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima in our sanctuary. It has been a wonderful blessing to us. Jose Thedim sculpted the original historic statue in 1947. The image of Mary reflects the description of Sr. Lucia, one of the three shepherd children who were privileged to see Our Lady each month from May through October of 1917 in Fatima, Portugal. I would like to thank Emma, her family and friends who take such beautiful care of this very important statue. So many of you remarked, “She is so beautiful.”
This Thursday, July 4th is the 248th anniversary of the founding of our country. It is a day we ought to thank God for our country, how blessed we are to be born and live in such a country. We need to be proud of our country and all the good our ancestors have done in the past, and the good our country still accomplishes today. As in our personal life, there are times we are proud and moments when we feel shame. There is no country that is perfect, because its citizenry is imperfect and sinful. When the good outweighs the bad, our moral character is good. We are a good country always in deed of redemption.
A democracy needs religion, for it assumes that man has not only a body but also a soul, which is the seat of his rights. Democracy has to rely on freedom and liberty; freedom and liberty are inseparable from responsibility and conscience, and conscience is inseparable from religion. Our democracy must be based on the love and knowledge of God, and therefore the love of neighbor. We are called to live noble and virtuous lives; we are called to be religious.
Our Founding Fathers knew that human dignity and liberty come from God, and if our society loses faith in God, it then means loss of faith in those liberties, which derive from Him.
In the midst of July 4th celebrations, cookouts, and fireworks, pray for our Nation and her citizens that we put our hope, faith, and trust in God alone. So come and thank God on July 4th at the 9:00 AM Mass.
Our Lady of the Highway
On the ushers’ tables as you leave Church; there are key chains in honor of
Our Lady of the Highway.
It is our gift to you as many families begin their summer travels and vacations.
The origins of the devotion to Our Lady of the Highway are not clear, but it is believed to have originated in Europe and spread to the Americas and other parts of the world. The devotion became popular among travelers, especially those traveling by foot, horse or carriage, as a way to ask for protection and guidance on the road.
One of the main reasons for the devotion’s popularity is the belief in the Virgin Mary’s role as a protector of travelers.
Mary is often invoked as the “Star of the Sea”” and a guide in the spiritual journey.
So, we pray for your travels and vacations,
that all will enjoy yourselves and be kept safe.
Before you “set sail”, pray:
O Lady of the Highways
Be with us on our journey,
For all the ways are beautiful
And all your paths are peace.
O God, who with unspeakable providence
Doth rule and govern the world,
grant unto us,
Through the intercession of our watchful Mother,
to be protected from all danger
And brought safely to the end of our journey.
Amen.