March 19th

​Dear Friends, 

 Please keep in your prayers our young people who will receive the sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Lombardo next Saturday, which happens to be the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. This is the feast day, along with that of Christmas, that unites our parish: remembering when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to give birth to the Son of God. We alternate churches each year for this, and in 2023 Confirmation will be at Saint Gabriel church.  
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 Last Monday’s “Night of Mercy” at our Nativity of Our Lord church was very peaceful and prayerful. We also had a good number of people who came to confession- I was occupied in the confessional for most of the two hours. Our next one will be on the 28th from 6-8pm at Saint Gabriel. Remember, that’s also the night of the Lenten Mega PB&J! 

 March 19th is the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and husband of Mary. Since it falls on a Sunday this year, its liturgical celebration gets bumped to Monday. The twin feasts of Saint Joseph and Saint Patrick are important days for our entire parish, not only for those of Italian and Irish descent. Saint Patrick was an early missionary, and we seek to follow his example (if not his methods) as we work to re-evangelize our neighborhoods and bring more in our community into a deeper and more personal relationship with Jesus and back to the practice of the faith. We have large statues of Saint Patrick at the front of both of our churches. Saint Joseph is the patron saint of the universal church, and his importance is seen in the fact that his name was added to all the Eucharistic Prayers ten years ago, to be invoked alongside that of Mary.  


                                                                                                           Saint Patrick: pray for us! 
                                                                                                           Saint Joseph: pray for us! 
 
                                                                                              May your week reflect the encounter with Christ 
                                                                                                            we experienced at Mass today!