As we come together to celebrate the Lord’s Day we mark the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the second lection we read from a portion of the Apostle Paul’s second Letter to Timothy. “
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self control…Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.”
I repeat these words as I would like to address a matter which has me troubled as your pastor. I have been hearing that it is being said that OUR PARISH IS CLOSING. I am not sure who is generating this erroneous information but let me assure you that this is furthest from the truth. Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish is alive and well. Please do not believe any of the nonsense that gossips may be spewing.
Our response to such fallacy is our regular attendance at Holy Mass, participation in the sacramental life of the church, and the support we show the parish through our generous offerings. These and other signs show that our parish community is alive. Since 1923 Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish has been a jewel in the Diocese of Paterson thanks to the sacrifice and faith of her people. For 93 years we have been a Catholic presence in Rockaway and we will continue to be so.
As your Father, I commend you on the fidelity you show Sacred Heart Parish. Your love for our church is evident in the generous acts which I witness. As an example, a parish family who wishes to remain anonymous has given me a check for the amount of $2,000 to repair the bell system which has been in- operable for the past few months. We are on the work list of the company which services our system and the system will be fixed shortly.
I am looking forward to the start-up of our sacramental preparation classes which begin this month for First Holy Communion and Confirmation. I am most grateful to Lucy Rovegno and Michele Shaffer for serving as the catechists for these classes. Our children are our future parishioners and we pray that they will be faithful in the tradition of Sacred Heart Parish.
Sacred Heart Parish is ALIVE AND WELL thanks to you!