This Week: Pentecost XVIII

“Save Us From The Fires of Hell”  –Fr. Vili Lehtoranta

The Bishop’s Note
It is a crisp, sunny Wednesday morning as I write this. Yesterday was quite gloomy and rainy, just the type of weather we needed to help bring color to the fall leaves. The cats are resting well and catching birds in their free time.

Fr. Nowrouz gave a really nice talk about his call to the Faith and path to the priesthood, offering some interesting perspectives on the world. It is always so fascinating to see God’s grace at work in a soul and how He draws certain souls to the true Faith during these days of general apostasy! The attendance was very good at the High Mass, and the procession went off without a hitch. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, First Holy Communions were administered at St. Louis de Montfort Chapel in Owerri. The picture is below. Fr. Okafor gave these children Our Lord for the first time and they also had a Rosary Procession after the Mass. I would say that everyone had a very pleasant Rosary Sunday!

More work has been done on our cloister floors and some of the men have organized to work on it some more on October 18th. It is coming together nicely! We are hopeful to have it completed by the time Forty Hours comes around at the end of October. Fr. Simpson is arranging to get the church reroofed after finding some bad spots up there. The sanctuary floor will have to wait until next summer before getting repaired, but it is still on the list. The school air conditioner had some additional problems after the company came to fix it, but I think it has been figured out. Progress is being made on the plans for the rectory addition and I am very thankful to Billy Young for his assistance in this regard. He has been a very big help!

I will be away this weekend and again the following weekend to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation. The first stop will be to Sacred Heart Church in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where Fr. McKenna used to attend Mass. Br. Gerard has done an excellent job in the maintenance of this old church. Each time I arrive I find more renovations have been done. Fr. Santiago Richards takes care of the pastoral side of things. He also tends to the monastery which is about 30 minutes from the church. You can see some pictures of the church online at sacredheart-op.com. The next stop will be to Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel in Monroe, Connecticut, where Fr. Adan Rodriguez is pastor. This, too, is a beautiful edifice, though not nearly as large as Sacred Heart. †Bishop McKenna was pastor of this chapel until his death some years ago. His Excellency was known for doing exorcisms, some of them very high profile ones. One can still see a stainedglass window in the choir loft that was charred as a demon left the soul of a possessed person and departed the church. It is eerie, but a reminder of how closely united our world is with the spiritual world. If you want to see some photos of this chapel, go to rosarychapel.net. The final stop will be to a mission chapel in New Jersey, where the Kiernans attended Mass before moving here. There are plenty of places to travel to for Confirmations. We still have not been to Texas or North Dakota yet this year.

We have plenty of parish activities and feast days to choose from this week. The highlight of the week, however, is tomorrow—the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. The last of our Fatima Rosary Processions will take place by candlelight, which is always a sight to behold. Come to pray the Rosary for Peace. The words of Pope Pius XI out to be taken to heart: “The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself
from sin…. If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors.”

– Bishop McGuire

Mass Livestream