Beginning this week the Bishops of the US have asked us to observe Religious Freedom Solidarity Week. In short, the issue at hand is stated thus by the USCCB: “Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community” (Fratelli tutti, 116).
“Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all. Beginning June 22, the feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, the USCCB invites Catholics to pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom.”
Each day we are asked to observe a distinct and separate focus to our prayer: 22nd: for children waiting for adoption or placement in foster care; 23rd: that Catholic services will bring relief and hope during the time of the pandemic; 24th: that the dignity of all people will be respected in our country; 25th: for the conversion of heart for those who commit acts of violence or vandalism against churches and religious images; 26th: for Catholics suffering in Nicaragua; 27th: that governments will respect the conscience rights of healthcare workers; 28th: for Christians being persecuted in Iraq; 29th: for the protection of free speech and the expression of religious ideas in the marketplace. Please add these intentions to your personal prayer during those days.
This week we welcome our summer seminarian intern Anthony Gentile to our parish. He will be here through the month of July, and will be active in many areas of parish life and ministry. Let us support him with our prayers as he undertakes this assignment. This is his first parish experience, so we hope it is a positive and enriching one for him. Anthony was graduated from St. Charles Borromeo College Seminary in May and begins his theological studies there this Fall. I ask you to continue your prayers for vocations and encourage the men in your life to respond to the call to serve the Lord at the altar.
The opening of parish activities in light of the releasing of the pandemic protocols is a bit sporadic, especially as many of us leave for the summer either in whole or in part. There are many challenges that the pandemic period thrust upon us, and we are aware that we need to respond to said situations. The Faith Formation team is planning events and presentations to help us with healing and to adjust to life after the pandemic, while hoping that we will not have to face strict protocols going forward.
Next weekend we say ingat to Father JM, please join us in celebrating his five years of sharing his faith and priesthood with us and wish him God’s blessings as he begins serving the community of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Marlton.
Our Summer Religious Academy will be in full swing in just a few weeks, and we are happy to be able to offer in-person instruction this summer.
Now that we have gone a full year-and-a-half without a regular ministry schedule of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Readers, Altar Servers, and Ushers, we are looking to reconstitute those ministries. We will shortly be holding a Ministry Fair so that we might include new people to serve in these ministries. Among those ministries which are hardest to fill is that of taking Holy Communion to the Homebound and also to assist in the Communion Service at the BayShore Health Care facility. While that ministry is not yet open, it will happen again soon. Please consider service to the infirmed and elderly as a part of your mission to serve the Church.