My Dear Parish Family:

 

It is the last weekend of August which seems unbelievable!

The children will once again return to school and

“Blessing of Schoolbags and Backpacks Weekend” will be

at all the Masses September 8th and 9th (see the website

or the bulletin for details). However, before we become

discouraged that summer is gone, remember there are still

more beautiful summer days ahead of us. There is still time

to spend with Jesus in our Adoration Chapel each Tuesday

and Friday (see the website or bulletin for details). There are

still days when we can go to daily Mass to pray for our families,

friends, our country, the Church, and the world. There is

still time to go to Confession before the busyness of the fall

is upon us. Yes, there is still time to grow closer to Jesus

through the beautiful Sacraments of the Catholic Church.

I take this summer weekend to remind us of the gift of

Christ’s Church for our souls even as the news, once again,

exposes the dirty underbelly of the Catholic clergy, this time

in Pennsylvania. How very sad! I continue to be crushed by

this horrible and evil reality for the Catholic Church. I ask

you to join with me in praying for all those hurt by this evil. I

ask you to join me in never giving up on Christ and HIS Holy

Church. Christ will never stop loving us and HE will always

bring us closer to the heart of God now and into eternity, but

we must pray. We must pray for the Church and for the

clergy. We must seek justice for these atrocities and we

must beg for God’s mercy for all! Satan will never be triumphant

over Christ! Christ will never leave us! I know that

uncovering these horrors is painful and for many of us these

times may even shake our Faith, but Jesus is real and HE

loves us very much. The institutional Catholic Church

throughout the world may need to be purified for the continued

spreading of the one true Faith so that all people will

come to salvation. It is always hard to do through any kind

of purification and pain, but our trust in Jesus must be our

sustaining strength.

My grandfather Norton, who had no more than an eighth

grade education, used to say all the time to us “If you don’t

have Faith, you have nothing!” I hold onto these words especially

now and ask us all to renew our Faith in Jesus and to

pray for the institutional Church throughout the world. I am

sorry for all this negative reality of the Catholic Church, but I

trust now more than ever in the only truth - Jesus Christ is

Lord and Savior of the whole world, now and forever!

I believe in the mercy of God and pray all of us will remain

close to HIM who is our ultimate reward.

Until next week, St. Benedict and Cardinal Cooke,

Servant of God, pray for us!

Fr. Stephen P. Norton