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1/30/22 Father Owen's Bulletin Message
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Dear Parishioners,
Last Saturday, we had a lovely Confirmation Retreat that began at 2 pm and concluded with the 5 pm Mass. A big thank you to Nina and Maureen who helped workshop our five Antioch kids, Kasey, James, Veronica, Matt, and Alyssia. Our Antioch teens each gave a wonderful presentation to their peers and after each topic, gave questions and broke the big group into mini groups to have periods of discussion. In the busy world in which we live, it is so important for our 9th graders to have a little quiet time, a time to reflect and process areas of faith and challenge in their lives. At about 4:30 pm, I gave a talk to the parents and our young people on the importance of faith, communication, and prayer. I know that it is difficult being a parent these days and everybody is so overly busy, both professionally and in other ways and yet, making time for God, empowers each of us to focus on the parts of our lives that really matter. We all know that time goes by so quickly and our children are with us for a short period of time. These years of molding our young people into strong Catholic adults are vital. My hope and prayer are that together, we will empower a new generation of Catholics, who will pass on our Catholic faith and traditions for generations yet to come.
Thanks to all our catechists who generously devote time to teaching our young people and for the wonderful way in which they share their faith. As I celebrate Mass , I love to see parents and children as a family coming together on bended knee before the Blessed Sacrament, living the faith so generously gifted us by Christ.
Last Saturday morning, Deacon Ray and I held a Liturgy meeting attended by the leaders of various ministries. During this time, we evaluated Mass attendance at Christmas time and though the Mass attendance was down due to the Omicron variant, we were pleased by the people who attended mass physically and online. As you know, our Holy Father has announced that this is the Year of the Eucharist and so as a group, we discussed the role of the Holy Eucharist in our lives and how we can help teach our young people the true meaning of the Body,
Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. Maureen, Nina, and I will meet to discuss this and how we can best instruct our children in CCD and how I as your priest can carry that through in homily form. We look towards the time of Lent and Easter and how we can best prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection.
Several months ago, I began this year’s Bereavement session and have been privileged with Mike Kopreski, Doreen Armenti, and Anne Mackie to help our bereaved members to move through the passage of grief. The death experiences that our group has had are varied, from sudden to lingering death, from tragic to peaceful death. Each person though bereaved has tried to find a way from sadness to hope. Part of the process is how each member supports each other in their grief with empathy. They understand the death that has happened recently or the death that was several years passed. We began our bereavement on November 9th, our group raw and fatigued, and we will have our last session this coming Tuesday, February 1stand it is a joy to see through prayer, dialogue and tears the beginnings of joy and hope resurface in their lives. The minimum length of time for grief is a year and a day, but after the first anniversary of the death of our beloved, we begin to look to a future where our beloved deceased lives with God but also with us, empowering us with their living example to move forward with hope. Our loved ones enrich our lives until the day we die, and each day is a blessing and a gift. Let us see each day as a new opportunity to share God’s blessings, our loved ones, and the wonderful world in which we live.
Please take the time this weekend to sign the petition voicing our concerns regarding Governor Murphy’s stance on abortion and in particular, late term abortion.
Fr. Owen