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1/31/21 Father Owen's Bulletin Message
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Dear Parishioners,
Last Friday the 22nd, I was delighted to concelebrate mass with Fr. Jayke at Our Lady of the Mountain Church to bring our Novena to life to conclusion. A big thanks to the Knights of Columbus here at Long Valley for their good work in helping to organize the novena which as you know we celebrated in our three Long Valley parishes. Let us always remember the need to see life in the womb as a priority. There are so many wonderful charities that reach out to moms who are pregnant and need support. If anybody knows a woman who is pregnant and considering an abortion, please contact Fr. Marcin, Fr. Jayke, Fr. Hubert or me and we will get them the support they need.
Recently, I was delighted to receive a beautiful Christmas gift from Fr. Hubert’s parents, Elizabeth and Stan and his brother, Bartoz. They gave me a gorgeous linen Alb embroidered with the colors reflective of my title as Canon and a second Alb beautifully embroidered with fruits as well as purificators and little palls to place over the chalice. These beautiful gifts were given with love from the Jurjewicz family made with the distinct Polish craftsmanship, classical and beautiful.
You will have noticed that Fr. Hubert and I are now wearing matching chasubles. Our parishioners, Peter and Anna Napoli and their daughter Danielle and her husband, Michael Batanjany gifted our parish with two sets of these gorgeous vestments suitable for the four seasons; Ordinary time – green, Christmas and Easter – white, Lent and Advent – purple and Palm Sunday and days of our martyrs – red. The vestments were ordered from Poland and again, reflect the beautiful Polish trademark of elegance and simplicity. A big thank you to my dear friends and parishioners for their generosity to our parish and for the ability to beautify the altar of the Lord.
Last Sunday, I celebrated the Rite of Entrance for our ninth graders. Our parents and their ninth-grade children attended a Liturgical meeting at 5 p.m. During that time, the parent passed on a light from the Easter candle to their child, calling to mind the day of Baptism when they began the journey in faith for the young person who is now preparing to complete the Rite of Initiation for themselves in the sacrament of Confirmation next year. During the 6 pm mass, the parents placed their hands over their child and signed the sign of the cross on their child’s forehead as a reminder of the presence of God in their lives and the ability to pass on the gift of our Catholic faith for generations to come. A big thank you to our parents for entrusting their ninth graders to our care and most importantly, for loving God enough to prioritize the giving of their Catholic faith. Thanks to our wonderful DRE, Maureen and our wonderful catechists, Frank, Stacy, Madison and Jen. Let us keep our ninth graders in prayer as they continue to open their hearts to learning and living our Catholic Faith.
As mentioned last week, Fr. Hubert and I will offer the blessing of the throats at the end of every mass this weekend and again at our 9 am Wednesday mass on the feast of St. Blaise. We will do so from the altar to keep everyone safe. We pray that through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, we may be protected from all illness and illnesses of the throat and especially, to keep us safe in this time of pandemic.
Talking about being safe, I was very pleased with how many purchased the St. Luke masks last weekend. There are still a few left and will be available this weekend. Let us keep each other safe and remember if you have a temperature and are not feeling well, please stay at home.
Fr. Owen