Dear Parishioners, As you are aware, I am privileged to be one of five chaplains of the Order of Malta, representing the five dioceses of New Jersey. Last Sunday, we celebrated the Feast Day of our Patron, St. John the Baptist and I was privileged to preside at our Annual Mass at St. Catharine Church in Spring Lake. This was the first time we had been together in a year and half. It felt good to worship together without masks, to sing God’s praises and to be strengthened by St. John the Baptist who leads us in courage. The Order of Malta is a Chivalry Order founded over a thousand years ago to protect the Holy Land from the invading Moors. Christendom were the lands in which Christians lived throughout Europe and the Middle East. Many of these countries were surrounded by areas in which tribal warlords lived. The Knights of the Order of Malta were generally from aristocratic homes, and they used their own resources and skills to protect and save their brothers and sisters in Christ. These days, our Order’s main charism is to the sick and dying. Every year, we bring maladies; those who are ill, dying or those who have Special Needs to Lourdes for a spiritual healing and to bathe in the miraculous waters blessed by our Blessed Mother in the 1800. We are also involved in Prison Ministry and help to provide for those living in abject poverty. These days, the average knight or dame needs to be a strong Catholic who is actively involved in their parish; ready and able to help the sick, the dying, the prisoners and those who are recovering from abuse. I encourage any of you, my beloved parishioners who may be interested in learning more about the Order of Malta to google it and if interested, please contact me directly to learn more or if God is calling you. I was delighted to welcome Andrew and his mother Bridget, Daniel and his mother, Renee to present their gifts to the poor during 9:30 am mass last Sunday. Both boys had a lemonade stand to raise money and with the assistance of their moms, filled a very large container to help sustain those of our brothers and sisters living in Paterson. How blessed are we that these two beautiful families understand that prayers and action truly go together! I am excited that many of our young people have taken up my invitation to consider being an altar server. As I write this article, we are in the processing of training them and I look forward to having our boys and girls serving at the table of the Lord soon. Welcome back to Deacon Ray and Leslie who spent the month of June in Nantucket! We have missed them both. We are so pleased that they have had a chance to rest and relax in that beautiful part of New England. Maureen, Nina, Jody G. and I are currently working on the CCD and Confirmation programs for next year. We are tweaking some areas of academic formation and brainstorming on wonderful new service activities. Registration has now begun. Moms and Dads, please register your children/teens so that we can begin to formulate class sizes, etc. As we celebrate July 4th this weekend. We thank God to be able to live in a country such as ours. We say, “Happy Birthday America and may God who has blessed us, help us to appreciate the need to work toward justice and peace in our country and in the world.” Happy 4th !