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Dear Parishioners,
For those of us who love to pray the rosary, we know that August 22 is the day when we celebrate the Queenship of Mary. This Marian Feast Day always takes place a week after the Assumption of our Blessed Mother into heaven. As we celebrate Mary’s crowning, we call to mind that the Lord our God gives her the crown of righteousness; the crown fit for a queen, the loyal obedient servant of the Father and the dedicated Mother of the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We know too that our Blessed Mother continues to intercede on behalf of all humankind and within the last 150 years has visited sites such as Lourdes, France, Fatima, Portugal and Knock, Ireland. Our Blessed Mother has also brought inspiration and hope to Native Americans through St. Diego in Mexico City and continues to remind us of the need to love each other as we are loved by God.
My brother Jim, sister-in-law, Regina, my nephews, Conor and Owen and my niece, Maeve will return to Ireland on Monday, August 22nd. It has been great to have them visit me here in Long Valley. I am very close to all of my siblings. My parents worked very hard at role modeling, faith and family and I am proud to say that my siblings, nephews, and niece benefit from the example they have given to us. My special needs nephew, Conor, made many friends here. He loved attending the Special Needs masses and made some good friends. My sister-in-law, Regina took him to a horse-riding farm in Chester and with the help of Erin, had a great time on a big white horse. Maeve and Owen spent some time with my sister, Cait, in Manhattan and were proud to be able to navigate the city and the train service to Gladstone. Jim and Regina had the opportunity to have some nice dinners with some of my friends and parishioners and to simply relax and catch up. They did make a two-day trip to Niagara and really enjoyed themselves. During that time, Uncle Owen had Conor duty. We were blessed in having a young woman, Sam, who is a nursing student help us during the day so that they could have some time for themselves and we, as a family could pursue other activities. People often ask me do I miss Ireland and honestly though I do miss Ireland, I don’t miss living there. New Jersey has been my home for 30 years and I intend to remain here until the Lord calls me home. I do, however, miss my family. I miss simple things like family dinners, birthday celebrations, coffee together in the morning and just enjoying quality time together. So, for me this is a special time, a time I am very grateful to God for and a time of making wonderful memories. Thanks to each of you who has made my family welcome here. I am certainly blessed with my St. Luke family and treasure the gifts that God has given me in our beloved St. Luke.
As a priest, I am privileged to meet exceptional and holy people. I was honored to prepare Connie Shepherd for eternal life surrounded by her loving family. Connie entered into eternal life on Monday, August 8th. I celebrated her Mass of Resurrection on Wednesday, August 10. Connie was and is a living example of faith to her family and to all who knew and loved her. With great pride, I presented her to Jesus and Mary and surround her family with prayer during this time.
*** Jesus, Mary, and Joseph intercede for us and for those who are dear to us. ***