Dear Parishioners I was thrilled to have 11 boys and girls come for altar server training on Tuesday, June 29th. We all had a great time. Our trainee altar servers did very well, they ran the bell perfectly and we can’t wait to have them serve at the Sunday masses. A big thank to you Abigail, Adelia, Andrew, Emily, Enzo, Julia, Kelcie, Kyleigh, Katie, Ryan, Thomas, their parents, Maureen, Vinnie, Jen, Mike and our two senior altar servers, Erin and Marisa who helped. As I mentioned last week, registration for CCD is now up and running. We are looking for men and women who love Christ and our children and would be willing to serve as a catechist in the upcoming school year. We would also like to have men or women who would be interested in helping as an assistant teacher and a hall monitor. A hall monitor is an adult who assists the children and makes sure everybody is where they are supposed to be. Maureen would be very happy to explain the duties to those who are interested. It is honestly a lot of fun in CCD and Confirmation. It also helps our children and young people to know and understand our belovedCatholic faith. Please email Maureen directly if you would like to know more about this wonderful ministry. Congratulations to Sebastian Rosinski who makes his First Holy Communion at the 11:30 mass this weekend. I know that he is very excited to receive Jesus for the First time. Congratulations to his parents who with much devotion have brought him to this joyful day. Congratulations also to Sebastian! We are very proud of you. Last Saturday, July 3rd, Caleb Smith and Gavin Cuccaro received their Eagle Scout awards. I was honored to offer the invocation and give a blessing. Both boys are very proud of their accomplishments. We wish them well and remind them as we do all Eagle Scouts of the dignity and honor of serving God and country. I was delighted to have the Knights of Columbus come to present Roses for Life on the weekend of June 27th. This is their major fundraiser, and the monies go toward assisting local pro-life groups. Through this effort, we also hope to finance a Long Valley bus for Pilgrimage for Life this coming January. Heartfelt thank you to Tony DeStefano, our retiring Grand Knight who has worked tirelessly to serve our community of Long Valley and with such devotion. Our best wishes to Charlie Van Stone who has been appointed as the new Grand Knight. In order to affect better communication between the three parishes, I have appointed Frank Barnes as the St. Luke representative. The Knights of Columbus are always the right arm of the pastor; loyal and true. I look forward in the fall to having our St. Luke Knights of Columbus invite their brothers to become involved in our parish. This Tuesday, I make my annual pilgrimage to visit our dear parishioner, Corrine MacLennan-Kennedy. I had taken care of Corrine’s beloved mother during her final days on Earth and celebrated her funeral mass. Each year, Fr. Alex and I travel to Peterborough, New Hampshire to celebrate mass and bless the family graves. Corinne, our virtual mass attender loves being part of our St. Luke family. I appreciate her input and her support.