Devotion to Mary - Pray the Rosary

Karen Pepe • September 22, 2022

From pastor’s desk on the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C

This Sunday, again, we are presented with an issue of wealth and how we use it.  Our Lord Jesus tells a parable of the rich man and the poor man, Lazarus, who lived at the gates of the rich man’s house.  The story ends with both men dying, the rich man going to the place of torment (read hell ) and the poor Lazarus at the side of the patriarch, Abraham (read heaven ).  Now the rich man is suffering as he realized that he was indifferent to the suffering of Lazarus who lived by his luxurious mansion.  At that moment, the rich man understood that his lack of compassion was cruel and inhumane; there was no excuse for his behavior.  We learn that the life of pleasure blinded the rich man and killed his conscience.  Now he is suffering the consequences of his choices during his life on earth.  He wants to warn his brothers, but he cannot because of the “chasm” between the netherworld and the earth. Meanwhile, Lazarus is now enjoying a life of peace and fulfillment.  He has been rewarded for the misery he endured while on earth.  It seems that through his poverty he learned obedience and faith, and never complained but trusted God’s mercy.  Meanwhile, the rich man was immersed in a life of pleasure, forgetting about the love of God and neighbor.

This story told by Jesus, reminds us of the importance of the greatest commandment.  Though the commandment is not explicitly mentioned, it presumes that the listeners know it: “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” The one who sincerely loves God, also knows how to love other human beings; the one who does not have God in his heart, also does not have love for other men.

Our Lord Jesus warns us to not be indifferent to the suffering of others. For there may be a poor man like Lazarus, lying at our door, but we are too busy to see or perhaps it is very inconvenient for us to reach out and change our habits.  The poor man, like Lazarus, is not just a beggar or homeless person in our neighborhood.  The poor man may be anyone who is desperately waiting for our love and acceptance, but we are too involved in our little world to even consider going out of our way for another human being.  People in need are all around us, in our families, in our jobs, in our local communities, but we need to open the eyes of our heart in order to see them.  Let us remember that our Lord Jesus identified Himself with the poor and suffering, not with those who were wealthy and well.  So, when we help another human person, we help Christ Himself.

As we approach the month of October, I would like to invite you to pray the Holy Rosary on a daily basis.  We must not forget how important the role of Mary was in the history of Salvation—through Her was born the Son of God, Jesus the Savior of the world.  As we know from the numerous apparitions, the Blessed Virgin Mary still plays a crucial role in the life of the Church.  Mary calls us to conversion and teaches us how to love God and Jesus; in a sense, we are at the school of Mary. And if someone denies the importance of Marian devotion, we say “ where Mary is, there also is Her Son, Jesus.”  Thus, while meditating upon the mysteries of the Holy Rosary we learn about the mysteries of Jesus’s life, death and resurrection.  We also come to know that Mary was always there with Her Son, Jesus, and the disciples in the nascent church.  But this is not the end of Her story, for the Most Holy Mary still wants to be with us in our journey of faith.

So, please consider praying the Holy Rosary as couples and families, for it is a powerful weapon against the evils that attack us every day. Please teach your children and grandchildren how to pray the Rosary, as a simple, yet profound and beautiful prayer, that can accompany all our human endeavors.  It would be really wonderful if you could also bring your children and grandchildren to Mary’s courtyard at our parish.  It is such a beautiful place that can help you to foster devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and build stronger ties in our community.

I wish you a truly blessed week. Fr. Janusz Mocarski, pastor

Mensaje del pastor para la celebración de la Pascua 2025

By Anthony Aruanna • April 14, 2025
Queridos hermanos y hermanas,

Pastor’s message on Easter 2025

By Anthony Aruanna • April 14, 2025
Dear brothers and sisters,

From Pastor’s Desk on the Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C

By Anthony Aruanna • March 2, 2025
“Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” — Our Lord Jesus addresses this question to His disciples trying to tell them that they need to be healed of their spiritual blindness first. In this context blindness is not to believe in Christ and healing means to have faith in Jesus who is the Light of the world. In other words, when we gain our spiritual sight through faith, then we will be able to help others on the way to salvation. Without faith in Jesus we just remain living in the darkness of sin. Without Jesus we are all like blind men bouncing against the walls of reality and against each other. However, when we embrace faith in God in the person of Jesus and let our hearts be set on Christ, then He—the Son of God and Our Lord—becomes our guide. Because of that our every step will be illumined with the light of faith. While putting our faith into action in our daily life we also start bearing good fruits of an authentic and happy life.

Del Escritorio del Párroco en el Octavo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, Año C

By Anthony Aruanna • March 2, 2025
“ ¿Puede un ciego guiar a otro ciego? ¿No caerán ambos en un pozo? ” - Nuestro Señor Jesús dirige esta pregunta a sus discípulos tratando de decirles que primero necesitan ser curados de su ceguera espiritual. En este contexto, ceguera significa no creer en Cristo y curación significa tener fe en Jesús, que es la Luz del mundo. En otras palabras, cuando ganemos nuestra vista espiritual a través de la fe, entonces seremos capaces de ayudar a otros en el camino de la salvación. Sin fe en Jesús solo permanecemos viviendo en la oscuridad del pecado. Sin Jesús todos somos como ciegos que rebotan contra las paredes de la realidad y contra los demás. Sin embargo, cuando abrazamos la fe en Dios en la persona de Jesús y dejamos que nuestro corazón se fije en Cristo, entonces Él -el Hijo de Dios y Nuestro Señor- se convierte en nuestro guía. Por eso, cada uno de nuestros pasos estará iluminado por la luz de la fe. Al poner nuestra fe en acción en nuestra vida diaria, también empezamos a dar buenos frutos de una vida auténtica y feliz.

Del Escritorio del Párroco en el 5º Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, Año C

By Anthony Aruanna • February 6, 2025
A menudo la gente nos pregunta a nosotros, los sacerdotes, qué hacer para profundizar en su vida espiritual. A todos se nos ocurren respuestas diferentes y, ciertamente, hay muchos caminos para una mayor vida espiritual. Hay, sin embargo, un método más probado que ha ayudado a muchos cristianos católicos a estar en la vía rápida de la santidad y a comprender mejor la vida espiritual. Es la consagración total al Corazón Inmaculado de María, o como propuso originalmente San Luis Grignon de Montfort allá por el siglo XVII, la Consagración Total a Jesús por María. Después de San Luis hubo muchos otros que siguieron sus pasos. Entre algunos de los santos más conocidos se encuentran el Papa Pío X, San Maximiliano Kolbe y San Juan Pablo II. Estos santos reconocieron que María desempeñó un papel vital en la vida de la Iglesia primitiva y que la Santísima Madre sigue desempeñando un papel importante en la Iglesia de nuestros tiempos.

From Pastor’s Desk on the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C

By Anthony Aruanna • February 6, 2025
Often people ask us, priests, what to do in order to deepen their spiritual life. We all can come up with different answers and there are certainly many ways to greater spiritual life. There is, however, a more proven method that has helped many Christian Catholics to be on the fast track to holiness and to better understanding of spiritual life. It is the total consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, or as originally proposed by Saint Luis Grignon de Montfort back in the XVII century, the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. After St. Luis there were many others that followed in his footsteps. Among some of the most known saints were Pope Pius X, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and St. John Paul II. These saints recognized that Mary played a vital role in the life of the early Church and that the Blessed Mother still plays an important role in the Church of our times.

Del Escritorio del Párroco en el 2º Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, Año C

By Anthony Aruanna • January 26, 2025
Estoy seguro de que todos estamos atónitos y horrorizados por los incendios forestales del sur de California que afectan ya a cientos de miles de sus habitantes. La velocidad y la ferocidad del fuego sólo demuestran lo frágiles que somos como seres humanos individuales y como humanidad en general. Muchos californianos pueden estar dudando de su fe en estos momentos; muchos se plantearán preguntas: ¿Dónde está Dios? ¿Por qué permite Dios catástrofes tan terribles? Ciertamente, muchos de nosotros nos haríamos las mismas preguntas. Si Dios está detrás o no, no lo sabemos. Sin embargo, sí sabemos que vivimos en un mundo creado que tiene su propio ritmo y ciclos que se dan en la naturaleza. Las cosas suceden con y sin interrupción humana. Algunas cosas las podemos controlar (muy poco, de hecho), y muchas otras no. Lo que sí podemos reconocer es que las catástrofes naturales son una forma de llamada a la conversión y a una mayor confianza en Dios. También es una llamada a la acción para hacer la tierra más acogedora, de modo que las personas puedan prosperar en ella.

From pastor’s desk on the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, year C

By Anthony Aruanna • January 26, 2025
I am sure that all of us are stunned and horrified by the wildfires in Southern California impacting now hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants. The speed and ferocity of fire only proves how fragile we are as individual human beings and as humanity by and large. Many Californians may be doubting his or her faith at this moment; many will pose questions: Where is God? Why does God permit such terrible disasters? Certainly, many of us would ask the same questions. Whether God is behind it or not, we do not know. However, we do know that we live in a created world that has its own rhythm and cycles that occur in nature. Things happen with and without human interruption. Some things we can control (very little, in fact), and many things we can’t. What we can recognize is that natural disasters are a form of a call to conversion and to greater trust in God. It is also a call to action to make the earth more hospitable so that people can prosper in it.

From pastor’s desk on 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year, B

By Anthony Aruanna • October 19, 2024
Last July over 50 thousand Catholics gathered in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress. Obviously, the central theme of the gathering was the Eucharist. One of the key speakers at the Eucharistic Congress, Monsignor James Shea, said:

Del Escritorio del Párroco el 29 Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario

By Anthony Aruanna • October 19, 2024
El pasado mes de julio, más de 50.000 católicos se reunieron en Indianápolis con ocasión del 10º Congreso Eucarístico Nacional. Obviamente, el tema central del encuentro fue la Eucaristía. Uno de los principales oradores del Congreso Eucarístico, Monseñor James Shea, dijo: