From the Pastor's desk...
Welcome! St. Paul begins his letters to the early Christian communities by wishing them the 'grace and peace of Jesus Christ.' This is my same prayer for you: that as a parishioner of St. Rose of Lima, you may find within our parish all the gifts and resources you need for your spiritual journey. Jesus washed the feet of his apostles at the Last Supper as a sign of loving service, instructing them "as I have done this to you so must you do for one another." We as a family of faith strive to live this commandment of love in doing all that we can to welcome you as we invite you to be an active member of this community. Please tell us how we might be able to serve you. As you browse our website, you'll find the names of our priests and key parish staff as well as contact telephone numbers, the Mass schedule and all the information we expect (and oftentimes what you might not expect) on a parish website. If you are new to our parish, I invite you to introduce yourself to me or any of the other priests after Sunday Mass, or when you register as a new member of St. Rose of Lima parish. Even though we are a large parish, we make every effort to come to know you and your family personally and so to serve you better - especially in those times of family sorrow or crisis. Please allow us to be a part of your spiritual journey as no one can make the journey alone. As we share our gifts and ministries with you, we hope that you will also consider using your gifts and talents in helping us bring each person we meet closer to Jesus Christ. Sincerely, ---------------------------------------------------------- Fr. Ken's Corner: Recent Article January 22, 2012 Dear Brothers and Sisters of St. Rose of Lima parish, As you may be aware, tomorrow, January 23 will be observed as a particular day of prayer and fasting. With sadness we remember the 1973 Supreme Court decision (Roe v. Wade) which legalized abortion in the United States. We are reminded in a special way that ―as God recognized each of us before we were born and called us by name, so, too, may we recognize the value of each human life and pledge ourselves to continue to defend and nurture God‘s greatest gift to us. (1992 Respect Life Manual of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops) Not too long ago, I saw a cartoon strip which considered the following: A man is praying. He is call-ing out to God with fervor and a sense of righteous indignation. ―Oh God, you claim that you love us. We see war all around us. There is violence in every part of the world. Why haven‘t you sent us some-one who will put an end to all this pain and sorrow? Oh God, you claim to care for us. Yet there is so much hunger, so much malnutrition. So many children are dying each day. Why haven‘t you sent us someone who would devote their energies to solving the problem of world hunger? Oh God, you call us your children. Yet what kind of parent are you? There are so many problems that consume our world. There is hatred, disease, pollution. There is chaos, division, selfishness an utter lack of respect and tolerance. Why haven‘t you sent us someone who can inspire us and lead us out of this morass? In one of those rare moments, God decides that he will audibly answer the man‘s prayer and says, ―My son, you ask me all these questions and wonder why no one has come to help heal the creation I loved so much as to send my only-begotten Son to be born among you, even to suffer and die. The answer to your prayer is, I keep on sending you intelligent scientists, wise and thoughtful leaders, and holy saints, and you keep on aborting them and killing them before they are even born.‘ How many people have complained to God in this way? And how many of those same people believe that abortion is merely a woman‘s choice? How many people need to hear the answer given above! Recently on the internet there has been a story about a woman named Pam. Nearly 25 years ago, she contracted amoebic dysentery (an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite in contaminated food and water) while serving as a missionary with her husband in the Philippines. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics to save her life – and then she discovered that she was pregnant. Her doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety since the medicines she was given would cause irreversible damage to the fetus. After all, she did have four other children, and this one would only be born with any number of devastating disabilities. She refused and with her husband, promised God that if you give us a son, we‘ll name him Timothy and make him a preacher.‘ That son, as you may have guessed, is known today as Tim Tebow. To choose life – especially in opposition to those who claim to want the best for you – is never an easy choice. Yet you need not look very hard or very far to discover numerous stories similar to this. When we choose death, in some way we also die. When we choose life – even with all the difficulties involved – we take a step closer to eternal life. January 15, 2012 Dear Sisters and Brothers of St Rose of Lima Parish, There are so many things in our lives that we take for granted; our breathing in and out, the beat of our heart, both so necessary even when we’re sleeping. These functions and so many others are continuous, even during all the times we’re not conscious of these life-sustaining actions of our bodies. We go to the faucet and turn on the water for a cool drink, and we’d be very surprised if the water failed to appear. We put the key into the ignition switch of our car and again, we just assume that the car will start. The electronics we use in such abundance, the telephone (cell or landline), electricity which powers so many household conveniences, the comfort and privacy of the bathroom, have become necessities of life that we would be very hard-pressed to do without. There’s probably another hundred examples of things we automatically expect to be at our beck and call at any and every moment of the day. More than likely, we also take for granted the dedicated service provided to us by the hundreds of police, fire and EMS personnel who are always there when needed. Like you, I can only imagine the panic and desperation I would experience if I made an emergency call for help and no one answered. Where would we be without the men and women who so selflessly give of their time to insure we are protected from crime and fire and who will come to our assistance in any medical emergency? Today, St. Rose of Lima wishes to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to the men and women who serve this community and far beyond the borders of Massapequa as police, fire and EMS personnel. We have invited those who are able to be present to be part of our Sunday morning 9:30 liturgy. It is commonly known as a ―Blue Mass to reference the blue that police and firefighters usually wear. I don’t think many of us realize the amount of training, the time, the dedication and the added pressures on spouses and children that these men and women endure to provide for our security. We expect them to be there in our time of need – and they are. And there are so many dangers that they face on a daily basis. NYPD officer Peter Figoski was shot and killed during a botched home invasion in Brooklyn on December 12. ATF Special Agent John Capano was also killed in foiling the hold-up of a local pharmacy on New Year’s Eve. Each time our firefighters are called out, they never know exactly what they will be facing. And our EMS personnel so often make the difference between life and death in medical emergencies. Today and each day, let us remember to pray not only for the members of our forces deployed overseas and who stand in harm’s way, but let us also include in our prayers the men and women of our Police Department, our Fire Companies and the Emergency Medical Services who give so much. All too often we take their dedicated service for granted, and we expect so much from them. May God watch over them and their families, and let us remember simply to say THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT AND DEVOTION whenever we meet them. For more from Fr. Ken's Corner, go to our Bulletin Archives page, click on any weekly bulletin and go to page two
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