A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The story of the Good Samaritan is a popular one. So many countries have even enacted laws after the name. This story does not speak about obtaining justice…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The providence of God is promised in all the readings. One who trusts His providence will always cherish joy and grace! In the second reading, St. Paul boasts…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Happy Independence Day! When we greet others ‘Happy July 4th’, it is not just a day to celebrate. The freedom, rights, glory, wealth and sovereignty that we enjoy…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Christianity as a religion, is a religion of revelation of absolute Truth. The Truth is always understood and experienced by human beings partially due to human weakness. All…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Last week on Pentecost Sunday, we reflected on how the Holy Spirit became personified by Jesus as the Advocate who promotes unity. This week, we continue to celebrate…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I recall a sweet memory of my little friend named Justin, almost three years old, son of a Spanish speaking family at St. Andrew’s Church in Cape Coral.…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Recently, I read a story about Giacomo Puccini, who scored the famous Italian Opera named Turandot but he left it unfinished in 1924 by due to his death.…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, “Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you”. Peace is an ideal, and yet a reality strived by individuals, families, communities, nations, media or social…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, As part of the Eucharistic Revival process, Bishop Dewane has advised us to attend training on becoming Eucharistic Missionaries. It has five-parts: starting May 18, the weekly online…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This weekend is very special as we celebrate multiple joyous occasions. Thumping with Easter joy already, we also celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, World Day of praying for Vocations…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, After 88 years of living as a child and servant of God, may Pope Francis continue to rest in the peace of the Lord. Let us continue to…
Read More
A Message from Bishop Dewane Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Catholic Church and, indeed, the whole world mourns the death of Pope Francis, who died Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at 7:35 a.m.…
Read More
NOVENA DAY PRAYERS: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Catholic Church and, indeed, the whole world mourns the death of Pope Francis, who died today, April 21, 2025, at 7:35 a.m. Rome time. The…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The biggest miracle of human history is the Resurrection of Jesus! In the movie “Risen”, that premiered in 2016, there is a scene regarding a conversation about the…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Holy week begins with a grand procession as Jesus enters Jerusalem, proclaiming ‘Hosannah’. The crowd clamored having no clue of the grand finale, which only Jesus had full…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, One of the most beautiful encounters of Jesus is with ‘the woman caught in adultery’. Through the years, beginning in my childhood, there has been tremendous revelation and…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, We are blessed with the good news that the health of Pope Francis is improving. Thanks be to God! In his first Angelus message as the new Pope,…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, “The Lord is kind and merciful.” The interpreters of the Law during Jesus’ time, (quoted as ‘some people’ in the gospel) said about the tragedy of the collapse…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Last week, we reflected on one of the vulnerable moments of Jesus - ‘The Temptation of Jesus’, with a specific focus on fasting. This week, we reflect on…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, On Ash Wednesday, we reflected on Prayer, Almsgiving and Fasting. On this first Sunday of Lent, we have a deeper reflection on fasting with the help of the…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, In this Jubilee year of Hope, we aspire for many graces of Our Lord in our personal and family lives. As I type this message, Pope Francis is…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, We all believe in the real existence of heaven. We have some sort of sense or imagination about it and probably have some stories to tell. The readings…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, ‘Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord’. (1st Reading) If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Each of the three readings this weekend involves a vocation story. The first reading about Isaiah, second reading about Paul and the gospel about Peter. Among all these…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I want to wholeheartedly thank you for embracing me with your love, trust, and blessings during the installation Mass with Bishop Dewane last Sunday. I humbly pray that…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This week would just be a passage reading by Jesus from the Old Testament in the synagogue, if He had not said: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Last week we concluded Christmastime with the celebration of the foundational experience of Jesus, the Baptism of our Lord, and this week we start Ordinary Time with another…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, With the celebration of the Baptism of our Lord, we conclude Christmastime. We all said ‘Yes’ to God’s will during this liturgical Christmas season. Jesus said yes to…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The Kingdom of God is revealed when a person becomes wise to seek for it. The journey of the three wise men shows the path that we are…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The journey of imperfect individuals through the bond of love to experience the perfect love of God is called a family. In the beginning, God created a perfect…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Are you prepared enough? We are going to meet the Word made Flesh soon and celebrate it with joy. It has been a wonderful spiritual journey for me…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, On this Gaudete Sunday, the first reading reminds us that the Lord our God is in our midst! We are called to cherish again and again the fact…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, As we light up the second candle in the Advent Wreath, ‘the candle of Peace’, the first reading and the Gospel promises peace to the people. The second…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I had never experienced a severe winter before until arriving in Boston (flying there direct from India) on December 17th, 2004. I was in awe to see all…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Sunday, we celebrate the feast of Christ the King! A king without territory, a king without royal robes, a king with a crown of thorns, a king who…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, First of all, I would like to thank you for your prayers. I had a wonderful and fulfilling retreat full of prayers and the grace of the Lord.…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, In my 25 years as a priest, I have been fortunate to work for Catholic Charities in India for nearly 15 years. The good things I learned were…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This weekend, our brothers and sisters of the Vietnamese Community celebrate their 15th Anniversary of Vietnamese Ministry with a holy Mass presided by Bishop Dewane. We are proud…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Helen Keller, a blind American Activist and Disability Rights Advocate once said, “The most beautiful things in the world can’t be seen or even touched. They must be…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, If we try to look at the gospel through the lenses of our current culture, it might look odd that the mother and her two sons are too…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, You might be familiar with some of the news reports of the Offshore leaks, Panama Papers, Paradise Papers, Pandora Papers. These are a few major revelations of worldwide…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, October is a month of many blessings. Autumn begins, the Snowbirds fly to Florida, Fort Myers gets ready for receiving a huge population from the north, the businesses…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This weekend the first reading is talking about Eldad and Medad, the duo who were prophesying in the camp of Moses! But my mind started to reflect about…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I read a cute, but embarrassing, story that happened to a family on a Sunday. The lady of the house was entertaining some guests who had come unannounced.…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, ‘Who am I?’ is a comedy movie by Jackie Chan that I enjoyed some 25 years ago. If I asked the same question to myself today, it would…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Some time ago, I happened to see a short video clip on social media with the dialogue of a mom, Christy Kean with her 3-month-old daughter, baby Charlotte,…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Fr. Tony De Mello, an Indian Jesuit priest, was popularly known for his story telling. In his book, ‘The Song of the Bird’, he told a story called…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, We all know that all the creatures act or react to their instincts. Only humans have the capacity to control, regulate, gather knowledge and make decisions. Decision-making is…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The world we live in today is so sophisticated. Such sophistication is obviously seen in institutions, systems, homes and lives. We are influenced by what we see and…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, As I type this message on Sunday evening, August 8th, the Olympics medal tally says the United States and China equally hold 19 gold medals, but the US…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The Eucharistic Congress successfully ended two weeks ago. The readings this weekend take our reflections around the real source and summit of our faith, the Holy Eucharist. Jesus…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Last weekend, in one of my Masses, as always, the children came up for a blessing after communion and I ask them a question. The question was based…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, In continuation of last week’s gospel, Jesus sending his disciples two by two, this week Jesus holds a reporting session with them. On hearing the jubilant reports on…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I imagine being on a long flight to India. When I arrive, I approach the front desk where the staff smiles and collects my travel documents. To my…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, When I read “a thorn in the flesh” as mentioned by St. Paul in the second reading, I think back to my childhood. For myself and children of…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This weekend, the readings tell us that God is a ‘God of life’ and not of death (Reading 1 and the Gospel.) He provides life through humility and…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I am glad to be back after a 45 day gap since my vacation to India (that includes jetlag as well). We gratefully acknowledge the gifts of Fr.…
Read More
St. Joseph: The Patron Saint of Fathers William James - Catholic News St. Joseph, husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus, is the model of fatherhood. His faith and obedience to God inspired his…
Read More
Conquer Fear with the Lord as Your Light and Salvation by Heather Adams - crosswalk.com It is said that when we have a problem, we can choose to have either fear or faith. Fear usually…
Read More
Corpus Christi Sunday by Cynthia Genovese - Catholic News Agency The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is also known as the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, which translates from Latin to…
Read More
The Meaning of Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost to honor the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although the word “trinity” does not appear in Scripture, it is…
Read More
Pentecost Sunday: The Meaning of Pentecost It is the great feast that marks the birth of the Christian Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost means “fiftieth day” and is celebrated 50 days…
Read More
Mother of God By Fr. William Saunders - Catholic Exchange Mary is truly a “mother”. Not just the physical means by which our Lord entered this world, but she is also in the fullest sense…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This weekend, I am leaving for India for the whole month of May to be with my parents and two brothers’ families. I should be back, God willing,…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Last week, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the Good Shepherd” and this week He proclaims, “I am the true vine”. While He announced last week that He is a…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, In one of my worrisome chitchats with a few friends about Vocation to Priesthood - on how and why it has been in a declining mode, one of…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This week, my mind is on my 25 years of priesthood, the greatest gift of God in my life. Whenever people ask me to share my vocation story,…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. The entrance antiphon (from 1 Peter 2:2) for this Sunday begins: “Like newborn infants you must long for the pure, spiritual milk…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Hallelujah…the Lord is risen! Along with the entire parish staff, I wish you all a Happy Easter! Every year we celebrate this holy season with the culmination of…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Holy Week is the pinnacle of the liturgical year. If there was no passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, there would be no Christianity! The world and humans…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, A frustrated couple who thought the world was falling apart, wanted peace not only in the world, but peace in their hearts. One day, they decided to go…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night to find the truth about Jesus. The words of Jesus brought light to him. The gospel this weekend is a portion of…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The Locus operandi (the place of the event) of each week’s gospel has been shifting from one to another. In the first of week of Lent it was…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Have you ever had a mountain experience? The second year after my ordination, I was sent to Sacred Heart Church as Parochial Vicar in Kodaikanal hills in India.…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This week the readings invite us to repent and believe in the gospel. The same words we heard while receiving ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday. These…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, When we started the Ordinary Time of the liturgical year (B) soon after Christmas, these are the themes and reflections presented in a logical sequence. 1st Sunday: The…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, By the end of January, I complete nine months at our parish. I am grateful to our Lord, our Bishop Dewane, all my staff team, and all of…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, It was a stormy night at sea and a large battleship saw a light at a distance and that light was directly on the ship’s course. The captain…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, There is a story about a group of frogs travelling in a forest. Three of the frogs fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Alec Guinness was a popular and famous British film actor in the 1950s. He was born in an Anglican family, but secretly claimed to be an Atheist. One…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I guess when I was around 5 or 6 years of age, I remember my grandfather telling me and my older brother stories before we went to bed.…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Wish you all a happy new year 2024. As we celebrate the feast of The Holy Family this weekend, let us dedicate our own families to the protection…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This bulletin carries messages for both the 4th Week of Advent, as well as, Christmas Day. Every 7 years we get this cycle of celebrating Christmas the very…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! (Phil 4:4) In 2007, I attended a Partnership Meeting with ‘Secours Catholique’ (Catholic Charities of France) in…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, A week ago, Fr. Simon and I attended the Priests’ Convocation in Boca Grande, arranged by Bishop Dewane. At least 120 priests working in parishes throughout our diocese…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I’m so glad to see our seasonal residents from the north filling in the pews. Welcome back to your second home! May you have a refreshing life in…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Today, we complete the Ordinary season and enter into the Advent season with the celebration of the feast of Christ the King. Today, the world needs the leadership…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This weekend, we observe the seventh ‘World Day of the Poor’ with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. The theme is “Do not turn your face away from…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, On April 14, 1912, at 11:40 p.m. the Titanic crashed into an iceberg in the mid-Atlantic and 2 hours and 40 minutes later at 2.20am on April 15th,…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Every week, when I prepare my homilies, I usually feel very comfortable reflecting on the readings and easily apply them to practical life. But this week, I…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, In 2017, I attended an Annual Retreat for priests at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center in Venice. It was led by Monsignor Bill Hitpas from Belleville…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I read somewhere (source unknown) that Bertrand Russell, a famous philosopher, and Nobel Prize laureate once said: ‘there are three major defects that affect our sights. One is…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, In 1962, President Kennedy hosted a dinner for all Nobel Prize laureates at the White House. William Faulkner, a novelist who was awarded the prize for American literature,…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, In the year 1991, (I was just 20 years old!) I was still a college student when India signed the agreement to enter into an open market economy…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Dao Dear Friends, Just for a change, this week, I, Fr. Simon, would like to share my reflection for this Sunday’s readings. This week, we observe Respect Life Sunday. We are…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Have you ever experienced standing in a long line at a grocery store or airport and when you almost reach the counter, another counter opens and you see…
Read More
A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The theme of the readings this weekend is forgiveness. It triggers my memory on a few past occasions when I had to forgive others or ask for forgiveness…
Read More
Hope: First Sunday of Advent During the Advent season, families should spend time together preparing for the approaching celebration of the birth of Christ. An Advent wreath can be a great focal point for family…
Read More
How am I supposed to reflect on 5 years worth of people’s stories? It’s just too much. It’s been a remarkable experience, and I’ve acquired a skill set that no school could teach. If you’ve…
Read More
On Control | With Suzie Norfleet Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, “Well, I’ve got options today. I think I’ll get terminal cancer.” That’s not something we want. We never want people we…
On Prayer & Love A REFLECTION BY RICH BYRNE My prayer life became more active when I was introduced to contemplative or quiet prayer. I learned in new ways to pay attention to God’s Loving…
Read More
Don't Stop Believin' (or Running the 5Ks) I remember coming home after school as a child, and, once or twice per year, my mom would have 25+ remittance envelopes laid out on the floor. They…
Read More
Touching the Wounds | Fernando Castillo Remember when we were kids and the Catholic Church taught us that ‘in giving we receive’? Who bought that nonsense? Just look around. Didn’t you see all those happy…
Read More
The Thursday Morning Friends Group Father had given a homily and when we spoke about the number of single people in our Parish alone - 577 - we asked what we were doing for them.…
Read More
10 Questions with Deacon Rich Klish Both clergy and married, a servant of the Church with a career in IT, the Deaconate is a mixed bag of roles and responsibilities. And yet every deacon’s path…
Read More
Every Child's Wish | Father's Day Prayer isn’t a verse of words you repeat. It is how you live your life… Neither is communication a conversation between two people. You communicate by the actions you…
Read More
The Gifts We've Been Given Through Pentecost After Easter Sunday, Christmas is the second-greatest feast in the Christian liturgical calendar, but Pentecost Sunday is not far behind. Coming 50 days after Easter and ten days…
Read More
The Piano Story Every Parishioner Should Hear The piano was made and sold to a dealer in Cincinnati, OH in 1936. That dealer sold the piano to a woman named Gladys Gollahon in 1938. Gladys…
Read More
Be One of Our Helping Hands Helping Hands, a program developed by Catholic Relief Services and Stop Hunger Now, is a high-energy, hands-on way for Catholics in the U.S. to tackle hunger around the world.…
Read More
Dedicated to Mary, Because it's Hard to Argue with Miracles The Rosary was developed in the Middle Ages to fight a heresy about Jesus, Some were teaching that Jesus was not God from the moment…
Read More
The Math of Service You’ve seen Karen before, even if you couldn’t put the name with the face. If you do know her, then you sort of know ‘the deal’ with Karen. She’s into everything.…
Read More
Father Bob Interviews Michael Polsinelli Although frequently overshadowed by Good Friday and Easter, Palm Sunday is an important part of Jesus’ ministry on its own. Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entrance of Christ into Jerusalem…
Read More
A Personal Account of the Holy Land Presented by our parishioners Mark Bir, Mike Navarro & Pat Nacol Tuesday, April 15th, in the Community Room at Blessed Pope John XXIII. Two sessions: 9AM and 6PM…
Read More
Cardinal: maintain, yet reinterpret doctrine VATICAN CITY - In its approach to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, the Catholic Church needs to find a middle ground that does not destroy or abandon doctrine, but offers…
Read More
What Matters on the Mountain is all that Matters At the request of Father Bob, I’m going to recount the events of a mission trip I went on. I don’t like to share too many…
Read More
Always dynamic, eccentric, Our New Music Man Some of the 20th century’s greatest eccentrics were musicians. That is no surprise, given the link which psychologists long ago suggested exists between creative thinking and “abnormal” behavior,…
Read More
Three Wise Men Who you are is God’s gift and who you become is your gift to God. Those who become their best, as God intended, rely on the power of the Holy Spirit working…
Read More
A Path Much Less Traveled Our plans or God’s plans? How much do we all want to control life? We all have the need to feel in control to some degree, and the tendency is…
A Heart that's Found a Home | Valentine's Edition This would not be the first time Father Bob and I had the privilege of interviewing someone whose grains of sand could potentially be counted. It’s…
Read More
Marriage: A New Look at the Vocation A Peek Into the Future Good golly (Miss Molly), what will the future hold for the Church? With the installation of our new, beloved Pope, we can already…
Read More
Journey of the Suttons I think, as kids, we have ideas about the plotline our lives are supposed to follow. We go to school for a while. We find jobs or start companies. We fall…
One Happy Camper What does God want from us? At a very basic level, He wants us to obey Him. He is the source of objective truth, and in proclaiming His word, necessarily wants us…
Read More
Trafficking in Hope Fast, I got to find out the secrets of controlling women. I really want to control the whole (woman). I want to be the boss of her life, even her thoughts. I…
Read More