A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts” - Mark Twain Two disciples were traveling from Jerusalem…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Divine Mercy Sunday is solemnly celebrated at our parish every year. There is an interesting correlation between the two Saints, St. Pope John Paul II and St. John…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I wish you all a very happy and holy Easter! Once again, let us proclaim that our God is the God of life. With the resurrection, our Christian…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Now is the acceptable time: we begin our Holy Week journey. Each day of Holy Week has unique importance. Palm Sunday leads us to reflect how Jesus embraced…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The message for this weekend is transitioning from the culture of death to the culture of life. On April 13th, 1888, Alfred Nobel opened the newspaper one morning…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, When I was in my pastoral year as a seminarian, I oversaw a boy’s hostel of a diocesan Catholic School. There were four visually challenged boys staying with…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Starting this weekend, and for the next two consecutive weeks, we will be hearing gospels on spiritual symbols of our faith: Water (Samaritan woman), Light (a blind man…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The inner light of humility is the way to salvation. During the Lenten season we reflect more deeply on three mountain experiences. Devil taking Jesus to a high…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, On the first Sunday of Lent, the reflection is somewhat connected to the gospel reading that we heard last week: Jesus said ‘Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The readings this weekend lead us to reflect on the wisdom of God. In the creation story, our first parents participated in God’s image and likeness in fullness.…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, One of the amazing things we can be proud of in our American society, is that after retirement, most people are involved with volunteering for organizations, communities, institutions,…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I enjoyed a joke I heard some time ago: A Pastor was trying to teach first graders about heaven. After a half hour of explaining, he wanted to…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Because I took a week off after the busy Christmas and New Year season, I could not write to you last week. It was the week dedicated as…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Have you ever experienced the sensation of standing in a running river? The river may look calm on the service but underneath it has an active current. While…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, I will be naturalized as an American citizen. Yes, I am taking the oath as an American in this great nation! Becoming a…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, In one of the recent Men’s Gospel Forum meetings, a discussion came up about the customs and cultures of marriage betrothal, celebrations in Jewish culture, the betrothal of…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This week, we light the fourth advent candle on the wreath that symbolizes love. Love is God and God is Love. We could tangibly realize God’s presence in…
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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…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Last week, we lit the first Advent candle of “Hope”. This week, we initiate the candle of “Peace”. The meaning of ‘Peace’ is not limited to the absence…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, When I was 6 years old, looking at my mother’s pregnant belly, I nagged her almost every day when my baby brother would arrive. Somehow, I wanted a…
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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…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This Sunday, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, is observed as the World Day of the Poor with the 2025 theme: “You are my hope.” The world is…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your patience and understanding during this challenging time for the parish. As you may recall, during…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Once again, a warm welcome to all our friends from the north. Let your stay during the season bring you all spiritual nourishment and refreshment. November is the…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, All the readings this weekend deliver a message of humility in continuation of last weekend’s message – (persistent) Prayer. The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, We are glad to see an increased number of the faithful in recent weeks. We welcome all our seasonal friends from the north. Just a friendly reminder for…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This Sunday, we observe “Mental Health Sunday”. Our first parents (Adam and Eve), with the use of their will, freedom and ignoring the reality of carrying the image…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, October is the month of several important memories and events: October 2 is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the symbol of Non-Violence October 4 is the feast of…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This coming Wednesday, I will be leaving for India to visit my family and friends and returning on September 24th. You will not receive my weekly messages during…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, The readings this week may seem a little scary. They talk about fire and division, which unfortunately is often interpreted as punishment to those who do not listen…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Last week, we reflected on how emptying oneself would bring real wealth through the example of the parable of the foolish rich man. This week, the theme expands…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, Dr. Karl Menninger, an American Psychologist, had a patient who was very wealthy but always unhappy. He asked his unhappy, wealthy patient what he was going to do…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, This Sunday, we celebrate World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. All the readings speak about the love of the ‘Abba Father’. One of the elements of the…
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A Message from Fr. Jay Dear Friends, I feel blessed to have been born in India during a time when it was so underdeveloped. As a child, I would stay at my aunt and uncle’s…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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