Dear Parishioners,

Saints of God, the Lord be with you!

I was the pastor of St. Francis Parish on Long Beach Island, N.J. during “Superstorm Sandy.” We were told to evacuate the island and to take enough clothes for three days. The Poor Clare Sister’s in Chesterfield, N.J. were gracious enough to give me hospitality, and the rest of the friars and sisters stayed with family and friends. Those three days turned into two months being displaced, as we were unable to return to the island with regularity, except for a few hours one day for a “grab and go” to get more clothes. I was able to get into the main church at that time, which had about three feet of bay water in it. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed not only by the damage, but also by the fact that the people of the parish had been scattered far and wide.

Today’s Gospel according to Luke (21: 5-19) reminds the disciples who are marveling at the costly beauty of the Temple that “there will come a time when there will not be left a stone upon another stone.” To the Jews of His day, this must have been shocking since the Temple was the center of their worship.

If the center was gone, what was to become of them? Jesus warns them of the persecution by the authorities and even more shocking, “by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death.” Despite it all, Jesus reminds them that He, through the Holy Spirit, will guide them and “not a hair of (their) head will be destroyed” if only they persevere.

Talking to visitors after mass, many people comment on the physical beauty of our church. I tell them that even more beautiful are the people who fill the pews, our parishioners. The church is not simply the building. Rather the Church is all of us: the People of God whom God calls to gather together in the church building to worship, to seek forgiveness, to be nourished through our fellowship with one another, the Word, and the Eucharist, so as to be sent back into the world to live the Good News of Christ’s never ending love for us. As that wonderful hymn says, “How beautiful is the Body of Christ”!

As we quickly come to the end of this liturgical year, let’s look back and see how Christ has repaired and continued to rebuild each of us as individuals and as a community of faith. Let’s also look forward to the coming liturgical year with great expectations for what Christ, through His indwelling Holy Spirit will do in and through us for our parish and the wider community. Let us persevere in faith but let us persevere TOGETHER.

Peace and All Good,
Fr. Steve

P. S. When all was said and done, St. Francis Church was renovated and continues to be a beacon of Christ’s love and grace on Long Beach Island.

Dear Parishioners,

With so many events and initiatives within the parish currently underway or in the planning stages, be them advanced or preliminary, I’d like to provide you with some updates to our progress:

– I would like to thank everyone who joined us for our Fall Festival last weekend, and a express a special thanks to Angela Erb, our Event Coordinator, her event planning committee, and all the volunteers who assisted her. I think she and her team did a tremendous job in organizing and coordinating this event.

View Photos from the Fall Festival Here

It was wonderful to see our parishioners able to take part in this gathering again, after the COVID induced pause of these last couple years. The turn out was truly amazing. There are too many volunteers to name individually who helped make this happen and I truly appreciate the time, talent and treasure that they give to our parish. Events like this are only able to happen because of the volunteers willing to help. On behalf of the parish
and staff, I thank you!

– Also happening last Sunday, over at the Cathedral of St. Jude in St. Petersburg, I had the pleasure of joining parishioners Richard and Cindy Burnette as they received the St. Jude the Apostle Medal from Bishop Parkes for extraordinary service to our parish. It was great to see these two being recognized by the diocese for their years of volunteerism and self-giving in support of our parish’s liturgical ministries, faith formation classes, connection to Love INC, and various committees.

– Up at the North Campus, we have had some unforeseen expenses crop up. A new roof was recently installed on Bonaventure Hall, formerly the pre-k building when the school was open. The replacement was not necessitated by any damage from Hurricane Ian, but rather the age, which lead to leaks. The cost to replace the roof was about $18,000. We were fortunate to get this repair done quickly, as many roofers would not even schedule a meeting for a quote, due to the hurricane and the sudden need of roofers and supplies. This expense will impact our budget for this year. We will be renting Bonaventure Hall out to the construction firm that is overseeing the New Robles Park Village redevelopment. The income from this rental will go toward the future renovation of the North Campus’ kitchen.

– The first set of doors in the front of the church are taking a little longer in the restoration process then anticipated, but they are moving along. As I mentioned previously, once the first set are done, we will start on the northern-most set. Keep in mind these doors are original to the building, and are 117 years old. The cost of the door restorations will be just above $34,000. When you have historic buildings, as we do, you will always have repairs going on. The cost of these repairs are covered by your generous donations and our offertory. Everyone loves the beauty of our church and North Campus. If you are able, please consider increasing your weekly donations to help with the restoration, upkeep, and preservation.

– The staff have begun plans to bring back yet another Sacred Heart staple event, and we are excited to announce a date as well. The annual Gala which will return in 2023, taking place on the Yacht Starship on Friday, April 14. This principle fundraising event will also have its proceeds directed toward the renovation of the kitchen at the North Campus. While additional details will be not be released until the new year, I wanted to ensure that parishioners had the opportunity to save the date.

– Each year, before the 4 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve, our parish hosts a Christmas pageant centered around the Nativity of Our Lord. The pageant is always enthusiastically received, and something our families and visitors look forward to each year. To keep the tradition going, we are looking for some adult volunteers and children to help with this year’s pageant. General requirements include attendance to one rehearsal, and then being present for the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass. To volunteer. please contact Maria Giral.

Pope Francis tweeted in 2013 that “Holiness doesn’t mean doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things with love and faith.” We’re certainly seeing that energy within our parish life, and again, I thank you all for your dedication to providing that loving and faith-filled atmosphere.

Peace and All Good,
Fr. Mike

Dear Parishioners,

This October marks the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s landmark reforms in the Catholic Church’s relationship to the world around it and the church’s own liturgy and practices.

In 1962, the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, known as the Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II was held. The council meeting took place in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and was split into four periods of 8-12 weeks occurring each autumn over the four year spell from 1962-1965. The preparations for the council took three years itself, from 1959 to the autumn of 1962.

Pope John XXIII called for the council because he felt the Church needed “updating.” To better connect with people in a modern, secularized world, he sought to improve some of the church’s practices, and present its teaching in a way that would be relevant and understandable for the generations to follow.

It’s fitting that our Church has gathered in its largest synodal process to date near this anniversary. In the synodal process, we’re given the opportunity of reassessing our relationship with our fellow Christian communities, other religions, laity, youth, the LGBTQ community and other movements led by the Spirit.

Just like Vatican II, there are some participants who were sympathetic to this reassessment, while others saw no need for change, resisting efforts in that direction. Pope Francis lamented of how “we prefer to choose sides in the church,” instead of being servants. We look at things as if in binary, right or wrong, one side or the other, rather than being Christ-like to each other.

Although Vatican II altered the Church’s relationship with the world and took on a more open posture, Pope Francis challenges us to be on guard against “worldliness,” saying “We are called to respond to this worldly astuteness with Christian astuteness, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit.” Pope Francis continues to call us to evangelization and prioritizing the needs of the poor and care of creation, saying “You are not here to shepherd yourselves, but all others, with love.”

At the conclusion of a recent Mass, Pope Francis showed his support for Vatican II, and urged those in attendance to be united and not allow polarization to become a divisive tool. I agree. We must allow the Holy Spirit to set our hearts on fire for the love of Christ. We are each called to examine ourselves and reflect upon the mission and nature of the Church; “What I have done for you, you must do for others.”

Peace and all good,
Friar Henry