How do we get to Heaven?

      One of my favorite books of all time was written by Wilson Rawls called “Where the Red Fern Grows.” It is about a young boy who dreams of owning coonhounds to become a champion raccoon hunter. I loved this book so much that as soon as I was old enough to buy my own coonhound, I did. This book, though, is so much more than just about buying a dog. It reveals many other things like hard work, dedication, and the importance of family, love, and sacrifice. In one part of the book, the young boy, Billy, needs to catch a raccoon to aid in training his dogs. His grandfather explains to him how to catch one while revealing a life lesson to Billy. He tells his grandson to drill a hole in a log, big enough for a raccoon to get his paw into. Then drive nails on an angle to the hole so that the sharp part of the nail protrudes into the hole. Then place something shiny into the hole. A raccoon will come along and, because they are so inquisitive, it will reach into the hole to grab the shiny object. He will be unable to get his paw out once he grasps the object because his closed paw will be stopped by the nails. He is now trapped. The raccoon will not let go even though letting go will save his life. I think Wilson Rawls must have been thinking of our Gospel today as he was writing this part of his book.

The rich man from today’s story wants to do just enough to get into Heaven. He has and will continue to obey God’s laws; yet, he cannot let go of the earthly wealth he has acquired, his riches. Jesus wants him to be all in. The only way to get to Heaven is to let go of earthly possessions. Our true and complete happiness can only be found in Heaven. Evidence of this is that the young man went away sad even though he still had all his riches.
       I am not saying that we are not meant to be happy on earth, but true happiness is found when we let go and follow Jesus to His Heavenly Kingdom. We see this throughout Scripture, from Abraham leaving his home to Peter leaving his nets. We also see this witness to happiness in the lives of all the saints, whose title of “Saint” itself tells us that they are in Heaven.
The young man’s first mistake was that he wanted to “inherit” Heaven. To inherit something means to just to be given something with no action on your part. For the rich man to receive the gifts offered by God, he needed to let go of the shiny things of this world, pull his hand out and live.

We need to do the same.

May Jesus live in our hearts forever.
Deacon Chris

Saturday October 9^th St. Denis & companions, St. John Leonardi
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday October 10^th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday October 11^th St. John XXIII
6:30 am Don and Linda Nichols 41^st Wedding Anniversary

Tuesday October 12^th
6:30 am † David McInerney

Wednesday October 13^th
6:30 am † Myrtle Dugan

Thursday October 14^th St. Callistus I
6:30 am † Joseph Garofalo

Friday October 15^th St. Teresa of Jesus
6:30 am † Joseph Gerardi -10th Anniversary

Saturday October 16^th St. Hedwig, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
8:00 am † John Moulder – 2nd Anniversary

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Robert Farrell, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, John Flickinger, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Marie Hagan, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased… Joseph Melcher and Nancy Walsh

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

This Advent season St. David Parish welcomes Immaculée Ilibagiza to share her miraculous story on finding forgiveness through God’s mercy.

Immaculée Ilibagiza was born and raised in a small village in Rwanda, Africa. She enjoyed a peaceful childhood with her loving parents and three brothers. In the Spring of 1994, civil war erupted among the Rwandan tribes.

To protect his only daughter from rape and murder, Immaculée’s father told her to run to a local pastor’s house for protection. The pastor quickly sheltered Immaculée and seven other women in a hidden 3 x 4-foot bathroom. For the next 91 days, Immaculée and the other women huddled silently in this small room, while the genocide of her people raged outside the home and throughout the country.

While in hiding, anger and resentment were destroying Immaculée’s mind, body and spirit. It was then that Immaculée turned to prayer. Prior to going to the pastor’s home, Immaculée’s father, a devout Catholic, gave her a set of rosary beads. She began to pray the rosary as a way of drowning out the anger inside her, and the evil outside the house. It was that turning point towards God and away from hate that saved Immaculée.

After the genocide, Immaculée came face-to-face with the man who killed her mother and one of her brothers. After enduring months of physical, mental and spiritual suffering, Immaculée was still able to offer the unthinkable, telling the man, “I forgive you.”

Today, Immaculée is regarded as one of world’s leading speakers on faith, hope and forgiveness. She has shared this universal message with world leaders, school children, multinational corporations, churches, and at events and conferences around the world.

Several years ago, I started feeling that God was calling me to a different role in the Church. I wasn’t sure what that was just yet, but I decided to be open to whatever he had in mind for me. As time progressed, I felt a call to the Permanent Diaconate, and after discerning this feeling with my wife Kathy, I applied to be accepted into the formation program.

Now, 3 years into my formation, I have been called to the Ministry of the Word. This is one of the three ministries that form the pillars of the Diaconate (Ministry of the Word, Ministry of the Altar, Ministry of Charity) and an important step on my way to, God willing, ordination as a Permanent Deacon. On September 18, I was instituted as a Lector for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The Church recognizes a diversity of offices in the celebration of the Mass and this is shown outwardly by the diversity of vestments. The common vestment for ordained and instituted ministers is the alb (white garment) and cincture (a rope tied around the waist). Over the alb, the celebrating priest wears a stole around his neck, hanging down in front, and over this he wears a colorful chasuble that indicates the character of the mysteries of faith that are being celebrated. The deacon wears a stole over his alb, diagonal from his left shoulder to his right side, and a dalmatic that matches the liturgical color scheme of the priest’s chasuble.

As a candidate for ordination as a permanent deacon and as instituted lector, I am asked to take the important step of becoming comfortable with being vested in alb and cincture, and taking my place in the sanctuary throughout the Mass. I am excited (and a bit nervous) to take this step in my formation and to be able to share it with the entire congregation.

I am very blessed to be able to join the ranks of lectors, and pray that I may proclaim the Word of God well. I humbly ask for your prayers through the rest of my formation, and that if it is God’s will, I may be ordained in 2025. Be assured of my prayers for you all.

Kris Van Hees

Saturday October 2nd Guardian Angels
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday October 3rd
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday October 4th St. Francis of Assisi
6:30 am † John & James Tobin

Tuesday October 5th
6:30 am † Nicholas Soccodato

Wednesday October 6th St. Bruno
6:30 am † Mary Swanick

Thursday October 7th Our Lady of the Rosary
6:30 am † Daniele DeSantis

Friday October 8th
6:30 am † Christopher Fessey

Saturday October 9th St. Denis & companions; St. John Leonardi
8:00 am † John Suchanic

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Robert Farrell, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, John Flickinger, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Marie Hagan, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased …

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

You are Mine

        At the end of each of our earthly lives, we will either hear Jesus say “You are mine” or hear Satan say “You are mine.” There is a constant battle going on in our lives between good and evil. Through His cross, Jesus has won the battle, but it is up to us now to accept His grace and live as those redeemed by Jesus. There are certainly manifestations of grace and manifestations of evil all around us, but we can take the side of Jesus in the battle for our lives by overcoming sin and temptation.
        How do we overcome sin and temptation? If something is leading us into temptation and sin then we avoid that. Perhaps, for some people, alcohol is an occasion of sin because it leads one to commit sin. For others, it could be an internet site, magazine, or other forms of media which present various sins as glamorous. This could gradually break down our defenses to the point where we convince ourselves that certain sins are okay. Jesus is asking us to reflect on our lives to see if anything is leading us in the wrong direction and take steps to remedy it.
        Apart from avoiding the occasions of sin, we can also strengthen ourselves against evil in many ways. We can pray to overcome sin. The greatest prayer is the Mass. St. Pope John Paul II said, “Every Eucharistic Celebration is stronger than all the evil in the universe. It means real, concrete accomplishment of redemption and even deeper reconciliation of sinful man with God in prospect of a better world.”
        Reading Sacred Scripture is also a great remedy because there we encounter God’s words to us, His love letter to us. Our Blessed Mother has repeatedly told us in her apparitions that praying the Rosary is a powerful weapon against Satan. When we pray the Rosary, we let Mary take us to her Son, Jesus. Holy Water is a powerful sacramental that helps protect us from evil. Every time we bless ourselves with Holy Water, we are imploring our Triune God to protect us from evil.
        There is a battle going on in the lives of each of us, a battle between good and evil. Through His cross Jesus has won the battle, but it is up to us now to accept His grace and live as those redeemed by Jesus. Jesus is asking us to reflect on our lives to see if anything is leading us in the wrong direction, and if so, to take steps to remedy occasions of sin and live in the grace of Jesus so that we may hear Him say to us at the end, “You are mine.”

May God love and bless you!                                                                               
Sr. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, IHM                             

Saturday September 25th
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday September 26th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday September 27th St. Vincent de Paul
6:30 am † Lawrence J. Tobin

Tuesday September 28th St. Wenceslaus; Ss. Lawrence Ruiz & companions
6:30 am † Tommy Lasorta

Wednesday September 29th Ss. Michael, Gabriel, & Raphael
6:30 am † The Kotoun & Steinmeyer families

Thursday September 30th St. Jerome
6:30 am † Traute McGarry

Friday October 1st St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus
6:30 am † Joseph Garofalo

Saturday October 2nd Guardian Angels
8:00 am † Deceased members of the Gusherowski family

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, John Flickinger, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, James Hoctor, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Marie Hagan, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased, remembering Alfred Messina, Patricia Stayt, Adele Tiburzio, and Joan Lesher.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

⁺Dear Saint David Parishioners,

            It is human nature that sometimes when someone who has our best interest at heart points out a fault that we need to correct, we may get defensive and/or critical. Saint James points out in his letter today the tough truth that selfishness and pride are rooted from within. No one makes us have feelings of envy, hatred, or obnoxiousness. It comes from within – ouch!

         Jesus knew the ins and outs of being human, yet He did not sin. He prepared His apostles for what was to come – His Crucifixion and Resurrection. This was difficult for the apostles to hear, and they didn’t ask Jesus for any explanations, but continued on their journey. When they reached their Capernaum destination, Jesus asked the apostles, “What were you arguing about on the way?” No one spoke up, most likely because they realized that Jesus would not have approved of their petty conversation of who among them was the greatest. He taught them in a variety of ways and provided examples that the greatest is the one who is willing to be the servant of all. Jesus didn’t chastise them, rather, He used an actual child this time to try and get His point across. Jesus said, “Whoever receives one child such as this in My name, receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but the One who sent Me.”

       What is so special about children that Jesus wants us to imitate them? Obviously, it is not to be childish, but childlike, which means to be honest, trusting, loving, curious, accepting, and compassionate, to name just a few of the virtues of young children. I see how special children are to their parents each day as their child/children are dropped off and picked up at school. The looks of love of parents and children as they kiss and hug goodbye and the squeals of pure joy when they get picked up at the end of the day is beautiful to witness. Just as young children give their complete trust to their parents, Jesus wants us to be dependent upon Him, surrendering all our cares and concerns to Him, and trusting that His love and guidance is with us every step of life’s journey.

      Therefore, this week, let us take an honest look at ourselves, not in condemnation, but in truth, since none of us are perfect, and ask Jesus to give us the graces we need to become more like Him – the Servant of all. Then and only then, may we experience some of the freedom, simplicity, and carefreeness that the childlike enjoy! Give yourself permission to let go and relish in the spontaneity of the young, no matter your age. If you are not sure how, ask or observe a child and you’ll soon discover how thrilling it is to be childlike.

In Mary’s Immaculate Heart, I am,
Sister Mary

Saturday September 18th
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday September 19th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday September 20th St. Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, & Companions
6:30 am † George Hill

Tuesday September 21st St. Matthew
6:30 am † James McAnulty

Wednesday September 22nd
6:30 am † Ernest and Mary Kroupa

Thursday September 23rd St. Pio of Petrelcina
6:30 am † Helen Duffy & Helen Janke

Friday September 24th
6:30 am † Katherine Ippi

Saturday September 25th
8:00 am † Louis Troisi—16th Anniversary

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, John Flickinger, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, James Hoctor, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Marie Hagan, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Alfred Messina, Ray Wilson, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased …

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Where can we see Jesus?

The past few years of our lives have been extremely challenging.  From a controversial election, to the battle with COVID, to the most recent events happening in Afghanistan, we can’t seem to catch a break these days. On top of all that we have the destruction caused by the horrible wildfires out west and the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.  When we turn on the news, we continue to be bombarded and almost encouraged to be overwhelmed by the racial unrest, rise in crime, growing inflation, and a multitude of other worries.  Sometimes we find ourselves saying, “Where are you God?” The answer to this question can be found through the same grace Peter is given today.  The grace to recognize Christ.  If we look, we can easily find Him. 

 Jesus can be found in our health care workers.  These people go to work each day with all the uncertainty of COVID and take care of our loved ones who are ill.  Jesus can be found in the mothers and fathers who have had to create a classroom at home for their children and still have all the responsibilities of their jobs.  Jesus can be found in the fire fighters who risk their own lives to protect not only us, but also our homes and properties.  Jesus can be found in our police officers who still go to work every day putting their lives on the line even though they may be unpopular in the communities they serve.  Jesus can be found in our teachers who had to find a new way to bring education to our children.  Jesus can be found in our soldiers past, present, and future.  To lay down one’s life so others can live is the very essence of Christ. 

I know I have left some excellent examples of Christ around us, and just in the short list I have given, I think a point is made.  Jesus is around us more and with us during troubling times and good times.  He is always there when we need Him most and He will always be here at Church in His body, us, in His Word and in the Holy Eucharist. 

May Jesus live in our hearts forever. 
Deacon Chris

Saturday September 11th
4:00 pm † 20th Anniversary of the Victims of 9/11

Sunday September 12th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Parishioners

Monday September 13th St. John Chrysostom
6:30 am † James M. Heilman Sr.

Tuesday September 14th Triumph of the Holy Cross
6:30 am † Natalie Kolin

Wednesday September 15th Our Lady of Sorrows
6:30 am † Richard Miller

Thursday September 16th St. Cornelius
6:30 am † Dean Jensen

Friday September 17th St. Robert Bellarmine
6:30 am † Marie Brown

Saturday September 18th
8:00 am † Francis and Louise Lindgren

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, John Flickinger, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, James Hoctor, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Marie Hagan, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased …

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

“And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him.”

What do we want Jesus to do for us right now? Some might say they want a miracle from him. Others might want him to feed the poor, like when He took five fish and a couple loaves to feed five thousand men. Some others might want Him to heal people who have diseases like He did for the deaf man today. A lot might say we need Him to clean out the Church like He did when He cleaned out the temple. We all have something that we want Him to do for us, but how many of us want Him to die for our sins?

During Jesus’ time on earth when people learned of the miracles that He was performing, they went to Him so that maybe He could fix their problems. Jesus did not fix everything, at least not in the way they wanted. That is not why He came to world. Instead, He became the most vulnerable for us. God surrender to death by being nailed to a piece of wood, that is the most powerful thing that Jesus ever did for us. He allowed death to swallow Him up and because of that act of self-giving love, He gave all of us the opportunity for everlasting life with Him!

This week spend some time thinking about and reflecting on what we want from Jesus and then ask Him to show us how His cross is much more loving. Why? Because even if Jesus did all the miracles we wanted him to do, death would still be the end of life!! The big deal about Jesus is that He took on the punishment that we deserved, so that death on earth would not be the end of life!

His miracles, His teaching, His way of life on earth always pointed to The Cross. His death and resurrection were the greatest moments in human history, and we are called to follow Him. If we are called to follow him, then we have to learn to make it the greatest moment in our lives. We have to strive to be willing to do the same thing He did for others, because God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Can we do our part and take up our crosses and lovingly follow Him?

Saturday September 4th
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday September 5th
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday September 6th
8:00 am † John Neary

Tuesday September 7th
6:30 am † Lorraine M. Hendricks

Wednesday September 8th
Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
6:30 am † Stephen Sabo

Thursday September 9th
St. Peter Claver
6:30 am † Paul Gombeda III

Friday September 10th
6:30 am † Deceased members of Reilly & McMahon Family

Saturday September 11th
8:00 am † Harry Weckerly, Sr.

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, John Flickinger, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, James Hoctor, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Marie Hagan, Ed Bergan and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased …

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Faith Through Love

        In our Scripture Readings this Sunday, Jesus reminds us that the greatest way to live out our faith is through love. The obligations of our faith provide us opportunities to love, honor and praise the Lord. They are meant to aid us in deepening our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are called to love God with our whole heart and not to simply go through the motions by “honoring God with our lips.”

        St. James reminds us in our second reading how to do just that, as he proclaims, “All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” He is reminding us that each day is an opportunity to respond to God’s infinite love for us with love and gratitude in return. If we approach our relationship with Jesus with this in mind, then we begin to realize that the gift of the Mass is an opportunity to worship God, the sacraments are ways to draw us closer to Him, and His commandments are opportunities to love Him more faithfully. When we embrace each moment with this in mind, then we begin to see just how many blessings God has given us.

        Looking at life through the lens of gratitude helps us to see each moment as a gift with endless opportunities to respond in love. It begins by rising each day with a prayer of thanksgiving, offering our daily tasks as a prayer to the Lord, seeking ways to share our gifts and talents with others, saying a prayer of thanksgiving before meals, sharing a word of affirmation, or taking time to reflect on how much God loves us and how we can best love Him in return. This is how we ought to live our lives – by recognizing them as a gift and an opportunity to love God in response to how He has loved us.

        Let us look into our hearts and ask ourselves why we live our faith the way we do. Let us strive to pray earnestly, attend Mass with love and devotion, serve others out of love for God and recognize just how blessed we are. It is in these simple moments that we love extraordinarily and honor God wholeheartedly.

May God love and bless you!
Sr. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, IHM    

Saturday August 28th
St. Augustine of Hippo
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday August 29th
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday August 30th
8:00 am † Benny Jimenez

Tuesday August 31st
8:00 am † Marguerite Troisi – 18th Anniversary

Wednesday September 1st
8:00 am † Alice Schaeffer

Thursday September 2nd
8:00 am † Rose Ann Paster

Friday September 3rd
St. Gregory the Great
8:00 am † Thomas Caprara

Saturday September 4th
8:00 am † Savilla O’Brien

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, John Flickinger, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, James Hoctor, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Marie Hagan and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased …

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

⁺ Dear Saint David Parishioners,

Suppose Joshua were to ask you on this 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time, “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, where will your main focus in life be?” “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” What would be your response to Joshua’s inquiry?

        The truth is, when we examine our conscience before retiring for the night, a simple question we could ask ourselves is, “Did I put God first in my life today?” With the help of the Holy Spirit, we then consider the times during the day when we responded to God’s grace by allowing Him and others, rather than ourselves, to be the focus of our words and actions. If we have fallen short, we ask Jesus’ forgiveness and help for improvement. With Jesus’ grace and guidance, we can then grow more into His likeness with each passing day.

   Parents, you can instill this practice of examining the happenings of the day with your family. In time, your family may exclaim, “Bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall be ever in my mouth” (Psalm 34). Your family may also strive with greater emphasis to “live in love, as Christ loved us,” respecting and cherishing one another as Jesus would have us do. Jesus recognized that His teachings were not easy, but since He is truth, He declared to His followers that His words are “spirit and life.”

      Some disciples on hearing His challenging teachings, left and returned to their “former way of life, and no longer followed Jesus.” He then turned to His apostles and, we can imagine to us, and asks, “Do you also want to leave?”

     Let us, with Saint Peter, affirm our loyalty and love to Jesus for ourselves and loved ones and answer courageously, “Master, to whom shall we go: You have the words of eternal life. Jesus, we believe that You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We will follow You all the days of our lives. We are convinced that You are the Holy One of God.”

God’s blessings to you and your family. Enjoy these last days of summer vacation!

In Mary’s Immaculate Heart, I am,

Sister Mary

Saturday August 21st St. Pius X
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday August 22nd
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday August 23rd St. Rose of Lima
8:00 am † Maureen ‘Bean’ Gibbons

Tuesday August 24th St. Bartholomew the Apostle
8:00 am † Joy Burns

Wednesday August 25th St. Louis, St. Joseph of Calasanz
8:00 am † Joy Burns

Thursday August 26th
8:00 am † Edith Santone

Friday August 27th St. Monica
8:00 am † Phyllis M. Talese

Saturday August 28th St. Augustine of Hippo
8:00 am † Eileen and Dick Knott

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, John Flickinger, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, James Hoctor, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Marie Hagan, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased …

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

A Life to Imitate

One of my most favorite responsibilities to perform as a deacon is being a minister at a baptism.  Getting to do the work that the Lord calls His disciples to do, baptizing in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is so fulfilling that I can’t help but get emotional every time I have the gift to do so.  One of the other gifts I have the pleasure to perform is the interview with the parents of a child before baptism.  Seeing the excitement in a family’s eyes as they bring their child to the Church to give their child eternal life by becoming one with Christ in baptism can not be expressed in words.  During the interview I always cover the topic of the responsibility the parents are committing to on the day of the Baptism and that is their commitment of raising the child in our Christian faith.  The best way for them to honor this is to practice our faith themselves.  Children imitate what they are exposed to, and this is probably the best way we all learn.  I explain to the parents that if they surround themselves in the faith their children will grow up learning and loving this wonderful journey with our Lord.  This method of learning is not a new thing.  God has sent us all the perfect example for all his children to imitate and that example is the mother of His Son, the Blessed Mother Mary.

Today we celebrate the Assumption of Mary into heaven.  After a life of dedication to the calling of God she is gloriously assumed into heaven where she is crowned the Queen of Heaven.  We all have the possibility of the same reward of heaven and all we have to do is follow Mary’s example.  We need to say yes to God and His will.  We need to tell others of Christ and the rewards that come with answering His call. We need to celebrate with joy and devotion our Savior’s coming into our world. We need to follow the teachings of our Church and fully participate in the Sacraments.  Lastly, we need to find Jesus again and again whenever we fall.  The easiest part of that is we always know where He is.  Waiting for us with His Father.  Mary leads us directly to her Son through the Joyful Mysteries of her life.  We will find the joy she did simply by imitating her.

They say imitation is the best form of flattery.  What better way to honor the Blessed Mother and glorify her Son than through imitation. May Jesus live in our hearts forever. Deacon Chris

Saturday August 14th
St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday August 15th
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday August 16th
St. Stephen of Hungary
8:00 am † Dorothy Ross

Tuesday August 17th
8:00 am † Dorothy Ross

Wednesday August 18th
8:00 am † Joan Byrne

Thursday August 19th
St. John Eudes
8:00 am† Rosemary McNavage

Friday August 20th
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
8:00 am† Bruce Mitchell

Saturday August 21st
St. Pius X
8:00 am † Eileen Knott

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, John Flickinger, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, James Hoctor and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased … Rosalie Anescheck.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Dear Friends,

May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you! Now that Archbishop Perez has restored the obligation and has allowed us the joy to attend Mass in parish Churches as of August 15^th, I offer the following thoughts and reflections as encouragement to you as you make your way back to the community of believers at St. David Parish.

Pope Francis, in a recent address, said the following about Sunday Mass:

“It is so important to go to Mass every Sunday because that’s where people receive Christ who saves, forgives and unites everyone to his Father, the church, and to each other.”

The Pope continued this thought by reflecting on the Word of God, which is proclaimed at every Mass:

“We need God’s word so that we can hear, amid the thousands of other words in our daily lives, that one word that speaks to us not about things, but about life. 

His call to the faithful comes during holy Mass where they hear God’s word.”

After so many months of not having Mass, then Mass with restrictions, then limited numbers allowed and no obligation to attend Mass, we now find ourselves back to the pre-pandemic Church where, to quote the popular hymn, “All are Welcome.”

Waiting for you at church you will find a copy of “A Minute in the Church: The Mass” by Gus Lloyd.  In this book, you’ll find 51 one-minute teachings about the Catholic Mass. From the names of the vessels and vestments to the deeper meaning behind the rituals and gestures, this book will help Catholics and non-Catholics alike come to a greater understanding and deeper appreciation of the Mass…in a minute!

I hope that your return to “active and full participation” at Mass in St. David’s, along with insights gleaned from Lloyd’s book, will help to deepen your appreciation of what the Second Vatican Council called, “The Source and Summit of Christian Life.”

See you Sunday!

God bless,

Fr. Windle