An Easter Message From Fr. Jeff

Alleluia! He is Risen! Happy Easter!  I pray this email finds you well.  Please be assured of my continued prayers for you and your family in this difficult time. You are being remembered daily in the intentions of my Mass and Holy Hour. If you have any special prayer requests that you would like me to include during these times of prayer, please email them to me at  FrJeffKegley@aol.com or go to the "Need Prayer?" link on St. Mary's webpage at  stmarychurchnj.org. 

I also want to let you know that I am available to talk to or pray with you with over the phone at anytime. My personal cell phone number is 609-954-3356. 

Since the pandemic began, I’ve been using the hymn “Great is thy Faithfulness” during my morning prayer. Regardless of trails and difficulties in life, God is faithful. Here is the story behind the hymn and it’s author, Thomas Obediah Chisholm.

Chisholm was born in a log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky in 1866. He received his education in a little country schoolhouse. He became a Christian at age 27, and with no college or seminary training entered ministry at age 36, but after a year, ill health made it impossible for him to continue. He moved to Vineland, New Jersey, where he opened an insurance office. 

Chisholm wrote hundreds of poems during his lifetime. In 1923, he was inspired by Lamentations 3:22-23 to write the text for the hymn, “Great is thy Faithfulness.” Those verses are as follows, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” 

He suffered ill health most of his adult life and therefore had a smaller than average income. Of this circumstance he said, “God has given me many wonderful displays of his providing care, which have filled me with astonishing gratefulness.”

Chisholm sent the words to one of his poems, “Great Is thy Faithfulness” to his friend, William Runyan, a church organist and Runyan wrote a musical setting.

 “Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not,
As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
“Great is thy faithfulness! 
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand hath provided-
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”

Even though he suffered ill health for most of his adult life, Chisholm lived to the ripe old age of 94. During his later years, he lived in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, where he passed away in 1960.

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” -Lamentations 3:22-23

God is Faithful. 

In Jesus and Mary,
Father Jeff Kegley
Pastor
Saint Mary, Mother of God Church
Middletown, New Jersey