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Pastor Weekly Message For Sept 26, 2021
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September 26, 2021Jesus Is Lord!
Dear: Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This is an amazing passage from Sacred Scripture to reflect upon, especially in these uncertain and trying times. My pastors notes this week are personal reflections of this past week and confirmation to this Bible verse to pray constantly.
Saint Mary School Weekly Mass: Every Friday during the school year our students and staff gather for a School Liturgy. The students are the altar servers, readers, and cantors/choir – it is a beautiful Mass. Because of the pandemic, the students are required by the state to wear masks, so when they come up to receive Holy Communion their faces are covered which makes their eyes stand out more when they receive. The Bible reminds us that the eyes are a lamp unto the soul (Matthew 6:22). When I look in their eyes while distributing Holy Communion, I see an innocence and beauty that I know delights the Lord. How I wish we could freeze time to protect this innocence and beauty, but we can’t. So, we pray constantly.
Encounter School of Ministry: Wow, what a blessing it was to open the New Jersey Campus here at Saint Mary’s on Tuesday evening. Close to 100 students, many from our parish and others coming from as far away as Pennsylvania and the Bronx, New York to attend weekly classes. The format of each class is worship, teach, equip, and activate the gifts of the Holy Spirit so students can evangelize in the sphere of influence. A few weeks ago, during a homily I asked, “How many feel qualified to evangelize?” Few raised their hands. So, we pray constantly.
Life Teen: The Life Teen Boot Camp Kick-off was lots of fun and all the 50 or so teens that attended had a blast. Life Teen International encourages us to enter the world of teens to minister to them. The teen world faces many challenges, too many and some too dark to list. I thank you for your support for Life Teen (and EDGE,) but we need to do more. While it is amazing that we had 50 teens attending the Life Teen Kick-off, our parish has around 1000 high school teens registered who for the most part are not connected to their Lord or their Catholic Faith and are being formed not in Gospel values, but worldly values. So, we pray constantly! I ask for parents and grandparents to encourage the teens in your family to be part of Life Teen.
Priest Convocation: Last week the priests gathered with Bishop O’Connell for the annual priests’ convocation. We did not gather last year because of the pandemic. Maybe because we have not gathered for a while, but I noticed we are all getting a lot older looking. We also were made aware how the number of priests available for ministry is shrinking with few seminarians coming up the ranks. It was announced at the convocation that the retirement age for priests was raised from 72 years old to 75 years old, with the option to continue after 75 if able to. We need more priestly vocations. So, we pray constantly. Silver Jubilee: “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?” (Ps. 116:2) I was so humbled and blessed by the outpouring of love and affirmation at the celebration of my 25th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood. I am still trying to absorb it all.
Thank you, Malena Towers and the Saint Mary Choir and Orchestra, for such anointed music at the Mass. The Lord was certainly glorified in the worship! Thank you for the amazing work of Craig Palmer, Pat Mullen, Hank Pekarsky, Jackie and Ed Kazuba, Eileen Donohue, Laney Wilkens and Matt Marzorati who organized the events of the weekend.
A special thank you to all our parishioners who attended. I have been blessed to spend 14 of my 25 years as a priest here at Saint Mary’s. In celebrating the Jubilee many wished me another happy and healthy 25 years. Glory to God! So, we pray constantly. Have a blessed week!
In Jesus and Mary,
Father Jeff Kegley