Dear Friends,

Two weeks ago, in anticipation of our Parish Day celebrations, the Deacons, Dave and Chito, in their weekend preaching, reflected on the role of Mary in our Christian life, and with them we prayed, placing ourselves and our Parish under the maternal care of Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. On the following Thursday, July 16, which was the actual feast day of OLMC, I remember beginning my reflections with the words, "The best experience I have ever had in life was in the hands of a woman !... And that woman was my mother"

Most people, when they think of or refer to the "Catholic Church," are speaking of the Latin or Roman Church, but often forget that while the Latin Church is by far the largest one, there are actually 24 separate churches of the Catholic Church, The other 23 are referred to as the Eastern Catholic Churches, with the Latin Church being the sole Western Catholic Church.

Dear Friends,

The gift of listening is irreplaceable in our journey of faith. The priest Eli finally understood that the Lord was calling the youth (Samuel), and he said to him, "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." - 1 Samuel 3:8-9. God continues to call people, and only those who are attentive can hear Him. Hearing is different from listening. We must learn to be silent before God. In silence God speaks to our hearts.

For many Catholics, one of the most recognizable liturgical orations is the Collect for Corpus Christi, also used at the conclusion of Benediction: "O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of your redemption, Who live and reign ... " This prayer asks the Lord Jesus to allow us, members of the Church, to revere the Eucharist so that we may "always experience in ourselves the fruits of [his] redemption."

Dear Friends,

Our OLMC Parish prayer before Sunday Masses and Holy days of obligation begins with the words, "My parish is composed of people like me. I help make it what it is. It will be friendly if I am. It will be holy if I am .... "

Yes, this is true, and it is realizable if each and every one of us who are already members of the faith Community of Our Lady of Mount Carmel makes an effort to be more welcoming and more open to accepting other people, prays with them and for them, and seeks God's grace so that we may all go to heaven.

This weekend, our nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its establishment as an independent nation with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Though the writers of the Declaration were not Catholic, many of the ideas espoused in it of what a nation should be find their home in Catholic thought.

Dear Friends,

As we celebrate 250 years of Independence and existence of the United States of America, allow me to wish each and everyone a blessed, peaceful, happy and fulfilling Independence Day Anniversary. May this auspicious celebration promote equality, uplift human dignity, and empower the lives of all people to align with God's Kingdom which is established not by coercion but by the gentle authority of humility, righteousness, and peace.