My wife and I were blessed to be able to attend the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis from July 17-21, and it was AWESOME!  It was truly incredible to be with 60,000 Catholics for the main purpose of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!  We all desired to grow in love for Him and for each other.  It was a little glimpse of heaven as we felt like one body before our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  If someone dropped something, there would quickly be someone there to help them pick it up.  If someone tripped, they quickly received the aid of others.  The lines were long for most things, but there was no complaining or grumbling, just love and kindness.

Dear Friends,

One of my ardent prayers is that before I leave this parish or retire, we should have produced at least three priests from our parish. This prayer has been intensified by the assignment of seminarian Max Rich for his summer pastoral experience here at our parish. His presence and commitment to his vocation has not only renewed my own vocation but has also given me hope that my prayers will be answered.

Dear Friends,

This weekend we celebrate two events. The first is the community celebration of our Patroness, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We transferred the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to this weekend so that our entire community can more easily participate it. Our second cause for celebration is our Pastor, Father Robert Aliunzi’s priestly anniversary. This Saturday, July 20th, Father celebrates 33 years of priesthood. This is significant especially for a priest since the number 33 is associated with Jesus as he was 33 years old when he ministered and died on the cross. Father Robert, thank you for your many years of ministry and please know of our prayers as we celebrate your priesthood.

Dear Friends,

As I pointed out in my last article, the Feast Day of our Parish, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, is indeed around the corner. This is our 92nd Anniversary and since the founding of our Parish in 1932, (although our current Church was built in 1968), we have celebrated this great Feast in various small and big ways. This year, we shall celebrate it in a rather moderate way. However, despite that, we all know that to better celebrate an important Feast, a proper preparation is always necessary. In our case, we have already begun this preparation with the Novena on Thu, Jul 11 which will go up to Fri, Jul 19.

Dear Friends,

Feasts of various kinds are always occasions to rejoice and reflect on what is being celebrated. The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, our Parish’s Feast, is no exception. Every year we celebrate this feast on July 16, and we have celebrated it for years, to remind us of the special place Our Lady plays in the life of our Parish and to encourage us to grow closer to her and to her son Jesus Christ.