Message from the Pastor

This past Friday, America celebrated 227 years as a nation. It is also only 100 years since the Church in America was no longer considered a "Mission Church". Last Sunday, Fr. Matthew from Tanzania spoke at the Masses asking for financial help for his relatively new diocese of Geita, which was created in 1985. As Father Matthew was speaking, I was thinking that American priests had to go to Europe and begged the established Churches in Europe for financial help as well as asking for priests to come to the missions in America up until 1908. Our parish was created back in 1853, I wonder if we received help because some priest went and begged for us?

Each year, the Propagation of the Faith, responsible for mission churches and organizations, come to every parish in America and asks us to help new churches throughout the world. Today, we will have a second collection at Immaculate Conception to help the Church in Tanzania, and at Assumption for the Lamp Ministry. As always, I thank you for your goodness to our brothers and sisters; after all, someone helped us to get where we are.

You may have read or heard about some of the results of a major survey on religion and American life conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. It was conducted between May 8 and August 13, 2007, with a representative sample of more than 35,000 Americans. The first report based on the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey was issued this past February on the core religious beliefs and practices as well as the basic social and political views of the various religious traditions in the U.S. as well as people who are not affiliated with a particular religion.

The U.S. bishops consider the findings from a Pew Study on religion and public life as confirmation that Americans are identified with religion. More than half of Americans rank the importance of religion very highly in their lives, attend religious services regularly, and pray daily. Furthermore, a plurality of adults who are affiliated with a religion want their religion to preserve its traditional beliefs and practices rather than either adjust to new circumstances or adopt modern beliefs and practices.

The vast majority of Americans, nearly 92%, believe in God or a universal spirit. The Pew study also states that 74% of Americans believe in heaven and only 59% in hell (I hope they won’t be surprised on Judgment Day)! It reports that 63% believe Scripture is the word of God. Another 63% of respondents with children at home say they pray and read Scripture with their children and 60% send their children to religious education programs.

Some 40% see a conflict between modern society and religion, with 42% saying Hollywood threatens their values. And finally, one of the realities of politics is that people who regularly attend worship services and hold traditional religious views are much more likely to hold conservative political views while those who are less connected to religious institutions and more secular in their outlook are more likely to hold liberal political views.

For our 227 years of existence, we have always been a religious nation. History shows over and over again, that we always turn to God to worship Him, to ask Him and to thank Him. I pray that God Bless America is more than just a closing of a political speech.

The Parish Campaign

Remember, this campaign is about our parish and thanking God for all the blessings received, and giving to our children and their children. All the monies given are staying right here in our parish to upgrade our Church and our convent and to build our parish gym. Remember, the words of the Lord, to whom much is given, much will be expected. I am asking all of us to sacrifice for the sake of God’s Church on earth. Please give from your heart.