When the Blessed Mother appeared to the three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, and they asked the “beautiful lady” whether or not they would go to heaven. I’ve always found the answer that she gave to be rather interesting...
Here is how our parish campus looked in 1955, when all of our buildings had been erected except for the new church. Then, as now, all those other buildings were in heavy use as important parts of a healthy and vibrant parish, including squeezing Masses into multiple cramped spaces in the Keene and Lemont buildings.
Every Sunday we profess our faith with the Nicene Creed. I have to admit that there’s a portion of the Creed that I didn’t pay much attention to in the past, but I have since changed. We begin the Creed with, “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” The “invisible” portion never really jumped out at me until a few years back...
Our parish has always depended on the generosity of our parishioners and friends, and the challenges of tomorrow are no exception. There are many ways we can show our support, including...
I remember some years ago a saintly old priest used an example in regards to jealousy that I have never forgotten. At the time I was in high school, and he described jealousy as a type of cancer to the soul. Once it got in, it was awfully hard to get it out, and if it was left unchecked, it would eat away and eat away, eventually destroying that individual.
Prayer - Spending Time with God
Stewardship involves spending time with God. Recognizing that every day is a gift from God, we strive to spend some of each day with God, through prayer, Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, scripture reading, quiet meditation and other spiritual activities. During this time we ask God how he wants us to use the gifts He has given to us...
Many, many thanks to all who made the Outdoor Mass and Oktoberfest last Sunday such a wonderful event. We give our thanks to all those who put in the hard work of planning the event and making it happen, especially to Steve Barcy and all the men of the QAS Men’s Club who were the first to come to set up, and the last to leave after cleaning all the grills. Many thanks to Ben Camarda and Joseph’s Finest Meats; to FACA for the desserts; to Jeff Reichenbach for the ice cream; to all the scouts; the members of our 8th grade class who came to help; to Paul Scavone and Dr. Ken Sotak for their planning of the Mass; and all those who gave of their time in some way shape or form - it would be hard to list everyone.
I was recently sharing with someone that the first part of Fr. Simon’s sabbatical was a thirty-day silent retreat. At first they questioned me as to what that exactly meant, and I explained that it was thirty days free of media and technology - no evening news, no making phone calls or texting, no chatting back and forth. They seemed rather taken aback, maybe even a little horrified, at the prospect of doing something like that.
There is just one-third of the year remaining, so it’s not too early to start thinking about our 2024 tax returns and how we can support our parish in a tax-advantaged way.
Certainly, the primary motivation for our charitable contributions to Queen of All Saints parish is the generous return to God for the great gifts he has given us.
This year's session kicks off Wednesday, October 9th at 7pm in the Fireplace Room of the Benedict Center. Interested in the Catholic Faith or seeing to complete your sacraments? RCIA is for you! Please click for more information.
As we observe Labor Day this weekend, it seems an appropriate time to recall a reflection that someone lent me some time ago. The subject of the reflection itself was not about work, but the chapter on work struck me the most. The reflection noted that in ancient Rome, regardless of how they went about it (which might be another topic), work was generally viewed as a way to accomplish something.
We are in need of many new ministers to distribute Holy Communion to the people of God. Jesus took, blessed and broke bread at the Last Supper. He feeds us who hunger for his Body and Blood. Just as he instructed his apostles to do the same, so the church entrusts the Body and Blood of Christ to ministers, who then give them to the faithful at Mass.
A few weeks back I was looking for some information in the parish office. I know the secretaries would have been able to tell me right away the information that I needed but the office had already closed and the secretaries had gone home for the day. So I started to look for what I was searching for and found all sorts of things I wasn’t looking for. I suppose we all have those moments. But one of the things that caught my eye and was successful in distracting me was some old photos of days past here at the Basilica.
There’s something wonderfully renewing about late summer, especially as it begins a new school year. It’s all about new beginnings. Maybe it has something to do with new classrooms, new teachers, clean smells, new sights.
As the days of summer fade away and the new school year is upon us, I know there are some kids who always look forward to this time of year. I can’t say I was one of those kids (I was always kind of sad to see summer come to an end) but when I hear their reasoning I can understand their excitement...Very soon our parish school and Religious Education program will be back in session.
Bring the whole family to Mass!
-Backpack Blessing at 9am & 11am
-Children's Liturgy of the Word at 9am
-Coffee after all Sunday Masses by the Porte Cochere
Sadly, I was informed one of our staff members here at Queen of All Saints will be moving on. As many of you know, Mrs. Jenna Kaszycki has served as our Director of Religious Education and Youth Ministry. Of course, her departure is a loss! Our thanks go out to Jenna for the time and talent that she brought to her role here, and her hard work that was such a part of her position.
We hear this phrase often. What does this mean?
Our time—perhaps the most obvious way to satisfy this obligation is to attend weekly Mass; Our
talent—giving of our abilities in the service of others; Our treasure—the benefits of a certain percentage of our annual income, given to our church and to others in gratitude for what has been given to us...