From the desk of the pastor...reminder of his Winter Weather Policy

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our first Winter Storm Warning for the season goes into effect tomorrow morning.  Please allow me once again to express my personal Winter Weather Policy.  If the conditions of the roads are bad, please stay at home.  Anytime there is a danger to ourselves or others it is best to stay indoors.  The Lord loves us a lot and does not expect us to risk our lives or the lives of others.

On weekends when there is calling for bad weather on a Sunday please make every effort to attend Saturday Evening.  If the Winter Weather occurs on a Saturday please remember our Mass times are spread out (8am, 10:45am, and 5:30pm) on Sunday.  Please keep an eye on news reports and traffic conditions.

Tomorrow afternoon I will still be celebrating Mass at 5:15pm (because I live here), but again if conditions are bad please stay home.

Sincerely,

Fr. C.

Father Carroll's Homily for Christ the King 2014

Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King 2014

“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”  Is Christ our King?  As we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King that is the basic question we must all ask ourselves.  Our readings for this Sunday highlight a simple way in which we can tell if Christ our true King is guiding our lives. 

Starting with the first reading from the prophet Ezekiel and the Gospel of Matthew highlights the theme of service.  “Thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep.”  This quote taken from the first reading reveals that the Lord God will tend His sheep.  It goes on to say “The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal.”  If Christ is really in our hearts we would be oriented towards serving others.  Over time we have heard it said repeatedly when we serve others we are ultimately serving God.  We are reminded of that when we hear the Lord answer the question in today’s Gospel, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

If Christ is truly our king, then we would be oriented to living Christian lives of service.  The biggest obstacle to this is we ourselves!  Individuals whose lives are not centered on the Lord tend to be self-centered.  Those individuals are looking towards their need and wants.  If we are looking at our own needs and wants all the time without any consideration for the needs of others then Jesus Christ is not the King and center of our lives.  What are some of the excuses people use for not coming to Mass?  There isn't enough time…we have a sports practice, we were away at camp, and after going about all our many things, we just don’t feel like it.  Well I am sure our Lord didn't feel like being nailed to a cross, but He did, because He loved us. 

          Brothers and sisters, next week, we have a perfect opportunity for another shot to make Christ the center of our lives…we have the beginning of a new liturgical year with the beginning of advent next week.  Together let’s continue to look for ways in which we can refocus our lives on the Lord.

Holy Buckets

Our Religious Education students are presently participating in the “Holy Buckets” program through the Missionary Childhood Association. We are all missionaries by our Baptism. We are reaching out to the poor and vulnerable half a world away. The students are being encouraged to pray, sacrifice and serve to make a faith-filled difference for our mission family. 

Religious Ed. Mission Project

Advent to January 4, 2012-Religious Ed students are praying and sacrificing for Missionary Childhood Association, which offers young Catholics and their families opportunities to share our faith with our foreign missions. In conjunction with this, we are raffling of 2 Christmas Teddy Bears, donated by Sister Monica for the good of the missions. Each chance is a quarter of which all the proceeds will go directly to the Missionary Childhood Association. Please join with us in pray and sacrifice for all our missionaries.

Change in the Confession and Mass Schedule for Thursday November 20th and Friday November 21st

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING CHANGE FOR CONFESSIONS AND MASS FOR THURSDAY NOVEMBER 20TH AND FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21ST.  

CONFESSIONS WILL BE HEARD THURSDAY FROM 4:15PM - 4:45PM, MASS WILL BE CELEBRATED AT 5PM

CONFESSIONS ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21ST WILL BE HEARD FROM 11:30AM - 12:30PM.

Father Carroll's Homily for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the 33^rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

          “For all of you are children of the light and children of the day.”  Brothers and sisters let us strive to be children of the light.  What does that mean?  It means that we need to allow the gifts and talents God has given to be used to their fullest potential.  God has given us all gifts.  Some have been given the gift to sing, some of been given the gift of writing, some are good orators, others are good listeners.  We all have a gift, and that gift isn’t meant to be hidden from the world. 

          In our responsorial psalm we sang, “Blessed are those who fear the Lord.”  This isn’t a fear of fright but rather a deep sense of reverence for the Lord and what He calls us too.  As Christians we are called to go out and use the gifts we have been given constantly.  Continuing with St. Paul’s letter to the people of Thessalonica, “Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.”  While yes we need to rest and sleep to renew our bodies and minds what this passage is saying there is no rest from living the Christian faith.  Think about it, and ask ourselves is there a time in which we are not using our gifts to their fullest potential.  Do we attempt to hide our gifts from the world?  If the answer is yes to those questions then we have something to work on. 

          There are a lot of distractions out there brothers and sisters.  The devil will try to discourage us and bring us into darkness.  As children of the light, bring everything into it.  “Let us stay alert!”  It’s easy to allow darkness to consume us, but my encouragement to us is to not allow that to happen.  Trust in God’s mercy and love.  We are reminded today of two things that as Christians we are called to action to use our gifts and talents for the building up of His kingdom.  Secondly what should motivate us is our love and deep sense of reverence for the Lord for all He has done for us.     Moving forward this week look for ways in which we can shine the light of our faith to give light to those who might be walking in the midst of darkness. 

SYMBOLON IS HERE

Symbolon is Here! - Free To Use

Register Now and Begin Your Journey

Go to: St. Patrick Symbolon Page

Click Picture to View Introduction!

When you learn about something, it becomes part of you and inspires a greater interest, enabling you to share it with others.

So you might ask what is Symbolon?

Symbolon is a Travel Guide for our faith that helps us to understand how to live it and share it with others. It tells our Story!

Through a generous donation from a parish family, Symbolon is offered FREE for your use until Oct, 2015.

With Symbolon you can:

·        Travel at your own pace and time as you explore our Faith.

·        Travel alone, or take along family, friends, or even a group.

·        Have Fun as you Travel on Your Journey to Heaven!

Beginning your travel is Very Simple: Register for Symbolon on-line at Home or on your Smartphone, and access it anytime on the web.

Just go to St. Patrick Website http://www.stpatrickyork.org/- click on the SYMBOLON ICON, then on SYMBOLON REGISTER NOW!

• Do not have a computer - ask family or friends to help you, or become part of a group to be offered in the parish.

• Know someone who does not have a computer; ask them to join you.

Parishioner Sharing:

Listen to what Jeanina Sargent, a parishioner, shared after viewing just the first 4 Episodes of Symbolon:

"What helped keep my attention was the way that the speakers related the early teaching of the Church to what is happening today. It made me think about how I want to live my life.

It answered the questions of why we do the things that we do and how we can keep these traditions of our religion alive.

I could watch and listen in the privacy of my home.

We try to fit so much in our day.. .What I realized was that I could include God (not just squeeze God into my day). By living my life as God wants me to live and touching people's lives with kindness."

Explore Symbolon and let us know what you think and need. 

Consider forming small groups that meet in your homes.

Symbolon has a Lot to Offer:

It includes 20 Episodes divided into 2 parts (approx 10 - 20 min long) - on Knowing the Faith, and Living the Faith.  Also provided are E-Books, On-line Articles, CD's, and You Tube Videos.

Explore The Faith Challenge:

Make it a priority to watch one Episode every week or every other week, over the course of the next 11 months.  Isn't God worth it?  Aren't you worth it?

Tell 5 people about your Experience.

Everyone Has a Story: Discover Our Story

We each have God-given roles to play in that story and the reality is that God's story of love is not complete without each one of us participating in it.

So how are you going to Choose to use this wonderful Gift of Symbolon that has been given to you through a Labor of Love from a Parish Family?

This coming year, will you use your time to foster your talents and treasure, while

·       Renewing Your Heart,

·          Renewing Your Faith, and

·       Renewing Your Parish.

Please let me know if you have any Questions or Feedback.  And keep me updated on your journey.

Have Fun Viewing our Story and Enjoy your Travels.

In all that We say and Do,

May Jesus Christ be Praised, Now and Forever. Amen!