“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).” 

The Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 10, 2023 

Dear Parishioners and Friends: 

   Jesus was a man of prayer.  Prayer is not optional in the Christian life.  It is like food for our souls.  Without it, we will spiritually starve.     
  If we are familiar with the Sacred Scriptures, we know that regular, fervent, persistent prayer must be in our lives.  We should pray in a disciplined way and on regular basis. Now is time to storm heaven with many, many prayers.  God hears and answers all our prayers.  Now is time to renew our lives of prayer. 
   One of the fond memories I have of my childhood was when my parents, my two brothers, and my two sisters would kneel before a crucifix to say our night prayers.  I still remember the final line at our home:  “Bless mommy, daddy, Mary Ann, Louis, Mark, George, and a few years later, Michelle.”  That was the order in which we were born. Making the sign of the cross with reverence was part of our daily lives. In addition, we always prayed the meal prayers.  Did you know there is also a prayer for the end of meals? In the Catholic school, we learned many prayers by heart, though I had already learned most of them from my dear mother at home. Of course, there was the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, The Apostles Creed, the Hail Holy Queen, the Angelus, the Memorare, the Morning Offering, the Act of Contrition, and my personal favorite the Guardian Angel Prayer. These are still good prayers to know by heart. Then we learned to pray the rosary. I still see in my mind’s eye all of us kneeling before a statue of Our Lady of Grace with a little vigil light burning before her. Naturally, regular attendance at Sunday and Holyday Masses were part of our weekly routine along with monthly confession. We all need a discipline of prayer no matter who we are.  If you keep order, order keeps you, as one saint said.   
  I refer all to the Family Prayer cards available at the entrances to the church.  You will also find the card with the procedure for Confession and on a separate sheet a more detailed examination of conscience for adults.  
  Jesus promised to be in our midst when we gather in prayer to bless our homes and loved ones.   Indeed, the family that prays together stays together.     

Yours in the Immaculate Heart of Mary,  
Fr. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor