News - April 2016 RSS Feed

Thank you for your contributions to the collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)! Your generous gifts will help CCHD break the cycle of poverty in the United States through better education, improving housing, and economic development. Through CCHD and its beneficiaries, we demonstrate Catholic social teaching and carry out Jesus’ mission to “bring glad tidings to the poor… to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free” (Lk. 4:18)

The Ascension of the Lord is on Thursday May 5th . Mass times at Sacred Heart Church are at Wednesday May 4th, at 7:00 PM and Thursday, May 5th at 8:00 AM and 12:00 noon.  

Attention all current 8th and Current 9th Grade Students! Confirmation sign-up for classes beginning in the fall are now underway.  All 8th and 9th grade students who are parishioners of Sacred Heart and intend to receive the Sacrament should be enrolled in faith formation. 

Rev. Mr. Slawomir Tomaszewski will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Presbyter on Saturday, May 28, 2016. According to the norms of cc.1043 and 1051.2 of the code of Canon Law, Christ’s faithful are obliged to reveal impediments to Sacred Orders, if they know of any, to the Bishop or Pastor before Ordination.

Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter as we celebrate the Lord’s Day. In the lection from Acts of the Apostles we read: “Stephen filled with the Holy Spirit. Looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God…” The Protomartyr Stephen, like some other Saints, was blessed to catch a glimpse of heaven while still here on earth. Having the awesome opportunity to view heaven and the liturgy which is taking place there is indeed life-giving.  

Today is the Lord’s Day and the Fifth Sunday of Easter. In our continuous reading of Acts of the Apostles we come to chapter 14 where we find Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journey strengthening the faith of the believers, “…They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, ‘It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.’” The Apostles were continuously building up the faith of the early Christians and reminding them that following the Risen Christ would have its challenges. Love would be the key that would provide the assistance one would need to navigate through such times. Love for God and love for others would result in a new way of conquering the forces of evil.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is the observance we keep as we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day. The image of the shepherd and the sheep is prominent in today’s Liturgy of the Word, being found in the Responsorial Psalm, the second lection from the Book of Revelation, the Gospel Acclamation and the Gospel lection from Saint John. Each year this pastoral theme is presented before us for our prayerful reflection as we rejoice in Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep.

Today we celebrate the Third Sunday of Easter as we honor the Lord’s Day. The Scriptural texts which are proclaimed to us witness to the Resurrection faith of the first followers of Jesus. The Lord’s closest collaborators, the Apostles, were the eyewitnesses to the signs performed by the Lord Jesus during His ministry. Likewise, they observed the Lord’s great suffering and His death upon the cross. But their sorrow was soon turned to joy when they encountered the Risen Christ triumphant from the grave. The post Resurrection appearances to the Apostles strengthened their faith and, empowered by the Holy Spirit, commissioned them to travel the world proclaiming that Jesus is Lord.

The Rosary Tea will take place on Sunday, May 22nd at 1:00PM. $10.00 a person. It will be held in the School's All Purpose Room again this year.

Please join everyone for hospitality after the 10AM mass on Sunday, April 17, 2016. Hosted by the Women's Society.

The Right to Life Ministry of Rockaway is seeking active members to help in the implementation of the many tasks required to fulfill our Mission Statement to promote a Culture of Life by advocating the Church's teachings on the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death.

This Sunday is known by a variety of names: the Octave of Easter; Saint Thomas Sunday; and Divine Mercy Sunday. All of these designations are commemorated on this, the Lord’s Day! The Resurrection festival we commonly call EASTER is celebrated with an octave, which means the feast day lasts for 8 days rather than 1. The Lord Jesus’ triumph over sin and death is the cornerstone of our faith. Such a feast as this cannot be merely celebrated on just one day but rather an octave of days prolongs this day. It also reminds us of eternity as Saint Peter the Apostle wrote: “…that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)