News - March 2017 RSS Feed

Welcome Home, is a diocesan initiative to invite all Catholics to experience the grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Confession is a wonderful opportunity to set aside our sinful ways and to draw closer to our Lord.

Thank you to all parishioners who have completed their pledge commitment card to our church. For those who have not yet had the opportunity to submit their card please do so as soon as possible. If you need a pledge commitment card they can be found in the church vestibule.

St. Cecilia’s Parish secretary, Tanya Nellen, will be relocating to California next week. Tanya’s final day in the office will be on Thursday. 

s we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day we also mark the Fourth Sunday of Lent. In today’s liturgy we find the references to LIGHT and DARKNESS. Of course this is to remind us of the light associated with Christ and the darkness which is associated with sin. We are also reminded about the sacrament of baptism in which one is illuminated or enlightened by “putting on Christ.” Visioning as God sees is also a theme which comes through the sacred texts for this Sunday, “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.”

His Excellency, Bishop Arthur Serratelli will be in Rockaway on Sunday, March 26th, to make a pastoral visit to Sacred Heart of Jesus Church where he will celebrate the 10 o’clock morning Mass.

Joseph James Nelson was baptized at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish on March 19, 2017. We welcome him into or Parish Community. Please pray for him and his family.

A Penance service will be held during Holy Week on Tuesday evening, April 11 at 7 o’clock. The service will take place in Saint Cecilia Church and is the final time when the sacrament will be celebrated for parishioners of both Saint Cecilia and Sacred Heart prior to Easter.

Jacob Gabriel Collier and Jonas Romaine were recently baptized at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. We welcome them into our parish community. Please pray for them and their families.

REFLECTION - Living water is not the only image or symbol Jesus uses to reveal who he is and the eternal life he came to bring us; he refers to himself as the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, the lamb of God, the vine of which we are the branches, the resurrection and the life, just to name a few of the other images Jesus uses. The important message we get from today’s Gospel is that the more we engage with Jesus in reflection and prayer, even in spite of distractions, the more he seeks to lead us into a deeper relationship with himself and with the Father. - Today’s Gospel invites us to dream about the possibility of a world where opportunity and hope replace the bondage of fear and despair. God really does not want us to live a life of quiet desperation. Jesus has come to reveal the Father’s love and the Spirit is ready to convince us of that fact.

The weekend of March 18th and 19th is our monthly food drive for the Rockaway Food Pantry. Canned goods, cereal, peanut butter, pasta, etc. Last month we had a wonderful donation to the pantry. Thank you.

Today we mark the Third Sunday of Lent as we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day. The symbol of water takes a prominent place in the Scriptural texts which are presented to us for our reflection. In the Gospel the Samaritan Woman meets Christ the Savior at the well in Nablus where He offers her “water welling up to eternal life.” As their dialogue continues she becomes amazed at what the Lord says and she sets out to share the news of what has been told her. Her testimony inspires others to meet the Lord Jesus and so they go forth to quench their spiritual thirst. In Church Tradition the Samaritan Woman is named PHOTIA, which means light. She is the evangelist who brings others to Christ by the power of her testimony. She had introduced her neighbors to Christ who now tell her, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

Bishop Serratelli has granted a dispensation to all Roman Catholics living in or visiting this diocese on Friday, March 17, 2017.  This dispensation is given with the strong recommendation that the faithful honor both Saint Patrick and this holy season of Lent by some special work of charity or exercise of piety in place of abstinence.

Today we commemorate the Second Sunday of Lent as we celebrate the Lord’s Day. The Gospel reading for this Sunday is the account of the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus. As He was journeying with His Apostles to Jerusalem to accomplish the events which would bring salvation, Jesus stopped to show Peter, James and John a glimpse of heavenly glory for which they would be called to witness after His Holy Resurrection. The glory of heaven would only come after the suffering and death Jesus would endure to bring “life and immortality to light through the Gospel.”

You should have already received a brochure detailing the Increased Offertory Program our parish will be participating in over the next few weeks.  This informative brochure is intended to communicate the financial needs of our parish, and why we are having a dedicated focus on our parish offertory. 

St. Cecilia’s Bereavement Support Ministry invites those, who have suffered a loss and who are grieving, to a journey towards healing. A series of six weekly sessions will begin on Wednesday evening, March 8th, 2017 from 7:00 PM–8:30 PM, at the Parish Office, 90 Church Street

The annual novena to Saint Joseph will begin on Sunday, March 12th following the 8 o’clock morning Mass at Saint Cecilia Church. The novena will begin at the conclusion of the 8 o’clock Mass each day and will conclude on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph which will be observed this year on Monday, March 20th.

Our 4th grade had a visit from Kristina Espinelli, a Civil Engineer who is working on the NYC subway renovations. She spoke to the students about engineering, and careers in engineering. The students were challenged to design a building out of straws, tape and play dough that would withstand her earthquake shake board!

On this first day of the week, the Lord’s Day, we observe the First Sunday of the Holy Season of Lent. We commence our Lenten journey by hearing the Gospel account of the Lord Jesus being tempted by the devil as he fasted and prayed in the desert following His baptism in the Jordan. This was the Lord’s retreat which prepared Him to begin His public ministry for the salvation of the world.

Have Pizza and Prayers with Bishop Serratelli on March 7th @ Pope John XXIII H.S. from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. If you are a young man in high school, college, or even older, come join us for adoration, reflection, fellowship, and of course pizza.

Abstinence from meat (beast or fowl) is to be observed by all Catholics fourteen years old and older on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of Lent. This obligation prohibits the eating of meat, but not  eggs, milk products, or condiments of any kind, even though it’s made from animal fat.  Fasting means limiting oneself to one full meal on a given fast day.