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Jesus gave His Church this great commission just before His Ascension into heaven. It is His last command to His disciples and is why our parish exists. The Apostles went out to all the world, preaching Christ and building communities founded on the way of life Christ has given us, based on the grace Christ makes available to us. The Church of St. Joseph exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ within our city. We are all called to be disciples– to grow in holiness and to invite others to share in what God has given us.

Today Religious Education for children and the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults begin. If your children need religious education (ie: are not going to Catholic schools), it’s not too late to sign up. Also, if you know someone who desires to become Catholic, or you still haven’t received the sacrament of Confirmation, it’s not too late to join RCIA. 

Next Sunday RCIA begins. RCIA stands for the “Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults” and it’s for adults, baptized or unbaptized, who want to enter the Catholic Church. It’s a class that teaches them about the teachings of the Catholic Church and forms them to live the Catholic spiritual life. RCIA meets after the 11:30 am Mass every Sunday and runs to Easter.

We are quickly moving toward the beginning of the parish year when all our ministries restart: soon Religious Education and RCIA will be restarting, as well as full choirs at the 11:30am and 6pm Masses! The printed bulletin will resume after Labor Day (but we’ll continue to email my letters). 

This week is a week of change at St. Joseph’s. As you know, Fr. Pier Giorgio has been reassigned to the Dominican parish St. Louie Bertrand in Louisville, Kentucky. He’ll leave after Labor Day. We will hold a going away party for him on Sunday, September 5th, after the 11:30 am Mass.

Let us live with the hope that the Assumption brings: that we too will pass through the veil between earth and heaven to delight in God Himself. 

St. Dominic is known for his mercy and skill in preaching. He worked tirelessly for the salvation of souls and exuded great charity. For 800 years the Order founded by St. Dominic has continued his mission of spreading the Gospel and sharing Christ's salvation. All of us at St. Joseph's share in that mission!

While God is certainly present everywhere in the cosmos, after all, He is holding everything in existence at every moment, God is especially present where the Eucharist is. The veil between our world and the heavenly realm is thinner, as it were, where the Eucharist is present.

I've run into a number of people who are new to the city and starting to join us at St. Joseph's, as well as New Yorkers who have started attending Mass at St. Joseph's. Let us welcome our newest members of the parish and help them as they begin their journey at St. Joseph's.

This Friday we celebrate St. John of Cologne, who did not enjoy that freedom. During the chaos and violence of the Protestant Reformation St. John of Cologne was caught bringing communion to Catholics captured by the Calvinists in the Netherlands. They hanged him in a barn with many of the Franciscan friars. They are known as the Martyrs of Gorkum.

In our own lives, it is important to remember that the authority we are entrusted with is always meant to be used to serve others, not ourselves. We only finally become our true selves when we give of ourselves out of love for others. What we keep for ourselves always spoils – it's only what we give away that we truly keep. 

Our fathers play an important role in our lives; their love is supposed to partake in God the Father's love for each of us. Our natural fathers' love is meant to foreshadow God's love. May all our fathers fulfill the essential role God has given them!

I look forward to working with all of you to make St. Joseph's a vibrant parish as we come out of this pandemic.

We are in a season of many feasts – make sure to take advantage of all the graces God is offering you during these feasts. The grace and mercy of Jesus's presence with us in the Eucharist and His love for us in His Most Sacred Heart are real and present to us. 

Today we celebrate one of the central mysteries of the Faith: the Most Holy Trinity. God through the Incarnation of the second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, revealed that He is not alone divine person isolated in heaven.

It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live the Christian life and follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit is still with us, still operating within the Church, so let us follow His inspiration and seek the holiness He offers each one of us.