June 30, 2024

Thirteenth sunday in ordinary time

by Fr. Boniface Endorf, OP

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

Happy Independence Day! We should celebrate all the freedoms safeguarded by our nation, especially religious liberty. Under British rule, when New York was a colony, England outlawed Catholicism and it was illegal for a priest to even enter New York. St. Peter’s, the first Catholic parish in New York City, was founded just as the last British soldiers were departing at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War.

Religious liberty was spotty even after that—there were many anti-Catholic riots in the 19th century and attempts to burn down Catholic parishes. The Know-Nothing party was an official anti-Catholic political party in the 1850’s. Today there continue to be threats against religious liberty, so let us both give thanks to God for the freedom we have and pray that religious freedom increases in our country. 

God Bless,

Fr. Boniface