June 27th, 2015 the Redemptorists  celebrated the 150th anniversary of the handing over of the image of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help, by Pope Pius IX to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) in 1866 to “Make Her known and loved throughout the world”. The theme of this anniversary is “Our Lady of Perpetual Help Icon of Love” and it will conclude on June 27^th,  2016.

This feast has been celebrated by the Redemptorists on the third Sunday of July since 1749.

“Rightly therefore does the Second Vatican Council teach: “The truth is that only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a type of him who was to come (Rom 5:14), Christ the Lord. Christ the new Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his most high calling.” And the Council continues: “He who is the ‘image of the invisible God’ (Col 1:15), is himself the perfect man who has restored in the children of Adam that likeness to God which had been disfigured ever since the first sin. Human nature, by the very fact that it was assumed, not absorbed, in him, has been raised in us also to a dignity beyond compare. For, by his Incarnation, he, the son of God, in a certain way united himself with each man. He worked with human hands, he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like to us in all things except sin,” he, the Redeemer of man.”

— Redemptor hominis, The Redeemer of Man, Blessed John Paul II, 1979

St. Alphonsus founded the Redemptorist congregation in 1732. It was an association of priests and brothers living a common life, dedicated to the imitation of Christ, and working mainly in popular missions for peasants in rural areas.

St. Alphonsus is known for his moral theology, which went through 60 editions in the century following him, it concentrated on the practical and concrete problems of pastors and confessors.

Alphonsus was known for his moderation and gentleness when it came to moral theology.

St. Alphonsus was known above all as a practical man who dealt in the concrete rather than the abstract. His life is indeed a “practical” model for the everyday Christian who has difficulty recognizing the dignity of Christian life amid the swirl of problems, pain, misunderstanding and failure. Alphonsus suffered all these things. He is a saint because he was able to maintain an intimate sense of the presence of the suffering Christ through it all.

Quote: Someone once remarked, after a sermon by Alphonsus, “It is a pleasure to listen to your sermons; you forget yourself and preach Jesus Christ.”

O.L.P.H. Junior Legion of Mary

• To teach the gospel message revealed by Jesus and proclaimed by the Church.
• To build a community where Christian values are modeled and developed.
• To pray and worship together in order to foster a deep, personal relationship with Jesus.
• To practice the Christian call to service by meeting the direct needs of the global community and by promoting principles of peace and justice.

We are grateful to two Sisters of Saint Joseph of St. Augustine, Sr. Kathleen Power and Sr. Josephine Marie Melican, who have accepted our invitation to speak at all Masses for the weekend to explain the lay Associates of the SSJ ; who we are, what we do, who can join and what is the process.

Sister Kathleen will present a basic understanding of the call to religious life in the light of Pope Francis’ dedication of this year to the Consecrated Life.

She will issue an invitation to prayerfully consider becoming a lay associate of the Sisters’ of St. Joseph to all men and women of our parish.

And, finally, she will invite all parishioners to gather with them after Mass in our social hall for questions/answers and discussion.

These two Sisters are very near and dear to us at Sacred Heart as they facilitate our Girls Vocation Club monthly.

We hope that everyone will consider joining the Sisters after each Mass to gain knowledge of the Associate program and visit with Sr. Kathleen and Sr. Josephine Marie.

These are weekly grouping for parish members who meet in a home setting to share & discuss the following Sunday’s Gospel readings.

       

Greetings Bros. & Srs. in Christ,

Monday Night BINGO !

Has sadly come to an end for this season On Monday JUNE 22, 2015.  We gave out lots of special prizes and served Pizza & Meatball hoagies for our last night Bingo Bash!! It was a winning night for all!!

 Thanks so much to all our wonderful volunteers and Bingo Players who faithfully returned every Monday to help support Sacred Heart.

 Monday Night Bingo- will return on September 21, 2015 at 6:30pm. Doors open at 4:00 pm.

 Friday Afternoon Bingo- will return on September 25, 2015  at 12:30pm. Doors open at 11:00am              

Come all and join the fun and See you in the fall!!

On Sunday, June 14th, we celebrated a beautiful solemn Mass in honor of our patron, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After Communion, Catherine Krzeminski was honored with a gift (crucifix) by Fr. Murray, as an outstanding example of a Sacred Heart parishioner who by her example ‘builds up the Body of Christ.’ After the Mass the statue of the Sacred Heart was carried ever so devoutly by the Knights of Columbus. The procession was led by Deacon Darrell Cervasco, C.Ss.R., followed by altar servers, Fr. Murray, C.Ss.R., and then the parishioners. Upon returning inside the church with the statue of the Sacred Heart, the faithful were invited to continue the celebration with International foods, such as foods from the Filipino, Italian, and American communities. We even had a real Italian ice maker from Brooklyn, N.Y. The faithful were also invited to take part in all the many games and activities for family members and children. It seems like the tradition of our Parish Feast is catching on, more and more people are starting to become involved and to show up at the feast day activities. We had more people at this year’s Parish Feast than any of the previous years, thank you everyone for your participation, we had a great celebration, I want to also thank Mark Steighner for taking a movie and photos of the celebration and placing them on keystoourcity.com.  God bless you – Fr. Murray