Religious Freedom Week 2021: Solidarity in Freedom

My Dear Parishioners,

This week we celebrated graduation from St. Joseph/St. Robert School. Congratulations to all our parish graduates whether you have graduated from Pre-K, Kindergarten, Middle School, Eighth Grade, High School, College, or Post-Graduate studies. We pray for all graduates that they will have God at their side and carry Him with them into whatever the future holds for them. As always I would like to invite any recent graduates and their families to consider bringing up the offertory gifts at any of our Sunday Masses as a way to recognize their student’s accomplishment. Carrying the gifts up at Mass may not sound like a big deal, but it is a way to symbolize bringing your own gifts forward and handing them over to God. Please see one of the ushers before the start of Mass if interested.

Once again I take the opportunity to thank Mr. D’Andrea and all of our wonderful school faculty, administration, and staff. They always do an excellent job of making St. Joseph / St. Robert School a warm and inspiring place to learn and grow. This past year, in particular, we can be very proud of them for all the hard work and sacrifices made to keep our school open and functioning at such an exceptional level during a very challenging school year. They certainly went “above and beyond.” We also pray that our school teachers and staff will have a restful and restorative summer break and that they will return to us renewed and refreshed. Thank you also to all the parents, assistants, volunteers and aides. We could not run such a fine program without the assistance of active and involved parents, your devotion is admirable.

The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops is celebrating its annual religious freedom week from June 22 thru June 29, 2021. Its title is “Religious Freedom Week 2021: Solidarity in Freedom” This information can be found at www.usccb.org/ReligiousFreedomWeek.

“Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community.” Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all. Beginning June 22, the feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, the USCCB invites Catholics to pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom. The Bishops have a specific prayer intention for each day.

  • June 22, 2021 Adoption and Foster Care: Pray that children waiting to be placed in a loving home and the caregivers who serve those children will find strength and support from the
  • June 23, 2021 Catholic Social Services During the Pandemic: Pray that God would continue to grant Catholic institutions the wisdom and courage to serve a world suffering the effects of the COVID
  • June 24, 2021 The  Equality  Act:  Pray that   the dignity of all people  will  be  respected  in  our  The Equality Act, as currently presented by our government, legally and socially harms Americans in serious ways and injures the common good.
  • June 25, 2021 Church Vandalism: Pray that Christian witness in the face of attacks on our churches will convert hearts to faith in Jesus
  • June 26, 2021 Catholics in Nicaragua: Pray for our Catholic sisters and brothers who are suffering in Nicaragua.
  • June 27, 2021 Conscience Rights for Medical Professionals: Pray that governments would respect the consciences of all people who care for the sick and vulnerable.
  • June 28, 2021 Pope Francis’ Solidarity with Beleaguered Christians in Iraq: Pray for Christians in Iraq, and that people of all faiths in the land of Abraham may live in
  • Free Speech: Pray that Christians will have the courage to speak the truth with kindness and clarity, even in the face of

The USCCB has additional material on the religious freedom week website for each day for reflecting and also ideas for action, practical things that can be done to support and protect religious freedom.

God Bless You! Fr.
Bordonaro

Menu