Monday April 21, 2008

Dear Parish Family of St. Thomas,

By now, you should be well aware of the Pope’s Journey to America. It should be a special time for our Catholic Church as well as our own country. I hope that you have been able to follow this visit on TV or the radio. The Catholic media of EWTN and Relevant Radio channel have given his visit extensive coverage. You are invited to keep our Holy Father in your prayers for a safe and successful visit here in these great United States of America. The rest of his hectic but important schedule is as follows:
Saturday, April 19, 4:30 pm—The Holy Father will meet with young Catholics, including 50 youngsters with a range of disabilities, at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers. Thousands of young people, including hundreds of seminarians, are expected to participate in a rally/prayer service and to hear the Pope speak.

Sunday, April 20, 9:30 am—The Holy Father will visit Ground Zero, the site of the disaster at the World Trade Center. Sunday, April 20, 2:30 pm— Mass at Yankee Stadium will bring this historic visit to a close. The 200th anniversary of the Baltimore Archdiocese’s designation as an archdiocese, as well at the birth of four dioceses—Boston, New York, Louisville and Philadelphia-will be highlighted during the Mass. Sunday, April 20, 8:00 pm—Shepherd One lifts off from John F. Kennedy airport in the Brooklyn Diocese, heading east to the Eternal City.

I am grateful to the Knights of Columbus for their special prayer on behalf of Pope Benedict’s visit. You are encouraged to pray the following prayer on this very special and unique occasion.

 Almighty Father, who pours forth blessings in abundance upon us, we humbly pray that you will inspire, guide and protect Pope Benedict XVI on his pastoral visit to the United States. Lord God, bless our Holy Father who comes as a messenger of peace and charity to all people of faith and good will. May his presence in the United States serve to build up the bonds that unite us who are each made in your image and likeness, and may his teaching and witness strengthen the faith of the People of God. Father, we lovingly entrust Pope Benedict’s visit to the care of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of the Americas. Through her prayers may he be preserved from all harm, and may he shine forth with the truth of the Gospel that he proclaims, and may his presence among us foster a renewal of the Church in our country. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

I recently attended the Vicariate I Youth Leadership Banquet. This is an annual event to honor some of our young people who are in leadership roles in our Parish Community. Our young people are critical for the continued building up of the Church. They exhibit a special energy and they bring a certain vitality to our faith through their many diverse gifts, talents and abilities. We are very blessed at St. Thomas to have an active and vital teen program. Our teens are actively involved in Church and various retreats and activities to help serve and respond to the needs of others through their direct service and commitment. We congratulate the following teens who received their awards at the recent banquet under the proud and watchful eyes of their parents and their Pastor. Congratulations to: Melissa Dankowski, Sarah Long, Nicole Mitchell, Kayla Richardson, Laura Stamatkin and Monica Van Bladel. Congratulations to these teen leaders and thanks for helping your peers and all of us find God in life. You guys are awesome!

See you in church!

Your Pastor,
Father Tom Rzepiela

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