Dear friends,

Tomorrow, September 21st, is the Feast day of Saint Matthew, our Patron Saint.

We will however observe his liturgical feast on Sunday the 26th at the 11 AM High Mass.

One of the things, among so many, that have been affected by the Covid pandemic and all the precautions and restrictions, has been the removal of Holy Water from the fonts at the doors of the church. There is an understandable unease about many fingers dipping into the same bowl of water.

In response to a welcome suggestion, the Parish is providing bottles of Holy Water as a gift that will be available next weekend at the doors of the church, ONE per family to take home and keep for your own use. ( As ever, Holy Water is available in the two big vessels, one at the main entrance to the church, and the other to the left front of the church by the Blessed Mother statue.)

This is, I think, a nice way of observing our Patron Saint’s feast.

Another Covid matter is the omission of the formal “Sign of Peace” from our Masses. This omission will continue, leaving it up to individuals and families to decide whether or not to shake hands or otherwise touch. I notice many are exchanging various greetings at the “Pax” spontaneously. It is entirely up to you, and I neither encourage, nor discourage this “grass roots” practice.

God’s blessings,
Father Hewes

ACTION NEEDED TODAY – NO TAXPAYER ABORTION!

July 8, 2021

Dear Father:

I’m writing to request your help.

Some powerful Members of Congress want to take away the Hyde Amendment so taxpayer dollars will pay for abortions for poor women.

When our government offers a woman a free abortion instead of the resources she needs to care for her baby, it is not “choice,” but coercion. Taxpayer dollars would be far better spent supporting women in crisis pregnancies and struggling new mothers so that no woman ever feels economic pressure to have an abortion.

The Hyde Amendment has been credited with saving over 2.4 million lives, and without it, the current abortion rate would likely go up significantly.

Because of the incredibly high stakes, Congress needs to hear from a massive number of people before it votes on taxpayer-funded abortion during the second half of July. If we fail to generate sufficient grassroots support for the Hyde Amendment, Congress may conclude that taxpayer-funded abortion is popular.

The USCCB has launched a campaign for Catholics to raise their voices on behalf of women. The goal is for millions of Catholics to sign the petition on NoTaxpayerAbortion.com by July 16.

I invite the people of your parish to join our diocesan response to this nationwide effort. Its success and the lives of countless people depend on each of us doing our part.

Easy, ready-to-use tools from the USCCB can be found at respectlife.org/no-taxpayer-abortion. These include an introductory webinar recording, sample announcement, petition to Congress, graphics, flyer, and infographic. (Many of these are also available in Spanish.) Additionally, some key points, pre-written messages, and ideas for how to use the resources are available for your own reference. (Please do not share these latter documents publicly.)

As Pope Francis has said, “The future of humanity … is fundamentally in the hands of peoples and in their ability to organize.” It is critically important for Catholics to send a strong message before Congress moves forward to impose taxpayer-funded abortion. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Reverend John O. Barres
Bishop of Rockville Centre

PS: Please consider including this announcement in your parish bulletin and other communications: Stop your tax dollars from going to abortion. NoTaxpayerAbortion.com

Click here to print Bishop Barres’ letter.

Dear friends,

 Well worth reading, and a call for prayers for a soul.

https://www.crisismagazine.com/2021/to-what-shall-we-give-our-soul

 Fr. Hewes

April 20, 2021

Dear Pastors,

Please consider promoting the Roe v. Wade movie in your weekly bulletins, websites, social media, etc.  Archbishop Naumann, Chairman of Prolife Activities for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has said:

“I encourage you to see this film. With some of the artistic liberties of the movie industry, the film provides insight into the cultural circumstances that resulted in the Court decision that led to more than 62 million American children killed by abortion over the past 48 years.” 

We agree. And so, the Office of Human Life, Family and Bioethics, has a special webpage through which the movie can be ordered at a special 35% discount through April 30 (and is available to watch, unlimited, for 30 days after ordering).

www.DRVCLife.org/movie

In a nutshell, the main reasons to see the movie:

• It is likely in the near future that Roe v. Wade will be challenged in the courts and/or there will be federal legislation proposed to codify the ruling, so this is a good opportunity to learn about this landmark decision and initiate conversation about it.
• It brings awareness to the strategy used to change the culture in 1970 which is similar to that being employed now to influence current day cultural issues (e.g. gender ideology).
• It depicts the conversion of Bernard Nathanson and offers an example of the power of redemption, particularly relevant during the Easter Season.

In addition, on Thursday, May 27, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. we will be hosting a one-hour live Q&A session with the producer/director/actor, Nick Loeb, by Zoom which we hope will increase interest in seeing the movie, too.

February 25, 2021

The ‘Equality Act’ discriminates against people of faith
and threatens unborn life.
Tell Congress you oppose it!

Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. The so-called Equality Act, which is being voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives soon, in many ways does the opposite and needs to be opposed. Instead of respecting differences in beliefs about marriage and sexuality, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith.

The Equality Act would: punish faith-based organizations, such as charities and schools who serve everyone in their communities, simply because of their beliefs; force girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in sports, and to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who identify as women; risk mandating taxpayers to fund abortions; force people in everyday life, and especially health care workers, to support gender transition; and expand what the government considers a “public” place, forcing even some parish halls to host functions that conflict with Catholic beliefs.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops have made it easy to let your members of Congress know that you oppose the so-called Equality Act.

Visit the USCCB Action Center, enter your information and an email will be sent on your behalf. To read more about the Equality Act visit https://www.usccb.org/equality-act

Dear Friends,

Eighty-five years ago a term entered the language that enjoyed a long vogue. In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, a general laying siege to Madrid was asked how many columns (of troops) he had. He replied that he had four columns outside the city, but a “fifth column inside.”

He meant a secret force of sympathizers and guerillas who would aid him from within the besieged city. Continue reading “The “Fifth Columnist”” →

Dear friends,

As we all know today,”recycling” is a common practice. Our Lord once said that “The scribe learned in the Law can bring out of his storehouse things both old and new.” I composed the following article some years ago. With some minor modifications, I place it before you again for your consideration. Continue reading “Septuagesima” →

Must Catholics refuse a COVID-19 vaccine made with a cell line from an abortion?

In the wake of announcements from multiple pharmaceutical companies about safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, many are expressing ethical doubts about whether it is OK to take these vaccines. Do Catholics have a moral duty to decline an inoculation if it was unethically produced using a cell line that came from an abortion?  Read more…

COMMENTARY: At no point in the recent history of the United States has our freedom of religious belief looked so fragile — and this despite the fact that the Trump administration has shown an unusually strong commitment to preserving that freedom.     https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/religious-freedoms-tenuous-21st-century-foothold

Andrea Picciotti-Bayer  September 9, 2020

The receptionist desk will be “womanned” Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 1 PM for routine Parish business and Mass Cards.  On Friday there will be more limited service.
Please call ahead when in doubt.  631-499-8520.

Important Telephone extensions for general non-emergency messages:

Parish Secretary: 126
Parish Business Manager: 113
Religious Education (CCD): 128
Pastor: 130

For urgent calls for Last Rites or a similar emergency:
631-912-5955

Contact information regarding Funerals is on the Parish Voice Mail phone greeting  631-499-8520.

As before, please enter the Parish Center through the Main Entrance only, not the Gym Entrance.

 The Main Entrance is between the shrines to Sts. Padre Pio and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

The inner doors to the building are to the right. Please note the sign to ring the bell for admittance.