Dying to Live
on being Jesus-first people
Dear Saints,
Just a few important notes:
Register for our Sunday Masses in the church here.
We still have two 9:00am Sunday Masses this week: a drive-in Mass (Walmart) and in the church.
The Outside Confessional schedule will change on July 4.
Please be in touch with me with any questions or concerns.
Bishop-elect Kevin Sweeney is being installed as our diocese's eighth bishop this week. Check out this page for livestreams of the liturgies (Vespers on Tuesday at 7:00pm and Mass on Wednesday at 1:45pm).
This weekend’s Gospel passage has Jesus preaching one of the central paradoxes of Christian life. He says to his apostles, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Put another way, we discover who we were made to be by going all in on Jesus.
When I gave my “yes” to Jesus to become his priest just over ten years ago, I didn’t know where he’d lead me. I thought I had some idea of what my life would look like, but I was quite content to leave it up to him. I trusted Jesus and committed to follow him: the rest was - and is - details.
One of the happy turns of my young priesthood came when Bishop Serratelli assigned me to Our Lady of Mount Carmel almost five years ago. I don’t know exactly why, but whenever I’ve been asked how long I intend to stay at OLMC, I’ve responded - without hesitating - that I expect to die here. Perhaps it’s something to do with this Gospel dynamic: My life only makes sense inasmuch as I give it to Jesus.
These days, I thank God for your yeses to trust and follow Jesus. Thank you also, my friends, for who you are and who you are to me as a result. We are making our way together, and I am excited to see where the Lord will lead us these next ten, twenty, thirty, and more years!
My sincerest thanks to all who helped make my tenth-anniversary celebration so special. I'd like to thank Christina Simonetti, especially, who helped coordinate the festivities and is leaving our parish (and NJ) in a couple of weeks. She leaves with my heartfelt appreciation for her hard work and dedication: She has done almost everything for us in her time here, and her faithful service has embodied true OLMC spirit. I know I speak for us all when I wish her all of God’s blessings in her future endeavors.
I love you, my friends. Be assured of my prayers for you and yours.
Christ's Peace,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
Preparing for Mass?
Check out this weekend's readings:
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Christ Carrying the Cross
Titian, ca. 1565