Dear Parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish,

Greetings from Father Fullum, Deacon Peter and the Sisters of the convent! I would like to happily report that Father Fullum and I have both tested NEGATIVE and have been cleared of the coronavirus. He was retested last Tuesday and I was tested for the first time. I am so relieved and grateful! Although I never knew if I had it, I still experienced some anxiety living in the rectory with Father Fullum these past thirty days, and I know he was also worried not only for his own health, but for mine as well. We will continue to follow the guidelines until everyone is healthy again!

Unfortunately, I must also report on some sad news…Sacred Heart Parish has lost several cherished parishioners during this time of isolation, who I would like to acknowledge: Erwin Petschauer, Robert Borger, Gary Jaegar, Janet Delfino, Frank Yonke, Juana Caso, and Cathy O’Sullivan. Cathy was a devoted and inspiring catechist and Girl Scout leader of Sacred Heart Parish. For over 30 years she patiently and cheerfully taught children the Catholic Faith, particularly those with special needs. Even as she endured many physical sufferings over the years, Cathy’s ever-present smile and good nature always shone forth as she made her way in her wheelchair at home, in Church, and wherever she went. May she and all our loved ones who have died hear Our Lord Jesus lovingly say to them, as He did in the parable, “Well done good and faithful servant…Come and share your Master’s joy!”

This Sunday, April 19th, is the 20th Anniversary of the canonization of Saint Maria Faustina (the visionary of Jesus the Divine Mercy), and the establishment of the Second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday by Saint John Paul II. What a blessing this “new” devotion and feast day have been for the life of the Church throughout the world and in our own individual lives. The simple, yet central, profound message and command of the Lord Jesus to us of the Divine Mercy devotion, “Jesus, I trust in You,” brings us comfort and increases our faith in Him when we truly embrace it and internalize it into our lives. Trust is “the firm belief in the reliability and strength of another.” However, when that Other is the Lord Jesus, then we have no reason to fear anyone or anything at any time. We have faith in His steadfast reliability. We can confidently cry out with Saint Thomas the Apostle in Sunday’s Gospel, “My Lord and my God!”

Mercy is “compassion shown to one who offends another.” It is always a struggle to be faced with that challenge in our personal lives. Sometimes we may hold onto an offense by another throughout our whole lives, and can’t imagine showing that person compassion. But then imagine that our dear Lord is faced with that challenge at every moment extending His Divine Mercy to each of US who offend Him by our lack of love for one another, by surrendering to our doubts, and by our sins. Jesus truly is faithful to US! May we accept Our Risen Savior’s intimate invitation in the Gospel to touch him and, “…do not be unbelieving, but BELIEVE!” How truly blessed are we who have not seen, but have believed.

With love and blessings.

Fr. Fred

P.S. A prayerful reminder that you are all invited to join Deacon Peter and me for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the solemn chanting of the Divine Mercy chaplet, and Benediction at 3:00 p.m. (The hour of Divine Mercy) online at the Sacred Heart Church Glendale Facebook Page this Sunday, April 19th.
The following is a link to The Divine Mercy Chaplet solemnly chanted at the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Dearest Parishioners of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish,

Along with Father Fullum, Deacon Peter, and the Sisters of the Convent, may I extend to each one of you a Happy, Joyful, and Blessed Easter!… May you be blessed with the ever-greater awareness of the Presence and Power of the Risen Jesus in our lives and in our world!

Beginning today, and for the next few weeks, we will again hear at Mass, the beautiful Resurrection accounts that the Apostles and first disciples witnessed. In the Gospel according to St. Luke, we are told, “…He stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’…” The first gift of the Risen Jesus is PEACE! Not just the absence of turmoil or conflict…but rather, the tranquility and serenity of mind, heart and spirit that comes with faith and trust in Him when there is turmoil or conflict…not APART from it. The Risen Jesus stands “in the midst” of suffering and death like He stood “in the midst” of the Apostles, who were so full of fear and discouragement after His crucifixion, before He proved He was alive! He stands “in the midst” of our own individual and communal suffering which has caused so much unimaginable sorrow, confusion and disruption to our lives in so many ways. However, we do not let it overwhelm us, because our faith, no matter how weak or insincere or inadequate we may feel it is, is rooted in the Risen Lord! It may be as “small as mustard seed,” but it can blossom into the “largest of bushes” when we turn to Him with loving confidence. It is always so challenging to wonder why our Lord does not remove the causes of suffering in our lives and in the lives of those we love. He only asks us to be His Presence to one another “in the midst” of it. That is how the Risen Jesus rises again in us and how His risen presence is felt by others, when we love one another as He loves us. Saint Teresa of Avila wrote this prayer in the 16th century, “(The Risen) Christ has no body now but YOURS. No hands, no feet on earth but YOURS…YOURS are the eyes through which He looks with compassion. YOURS are the hands through which He blesses all the world…YOURS are the feet with which HE is to go about doing good. Amen.”

Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, may we rejoice with her at the sight of her Risen Son and be grateful for the gift of His presence in us reaching out to our brothers and sisters! Regina Caeli, Laetare! ALLELUIA! Queen of Heaven, rejoice! ALLELUIA!

With love and blessings,

Father Fred

P.S. Next Sunday is the Feast of the Divine Mercy. Usually, Sacred Heart Parish would sponsor a Holy Hour at 3:00 p.m. (The Hour of Divine Mercy) in the Church, with solemn chanting of the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction. I am happy to announce that the Holy Hour and chanting of the Chaplet will still take place online from our Church at 3:00 p.m. on next Sunday, April 19th. If you are able, please join Deacon Peter and myself, as we pray on behalf of the parish to humbly ask for God’s Mercy upon us and the whole world. The Church will NOT be opened, but you can participate online by viewing it on the Sacred Heart Glendale Facebook Page.

Dear Parishioners,

Even though we will not be together for the Sacred Triduum, let us enter into this most sacred season with the help of some beautiful meditation hymns for each day. I would like to share with you my favorite songs for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. I hope they assist you, in this small way, to experience the profound meaning of our Lord’s merciful and redemptive love for us.

May I also offer a prayerful reminder to participate in the Sacred Triduum on the religious television stations that will broadcast the ceremonies on each day. Please tune into NET-TV (Spectrum 97, Verizon 48, Optimum 30) or EWTN (Spectrum 460, Verizon 285, DirectTV 370) or Catholic Faith Network (from the Rockville Centre Diocese, Spectrum 471, Verizon 296, Optimum 137).

With prayerful wishes,
Fr. Fred

HOLY THURSDAY
“He took a towel and tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel…” (From the Holy Gospel according to St. John) We give thanks today for the gifts of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Holy Orders (Deacon, Priest and Bishop).

GOOD FRIDAY
Today, in addition to the meditation hymn, I have included The Litany of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Bishop DiMarzio has asked all the Faithful of the Diocese of Brooklyn to pray this powerful prayer for an end to the corona virus pandemic at 12 noon.

The Litany of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
https://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/litany-of-the-sacred-heart.html

“So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross Himself, he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgatha. There, they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.” (From the Holy Gospel according to St. John)

HOLY SATURDAY
Today we pray for an appreciation of and greater desire for the gift of SILENCE in our lives, where we can lovingly encounter the resting and silent Jesus. “They took the Body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices…for the tomb was close by.” (From the Holy Gospel according to St. John)