The Lesson of Pope St. John Paul II

10-31-2021Pastor's LetterFr. John Bonavitacola

Dear Friends,

The Church recently celebrated the feast day of Pope St. John Paul II. Often God works in subtle ways to steer the events of history towards His plan for the human family. But the election of John Paul II was anything but subtle. If you remember back to 1978, after the death of Pope Paul VI the Cardinals gathered for the first Conclave in 18 years and many of them had never participated in a Conclave. So, they elected John Paul I, Albino Luciano from Venice.

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A Balancing Act

10-24-2021Pastor's LetterFr. John Bonavitacola

Dear Friends,

Last year mask mandates were inserted into our normal routines. No matter which side of the issue you took, you were sure to know others who took the opposite position. That sadly led to tension, hostility and much worse between individuals, in families and communities at large. And now we have a mandate redux with the COVID-19 vaccine. And many of you have asked, “what does Catholic moral teaching have to say about vaccines and mandates?” As a pastor it is not my role to argue pro or con for the medical efficacy of the vaccine but to offer moral and pastoral guidance in light of the teachings of our Faith.

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FullCircle

10-17-2021Pastor's LetterFr. John Bonavitacola

Dear Friends,

I write this on the Feast day of St. John Leonardi (Oct. 9). And why is that important? Well the saint, quite unexpectedly showed up in my life about 8 years ago. Saints are like that, they have a way of insinuating themselves into our spiritual journey, connecting ours to theirs.

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What Does No Greater Love Look Like?

10-10-2021Pastor's LetterFr. John Bonavitacola

Dear Friends,

The great Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you odd.” Indeed! Being a Catholic Christian in today’s world can make you feel like someone who is driving a model T Ford on the freeway. But our faith is timeless. Sometimes it takes an outsider to see the reality of the Church:

"Being a lover of freedom, when the revolution came in Germany I looked for the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but no, the universities immediately were silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers, whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom. But they, like the universities were silenced in a few short weeks. Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing truth. I had never any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual truth and moral freedom." Albert Einstein

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Do No Harm

10-03-2021Pastor's LetterFr. John Bonavitacola

Dear Friends,

ὄμνυμι Ἀπόλλωνα ἰητρὸν καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸν καὶ Ὑγείαν καὶ Πανάκειαν καὶ θεοὺς πάντας τε καὶπάσας, ἵστορας ποιεύμενος, ἐπιτελέα ποιήσειν κατὰ δύναμιν καὶ κρίσιν ἐμὴν ὅρκον τόνδε καὶσυγγραφὴν τήνδε:

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