From the Pastor’s Desk
Fr. Alfonso Gamez, Jr.
October 27, 2024
Holy days of obligation are intentional interruptions in our lives where the Church asks us to stop whatever we’re doing and proclaim a necessary truth of our faith. All Saints day is one of those days where we are obliged to proclaim the truth of our personal call to become saints and our communion with those who won the battle of fidelity to Jesus by attending Mass. To choose not to come to Mass
out of your own free will is a choice that prioritizes other things other than this crucial part of our faith which is a choice harmful to your salvation; that’s why it’s often referred to as a mortal sin. However, if the choice is not yours (say your car broke down) then there is no sin. Sin and virtue are always in the free choice.
Halloween, a modern translation of “All Hallow’s Eve” is first and foremost an anticipation of All Saints Day as the name suggests. Halloween comes with its own American culture of trick-or-treating. However, in order to instill our children with Catholic culture we are reminding them of the original roots of Halloween with our Trunk-n-Treat event on Wednesday, Oct. 30th. Our Students and parents will be encouraged to dress up as Saints, treats will be given, and pumpkins will be painted. I thank in advance all
those who have donated candy & pumpkins to this event & please continue to donate! There is a virtue St. Thomas Aquinas highlights which is a fun word to say called “eutrapelia” which is the virtue of the ability to have fun. Trunk-n-Treat will help us cultivate that virtue in a holy way remembering the Saints.
On Saturday, Nov. 2nd we will celebrate a special mass at 10am for all those who have passed and are undergoing purification in purgatory. Nov. 2nd is the commemoration of All Souls days and on this day we pray for our deceased relatives that our acts of love and prayers will assist them in purgatory. You are invited to bring a photo of a deceased relative for our memorial altar that we will have in the Church.
September 22, 2024
If you are regularly coming to the 4:30 PM mass you may be wondering where I have been. I promise I haven’t been reassigned. Saturday September 14th, I had another wedding for another cousin who was married. This is the blessing of coming from a large family; my dad has 9 brothers and sisters and my mom has 11, so I have several cousins. Saturday September 21st I am celebrating a wedding for a friend from my first parish. Saturday September 28th, I promise, I am all yours! We are quickly approaching the end of summer and the beginning of fall. None of us like changes, but change is the only constant as the saying goes. I’ve noticed something particular about a plant I’ve had for 11 years. It’s a geranium that was given to me on my first day of seminary. I’ve noticed every time I move to a new parish, all the leaves fall off and it seems like it’s about to die. But just as I think it’s life has come to an end, new foliage comes through. The same is true with us, whenever we experience a death, the end of a season, it can be tempting to lament and mourn the past. But as Christians we must always look ahead at what is to come. This is the Christian virtue of Hope, the firmness of heart that knows that what is ahead of us is far greater than what we leave behind.
September 1, 2024
Since the pontificate of John Paul II, one of the Church’s main concerns has been how to evangelize our youth. In history we were evangelized by our parents growing up in a Christian society. Today that luxury is not afforded to us. Parents often find themselves unable to deal with or address the growing religious apathy that is becoming so common in our society. Studies show that the fastest growing religious demographic isn’t Christianity, Judaism or Islam, but rather those who are not affiliated with any religion whatsoever. In order to address this grave problem, I plan on starting a weekly active youth group that will meet on Friday nights. Youth groups are meant to build strong friendships that lead each other to a friendship with Jesus in the Eucharist. This program is open to all teens 13-17. Our kick-off will be on Friday September 20th at 7-8:30pm. We will meet every Friday from 7pm-8:30PM, where we will have meals, games, talks, prayer, movie nights and field trips! We are in need of some support so we can feed these teens! If you would like to sponsor a meal, please email me at axgamez@rcdoc.org. I am very grateful to Cristal Arroyo who will serve as our Youth Ministry Coordinator. If you would like to get involved, please get in touch with Kim Clarke to complete our volunteer forms! Thank you so much in advance and may God bless you and keep you.
August 25, 2024
As you noticed I am away this weekend, my cousin got married yesterday, and I had the pleasure of celebrating her wedding Mass in our home parish in Hendersonville. I will also be away this whole week. I will be traveling with my mother to our home town in Mexico to visit my grandparents. Please pray for my grandfather, he had a stroke a few years ago and his condition is getting more delicate (his name is Enrique Alanis). This week we will have communion services thanks to the help of our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. Please know that if you have a Mass intention for this week, I will still offer the Mass intention but they will be celebrated from my grandparents living room in Mexico! Next weekend we have the Eucharistic Congress, our annual Catholic convention in Charlotte. I highly encourage you to make the trip down to Charlotte for this event. Because of the Congress concluding
on Saturday evening, Bishop Michael has asked that we cancel our Saturday Vigil Masses. That being said, we will not have Vigil Masses on Saturday August 31st. I will see you all back on September 1st. Please keep me and my mom in your prayers for safe travels.
August 11, 2024
One of the great early church Saints who was instrumental in giving us some insights on how the early Christians prayed and worked was St. Ignatius of Antioch. He writes to us from the first century where already in his time there were divisions among Christians. In his writings he stresses the importance of following the Bishop saying “where the Bishop is, there is the Church.” Everything I do is meant to be in union with the bishop who alone has all the power of governance, the responsibility of sanctifying through the sacraments, and the duty of teaching the faith through preaching. He alone delegates priests, deacons and lay faithful to help in his work of leading us to heaven. This week the priests of the diocese will have our annual convocation with our bishop. The topic for this year will be on preaching, presented to us by Fr. Patrick McManus, a priest from the Diocese of Des Moines. Please remember to pray for us, that we may become more effective preachers that set hearts on fire for Christ!
July 28, 2024
There is little known to us about the lives of St. Anne and St. Joachim the maternal grandparents of Jesus. Most accounts come from tradition and devotions. However, there is a really good work by St. Maria of Agreda who, through mystical experiences, was given insight into the hidden life of the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It’s a great work with deep spiritual insights.
Kim and I were recently talking about the Basilica of St. Anne de Beaupré au Québec. It is the home of one of the major relics of St. Ann, the grandmother of Jesus. The ceiling of the basilica is adorned with images taken from the accounts St. Maria of Agreda narrates of the lives of Sts. Anne and Joachim. It’s definitely a must-see pilgrimage site if you ever find yourself in that area.
Recently in 2021 in the wake of the pandemic, our Holy Father Pope Francis granted a plenary indulgence to anyone who visits the elderly or even simply connects through a phone call with their grandparents. This highlights the dignity of the human person no matter the age. From our elderly we have access to a treasure cove of wisdom, insight and experience that our Lord Jesus himself did not go without.
The feast day of Sts. Anne and Joachim was on Friday, July 26 this year. If you are able to connect with an elderly individual, your grandparents, your neighbor then you can apply the indulgence either to yourself or for a deceased relative. May God bless you.
