The End of Another Summer
Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM,
Pastor
Labor Day Weekend is upon us once again and we mark “the end” of yet another summer. Tuesday after Labor Day can have a bit of that “Twilight Zone” feel on Long Beach Island. Everything looks the same, the weather is beautiful, but the people are gone. Well, not gone, but the number of people on the island drops dramatically after Labor Day. Such is the rhythm of
living on a barrier island.
To all of our summer and weekend
visitors, thank you for celebrating the great mysteries of our faith with us. Your
presence adds to the joy of our celebrations. A few weeks ago,
someone asked me as Mass was letting out at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Beach Haven, “Do you get this many people at Mass every weekend?” I said, “We do. Isn’t it great?”
It is great. It is great when so many gather to celebrate Eucharist (εὐχαριστία, Greek, “giving thanks”) for we are blessed and we come together to share in the Body of Christ, the true source of our joy, our strength, and our life.
We pray for safe passage for all those who are traveling and we look forward to your return.
Many of you have been asking about Fr. Andrew. He is well. He is adjusting to living at St. Lawrence Friary and they are taking good care of him. If you would like to send him a card he would enjoy hearing from you.
Fr. Andrew Reitz, OFM
St. Lawrence Friary
180 Sargent Avenue
Beacon, NY 12508
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who participated in our latest project here at St. Francis, our outreach to the homeless in our area. The campaign was a great success and through your generosity, 83 backpacks with 20 items were given to social workers and our
partners at St. Mary's who are distributing them to multiple social service agencies and the First Aid Squads in Barnegat, Stafford
Township, and Toms River.
Your generosity speaks loudly of your desire to heed the call of Jesus to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, cloth the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. If we ever wanted to know the answers to the final exam before the test, the Parable of the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:31-46) is the key for THE final exam. The sheep and the goats are separated according to their action, or lack of action, toward others, especially those in great need. This outreach to the homeless, along with the Saint Michael The Archangel Pregnancy Help Center, is another joint ministry between St. Francis of Assisi Parish and St. Mary’s Parish. I want to thank to Marie Logue and the team of dedicated parishioners for creating these backpacks that will certainly touch those people near us who are in great need.
Thank you to Pat Wade, Arlene Morrison, Joan Sweet, Kathie Powers, Pam and Kelly Cariello, Theresa Cassata, Joan Sawicki, Joan Troyano, Kathy Reinbold, Bobbi Greene, and Kathleen Graham from St. Mary's. Thank you to everyone who volunteers their time, talent, and treasure to help us respond to Matthew 25.
Peace and All Good!
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