St. Mary's Church, Roslyn: Pastor's Page

Dear Friends:

We find ourselves, once again, in the “dog days” of summer, on the cusp of the school year and all that comes with it. Here’s hoping that these past two months have been a source of renewal and joy for your families. I sincerely wish that I could have been with you at Mass the past two weekends, but the mandatory quarantine for those who traveled to other states made it impossible. I’ll do my best to catch up with you in the days to come.

In the meantime, I think it important to update you on matters that have an impact on our parish life. The hope, indeed the expectation, was that we would return to normal, if not by Easter, then certainly by the end of June. Alas, this was not to be. We had to adopt contingency plans, specifically for the children and young people receiving their First Confession and Communion, and those celebrating Confirmation. They and their parents demonstrated great flexibility by celebrating these Sacraments without the usual liturgical pageantry.

Looking forward, there has been no change in the regulations regarding public gatherings. At the moment, parishioners attending the weekend Masses are easily accommodated. Nevertheless, I will make one slight change to the Mass schedule. Beginning Labor Day weekend, we will celebrate the Sunday 7:30 and 9:00 AM Masses at St. Mary’s Church on Bryant Avenue. All other Masses (Saturday 5 PM [English] and 7 PM [Spanish] and Sunday 11 AM) will continue to gather at the Church Hall on Round Hill Road. (*Depending upon numbers and the lifting of restrictions, we may reinstate the 12:15 PM Mass in the future.)

Our religious education program will return this fall, but we will be implementing a combination of online resources and in-person sessions with our students. Mrs. Nora Toal will give the particulars in the days ahead. Likewise, I want to have some version of adult religious education as well, but the format we have used—evening, in-person meetings at the hall) seems inadvisable for a number of reasons. I am presently exploring some options that may be safer for those in vulnerable populations. (For the record, I’m part of that group myself!)

I am sad to report that, until such time as we return to a greater normalcy, it is only prudent that we suspend the music program (i.e. the Choir) at this time. Believe me, no one wants it to come back more than I: and it will. In the meantime, allow me to express our collective gratitude to Dr. Mary McCleary, who has supervised the program this past year, for her efforts and accomplishments.

Through the pandemic, the goodness and generosity of the parishioners at St. Mary’s continue to amaze. This is not flattery, with the intention of asking even more of you. Still, it isn’t lost on me that, despite the setbacks our parish, our nation, and our world have suffered, your fidelity to the Lord, and to his Body the Church, remains constant. I am deeply grateful.

Faithfully,
Fr. Valentine

Dear Friends:

According to the British paper the Guardian one year, the funniest joke submitted by a reader (Geoff Anandappa) goes like this:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are going camping. They pitch their tent under the stars and go to sleep. In the middle of the night Holmes wakes Watson up: “Watson, look up at the stars, and tell me what you deduce.”
Watson: “I see millions of stars and even if a few of those have planets, it’s quite likely there are some planets like Earth, and if there are a few planets like Earth out there, there might also be life.”
Holmes: “Watson, you idiot, somebody’s stolen our tent!”

Part of the human condition is that people often miss the point: a reality that is staring them right in the face; perhaps we need another, wider perspective to appreciate its meaning. As a seminarian, I lived with Fr. Charlie Kohli at St. Joseph’s Church in Ronkonkoma, and one evening we witnessed a couple at a parish event. The lady was directing an endless barrage of comments and criticisms at her husband. Before I had the opportunity to comment on the joys of being single, Fr. Kohli turned to me and said: “Tim, isn’t it beautiful to see how much that man loves his wife?” There you go. I saw complaints and nitpicking; he saw patience and devotion. Likewise, the Scriptures offer a challenge to modern Catholics, who perhaps take too much pride in our own view of the world. We must bow to, and accept, the benefits that come from God’s inscrutable wisdom.

In the first reading the prophet Isaiah pronounces judgment on Shebna, the ambassador of the virtuous King Hezekiah. Rather than rely on God’s providence, Shebna trusts in his own political instincts and cunning, counseling the king to establish alliances with other nations and forsake the Lord. Isaiah prophesies that God will remove Shebna, and replace him with Eliakim, whose very name means “God will raise him up.”

The passage about God’s giving Eliakim a key and the power to open and shut anticipates the power of the keys that Jesus bestows upon Peter. Among the Twelve Apostles, Peter enjoys a privileged place, but the question is: why? Peter often proves to be thick-headed, slow to believe and, just a few verses later, prone to missing the point himself. The key, if you will, to understanding the passage, is Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, “the Son of the living God.” He cannot arrive at this truth through reason alone. A special, direct gift of God called revelation is necessary for him to understand who Jesus really is. Peter’s witness has become the sacred tradition handed down from generation to generation, even to our time. As St. Paul says: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God…for who has known the mind of the Lord?” Jesus assures us that nothing can prevail over the grace of God, which is the foundation of the Church.

Friends, we Catholics rely on two sources of truth in our earthly pilgrimage: one that reason can discern on its own, and one that needs the assistance of grace. In matters of the faith, the second is necessary, and we must heed the guidance of our shepherds, the bishops. But in matters of morality, both public and private, people of goodwill should be able to agree on first principles. The Declaration of Independence, for example, is a kind of national creed; it declares the equality of all human beings, and the basic rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It seems odd, judging from the events of the past few months, that these values need to be defended, but apparently they do. As your pastor, I leave it to the judgment and goodwill of my parishioners to judge what is best for the common good, for you who have far more experience and knowledge than I. But I would suggest that we must be quite clear about certain standards.

Pastor’s Note: You may be wondering why you haven’t seen me at Mass recently. I am fine: actually, never better. Simply put, I have been traveling to certain states that are on the COVID “list,” and must therefore quarantine for two weeks. I will be back at Mass on the weekend of August 29th. In the meantime, I am available at the rectory (621-2222) if you need anything. One more thing: we will continue to post a link to the recorded Mass on the parish website until such time as the governor lifts restrictions on houses of worship. Let us pray for the end of the pandemic.

Fr. V