Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity. Whenever we bless ourselves before we pray, we always make the sign of the cross. When we were baptized it was in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We were baptized into the Holy Trinity. There is only one God, He touches us as a Father who creates, as a Son who saves us and as the Holy Spirit who gives us strength.

This is truly a mystery to understand but one year while teaching high school we were talking about the Holy Spirit. One student gave me an example that truly struck me. He noticed that there was a beautiful rose bush outside the classroom. He said the Rose Bush is God the Father. God the Father desires to give us the most perfect Rose and that is God the Son and the fragrance that fills the air is the Holy Spirit.

Wow! I was always amazed at this example. Today we ask the Holy Trinity to truly bless us and our world during this time of pandemic and unrest all over the country. May They bring us Peace and Healing. Have a Blessed Week,

Fr. Tony

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,

Happy Birthday! Yes, Happy Birthday! Today is Pentecost Sunday . It is fifty days after Easter. Today we celebrate the Birthday of the Church. Before Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, He told the disciples to wait until the Holy Spirit came to them. It was then that they would go out to spread the good news to all the nations.

Over two thousand years ago on this Sunday, the disciples were in the upper room and all of sudden a strong life-giving wind (the Holy Spirit) came into the room. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. A tongue of fire appeared over each of them. This was the symbol that they were on fire with the message . They began to speak in foreign languages. This was the sign that they were to go out to all the nations to spread the good news. It was on that day that the Church began.

The apostles were so filled that they had the courage to go forth and preach. The Holy Spirit is with us today. He desires that each of us have the courage and strength to go forth daily and spread the Good News. The Good News is that Jesus is our Hope and Joy.

Today, more than ever, we need the Holy Spirit. During this time of the pandemic, so many people are suffering from anxiety and fear. Many have experienced depression. It during these days, that we call upon the Holy Spirit to come upon us. May each of us feel the gifts of the Holy Spirit today and each day.

God bless you. Fr. Tony

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,

This week we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. It is forty days after Easter and Jesus took His disciples up to the Mountain. There He gave them His last will and testament. These were the final words of Jesus on earth. He told them: “Go into the whole world and preach the Gospel, baptizing in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”. He ended by saying: “And remember I will be with you always”.

For over 2,000 years the Church has continued to fulfill Jesus’ message. The Gospel has been preached throughout the world. The Church has and continues to experience the good times but also the challenging times. However, no matter, it has remained because of Jesus’ words: “And remember I will be with you always”.

Today, Jesus reminds us that, no matter what we are experiencing, He will never leave us. He will be with us throughout the good days as well as the tough days. This gives me hope. This gives me the reason to look forward to a future when this pandemic will no longer make us fearful and anxious.

Jesus is Our Hope! In response to Jesus’s Last will and Testament, let us continue to share the Good News of Gospel. That Good news is don’t be afraid, but trust in our Loving God. Jesus is Our Hope!

Have a blessed week,
Fr. Tony

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,

Each of you are in my prayers daily. I miss being in physical contact but I can assure you that every day you are with me spiritually at Mass and in my prayers. I look forward to being with all of you once everything opens up again.

The Gospel for this weekend gives us comfort. Jesus is preparing His disciples for the day that He will leave them. I can’t imagine what they felt since they had placed all of their life in His Hands. Jesus assures them that He will not leave them as orphans. He will send them the Advocate , the Holy Spirit, to give them the strength and courage that they will need.

This message of Jesus is meant for all of us. The Holy Spirit comes daily to give us the strength and courage that we need during these days. Each morning my first prayer is:” Lord, give me the strength just for today!”. My night prayer is always thanking the Lord for seeing me through another day.

We are never alone as long as we hang onto our faith. Jesus came to bring us hope. Our faith helps us to walk through the fears and worries that come our way.

God bless you and stay safe,
Fr. Tony

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,

The words of Jesus today in the Gospel really struck me. The disciples were confused: what would their future be when Jesus leaves them to return to the Father in Heaven.

Jesus: tells them:”Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me”. I think all of us need to repeat those words of Jesus especially during these months of the pandemic. Jesus knows how we are feeling right now. He knows of our fears, our confusion, our loneliness and our anxiety about the future. He tells us as He told the disciples: ”Don’t be afraid”.

He goes on to tell them:” I am the Way and the Truth and the Life”. Jesus is the Way when we feel lost and confused. He is the Truth when we are surrounded by messages that are not fully true or outright lies and finally He is the Life. He came to bring us life to its fullest. Jesus came to bring us the strength and hope that we all need when we are going through rough times.

Jesus is with us. Take time during these days to reflect on times in the past that were troubling to you. Hopefully you made it through those times. We will also get through these days and why because no matter what has changed, Jesus is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever. Don’t Be Afraid!

God bless you and have a Blessed Week.
Fr. Tony

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,

As we continue our “lock down”, as I call it, I pray that you are all finding new ways to deal with our lack of interaction with one another. I teach at the University of Holy Cross and since classes are all online, I have had to learn how to go on ZOOM. I have to be honest, I am not a person who is good at technology but it is certainly a blessing to be able to see and talk with families and friends through this process.

This Sunday is called Good Shepherd Sunday. The image of sheep dominates the readings today. For me, the image of Jesus as Good Shepherd has always appealed to me. There is a window in our Church with Jesus surrounded by sheep and one is on His shoulders. That window is over the piano in the front of the Church. Just as Jesus carries the one sheep that was lost, so too, He carries each one of us, when we feel lost and afraid.

Of the150 Psalms in the Old Testament, my favorite is Psalm 23. The Psalms were written to express our feelings of fear, confusion, sorrow, joy and hope. The one line that I repeat often is: “Even if I walk in a dark valley, I fear no evil for you are at my side to give me courage”. Today and throughout this pandemic we have felt like we were walking in a dark valley. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, desires to walk by our side. He will lead us out of this valley. He will give us the strength and hopefully we will be better for it. Whenever you feel alone and frightened read Psalm 23. It will bring you peace and comfort.

God bless all of you, Fr. Tony

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.^[a]
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness^[b]
    for his name's sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,^[c]
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely^[d] goodness and mercy^[e] shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell^[f] in the house of the Lord
    forever.^[g]

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,

I know that these weeks have been difficult ones for all of us. The routine that we were accustomed to has certainly changed tremendously. As we read the Scriptures for this Sunday, we hear how the disciples’ lives were thrown into confusion. They were filled with fear and anxiety. What would their future be like? We can all relate to them at this time .

Today two of the disciples were walking to a town called Emmaus. They were discussing all that had happened over the weekend. As they were sharing, Jesus appeared to them. Although they didn’t recognize Him , they were encouraged by the word He spoke to them. As He is about to go ahead they say to Him:” Stay with us”. He remains with them and it was in the Breaking of the Bread that they recognized Him.

This Gospel , for me, reminds me what we do when we gather. We hear the Lord speaking to us in the Scriptures and then He feeds us with the Bread of Life. We, too, say to the Lord :”Stay with us”. Don’t leave us. During this epidemic, the Lord didn’t leave us. He is with us to see us through this time of fear and anxiety. He promised to be with us and today He says to us: “Be not afraid…….trust Me”.

You are all in my prayers,
Fr. Tony

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,

This past Easter was certainly one that we will never forget. I thank God that we were able to have Mass streamed on our website and Facebook. Mass is also able to be seen daily on television. For me, personally, it was quite strange to celebrate Mass without a congregation present. Although we are not physically present to each other, we are united spiritually . This is the one thing the virus can’t take away from us.

In 1965, there was a song that came out titled:“ Turn, Turn, Turn”. It was a song by a group called The Byrds. Now you can tell how old I am !!!!! The words actually came from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. The words are: To everything, turn, turn, turn. There is a Season , turn, turn, turn and a time for every purpose under heaven…….A time to be born, a time to die; A time to weep, a time to laugh…. A time to embrace, a time to refrain from embracing. The Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a Season and a time for everything. In the midst of the time we are going through right now…..one thing doesn’t change….and that is the presence of God in my life. This gives me strength and hope. In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus, after His Resurrection, appeared to the disciples who were hiding behind locked doors. His first words were :” Peace be with you”. In the midst of their own fears and worry about the future, Jesus says….PEACE!

Today Jesus comes to all of us and He says:” Peace be with you”. He is with us… let us never let our fears overcome the peace that Jesus promises. My prayer for all of us is that today and each day we may experience the Peace that Jesus came to bring us. Open your hearts and allow His Peace to enter!

Have a Blessed Week!
Fr. Tony

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Happy and Blessed Easter! I don’t think any of us will ever forget Lent 2020. These forty days truly challenged all of us. Lent is a time for sacrifice and I don’t think any of us could have imagined the types of sacrifices we have been called to make this year.

We have had to sacrifice work, school and above all our worshiping together and receiving the Holy Eucharist. These weeks have given me personally a time to reflect . I truly believe that in every moment of our life, the Lord is speaking to us. It is up to us to discover what is He saying to us. For me, personally, He is reminding me of what are my priorities. What is really important in my life. My relationship to God and all those whom I love and care about are truly the most important to me. Each of you are part of those priorities. I miss all of you but I want you to know that each of you have been in my every prayer. May the Lord continue to protect and bless us.

I also can’t help but thinking of all the who daily give of themselves to protect us. I especially am grateful for all those who work with the sick and all the first responders. I thank God for the many who work in grocery stores and drug stores. I sometimes take them for granted.

Easter is a time for us to say: ”Alleluia”. Today I say “Alleluia” for all the wonderful people in my life. God bless you and keep all of us safe. I look forward to the day when we will be gathered again around the table of the Lord.
With Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tony

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Today is Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of the holiest week of the year. Our Mass will be streamed live on Facebook ( go to St. Jude Shrine, New Orleans) and you should be able to view Mass. We will also have Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday as well as Easter Sunday Mass streamed on Facebook. We certainly will never forget this Lent. This epidemic has changed the very way we do things that we often took for granted. When I consider this Lent, I can’t but help thinking that the cross and suffering has been the theme that runs throughout these 40 days. Although we have been going through our own Good Friday remember Easter will come for all of us. We must therefore not give up Hope in the Risen Lord who promises to raise us up from this virus. Although we haven’t had contact , I want you to know that every day I have you in my prayers. We are a family here at Our Lady of Guadalupe and each of you are very important to making us that family.
God bless and keep us all safe,
Fr. Tony

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe, These days have been filled with anxiety and fear. I have included a prayer that we can say during this time of the Coronavirus. In our fear, we hear the Gospel for today. It is Jesus is curing the blind man. Even after he was healed, many still were blind to see the true light…..Jesus! We may not be physically blind but often we can be spiritually blind. Today we pray for the ability to see the Lord in our life and to see us through this time of epidemic. We can’t lose sight of Jesus guiding us through the dark moments of our life.
Fr. Tony

A Prayer Amid an Epidemic by Kerry Webber
Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command ,the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love. Heal those who are sick from the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care. Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from helping each other. Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow. Be with the doctors , nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. Be with leaders of nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they serve . Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prevent future outbreaks. Finally, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety give us your peace. Jesus Christ, heal us.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
On this 3rd Sunday of Lent, Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman. He broke the rules of his day. People rejected the Samaritans and to speak to a woman from Samaria was forbidden. Jesus doesn’t judge her but rather showed her compassion and care. How often do we judge others and never get to see them as our brothers and sisters? Jesus asks her for water, but she is the one who receives the Living Water. She is never the same after her encounter with Jesus. When we meet the Lord through others, we may never be the same.

Don’t forget our St. Joseph Altar will be viewed on Thursday, March 19th. A special thanks to Vicki O’Brien and her tremendous volunteers who are working so hard. The Altar will be blessed after the 7AM Mass and the meal will begin at Noon. All are invited. Have a blessed week, Fr. Tony

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
As we continue our Lenten Journey, we hear the Gospel for today tell the story ofthe Transfiguration of Our Lord. Jesus took Peter, James and John up to Mt. Tabor and there He was changed and transfigured before them. They heard the voice from the heavens: "This is My Beloved Son, Listen to Him”. When Lent began, we received ashes on our forehead. The ashes represented our desire to change and grow spiritually. How are we trying to change during these forty days? I always think that we should work on one way to grow and change during this time. Often we give up our intentions because there might be too many resolutions. We give up too quickly. It might be giving up grudges or gossip or it can be taking time to pray and exercise. Whatever you choose, may you experience growth spiritually.
May you continue to grow spiritually during this Lent,

Fr. Tony