Month of Mary

04-26-2020From Fr. Antony's DeskFr. John Barbella

Next weekend we enter the month of May, which is traditionally dedicated to our Blessed Mother, Mary. I spoke in this column about praying for Mary’s intercession as helper of the sick. Today I want to remind everyone to honor our Blessed Mother this month by praying her Rosary – daily if possible.

I often tell you that I keep all of you in my daily Rosary – which I do. I find that, as I pray the Rosary, thoughts of people who have asked for my prayers come to mind. For that reason, I have developed the habit of mentioning the many people who have asked my prayers before I begin the decades of the Rosary. During the current pandemic, I have been praying several Rosaries daily. Not only do I find that time spent with our Lord and His Blessed Mother very comforting, it also gives me lots of time to pray for everyone.

During this month of May, a statue of Mary will be set up near the altar of the Church for those who visit and pray. Remember that the Church is open for prayer from 7 AM to 6 PM. Although it is usually pretty empty, please remember to practice social distancing if others are there when you visit. It seems to me that people are doing a good job of this in the Church – thank God!

While speaking to my mother the other day, she told me that she is praying to St. Francisco and St. Jacinta Marto for an end to this pandemic. For those of you who may not know, Ss. Francisco and Jacinta Marto are the younger of the three children who saw our Blessed Mother when she appeared in Fatima in 1917 – 1918. While the older of the children, Lucia, lived a long life as a Carmelite Nun, the younger died from the Spanish Flu pandemic a year or so after Mary appeared to them. In fact, Mary had told them that they would join her in Heaven soon. Ss. Francisco and Jacinta are, among other things, patrons of those who suffer from bodily ills.

The children are also a model for us at a time like this. I say this not only because they died from that pandemic, but because of the way they handled themselves during it. With a combination of deep faith and childlike simplicity, they stayed very patient and prayerful in spite of all the difficulties and sufferings the flu pandemic brought to them and their families. We would do well to imitate their patience – especially as we endure the many restrictions in place to help us weather the coronavirus as best as we can. We should also thank God for permitting us, who live a hundred years after them, to have the benefits afforded us by more advanced medical knowledge and care.

This is usually the time when we celebrate First Holy Communion in our parish. Obviously, we have postponed First Communion indefinitely at this time. Once we have an idea when we can get back to regular public Masses, we will reschedule First Holy Communion. Until then, let’s pray for the children and their families, who are no doubt looking forward to that special day. I know that – as I often say – my First Holy Communion is one of my fondest childhood memories. I look forward to making sure the same is true for the prospective First Communicants of our parish!

Thanks again to all who are sending in their envelopes or giving on line. It is a tremendous help right now – as I’m sure you can imagine. I ask those who cannot support us financially right now to please add an extra Hail Mary a day for our parish, for the sick, and all those who are caring for them.

Have a great week!

Fr. John

BACK TO LIST