My dear fellow parishioners and friends of Sacred Heart,

    May the God of peace and healing be with you!  I pray that this message finds you and all those dear to you feeling well and in good health.  
    When I first became a pastor in 2002 at St. Pius X in Middletown, CT, the founding pastor of the parish, Fr. Walter O’Brien, was still in residence (and I might add, still very much the pastor, although he was 90 years old!)  I was told that in his day, Fr. Walter was tough!  Maybe it was his military training or maybe his training in the Capuchin way of life.  Whatever…it doesn’t matter.  I never found him to be tough – except on himself.  As he got older, Fr. Walter depended on someone else for just about every aspect of his day.  It didn’t matter what you did for him, right down to the simplest task or the smallest favor, he would always say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”  Maybe it was because of his devotion to the Blessed Trinity or maybe it was his sincere humility and gratitude.  Perhaps a combination of both.  But those words stick in my mind even still.  So, permit me to imitate a great mentor as I say to YOU, the wonderful parishioners and friends of Sacred Heart:  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
    Thank you for your ongoing concern about the friars – here at Sacred Heart and throughout our Province of St. Mary.  We are so grateful for your prayers and your friendship, especially today in this time of fear and confusion, separation and social distancing, worry and anxiety.  We suffer from these same concerns.  Knowing me as you do, you must know it brings me heartache, literally, not to be with you, the students in the school, my family and friends.  
    Thank you for your encouragement, your kind words sent on email or in cards and letters, your participation in the daily and Sunday Masses on YouTube and the affirmation you offer afterwards.
    Thank you for your ongoing financial support of the parish.  I know other pastors who are “sweating it out” as they think about the bills that are piling up and the three weekends without an offertory – and with no relief in sight.  While I, too, am concerned, I trust in God’s promise of fidelity and I know and trust that Sacred Heart Parishioners always reach out to help their parish.  And so I say it again:  “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
    May I offer you two brief Scripture passages for your reflection as we continue our journey of Lent and the journey of this global pandemic?  The first is from the Prophet, Jeremiah (29:11):
“For I know well the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord.  “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”  I find these words very helpful and very calming despite the swirl of uncertainty, fear, and concern all around me, all around us.
    The second passage is from Psalm 91 (1-6; 11-12, 14-15):
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shade of the Almighty,
Say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.”
He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare, from the destroying plague,
He will shelter you with his pinions, and under his wings you may take refuge;  
his faithfulness is a protecting shield.  
You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day,
Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.
For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go.
With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 
Because he clings to me I will deliver him; because he knows my name I will set him on high.
He will call upon me and I will answer; I will be with him in distress.
     I find these words also filled with comfort and assurance and they help to keep me grounded in my prayer life, my time in meditation, during the celebration of the Mass, when I am  most aware of praying for you and connecting with you because I know how much you miss the daily and weekly celebration of the Eucharist.  
    The words from Jeremiah and Psalm 91 remind us of how God is doing His part.  And so I must ask if we’re doing our part?  Are we being faithful to our part of the Covenant:  “I will be their God, and they shall be my people”?  When we’re all back together for Mass, remind me to share my story about Jeremiah 29:11.     From a grateful heart,  
Fr. Bob
 

MASSES CANCELED IN
ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK:
WEEKEND AND WEEKDAY

Sacred Heart
will follow Archdiocesan protocols

Churches will,
however, remain open for private prayer.

Sacred Heart will be open daily from
8:00 am to 7:00 pm
 

Get a head start on the year by signing up for this year's religious education classes online! Click here for the simple signup process!

To receive our Broadcast Emails
Sign-up for Flocknote...

Go to .......   Flocknote.com
Click on .....Sign Up
 My Church is already using Flocknote
Zip code...10703
Sacred Heart is listed first
Follow the Online Registration 

Mass on Sundays at 10:00 am
Weekdays at 11:00 am

Mass with Fr. Bob and Fr. John will be broadcast from the Blessed Solanus Casey Chapel.
Please go to YouTube.com,
search for sacred heart church yonkers, subscribe to our channel and select the proper day.

My Jesus, 
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. 
I love You above all things, 
and I desire to receive You into my soul. 
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally, 
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.