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MASS SCHEDULE:

Saturday Vigil 5:30 pm | Sunday 9:00 am - 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Daily Services: 7:00 am - 9:00 am | Saturday 9:00 am ONLY | Monday 6:30 pm

Italian Memorial Mass, First Friday - 6:30 pm

Divine Mercy First Sunday of the Month after 12:00 pm Mass

Holy Days of Obligation Schedules will Appear Separate

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Fr. Giovanni Rizzo

Many people, faced with the mystery of suffering and death, are doubting that faith can give an answer to their worries. I am convinced that, now more than ever, we need a time of evangelization in our Parish, and I believe that the Neo-Catechumenal Way is a significant tool to help us rediscover our faith.

Beginning with Monday, October 12 at 7:30m in the Bingo Hall, we will have a series of meetings centered on the Word of God. This sets of talks are linked to a worldwide Catholic movement called the Neo-Catechumenal Way.

What is the Neo-Catechumenal Way?

I have been part of this experience since 1985 and it has been the most forming, rewarding and faith building experience of my life. The Neo-Catechumenal Way is one of the fruits of the Second Vatican Council aiming to foster a spiritual and liturgical renewal within our Parish community.

The word Catechumenate refers to an extended itinerary of formation to the adult faith. In the primitive church, no one could be baptized without going through a Catechumenate. But beginning with the time of Christendom, in the Constantine Age (5th century and forward), since the Church opened the door to the masses, it was more difficult to instruct the people into the faith. Thus, the transmission of the faith was assumed and delegated to the family. In modern times we cannot presume anymore that the family—faced with the challenge to modern culture—will be able to form the children to faith. Thus, the need for a Baptismal Neo-Catechumenate, which will help us to rediscover the richness of our Baptism. As Pope Paul VI put it, “The ‘before’ or ‘after’ the Baptism [of the Catechumenate] is secondary, I would say the fact is that you aim at the authenticity, fullness, coherence, the sincerity of Christian life, ”(Paul VI audience 8/5/74). And aren’t we all aware of the need for an adult faith formation in our life? When we pause to think about the reason of our believing, or when someone asks us why we practice our faith and why we believe what we believe, often we find difficult to give reason for our faith.

Even more when we are hit by events that are difficult to understand (for instance: the pandemic, tragic events, death, sickness, the abandonment of one who is dear to us, all that we call the crosses in our life), we become puzzled about our faith and some even stray away from their belief. The Neo-Catechumenal Way aims to give us a relationship of faith with the Lord so deep that it will allow us to be confident in his Fatherhood for us, regardless. It is an experience of eternal life already here on earth. It is important for each one to discover that God is our Father who provides for all our needs and who always decides what is best for us.

It is also important for us to discover that the church is our Mother, who always feeds us with the best of the food which is the Word of God and the bread from the Eucharist and accompanies us through our life journey. Yet, it is so difficult to discover this two-fold richness of our Christian tradition in the large contest of the parish setting, where each individual risks to feel like an anonymous spectator of liturgy that may not engage their life. Hence, the need for a small community where the liturgy is not only celebrated but lived.

 the catechists, like the apostles of the early church, assist the spiritual growing of the community. I hope this column will stimulate your interest and you will join our meetings on Mondays and Thursdays, beginning with October 12 at 7:30 pm in the Bingo Hall, for 15 weekly sessions

God bless!

Fr. Giovanni