Weekly Update from Fr. van Dooren 6.19.26
Dear members and friends of our parish family,
Blessings to you on this Juneteenth holiday. This holiday commemorates the day the news of the abolition of slavery finally reached Texas on June 19, 1865. Prayers ascend with thanksgiving for the respect and dignity of every human being created by God!
We will celebrate the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost with special prayers for fathers on this Father’s Day. And we’ll sing the beloved hymn, “Faith of Our Fathers” with gusto in honor of all those who have served and blessed us as fathers throughout our lives.
We welcome The Rev’d. Fr. Nadim Nassar back to the parish as our guest preacher this Sunday. Fr. Nassar is the Executive Director and founder of the London-based international Awareness Foundation. He studied theology in Beirut for seven years during the Lebanese Civil War, which strengthened his faith and gave him a life-long passion for peace. The only Syrian-born priest in the Church of England, Fr. Nadim is a passionate and captivating author, preacher, and speaker in his mission to build ecumenical and interfaith bridges in a world torn by strife and devastating warfare. He travels the globe to encourage and inspire informed and enlightened dialogue among Christians, Jews, and Muslims. His book, "The Culture of God", was published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2018. Click here to read more about the Awareness Foundation.
Our monthly Spanish mass is offered this Sunday at 5:00pm in the Family Chapel. We welcome, as our guest celebrant, Fr. Carlos Holmes Rendon Agudelo, who serves the Church of the Redeemer, Astoria, Queens. All are welcomed, including those of us whose Spanish isn’t perfect…smile.
Last Sunday, members of our choir visited the Robert J. McMahon Children's Center in Seacliff, NY, and performed a melody of songs for children with developmental disabilities who are in need of 24/7 care. Today, our choirs leave for their trip to visit our dear (former seminarian) Caroline Mazzocchi's church at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Alexandria, VA. Tomorrow, they will visit the museums at the National Mall in Washington DC, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
We celebrate Pride Sunday on Sunday, June 28, and Fr. Cheng will be our celebrant and preacher. After the 11 am mass, there will be a small pizza reception at 1:30pm for those who will march at 4 pm and for those who want to support and cheer. This year, we are planning to march as a campus with members of the Episcopal Actors’ Guild and Houghton Hall Arts Community. All are welcome to participate, but space is limited and we are asking marchers to sign up in advance here to comply with the city's guidelines.
The Holy Rosary will be prayed in the Family chapel at 9:30am this Sunday. We will pray the Joyful mysteries.
We continue to live-stream each Sunday’s mass at 11:00am, and a link is sent out each Sunday morning at 8:00am. We live-stream on Facebook and YouTube. Please email the parish office (parishoffice@littlechurch.org) if you would like to pray the morning and evening offices with us by Zoom.
Thank you for your continued faith, support, and love for the parish.
Fides Opera
With loving wishes,
Fr. van Dooren