08/28/2026
Trinity XIII 2026
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
You are sorely missed. I cannot tell you how much I look forward to Sunday September 5 and standing before the altar and offering the Sacrifice of the Mass for our community.
We have one more Sunday apart. We will be doing something different for this Sunday August 30. Because of the difficulties finding a priest who is 1) available at 10 AM on a Sunday morning, and 2) is comfortable in saying Mass in the Ordinariate form. Tis Sunday, Dcn. Roger Converse will be traveling from our St. John the Baptist parish in Bridgeport to offer a Communion service. I know for some of you, this may change the calculus of where you go on Sunday, but I would ask you to give prayerful consideration to coming to St. John Paul II. The Word of God will be proclaimed as always. AS I like to remind people, the only reason I get to preach is that, like Dcn. Converse, I was ordained as a Deacon. In fact, it was with Dcn. Converse that I was ordained a Deacon. I know the other issue might be whether the Mass is offered or not. Canon 1248 paragraph 2 states “If participation in the eucharistic celebration becomes impossible because of the absence of a sacred minister or for another grave cause, it is strongly recommended that the faithful take part in a liturgy of the word if such a liturgy is celebrated in a parish church or other sacred place according to the prescripts of the diocesan bishop or that they devote themselves to prayer for a suitable time alone, as a family, or, as the occasion permits, in groups of families.” I would ask you to consider attending an anticipatory Mass on Saturday, or a Mass at some other time so we can pray together as a community.
There is one upside to my time away in Scranton:
We now have a monstrance and lunette. And one of the first things we are going to do with it is fulfill a request. I have been asked if we could have and Adoration and Date Night. We will pick an evening and have Adoration and then people will be able to go from there and have a meal with their beloved. More details to follow.
In the meanwhile, next Saturday September 4, we are volunteering at the Allentown Ecumenical Soup Kitchen.
On Saturday September 12 at 10 AM, we will meet for a St. John Paul II Community Ramble at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center . We will be walking the D&L Trail which is leveled and paved, so strollers won’t be an issue. And after the ramble, those who are interested can gather at the Bowmanstown Dinner for lunch.
On Tuesday September 15 we will continue our Literature & Lemonade discussion of Magnifica Humanitas at Historic Kriedersville Covered Bridge Park . Google Maps says it is 1-99 Covered Bridge Rd., Northampton. Pack a picnic supper and join us in the bridge for continued discussion. If you missed the first one, there is still plenty to discuss!
On Sunday September 27, we will do the enrollment for The Angelic Warfare Confraternity . As I have written previously, this is a ministry of the Dominicans . The Angelic Warfare Confraternity (AWC) is a spiritual community of Christ’s faithful for the pursuit and promotion of the virtue of chastity. Men and women are enrolled in order to receive assistance from God in the chaste life, under the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas & the Blessed Virgin Mary. Each member of the AWC wears either the cord or the medal of St. Thomas, and says daily prayers to receive the special graces that the Lord pours out through the Confraternity. If you wish to order a kit, you can do so here . I have also preordered several, so if you are interested, you can donate to the Church by check or online. Just put AWC in the memo line.
In the meanwhile, while absent in body, I am present in spirit. I look forward to the Fifth!
In Christ’s Peace, Fr. Matthew
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