Most Precious Blood Parish Astoria

10/24/2026

My dear parishioners,
​ We had a wonderful turnout for our “Illumination of The Original Image of Divine Mercy” this past week. Both nights, English and Spanish, we had crowds of 110 people each night. It was beautiful to see the different mixes of our parish come together for this inspiring event.
​ Daniel DiSilva had an incredible experience of faith when he had an encounter with the original image of Divine Mercy and it changed his life. Since that encounter, he has made it his mission to evangelize the world about the image that was painted under the supervision of St. Faustina. Daniel travels around the country in a truck with a trailer to explain the history of the image and its significance. He not only talks about the image, but with his own two hands, he puts the faithful replicas of the image in frames so that the faithful may take them home. For those of you who were not able to purchase one or would like to learn more about the image, you can go to the website: https://www.originaldivinemercy.com/.
​ I had bought an image from this website years ago at my previous parish. I wanted another copy for the rectory chapel here and ordered one during the summer. That is when I inquired about the availability for the presentation in our parish. I have had a devotion to Divine Mercy my whole priesthood and I wanted to share that love with all of you.
​It is my hope to have other spiritual events during the course of the year to help us honor God and to open our hearts to His love and mercy. I plan on having a special celebration on Divine Mercy Sunday, which will be April 4, 2027, this coming year. Jesus, I trust in you!
God bless,
Fr. O’Connor

The official home of the Original Image of Divine Mercy under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Vilnius.

10/19/2026

We are ready for tonight! Are you? See you at 7 pm.

10/17/2026

Join us on Monday, October 19 at 7 pm in English and Tuesday, October 20 at 7 pm in Spanish.

Acompáñanos el lunes 19 de octubre a las 7 p. m. en inglés, y el martes 20 de octubre a las 7 p. m. en español.

10/17/2026

My dear parishioners,
When I was a newly ordained priest twenty-seven years ago, I was given my first assignment as parochial vicar at St. Benedict Joseph Labre, Richmond Hill. Included with my letter of assignment was a letter appointing a priest mentor to me for a period of two years. Back then, a priest mentor was a priest who had been in ministry for a significant amount of time and who could give you advice and answer your questions. A mentor could be crucial because in the seminary you learned a lot from books, but once you were in a parish, different situations could come up, and you needed guidance on how to handle them. I was given the option of submitting three names, and the bishop would pick one of the three. I would have been happy with any of them, but the bishop chose (then) Father Sean Ogle as my mentor.
Msgr. Ogle was a great source of encouragement to me, not only during those two official years, but throughout my priesthood. In my opinion, he is one of the finest priests in the diocese and a true gentleman. Some of you may know him, as he was pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Astoria, for many years. His most recent assignment was as the Director of Clergy Personnel for the Diocese of Brooklyn. When I was appointed as your pastor this past winter, I told Msgr. Ogle that when he retired, if he wanted to move back to Astoria, I would have a room for him at Most Precious Blood. Msgr. Ogle took me up on my offer and moved into our parish last week. I am very happy to have such a wonderful priest joining us in the rectory.
​Although Msgr. Ogle is officially retired as of the end of June, the bishop has asked him to temporarily oversee another parish. That means he is living here but celebrating Mass at the other parish for the time being. Once his time there comes to an end, you will be seeing more of him. Originally, the plan was for him to take over the English Lectio Divina group on Tuesdays, but that is not possible at the moment.
​Please join me in welcoming Msgr. Ogle to our parish and please pray for him as he enters his golden years.
God bless,
Fr. O’Connor

10/11/2026

My dear parishioners,
​One of the most important actions for a parish is to pray. First and foremost, we pray to God to worship Him and glorify Him. The best way to do that as Catholics is the celebration of the Mass. We do not come to Mass to be entertained, but primarily to worship the one true God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. United as a community, we lift up our voices in song and prayer to praise God in one voice. As we adore our God, we also present our petitions and intercessions. That is why every Mass must have an intention. Even if someone does not request an intention for a particular Mass, the priest must offer up one on his own.
​One of the mandates in canon law (the law of the Catholic Church) is that the pastor must offer up the “pro populo” Mass once a week. That means “for the people” of the parish under the pastor’s care. It is preferred that the Mass be offered up on a Sunday, but the law allows for another day if Sunday is not practical or possible. In the most recent past, I have fulfilled this responsibility on my day off when I would not have a public Mass and on Sundays when I was on vacation or traveling for ministry. With the addition of the Wednesday 12:15 Mass, I have made that intention for all of you as long as we have that Mass. You will see it written in the bulletin and hear it announced at that Mass as “for the people of Most Precious Blood.”
​Another prayer we should have at Mass is to pray for the sick and the dead. It is the custom of many parishes to pray for people who are sick or recently deceased. We have begun it again here at Most Precious Blood. If you have a family member, a friend or colleague who is ill, you can call or email the rectory during the week or go to the welcome desk on Sunday give us their name. You can do the same for a deceased person. These names will be mentioned on weekend Masses for two weeks. Any names from funerals we are celebrating will automatically be added to the list. Besides praying for these individuals by name, it will allow us to be aware of who may have died or may be ill. We do ask that you have the permission of the person or their family who is ill before asking us to place their names on the public list.
​Let us continue to worship our God together and pray for our brothers and sisters.
God bless,
Fr. O’Connor

10/06/2026

Join us Monday, October 19th as we welcome author, director and the world’s most foremost expert on the Image of Divine Mercy. He will give a presentation covering the epic history and unique significance of St Faustina’s Masterpiece of Mercy

Acompáñanos el martes 20 de octubre para dar la bienvenida a autor, director y al más destacado experto mundial en la Imagen de la Divina Misericordia. Él dará una presentación sobre la historia épica y el significado único de la Obra Maestra de la Misericordia de Santa Faustina

10/05/2026

A large came out for the Blessing of Animals yesterday despite the rain. More dogs than any other pet. It was beautiful despite being downstairs, the pets behaved themselves. Thank you to all who came.

10/03/2026

My dear parishioners,
Happy Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi! What a remarkable time for us to be able to celebrate this great saint’s day on a Sunday. The norm is that the Sunday always takes precedence unless it is a Solemnity. For example, this year, All Saints Day (November 1st) falls on a Sunday so instead of celebrating 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, we will celebrate All Saints Day. When an individual saint’s celebration falls on a Sunday, we do not normally celebrate it at Mass. What makes this year different is that the Franciscan community is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis. Pope Leo XIV has declared this a special Jubilee year to commemorate this beloved saint.
Bishop Brennan, the Bishop of Brooklyn (and Queens) has asked all parishes to celebrate this Sunday in commemoration of St. Francis. You will notice that the readings are different than the ones in our hymnal. They are taking from the suggested readings for the feast of St. Francis. (First reading: Micah 6:6-8, Psalm 16, Galatians 6:14-18, and Matthew 11:25-30.)
Besides the celebration of the Masses in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, we will have the traditional blessing of the animals that day (Sunday, October 4th) at 3 pm. This will be an opportunity for those of you coming to meet my dog, Wallace. Wallace is an old man now and will be 14 at the end of the month. He is the last of his litter of nine to be around and I wonder if all those St. Francis blessings through the years have something to do with it. Some people asked me if they could just bring a photo of their pet and that is fine. We will meet in the parish garden on the side of the church. I look forward to seeing you there.
God bless,
Fr. O’Connor
P.S. Healing Mass in Spanish will take place this coming Wednesday at 7 pm and next Sunday, October 11 at 5 pm in English.