Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Let’s continue reflecting on the Our Father: 

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come . . .

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Let’s continue reflecting on the Our Father: “Our Father, who art in heaven . . .”

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Let’s continue reflecting on the Our Father: “Our Father, who art in heaven . . .”

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Let’s continue reflecting on the Our Father: “Our Father, who art in heaven . . .”

Before continuing our meditation on the Lord’s Prayer, I wanted to share exciting news. 

On Thursday, October 1, our parish will receive a tremendous gift: a small piece of the mantle of St. Joseph, a cloak believed to have been the possession of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the man called to serve as father to Our Lord Jesus Christ. The mantle was brought from the Holy Land to Rome by St. Jerome, where it has remained for the past 1,600 years. We are receiving a tiny piece of that cloak. It is an amazing blessing for us to have such a rare relic, and we are profoundly grateful to Fr. Carlos Martins, a world expert on relics of the saints, for offering it to us. On the evening of Thursday, October 1, at 7:30 p.m. here in the church, Fr. Martins will give a lecture on relics in general and this relic of St. Joseph’s mantle in particular. After the lecture, the relic will be available for veneration.

We all want to be better at praying, or maybe we’re nervous that we don’t in fact know how to pray at all. The good news is that Our Lord has given us a perfect school of prayer, the Our Father. Most all of us know it by heart, and it’s easy to learn if you don’t. Consider that: it’s quite probably the case that you already have memorized a perfect instruction program on how to pray. Thank God for the Lord’s Prayer.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Well, we made it to September. This month feels like the start of a new year in many ways, with summer ending, students returning, people moving into the city, and exciting programs beginning here at St. Joe’s. A special word of welcome to all the students who come to The Catholic Center at NYU—it’s great to have you back!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Just a couple of days ago on Friday, the Church celebrated the feast day of St. Augustine, perhaps the most influential teacher in the Church’s history. If you haven’t read his Confessions, you must. Perhaps you’ve heard this beautiful passage from Book X: 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Maybe the number one response to “How are you doing?” is “Busy!” We all say it. Anxiety is always ready to crowd in after bitterness. Here’s a reminder from the Psalms to help with that:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

t’s good to be back at the parish! Some events for you to know about:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I’ll be getting back today after completing The Hillbilly Thomists’ concert tour. It’ll be good to be back! 

This Saturday the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church’s teaching on the Assumption is articulated in Pope Pius XII’s apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus. At the heart of the dogma is this: “the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (Munificentissimus Deus, 44).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings from the road. I’m out on tour with The Hillbilly Thomists. This weekend we’ll be playing in Asheville, NC, following shows in Providence, Manhattan, Bear (it’s in Delaware), Baltimore, and DC. After Asheville we’ll continue on to Greenville, Macon, Birmingham, and then finish in Nashville on August 8. I’ll be back at St. Joe’s by the evening of August 9 at the latest.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I wanted to share with you a quote that was the topic of last week’s In Vino Veritas discussion. It’s an excerpt from Robert Louis Wilken’s book The Spirit of Early Christian Thought:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First, a word of sincere and profound gratitude to Fr. Boniface as he prepares to leave St. Joseph’s and begin his new assignment as vicar provincial for our Dominican Province of St. Joseph. The parish itself, both the beautifully maintained and ornamented church and the thriving community, is the strongest testimony to his work as pastor here these past eight years. We will be planning a special celebration for him in the near future; details to come soon.

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

I have important news to announce. I attended our Provincial Chapter in June and at the Chapter I was appointed Vicar Provincial and Socius for the Province. It's a full-time position at our Provincial headquarters, the Holy Name building, next to St. Vincent Ferrer on 65th; therefore, I’m stepping down as pastor of St. Joseph’s.

Fr. Jonah here, filling in for Fr. Boniface.

Tomorrow we celebrate the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. They’re two of my favorites. To celebrate, here are some favorite quotes of mine from their writings in the New Testament:

Fr. Jonah here, filling in for Fr. Boniface.

Tomorrow we celebrate the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. They’re two of my favorites. To celebrate, here are some favorite quotes of mine from their writings in the New Testament:

Fr. Jonah here, filling in for Fr. Boniface while he’s away, though he’ll probably be back by the time you’re reading this.

Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads in our parish!

Fr. Jonah here, filling in for Fr. Boniface while he’s away.

Fr. Jonah here, filling in for Fr. Boniface while he’s away.