December 2022

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December 2022

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” Luke 2:11

During Advent we yearned for the coming of the Christ Child, and lo, our Savior has come! Taking on our human flesh, the Son of God was born in a humble manger in the cold, dark night, a Sign of Contradiction: small, but great; helpless, but omnipotent; rejected, but exalted. It is the Mystery of a God Who loves us so much that He became Man to accomplish our undeserved Redemption. Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

THE HOLY FAMILY MODEL

It is impossible to contemplate the Christmas Miracle and not consider the example of the Holy Family and what they tell us today about the Christian family and marriage. The family unit is so important that God chose this humble pathway for the Incarnation. In particular, the Holy Family reveals the keys to holiness: keep Jesus at the center of our lives (Mary and Joseph were the first to adore the Real Presence!), be obedient to God’s will (Mary’s “fiat,” Jesus’ obedience to his parents, etc.), observe the Faith, and share the burdens of other family members with joy.  

The family is the most basic unit of society and it is the community in which one first learns about God, moral values, love and responsibility for others.  In that the Christian family is a communion of persons together creating, sacrificing, praying and evangelizing, it reflects the Holy Trinity, in the works of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Christian family is rightly called the “domestic church” for it is a community of faith, hope and charity. 

The contract of marriage is what brings the family unit into existence and maintains it, i.e. fulfilling the primary ends of marriage which are the begetting and raising of children. Therefore, to achieve this with the greatest likelihood for success, it only makes sense that the state of marriage is traditionally defined as the permanent and exclusive union between a man and a woman, sealed by a contract.  Read more

Christmas marks the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Savior of the World. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn, 3: 16). The period of Advent and the entire Christmas season presents us with a double invitation. One is to reflect on the meaning of Christ’s birth and the other is the responsibility it posits on us as God’s children. Many a time, our reflection centers only on the son born to us without much thought about the mother of the child. Nevertheless, the Church in her wisdom knows that Mary significantly stands out in the story of Christmas. In lieu of this, she dedicated the Fourth Sunday of Advent to this purpose. In year A, the Gospel is taken from Matthew 1: 18-24, year B is culled from Luke, 1: 26-28 and year C is read from Luke, 1: 39-45. Reading these periscopes, few thoughts stand out. Firstly, is the Motherhood of our Blessed Virgin Mary, secondly is the clear understanding of her Motherhood as a divine mandate and thirdly is her total surrender to the will of God as to when she said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Lk. 1: 38).

Mary was aware of the difficulty of explaining the source of her pregnancy without knowledge of a man and yet she surrendered to God’s word. She understood her divine mission to bring the Son of God into the world. She was aware that the child is not only hers but that of God and that she is a custodian of this precious gift of God. She knew from the moment of conception that she was carrying the Son of God in her womb.  Read more

We thank all of the parishes that held National Nights of Prayer for Life on December 8, 2022. 

Our prayers united for Life and Unity raised up to the Lord through Our Lady are pleasing to them.

We had a very prayerful, peaceful and beautiful Night for Life here at Notre Dame in New Hyde Park. We had the Blessed Sacrament exposed to start off by Deacon Tom Lemme. 

We then had a small prayer service lead by our Respect Life Group. The Magnificat With Mary written by the Sisters of Life was read by an 8th grader at our parish school, the Litany of Trust read by a boy scout from our parish sponsored Troop 544 and the Rachel Rosary again lead by members of our Respect Life Group.

For the hour of unity we prayed the joyous, luminous and glorious mysteries of the LIFE rosary lead by members of our Rosary Society and the Legion of Mary. In between prayer times, we played Marian hymns from a CD and had silent periods as well. We also had an intentions box set up before our Lady for private intentions. 

Overall, it was an amazing, uplifting experience for us all in honor of our Blessed Mother. We know our prayers were united and heard that night. Let us continue to pray to Our Mother for her loving intercession and protection. 

God bless us all, 

Mary Ann Wolert-Zaromatidis, Respect Life Leader

No one, whether shepherd or wise man, can approach God here below except by kneeling before the manger at Bethlehem and adoring him hidden in the weakness of a new-born child. (CCC 563)

Lord Jesus, as I kneel before your manger in adoration, let my first Christmas word be: thank you. Thank you, Gift of the Father, for coming to save me from my sins.

Without you I do not know even how to be human. The characteristics of your human body express the divine Person of God’s Son. And in that wondrous expression, Lord, you reveal me to myself. Thank you for that saving revelation in your sacred humanity. As the Christmas liturgy proclaims, in Christ we experience “the holy exchange that restores our life”. Thank you for coming as one like myself to save me from myself.

You come as a baby because babies are irresistible and adorable. You come as a baby because you want our first impression of God Incarnate to be that of one who does not judge. How I long to be united with you in every way. May I never be attracted to the allurements and charms of the world. May I love you always, at every moment, with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. May the tenderness, the dependency, and the mercy that you reveal in your infancy become the hallmarks of my life. Read more

Get ready for January 20, 2023

This year our Diocese will be sending buses to Washington, DC for the March for Life 2023. Bishop Barres will be going down to the March for Life. If your parish is planning to send a bus please contact our office to let us know. If you would like to know which parishes are sending buses please call our office or visit our March for Life website: www.drvcmarchforlife.com.

Our Diocese will also be having local events for the March for Life 2023.  Please visit this site regularly to keep up with events scheduled across the Diocese of Rockville Centre and ideas for planning your own pilgrimage.

If you are a interested in hosting an event, Mass, Adoration, Rosary, Prayer or Witness at your parish please email Donna Crean at dcrean@drvc.org

WHY WILL WE CONTINUE TO MARCH?



Even with the wonderful blessing of Roe v. Wade being overturned, which allows more freedom at the state level to enact pro-life laws, the necessary work to build a culture of life in the United States of America is not finished. Rather, it is focused differently. Sadly, the number of abortions annually is still well over 900,000 each year, and that number is expected to decrease only by roughly 200,000 each year in a post-Roe America. Many national legislative battles loom, including even keeping longstanding Hyde protections, which limit government funding for abortion on annual appropriation bills. The Hyde Amendment has saved over 2 million lives and is arguably the most impactful pro-life policy in our nation’s history, but now cannot be taken for granted. Last, our most important work is changing hearts and minds. The goal of the national March for Life is to not only change laws at the state and federal level, but to change the culture to ultimately make abortion unthinkable.

With the role of the states being more important, we are also growing a strong state march for life initiative quickly, however, we will continue to march every January at the national level until a culture of life is restored in the United States of America.

Taken from: March for Life National Website

Project Rachel is a ministry about finding hope and healing after abortion.

It’s normal to grieve a pregnancy loss, including the loss of a child by abortion. It can form a hole in one’s heart, a hole so deep that sometimes it seems nothing can fill the emptiness.



You are not alone…

COME BACK TO LOVE AND MERCY! JESUS AWAITS YOU!

The seasons of Advent and Christmas may be very difficult for women and men who have participated in abortion. As we focus on the birth of a baby, as well as getting toys and gifts for other children, it often speaks to the pain of the child not there.

If you are feeling along and are hurting, please call our Post Abortion Ministry phone line. We would love to help you to bring the focus to the joy of this time of year and its meaning in your healing, We have Days of Prayer and Healing to help you begin your journey back to Christ’s Mercy.



These days allow those who attend to focus on the birth of Mercy, and what it means in your healing. Christ, who came to earth to save us from our sins, even the sin of abortion.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

This retreat is not only for women. Men, grandparents and siblings are welcome to come and receive God’s Grace, Mercy and Healing!

992 No Village Ave . Rockville Ctr., NY 11570

www.drvclife.org

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