August 30, 2026

August 26, 2026

Dear Friends,


First of all, thank you to everyone who reached out to me with birthday greetings.  I am very appreciative and grateful to the Lord for another day/year to celebrate joys and blessings of my natal life! I lift each of you in my prayers of thanksgiving!!!


I was blessed to be with wonderful friends for my birthday and a week following.  Some of you know, my “second home” has been in Beverly, Massachusetts.  Now, get it right, I’ve never owned a home there, (hello, I do not have that financial realm) but I have been blessed to be part of the North Shore for forty plus years. I won’t bore you, but I met the North Shore of Cape Ann in 1982. The beginning of my journey there was as a Chaplain at Beverly Hospital with a seminary program called Clinical Pastoral Education. It was profound as I was to minister to the pediatric floor and the terminal dying. At this time, I actually lived in the hospital.

It will always be a gift to me and my Director, Rev. Don Hunt was a wonderful, instrumental guide in my ministry. Then, a

wonderful Pastor, Father Richard Johnson, asked if I would consider coming back the following summer and work with him. The

parish was Saint Mary Star of the Sea. Well, it was possible and I did, and my life has never been the same.


Many friends/family, I have made over these decades. There have been endless joys. And with love and time, we have had

weddings, baptisms, stresses, funerals, and all the life situations we all know as families. I do not own physical property, but I will

say, I have in my soul the bounty of family and friends in the most blessed way. I am grateful.


As you might have heard and been informed about, Bishop John Bonnici will be with us September 26 for the 5:30 mass at Saint

Catherine’s. We invited him to come and he asked if this liturgy would be possible. Well, of course!!!  This day we will suspend our 4 PM mass so that we might all come together to meet and welcome our Bishop! I pray you will come and meet Bishop Bonnici. A few times, his presence has been gifted with me to engage in meeting him and having some conversation. After mass, there will be a light reception where you can introduce yourselves and welcome him to our parishes and diocese.


If you are in town this weekend, please come and celebrate our mass with Bishop Bonnici and one another!



Holding onto summer,

Blessings,

Father Rob

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Father Rob's Weekly Message

October 6, 2026
Dear Friends, I hope that you are enjoying these early days of October. The beauty of autumn is unfolding before us with the changing colors of the trees, pumpkins, cornstalks, and so much adding to the beautiful landscape around us. How blessed are we living in this beautiful area to see God’s gift of creation before our very eyes! This year’s Catholic Ministry Appeal’s theme is ALL THINGS NEW, Embracing our Mission in Christ. It reminds us that through faith, generosity, and hope, God is continually renewing His Church and calling us forward together. By now, all registered parishioners should have received a letter asking you to prayerfully support the appeal. If you haven’t received a letter, please call the Parish Office and let us know. I, for one, as of this writing, did not receive my own. I am very grateful to all who have supported the CMA in the past years and helped us make our parish goals. Your prayerful considerations, your generosity, and your faithful witness always bless our parishes and diocese. May we be as blessed this year with both parishes succeeding in our goals. God bless everyone who has supported this important appeal in the past and all who will offer their support this year!  With faith and prayer, Father Rob
September 29, 2026
Dear Friends, I was delighted that our faith communities came together last Saturday to welcome Bishop John Bonnici! It was a prayerful time to come together, meet one another and celebrate mass. The time with one another was delightful and filled with joy! I want to thank everyone who helped in preparing this special moment. First of all, thank you to Bishop Bonnici for sharing his presence with us. Thank you to Father Aaron Kelly for assisting all our liturgical ministers at mass. The music was inspirational and kudos to Pam McInerney, Sue Wallace, and all our vocalists and musicians for bringing their gifts to our liturgy. Much appreciation to our phenomenal Altar Servers, Lectors, and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist who gave of themselves to make everyone comfortable and welcome at Mass. I want to express my gratitude to all who served at Mass on Saturday. To Chuck Reinke, who coordinated our ushers and greeters. To Bob Goldbach and his band of volunteers who helped with parking and assisting everyone arriving for Mass. AND, to Julie Reinke, our star photographer, for capturing these sacred moments we had with one another. AND, to Charlene Merrill, for the fabulous reception she coordinated with so many others that provided a delightful gathering after Mass. AND, one more AND, being trinitarian, I want to acknowledge our Parish Staff, who assisted me in so many ways. Bless you! Everyone, thank you for being such wonderful stewards! Our Catholic Ministries Appeal is underway! Did you receive your letter about the appeal from Bishop Bonnici and me? This year, beginning with our new bishop, the theme is “ALL THINGS NEW, Embracing Our Mission in Christ.” I pray we will be supportive and successful in stewardship towards this years appeal. We experienced full support from so many of you last year and Saint Catherine of Siena and the Church of the Transfiguration made our goals. Thank you to those made this happen. I am confident we can succeed again with our prayer and stewardship. Like every diocese who has a similar campaign, your goodness keeps our diocese and parishes vibrant through serving people in need through Catholic Charities, providing diocesan-wide services to our parishes and institutions, educating youth in Catholic faith, supporting our Seminarians, Deacons,, and Pastoral Leaders, funding the ministries of Pope Leo and Bishop Bonnici, funding our Pastoral Center Operations & Support Services, and for the CMA Campaign. All donations are used only for the programs, services, and ministries I just mentioned. I hope and pray you will make a pledge with me for this year’s appeal. If you have any questions, please ask me, anyone on Parish Staff, and the Diocese of Rochester. Blessings to all, Father Rob
September 22, 2026
Dear Friends, This past week, on September 24th, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, was beatified in Saint Louis. From December of 1966 to October of 1969, he was the Bishop of Rochester. Bishop John Bonnici will be present for the beatification. On September 29th, Bishop John Bonnici will receive a relic of the Archbishop during Mass at 7 PM at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria will present the relic. Everyone is invited to attend this special moment. We will be blessed between the beatification and receiving of the relic to have Bishop John Bonnici with us this very weekend. He will preside at Mass on Saturday at 5:30 PM at Saint Catherine of Siena. A light reception will follow this celebration. May we offer our new Bishop a warm welcome and join him in celebrating Mass with one another! How blessed we are to have these final days of September to celebrate our faith! I am looking forward to seeing you this Saturday. Blessings to all, Father Rob