March 15, 2026

Dear Friends, Yellow School Buses are on the road reminding me another passage of time is happening. The young people and children I have been fortunate to talk to seem ready for this new school year. On the other hand, some are honestly expressing their hesitation in returning to a new academic year. This month I always recall the “Staples” ad with a woman, jubilant with her cart, going through the aisles with the music in the background ringing out “It’s the most Beautiful Time of the Year!”. I also remember a dear friend who for years always found this month sad. She so enjoyed having her children home for the summer and didn’t want it to end! Everyone has a thought, a memory, and a tug one way or another in their heart. Let’s pray for a safe, peaceful, enjoyable, and blessed year ahead for everyone in this new academic year! Our Parish Staff is getting excited about our welcoming Bishop Bonnici on September 26 ! We hope you and all our parishioners will join in welcoming him to the 5:30 PM mass at Saint Catherine’s. I am sure you’ll enjoy meeting him and praying with him at Mass. Ater the mass, a light reception will follow and give everyone some time to meet, greet, and welcome him to our parishes. Mark your calendars!!! On September 1 we began our new 2026 Season of Creation! I hope you received the great handout in last weeks bulletin offering us ideas on how to celebrate this season and continue to respect and care for the world God has entrusted to us. Pope Francis instilled in us inspiration for this treasured gift, God’s Creation, that has been placed in our hands. A focused theme for our 2026 journey is on “Living Water.” Check out Ezekiel 47:1-12. Water has been a major focus for ourselves and our sisters and brothers throughout the world. Too much water and flooding in so many areas ,and then not enough water in other areas where folks and landscapes are parched. Where can we find ourselves in helping to address this issue? The Season of Creation continues to October 4 , the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis and Saint Kateri Tekakwitha are patron saints for creation and ecology. Let’s ask their intercession in our prayers to be good stewards of this fabulous world we are entrusted to care for ourselves and future generations. On September 12th very generous men/stewards from our parishes and beyond will be heading to Booneville, Kentucky. A week ago some of these wonderful brothers were at Mass. See the photo accompanying this article. We prayed over them and others in absentia, gifted them with a beautiful cross created by Sam Damico, and blessed their response to the Lord’s invitation to go and bring Good News to Booneville. Keep these gentlemen in your thoughts and prayers. May their week be abundant in blessings! I am prejudiced. I believe in a very good way. A man of God I have admired from the time I first met him is having a birthday. Not just a birthday, but his 90th birthday! Who would ever have thought I would be blessed to follow in his footsteps when he retired from Saint Catherine of Siena. I was so honored to be able to do so with the person I looked up to for his ministry, love of the Lord, and his wisdom on how to be bearers of Jesus’s Good News among one another! Father Jim Lawlor will be celebrated October 4th, from 2 – 4 PM, at Saint Anne’s Hall, 1600 Mount Hope Avenue, Rochester NY, 14620. Everyone is invited!!! Please come and celebrate Jim if you are able. Please send him a card if you cannot at the address I mentioned above. Wow! We have been blessed with a wonderful friend and disciple of Jesus! Hope you’re doing well. As ever, know I’m remembering each of you in my prayer.  With Blessings & Joy, Father Rob

Dear Friends, This weekend leads us into Monday celebrating Labor Day. Mass will be celebrated at 9AM at Transfiguration. This day we acknowledge the dignity of work for all people. Those who still work, may we thank the Lord for what they provide for all of us. Let us also thank those blessed to be retired for their contributions they gave us over the years. May everyone enjoy a safe and enjoyable holiday. Some students have returned to school this past week and others will be returning this week. I pray for all our students at every level of education, teachers, professors, support staffs and everyone involved in the administration and care for our students. May we all keep them in prayer for a blessed year of learning, accomplishments that will enrich their lives, and for the safety of all. God bless these individuals! And to all who are reading this brief message, May God’s blessing be with you! Father Rob