We are truly blessed to have the privilege of the visit of the Relics of Padre Pio to our parish Saturday, October 7. There will be five relics, including one containing a gauze with blood stains and another one with the crust of a Stigmata. These two First-Class Relics remind us that Padre Pio with St Francis of Assisi are among the very few saints having received the Stigmata, bleeding wounds on the hands, feet and side, similar to those of Jesus on the Cross. Padre Pio is one of the most...

Are you envious because God is generous with everyone at all times? This is the question God asks all of us at end of this weekend’s Gospel: the parable of the Landowner hiring laborer for his Vineyard (Matthew 20:1- 16a). Envy, jealously are "human" emotions. Our main relationship ought to be with God, not with other human beings. Our main goal is to be at Peace with God while on earth in order to have eternal life with God in heaven. In the Parable of the Landowner of the Vineyard, we know the Landowner is God, the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The laborers hired for His Vineyard are all of us, the People of God. The Vineyard is the place where God has planted His Vine. Jesus, Son of God is the Vine, and we are the branches (John 15), producing fruits for the Landowner: God. How can we apply this Parable to our own parish, the local church? One could say our landowner is...

I have asked our entire parish to PRAY FOR ABRAHAM! WHO IS ABRAHAM? One of our young parishioners is 13-years old. His family (father, mother, three daughters and one son) have been members of our parish for 10 years. I had the Joy of giving Abraham his First Holy Communion. Many of you last saw Abraham at the Priests/Youth Concert in our Father Martin Hall on July 7. You will recall, the Hall was packed, and the music was uplifting. Abraham was one of the singers. This event was to raise funds for the 12 youth of our parish going to the World Youth Day in Portugal to meet with Pope Francis. Abraham was well prepared to go on this pilgrimage to Fatima/ Portugal: many prayers were said and also many activities, including fundraising events. Abraham had a wonderful experience! The pilgrimage included visits to holy sites in Spain, such as Santiago de Compostela and The Carmelite Monastery of Avila, before meeting Pope Francis in Fatima. I received many pictures of our young pilgrims as they were all praying for my full recovery from my stroke of July 19th. I saw Abraham in Waldorf when I returned to parish activities in late August. He was...

I will never forget the beautiful dream I had last week. I woke up in the middle of night. I felt an immense Joy! What is going on? I rarely re- member any of my dreams, whether bad or good. Slowly I began to recall what I had just been dreaming. It is a simple but so joyful dream that I wish to share it with you. Here it is: I was surrounded by a small group of people. They were all joyful. Everyone was helping everyone. They were al- ways involved in prayer or reaching out to anyone asking for help. There was a sense of PEACE all around. Some people were resting near a beautiful lake. Others were fishing quietly. What a beautiful and peaceful community! I pinched myself. Then...