From the Pastor

June 4, 2023

"As I Walk This Way"

Dear Parishioners,

Today at 1:30 PM the Greece Historical Society will have a tour of Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery on Paddy Hill founded in 1823. The cemetery is the final resting place for the founding pastor of Mother of Sorrows and Holy Cross, Fr. John Maurice. Also, buried in the cemetery are several people who served in the various wars, including the Civil War. All who attend the tour are invited to           donate a food item to our busy St. Francis Food Cupboard at OMOS. Speaking of our past pastors, Fr. Thomas Wheeland was ordained a priest on this day in 1966. May he rest in peace.

Next weekend, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, the next phase of the Eucharistic Revival will begin. This will focus on the importance of the parish. Over the past several months we have been seeking to deepen our participation in, and reverence for, the celebration of Mass. This is bearing fruit in that we are blessed to see more new faces at Mass. Now our goal is to engage people in the life of the parish. We need your assistance with the various ministries at the Church. For more information on how to get more involved in       your parish, please reach out to Donna Petrella, our Lay Ministry Coordinator, at donna.petrella@dor.org or visit the Servant’s Desk at Our Mother of Sorrows. (We hope to set up a Servant’s Desk at Holy Cross in August.) We are seeing more of our young people becoming involved in the Mass as well. This is especially evident with our Altar Servers. Next weekend we will have a formal induction of all our Altar Servers into the Blessed Grimoaldo  Santamaria League. This is a way of calling our attention to this special young man who desired to know and serve God and the Church. Blessed Grimoaldo (1883-1902) loved being an altar boy and joined religious life. The life of Blessed Grimoaldo inspires all of us to realize that true joy in life is found in knowing and serving God.

As you may know, Deacon Tom Jewell and his family have moved to a new home  in Henrietta, NY. He has also requested that his assignment here at OMOS+HC be completed. Bishop Matano has granted this request. I would like to thank Deacon Tom for his           generous ministry among us and congratulate him on the 25th anniversary of his ordination. Next Sunday, June 11, we will have receptions for Deacon Tom following the 8:30 and 11:00 AM Masses at OMOS. 

Join us at OMOS for the Knights of Columbus BBQ next Sunday afternoon, June 11. It is the best chicken! See you at the BBQ! I would like to thank both Councils, Blessed Grimoaldo Santamaria Council at HC and Our Lady of the Cenacle Council at OMOS, for the many ways they serve our faith community. I am fortunate to have two KofC councils with which to work. May the Lord Bless you this week!

In Christ,

Fr. Bill Coffas, Pastor of HC + OMOS