5th Sunday of Lent

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. (Psalm 118:24) The Lord is telling us in the gospel this weekend, “Fear no one”. Incidentally the phrase ‘do not be afraid’ is mentioned in the Bible 365 times. It is as if God is telling us every day of the year not to be afraid of anything but to trust Him at all times. The phenomenon of ‘fear’ is common to all of us. The only way to overcome our fears is to surrender our fears to the Lord who has the power to defeat the evil who attacks us. I like to recommend the Surrender Novena to you to be prayed every day. If you recite the following phrase ten times every day, you will find a marvelous change in your life:  O Jesus I surrender myself to you, take care of everything. As we celebrate Father’s day this weekend, I wish all the fathers a Happy Father’s day. All the fathers will be given St. Benedict medals which are exorcised. Please carry the medals either in your wallets, or pockets or wear them around your necks for your protection from the evil one. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS We come to the powerful moment of the institution of the Eucharist when the everlasting words of our Lord would change the bread and wine into his Body, Blood, Soul and divinity. This is known as the Transubstantiation. The substance of bread and the substance of wine changes into the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ. This miracle happens at every Mass. The first Mass took took place at the Last Supper which was the Jewish seder hosted by our Lord before his Passion, death and resurrection. Jesus gives himself as the sacrificial Lamb who would be sacrificed on the Cross to reconcile the whole world to his Father. This is the new Covenant Jesus made with his Father on our behalf. Taking the host, the Priest repeats the words of our Lord Jesus: “TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU”. Taking the cup of wine, the Priest repeats the words of our Lord: “TAKE THIS ALL OF YOU AND DRINK FROM IT. FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME”. The priest elevates the consecrated host and the consecrated wine in a chalice one after the other as we adore in silence for few seconds while the bells are rung to announce the Lord’s real presence. This is the only moment in which the priest acts ‘in persona Christi’, which means that the priest acts in the person of Christ. During the rest of the Mass, the priest is the mediator or the bridge between God and the people. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”( Psalm 118:24 ). This is the 11th week in Ordinary time of the year. In the first reading from the book of Exodus 19:2-6, God makes it clear to Moses that if the Israelites honor the Covenant He made with them, they would be His treasured possession and dearer to him than all the other people. The Covenant is not just an old Testament phenomenon. It is a close relationship or friendship with God which is offered to all of us. If we are faithful to God, we will be so dear to His heart and become His friends. What an honor and a blessing to be a friend of God! I am happy to report that we have paid off our loan on the Rectory. I thank you dear parishioners for your generosity to the parish. We thank Ray and Terry Pawlicki, Ken and Sherrie Cheline for donating two updated Roman Missals to our church for use during the Mass. Ken and Sherrie Cheline also financed the making of two new hymnal boards. We thank Mike and Mary Jo Gude for sponsoring the ambry which is a wooden box in which the holy oil of the Infirmary or the sick( OI ), the oil of the Catechumens or the oil of salvation( OS ) and the Sacred Chrism ( SC ) will be displayed. We admire the carpentry skills of our parishioners Jim and Lisa Stemo who made the ambry which is a gift given to our Church in memory of Mary Jo Gude’s parents Leo and Irene Cotter who used to be very active parishioners here. May they rest in Peace! The ambry will be blessed at 10:15 am this Sunday. It is to inform you that I will be away on a two week vacation from June 15-30, 2026. I will be returning to the Parish on July 1, 2026 as I begin my third year of serving the Lord here at Sacred Heart Parish. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS We highlight the initial parts of the Eucharistic Prayer this weekend. The Eucharistic Prayers begins with Preface which is a prayer dialogue between the priest and the people. It is prayed by the priest as the people are standing. The Preface prayer leads the people to the mystery and the miracle about to happen in few minutes. After reciting or singing the ‘holy, holy, holy Lord’ prayer, people kneel while the priest alone remains standing. The priest uses one of the four Eucharistic prayers.  The Priest calls down the Spirit of God upon the gifts of bread and wine to sanctify them to become the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Liturgical terminology it is called ‘ the Epiclesis’. The Spirit of God who overshadowed the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Incarnation sanctifies the natural elements of bread and wine for supernatural phenomenon during the hoy Mass. We pause here for now and admire the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, “ Amen, amen, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” ( John 6:53 ) This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Latin it is called the solemnity of CORPUS CHRISTI. (The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ). In the gospel of John, chapter 6, Jesus publicly proclaims to the people of his time that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood have eternal life. Even though all his listeners left him scandalized by his bold proclamation, he did not change his statement. During the third year of his public ministry, just before his Crucifixion and death, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of The Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper: the Gift of Himself as a perpetual Covenant under the species of Bread and Wine. I highly encourage you to grow deeper in your devotion to the Eucharistic Lord by regularly taking part in the celebration of the holy Mass and spending time in the Eucharistic Adoration. Together with the Catholics in our Country we are praying the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a preparation for the Consecration of the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11, 2026 in honor of the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. On Friday, June 12, 2026, we are going to have Solemn Eucharistic Celebration on the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus at our Church at 6:30 pm. The Pastors and their Parishioners from the Parishes of St. Anthony of Padua, St. Anthony the Abbot, St. Rita, St.Ann, St. Mary our Lady of Sorrows, and St. Leo’s Abbey and Holy Name Monastery in our deanery are invited to join us in the celebration. There will be refreshments in our Parish hall after the Mass. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS This weekend we begin exploring the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The first part of this section is The Offertory. After the Prayer of the Faithful, the ushers take up the monetary collection from the people as the choir leads singing the offertory hymn. The meaning behind the offertory is that we give back to God what He gave us. Two members of the congregation carry the gifts of Bread and Wine while an usher brings collection basket in procession to the altar and hand them over to the Priest. Since the Lord chose to give Himself under the species of Bread and Wine in the Eucharist, the great miracle, there can be no offertory without bread and wine. After preparing the altar for the holy sacrifice, the priest offers the Bread first. Then he pours wine into a chalice and adds a drop of water whispering the words: ‘By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity’. Wine represents the divinity of Christ and water our humanity. By the gesture of mixing water in the wine, we share in the divinity of Christ.  On solemnities, the priest incenses the altar with the gifts of bread and wine setting them as holy gifts. The action of the priest washing his hands reminds him to be ready literally with clean hands to hold the most holy Body and Blood of Christ in few minutes. Then the priest invites the people to join him as he prays over the gifts for their transformation and our transformation. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. (Psalm 118:24) Having completed the Easter Season last Sunday, we are now again back to Ordinary time of the year in our Liturgical Calendar. During Ordinary time, we reflect upon the Lord’s teaching through the parables, the miracles and His continued invitation to repentance and conversion of our hearts and minds. This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. We believe that God is One God in three Persons: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. We begin the day and all the liturgies in the name of the Trinity and also conclude them in the name of the Trinity. Even though we cannot fully comprehend the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity, we believe with our hearts. We congratulate four of our teenagers who will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation administered by our Bishop, the Most Reverend Gregory Parkes, at St. Rita Catholic Church, Dade City, FL, this weekend during the Holy Mass on Sunday at 11 am. I will be concelebrating that Mass. I thank their teacher Dr. Thomas Humphries, for preparing them for Confirmation and Terry Pawlicki, the Director of Religious Education in our Parish for her dedication and leadership. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS: This weekend we highlight the second part of the Mass in our catechesis of the Holy Mass: The Liturgy of the Word. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) says: “When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his Word, proclaims the Gospel.” (GIRM, no.29) We hear the Word of God from the Bible which is the Sacred Scripture written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. On Sundays and Solemnities there are three readings. The first and the second readings are proclaimed by lectors while the third reading, which is from one of the four Gospels, is proclaimed by a priest or deacon. Most of the time, the First Reading is from the Old Testament. It is only during the Easter season that the First Reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament to give us insight into how the early Church started after the Lord’s Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost. The First Reading is followed by a Responsorial Psalm which is a prayer of ancient Israel. The Second Reading is proclaimed from the New Testament letters of St. Paul, St. Peter, St. John, St. James or the Book of Revelation. It is an instruction to the Church on how to live the light of Christ. Then there is the Gospel acclamation during which the congregation stands to sing the Alleluia (except during Advent and Lent) as a sign of joy and readiness to listen to the Gospel. The Gospel reading is the highpoint of the Word of God, recounting the life, the teachings and the miracles of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. After the Gospel, the priest or deacon gives a homily, explaining the readings and applying them to our daily life. Then the congregation stands to profess their faith by reciting the Nicene Creed on Sundays and Solemnities. The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the Prayer of the Faithful, which may include prayers for the world, the Church, local needs, the faithful departed and other intentions. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

“ Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues”. (Acts 2:3-4) This weekend, we celebrate the feast of PENTECOST . In Greek, the word ‘penta’ means 50th. For us as Christians, the feast of Pentecost refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the form of tongues of fire while they were gathered in the upper room. This occurred on the 50th day after the Lord’s Resurrection. In our Catholic Liturgical Calendar, the feast of the Pentecost is also the conclusion of the Easter season. Ordinary time resumes on the Monday after Pentecost. As promised, the Lord Jesus, having ascended to His Father, sent the Holy Spirit to the Apostles to strengthen their faith and give them the courage to proclaim the Good News. Even though the Apostles saw the risen Lord, they were afraid to speak in the name of the Lord for fear of the Jewish authorities. It was only after the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them that their fear vanished forever. After receiving the Holy Spirit, nothing could prevent the Apostles from proclaiming the Good News of the Lord publicly and openly to all people. That’s why Pentecost is known as the Birthday of the Church. The Holy Spirit is present in the Church today. He is the third Person of the Blessed Trinity. He guides us, inspires us, heals and enlightens us and renews the Church. Let us renew our Consecration to the Holy Spirit Lord on this Feast of Pentecost. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS As part of our Catechesis of the Holy Mass, we concentrate on the Introductory Rites of the Mass this weekend. As the Priest, the altar servers and the lector process towards the altar, the choir sings the entrance hymn. The congregation stands and sings along with the choir. After venerating the altar by kissing it and incensing the altar on solemn occasions, the Priest begins the Mass in the name of the Trinity: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. He greets the people and introduces the theme of the Mass, the feast or the liturgical season or the particular Sunday, along with the intention of the Mass. He then invites the faithful to acknowledge their sins to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by leading them in praying the Confiteor. On Sundays and Solemnities, the Gloria is sung. Did you know that the first Gloria was first sung by the angels in Bethlehem on the night that Jesus was born? The Gloria is a song of rejoicing because God sent us a Savior! After the Gloria is sung, the Priest prays the opening prayer known as the ‘Collect’. After the Priest says “Let us pray,” there is a moment of silence. It is during that period of silence that the Priest “collects” all the prayers of the people into the opening prayer. That is why it is called the ‘Collect’. The Priest does not know what the people are praying for. But the Lord knows. The opening prayer also reflects the theme of the Mass and concludes the Introductory rites. COME HOLY SPIRIT, COME! God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.(Psalm 118:24) This weekend we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord into heaven. Having completed His mission on earth, the Lord Jesus returns to His Father in heaven. What an accomplishment!!! Let us take inspiration from the Lord to fulfill the duties which are entrusted to us, whatever vocation we choose. There is no doubt that God will reward us for faithfully doing His will in our life. Monday, May 18th, is the day of our monthly evening Eucharistic Adoration with Praise and Worship from 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm. Please come with your children and youth to adore the Lord with song and music. We welcome my younger brother Fr. Bhaskara Rao Gangolu from India. He is also a Catholic Priest who belongs to the Society of the Catholic Apostolate commonly known as the Pallottine Fathers and Brothers. He is visiting us for few days. Out of seven children in our family, two of us became priests. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS We continue with the catechesis of the Holy Mass by highlighting the large Crucifix on the back wall in the Sanctuary. Every Catholic Church has a Crucifix: which is a cross with the body of Christ crucified on it. Looking at the Crucifix, we become aware of how much Christ loved us that He died on the cross for us. There are also small crucifixes available from Catholic stores which we can wear on our clothing as a sign of our faith. In the sanctuary we also see the Presider’s chair, candles on the altar, the missal which is the book of prayers used during the Mass, flowers by the altar, bells on the side of the altar to be rung during the Mass, and a Processional Cross. It is always recommended that you come to Mass at least five minutes early so that there is enough time to prepare for Mass by silent meditation or by saying the following prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas: “May I receive the bread of Angels, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords with such reverence, such contrition and devotion, such purity and faith and such resolve and determination as may secure my salvation”. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24). The Lord, in the Gospel of John 14:15-21, says that whoever keeps His commandments is the one who loves Him. It is an invitation for us to reflect upon the virtue of obedience. So what is the definition of obedience? Obedience is defined as the submission of one’s will to the will of one’s superior. In other words, it is the submission of our personal will to God, the Divine Authority. God is happy when we obey His commandments. It is a way of acknowledging the authority of God who gave us life and endowed us with gifts and talents. In the Old Testament, the people of Israel broke the commandments of God the Father, Yahweh, time and again which made God angry. The prophet Samuel told King Saul that “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22 ). In the New Testament, Jesus Christ ranks first and showed the ultimate obedience as the one who, by His death on the Cross, obeyed His Father. That is why Jesus is called the Beloved Son of God. The Blessed Virgin Mary ranks second in obeying God the Father when she accepted God’s plan of salvation through the Archangel Gabriel’s annunciation in the following words: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” ( Luke 1:38 ). The members of the Clergy and the Religious take a vow of obedience to their Superiors in their service to God’s people and as a way of perfection. May we imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary in our obedience to God. Let us teach our children the virtue of obedience to their parents, teachers and those in authority. This weekend we celebrate Mother’s Day. We wish all mothers a Happy Mother’s Day as we pray for their happiness and well being. The first Communicants will be crowning the Blessed Virgin Mary at all Masses. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS We continue with the Catechesis of the Holy Mass this weekend by highlighting the presence of the following objects in the sanctuary: 1. The tabernacle: It is a structure or box in which Holy Communion, the Body of Christ, the holy of holies is placed. A light is always burning next to the tabernacle, indicating the real presence of Christ in the tabernacle. The word ‘tabernacle’ means “dwelling place”. It refers to the ‘tent of meeting’ built by Moses in Exodus 26, for the worship of God by the Israelites. 2. The altar: The altar is the table on which the Eucharistic sacrifice is offered. It is the centerpiece, the focal point of the Eucharistic liturgy. The altar is usually made up of either wood or stone. Lighted candles are placed on the altar during the Eucharistic celebration. 3. The ambo: The ambo is an elevated stand for proclaiming the Word of God during the liturgical celebration. The priest proclaims the Gospel from this stand and also typical gives his homily from the ambo. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. (Psalm 118:24 ) The risen Lord is telling us this weekend, through the gospel of John 14, not to let our hearts be troubled but to trust in Him at all times. The trials and tribulations of our life make us worry so much that we forget these comforting words of our Lord. Let us prayerfully remind ourselves to bring all our joys and sorrows to the Lord in prayer. This weekend we are delighted to announce that ten children of our parish will be receiving their First Holy Communion: The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Congratulations and God’s Blessings to them!!! The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our heavenly Mother. Please pray the Rosary daily for your families, our country and the world to come back to the Lord. On May 1st, the feast of St. Joseph the worker, I blessed the building right next to our Church as the new Parish Office. As St. Joseph was a faithful and dedicated worker of the Lord watching over the Holy Family, may we faithfully serve the Lord in our Parish. On the same day I ceremonially enthroned the most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the new Rectory at the back of the Church property where I and the Priests in the future will be residing. What happens at Mass? A Walk through the Mass As I mentioned in last week’s bulletin, I will dedicate a paragraph each week to go through each part of the Mass. Even before Mass begins, as we enter the Church, we look for holy water to bless ourselves in the name of the Trinity. The holy water reminds us of the sacrament of Baptism through which we entered the Church. The holy water also reminds us that we are in a sacred place. After we bless ourselves with holy water, we genuflect or make a deep and profound bow because the Lord is present in the tabernacle. This acknowledges the greatness of our God and our unworthiness. Then we look for a pew to sit. Please go right to the first pew to be seated because you want to be in the first row to take part in the greatest of the celebrations ever held. Please also maintain silence out of respect to the Lord and to be sensitive to others as they prepare themselves for the Celebration of the Eucharist. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24). The fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. In the Gospel of John 10:1-10, Jesus proclaims Himself as the Good Shepherd who loves His sheep so much that He died for them. We are His sheep and He died for us on the Cross. He willingly gave Himself up to death on the cross, even though He had the power and the heavenly army to fight His opponents. We are saved by His death. The relationship of a shepherd and his sheep is based upon the shepherd’s caring and protecting the sheep. The shepherd does not think twice about fighting wild animals to keep his sheep safe. He also searches for any sheep who are lost, making his voice heard so that, listening to his voice, the lost sheep can find their way back to the fold. Those of us in positions of leadership such as parents, teachers, priests, deacons, nuns, catechists, doctors, nurses, caregivers, coaches, heads of institutions and leaders of nations are called to imitate Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd and to love and care for the people entrusted to our care. The fourth Sunday of Easter is also declared as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations to Priesthood and Religious Life. I encourage and pray that young men choose priesthood and young women choose Religious Life. Married men also have the opportunity to serve the Lord as permanent deacons. I will be happy to discuss these matters with anyone interested. I like your attention to the following: 1.Starting May 1, 2026, the Parish office will be located in the building next to the Church. 2. Starting the first Sunday in May, we will publish a short paragraph in our church bulletin to highlight the Catechesis of the Holy Mass or Walk through the Mass. We want everyone to understand and appreciate the sacrifice of the Mass which Jesus gave to us and understand the meaning of each part of this celebration. 3. I would like to thank the Repair Committee for overseeing the shampooing of the carpet in the Church.  4. Congratulations to our first Communicants on receiving their First Holy Communion: The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ for the first time on Saturday, May 2, 2026 during the 4 pm Mass. I thank their parents for raising these children in the faith and their teacher, the honorable Judge Susan Barthle, for preparing them for this important sacrament. I also thank Terry Pawlicki, the director of our Religious Education Program, for her dedication to the faith formation in our Parish. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine