There are reports all across our diocese and really all across the United States of increases in people inquiring about the Catholic faith.  You will see that first hand here at Queens this Sunday at the 9am Mass as we conduct the Rite of Welcoming for the Catechumenate and the Rite of Entrance for Candidates.  23 converts will be present with their sponsors.  And we are already planning a second rite for the 9 more Queens converts unable to join us this Sunday. 

There will be a large reserved section in the front pews to accommodate these 23, their sponsors and their families.  Much of it will seem empty when Mass begins, but that is only because I go and meet them at the door and welcome them into the Church, literally, figuratively and spiritually.

May the zeal for the faith among these catechumens and candidates inspire all of us to take our Catholic faith more seriously and live it more deeply. 

Veterans Day falls on a Tuesday this year.  Queens parish plans on celebrating those who served at the Queens School Mass at 9am on Friday November 14th.  If you served in any branch of the U.S. armed forces please accept the invitation of our school children and join us for Mass and recognition.  This includes the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, Space Force, the Seabees and all those who served in the reserves. 

We need to honor those who served and remember the stories they brought back from foreign fields of war.  

From www.military.com:

The Department of Veterans Affairs counts approximately 45,418 WWII veterans still living—less than 0.5% of the 16.4 million Americans who served. As recently as 2023, roughly 131 veterans were passing away every day. That number is likely much lower now, but only because the overall numbers have decreased so much in recent years.

By 2036, VA projections estimate only 300 veterans will remain, and soon after, none.

‘Thank you’ to all the service veterans from Queens Parish.  Please accept our invitation to attend the school Mass next Friday the 14th at 9am as we seek to instill lessons of patriotism, service and sacrifice in the minds of our students.  

Nearly 70 people have signed up and it’s not too late for you to join them as 20 weeks remain in this 24-week series to teach you the Bible in the order in which events occurred, an approach seldom used but one that is so very helpful for those who want to understand the stories of scripture against the backdrop of history and the unfolding of world events.  If you’d like to sit in on a session, come try it out.  The Bible Timeline is in Vincentian Hall on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30pm. 

The Queens Online Giving Hub is a great way for you to channel your charitable giving to the place or cause you want your money to support.  By clicking the link below, you can see the various causes we support as a parish and partner with us to make a gift of your own.  You can donate toward St. Vincent de Paul or the Jackson Community Food Pantry, youth and young adult ministry (new link added), and even the prison bible fund. 200 bibles were distributed to Jackson inmates in 2025 thanks to your generosity and we just ordered 200 more so we need to replenish that fund also.  

As our nation honors its veterans this coming week, you can also use our online giving hub to support the Archdiocese of Military Services.  This is the world’s largest diocese as it provides spiritual and sacramental assistance to Catholics serving on bases and ships all over the world.  

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching” (Heb 13:8-9).

Fr. Tim MacDonald

Pastor