I want to thank all of you for your support of our parish’s Forty Hours Devotion this past week! It was another opportunity to ask our Lord to unite us to Him and one another. As we see in the Priestly Prayer of Jesus in the gospel of St. John, Jesus prays that all his disciples may be one! Only Jesus can give us the strength to be united to one another. What a beautiful opportunity to do this here at St. Sebastian. There are so many people here from different cultural backgrounds that add to the life of our parish. Our responsibility is to celebrate each culture represented here and to learn from them. All are equal here at St. Sebastian and all are welcomed!

Congratulations to Deacon Chris Bethge on his assignment to St. Paul, St. Agnes parish in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. The people of God in Brooklyn will be blessed by his ministry as we were at St. Sebastian. I told Deacon Chris that he is welcome here at St. Sebastian anytime. This is his home! Please pray for him as he begins his new ministry.

Finally, this coming Tuesday, November 11, is Veterans Day. Its an opportunity for us as a country to say a prayer for all of our veterans and to thank them for their service to our country. In a particular way I want to thank the members of our Catholic War Veterans and Ladies Auxiliary for their exceptional service to our country and for their presence in our parish.

Let us also pray for all our military men and women all over the world for their safety and for their loved ones at home.

God Bless Our Veterans!