Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with a young man who recently graduated from a prominent Catholic high school in the New York area.  In the course of the conversation, we spoke about our Diocese and its Bishop.  I was surprised to learn from him that he had no idea who the Bishop of Rockville Centre was, nor did he even know the name of our Diocese.  Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I asked him who was in charge of the Archdiocese of New York.  I figured that His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan is a very public figure and his name is often in the news, so at the very least the young man I was speaking with would have some recollection or knowledge about the chief shepherd for the Archdiocese.  Unfortunately, he had no idea about those matters or other teachings of the faith, like fast and abstinence during Lent just to name one, and it wasn’t that he had no interest.  It just seemed to appear that he did not know.

“Why did God make me?”  To know Him, love Him and serve Him in this life and to be happy with Him in the next life.”  Anyone reading this article that graduated high school before 1970, I am CERTAIN knows this question and answer by heart.  It was probably drilled into you by an army of Religious Sisters and Brothers.  This question and a myriad of others is a part of the compilation of the famed Baltimore Catechism which became the National Catechism for children in grades 1-12 across dioceses of the United States.  It was the first such catechism written for Catholics in North America.  It was a standard and a staple in Catholic Schools from 1885 to the late 1960’s.  One volume (number 4) was an advanced textbook with explanations of many little known questions pertaining to the Catholic faith designed to reward the questioning reader.  Four generations of Catholics were taught using this question and answer methodology of learning and large numbers of Catholics actually knew the faith!  So there is something to be said of The Baltimore Catechism.

I am not a product of the Baltimore Catechism, but as I grow older and perhaps a little wiser, I sometimes feel regret I did not learn about our faith this way, at least in part.  Most of my elementary school days in Religion were spent making collages, and simply being told God loves you.  I realize the first couple of decades after Vatican II the Church was “experimenting” in  new ways of trying to impart the faith but in conversations with Catholics many unfortunately do not know a lot about the faith. Some Bishops and Theologians now seem to realize that all these trendy and flashy programs have not worked.    After Vatican II,  the Church strived to move forward and make it more relevant and pertinent to contemporary culture.  In many ways that is good, but now her leaders and many of the faithful realize that maybe it’s time to get back to basics, and teach the current generation of young Catholics more tenets of the faith and why the Church believes and teaches what it does.

Here at St. Boniface we are going to change the Religion textbook series.  Currently we are using Pflaum Gospel Magazines which remind me more of a Scholastic Weekly Reader than a Religion textbook.  One of the main goals of the Religious Education Program here at St. Boniface is to produce informed and enlightened generations of Catholics prepared to know the faith, proclaim the faith and live the faith.

– Fr. Kevin

Fr. Kevin’s letter appears online here each week and in our Parish Bulletin

Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

With Christmas Day as far away as it can ever be people begin to look forward to the New Year.

The month of January is named after the Roman god, Janus, and he is often depicted looking forward and looking backward.  New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day this year is on a weekend, and a long weekend at that!  Since the actual day is a Sunday, business and schools close Monday in observance of the holiday.   With the arrival of New Year’s Day, there is certain let down that all the festivities of this special time of year are over and now we enter into the routine of January which can be cold and dreary.

The beginning of January, however, is the perfect time to reflect and ponder over the happenings of the previous year, and look forward to new beginnings and some changes for the coming year.  Ask yourself what was one positive experience you had last year?  What did you learn from it?  If you could do anything differently, what would it be and why?  Were there missed opportunities for growth or change?  Did we place any limits on ourselves because of lack of confidence or courage?

You can’t.  You will never.  Just give up and call it a day.  You aren’t good enough.  These phrases were told to some pretty successful people throughout history, everyone from musicians, to actors and actresses to authors and television personalities.  Among them are composers like Beethoven, whose teachers told him he was hopeless.  Stephen King who had 30 rejections until he finally had his first book published and Lucille Ball who was considered a “B” list movie star and failed many times before she became a successful actress on the hit television series,

I Love Lucy.  Lucky for us, they ignored the doubters and naysayers and became legendary giants in their own right for all they accomplished.  Want to know who isn’t famous?  Their belittlers who said they couldn’t.

If we are honest with ourselves, we too have probably been told we can’t, or we’re not good enough and unfortunately most of us have bought into this non-sense! Perhaps we have regrets about this, but it is never too late to change or start anew!  In the first few days of this New Year take the time to reflect and ponder over your dreams and expectations for 2017.   It’s human nature to give up, especially after failure but that is giving up too easily.  If failure is embraced in the right fashion, it can serve as a learning experience for us.   One of the traits of Christians is perseverance, or a stick to it mentality.  Perseverance often leads to endurance and that  makes us stronger. Think about the persistent widow in the Gospel.  The Scriptures are filled with people who persevered and relied on GOD’S GRACE.  Often persistence and endurance bear fruit; we just need to be patient, and maybe God is telling us something as well.  After all, the only limits we really have are the ones place on ourselves.

HAPPY AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES!

– Fr. Kevin

Fr. Kevin’s letter appears here weekly and in the St. Boniface Martyr Parish Bulletin

Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

Many of us are familiar with the Broadway tune We Need A Little Christmas from the production of the play and television movie Mame.  There is a scene in which “Auntie Mame” breaks out into the upbeat and happy song to remind her nephew Patrick and two household servants of how the great feast of Christmas can change everything and everyone into someone and something better.  Virtually all people will agree that our lives and our world can be better.  With just over a week remaining until the big day, Christmas, itself, preparations are in high gear.  People are shopping for that special gift for that special someone, while others are either attending parties or planning their own special Christmas celebrations, and still others are generously tipping their hairstylists, housekeepers, and personal trainers etc. to thank and show appreciation to them for what they DO all year long.  People are usually in very festive, optimistic and cheerful moods despite the hustle and bustle of this joyous season

Indeed, at the very least we NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS; in fact, WE NEED A LOT OF CHRISTMAS, not just on December 25 or the days immediately preceding or following this Holy Day and Holiday, but ALL YEAR LONG!  Kindness, compassion, gentleness, generosity, cheerfulness should not be traits and dispositions that people, especially Christians exhibit and live for a season.

All people of goodwill should attempt to live these attributes the whole year through and Christians above all, should lead the way and be shining lights and examples for everyone!

While it is important to KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS, it is equally, and quite possibly more important to BE CHRIST AT CHRISTMAS and ALL YEAR LONG.  At the Last Supper, Jesus reminds His Apostles and us “to love one another.”  During the late 1960’s and into the 1970’s a popular folk song was sung at Sunday masses, They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.”   With life so busy and complex these days we often feel pressured to worry about ourselves, and while sometimes we must do that, there are plenty of times where we can assist others with our time, talents and treasure.  The good people of St. Boniface, Martyr in the many ministries and societies of this magnificent parish strive to do that all year long.  So, when the last sip of eggnog is finished, the presents have all been unwrapped, the Christmas music has stopped and the decorations put away for another year keep striving to BE CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS ALL YEAR LONG!

Be assured of a special remembrance in ALL my masses, at Christmas time and the whole year long and a BLESSED AND HOLY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

– Fr. Kevin

Fr. Kevin Dillon’s letter appears here weekly online and in print in our Parish Bulletin.

Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

All living beings experience growth and change whether they like it or not.  The Church is no exception.  Even though most people think of the Church as an institution, it is comprised of human beings.  Her members should constantly strive to grow in greater holiness and sanctity despite their sinful nature.  When we overcome or diminish some of our vices and sinful behaviors we draw a little closer to Christ and perfect ourselves in His image and likeness and this helps to strengthen the Body of Christ here on earth.

Another way the Body of Christ continues to grow and become stronger is by attracting new members.   It is often by our good example that leads other people to want to join the Catholic Church.  When someone expresses a desire to join the Church we have a program that does just that!  It is called the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults or R.C.I.A. for short.  Here at St. Boniface Martyr we currently have five candidates enrolled in the program who are preparing for full initiation into the Catholic Church at Easter.  They meet bi-weekly on Tuesday evenings to pray and learn more about the tenets of Catholicism. It is a time for them to discern and decide whether they want to make the commitment for full initiation into the Catholic Church.  They are supported and encouraged by each other and the coordinator of R.C.I.A., Martha Pusey.  Currently we have five individuals preparing to become Catholic and with God’s help and grace they will be received into the Church at Easter 2017.

Did you know, however, that R.C.I.A. IS NOT JUST FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN BEING CATHOLIC!  The Rite of Christian Initiation compels all of us who have been Christians since Baptism to look critically at our roots as Church, and to renew ourselves in light of our tradition.  R.C.I.A. is really given to us for Church renewal.  It gives those of us who were baptized as infants the opportunity to reassess,

reexamine and renew our faith and God’s part in that faith.  It is a continuous process that begins and climaxes only for individuals, but never really ends as far as the parish community is concerned.

The initiation of adults is for the life of the whole Church, not just the participants.  The presence of the catechumens journeying towards conversion in our parish, model for us the deeper conversion to which we are all called.  Conversion, after all, is NOT a once in a life time thing.  We all experience God’s call to turn around, change our lives and improve our relationship with Him every day.

Prior to my arrival here at St. Boniface, there was no formal R.C.I.A. classes or moderator.  We are now blessed to have Martha Pusey as Coordinator and Chip Sassa and Randa and Jeff Barrington as Facilitators.  All of them share their faith and help guide our R.C.I.A. catechumens and candidates for full communion into the Catholic Church.  Next Easter we will welcome Shaun Banks, Lauren Miglietta, Victoria Danis and Martha Meneses for reception into the Catholic Church.  We also have one more, Jeff Brooks who continues to discern and reflect upon becoming a fully initiated Catholic.  Please pray for all of our candidates and catechumens and for our leaders.

If you know anyone who might be interested in becoming Catholic, please call the Parish Office and someone from the R.C.I.A. team will contact them.  Perhaps there are some people in the parish who might consider becoming involved in the program.  It simply requires you to share your own faith journey with those who are discerning joining the Catholic Church.  Classes meet every other Tuesday evening at 7:30 PM in the Parish Center.  If you are interested in helping with this ministry, please call the Parish Center for more information.

— Fr. Kevin