Friar's Corner

I had the blessing a couple of weeks ago to officiate at my cousin’s wedding. It truly was a joyous occasion. First for me to be able to officiate at my cousin’s wedding and to spend some time with family, which is always turns out to be a grand old time. As my cousin and his new wife begin their journey as husband and wife it led to reflect on commitment. Here is this young couple committing their lives to each other for the rest of their days. It truly is such a beautiful act but unfortunately there is much that is against them. We live in a society that has lose it’s sense of a commitment. We just have to look around and it becomes very real. We see how the numbers of those getting married have dropped, men and women not entering priesthood and religious life and even in the workforce it’s common for people to have a few different positions in their lifetimes where at one time it wasn’t uncommon to see a person work in the same company most of their working life.

Why has this become a reality in our society? Why don’t people have that sense of commitment anymore? It could be many things. I believe some of the reasons that have caused this is that we have sugarcoated everything that we do when it comes to our young people. We really haven’t taught them to be proud and to persevere in what they choose to do. We even got to the point in some school systems to frown upon correcting paper in red ink because it might upset the child. Parents don’t parent anymore but instead want to be their children’s friends. My brothers and sisters we need to stop the INSANITY! We really need to challenge our young people to be the good and faithful citizens and Catholics that they are called to be. We need to instill in them a sense of belonging and responsibility. To let them know that it’s good to commit to something. Yes, we shouldn’t rush into commitments and I would strongly suggest to anyone that is ready to make a commitment to truly discern their decision.

We have to come to the realization that commitment is good! That it gives the person a sense of accomplishment and pride in what they have persevered. I know in my own life that it was quite a big step for me to commit myself to a vowed life of poverty, chastity and obedience in the ministerial Priesthood. I know that it will not be easy and some days will come with it’s many challenges but I know there is so many blessings that comes along with this life that I gave over to God and his church. It also gives me an opportunity to freely give myself to those in need.

So my dear brothers and sisters, when you feel that you want to abandon ship let us look at the example that Christ left us. Here is a man that knew he had a mission. He was to teach, heal, and become the sacrificial lamb. He put himself last especially on that Good Friday as he carried his cross to Calvary and he committed himself to those he loved so much that they no longer be slaves to sin but freed from it so that they can gain eternal life.

So let us continue on this journey in the sense of perseverance and let us be the good and faithful servants we are called to be.


Love,
Fr. Phil

May God who begun this good work...

This video was done for the Archdiocese of New York. Truly a powerful video. Have you invited someone to think about the Priesthood?

Year of the Priest

I found this image done for the Year of the Priest. I thought it was pretty cool and I would like to share it with you. Please continue to pray for me and my brother priests that we always do God's will and bring souls to God.

Friar's Corner

On August 3rd at 9:15 p.m. my family and I received a wonderful gift from God. Isabella Lucia Faria was born into the world weighing 7 lbs 11 ounces and 20 inches long. Isabella Lucia is my first niece and I instantly became a proud uncle for the first time especially after I saw her beautiful picture as it was sent to my cell the evening that she was born. I would have never imagined that this little precious gift from God would make such an impact on my life. Of course I couldn’t wait to see this beautiful child in person, so the following day I had to make the trip to Fall River, Ma. and see for myself the beauty that I saw in that picture.

As I entered the hospital room and saw Isabella in my sister’s arms my heart was overflowed with joy. I could hardly wait to pick her up and hold her in my arms. As I sat in the chair and little Isabella Lucia was brought to me; I instantly looked at her beautiful head which was covered with an abundance of hair, her cute little nose, her upper lip as it was pointed up to the heavens, the little chubby cheeks that I couldn’t resist in laying my fingers against, that I was reminded how our God is an awesome God. Here I was sitting in a hospital room just looking at this child and through this child God reminded me how much he loves me. How much he cares for us and the complete trust that he puts in us as he gives us his beautiful creation.

Pope John Paul II in his 1985 encyclical “Dominum et Vivificantem” in paragraph ten states, “At the same time, the Holy Spirit, being consubstantial with the Father and the Son in divinity, is love and uncreated gift from which derives as from its source (fons vivus) all giving of gifts vis-a-vis creatures (created gift): the gift of existence to all things through creation; the gift of grace to human beings through the whole economy of salvation. As the Apostle Paul writes: "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." (Romans 5:5)

How true that statement is in my life on how God’s love that is always present and how it is made present through creation such as through the little child that I call my niece and how this gift has made God ever present.

This brings to mind on how many times I have ignored the gifts that God provides to me each and every day. It could be the good health that I have, the roof that is over my head, the wonderful family and friends that are in my life who give me so much love and support. I should even be thankful for the challenges that come my way. Even though it’s not easy to ever be given challenges I know in the end I do grow from the experience.

My dear brothers and sisters, if we haven’t truly acknowledged the gifts that God has given you, now is the time to really reflect and appreciate the things and situations that have been given to us out of love. I like to end this Friar’s Corner with the refrain from the song Awesome God, “Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love, Our God is an awesome God.”

Love,
Fr. Phil

Happy Feast of St. John Vianney

Welcome Isabella Lucia

My niece Isabella Lucia Faria was born around 9 p.m. last night. She is 7 lbs 11 ounces and 20 inches long. I'm truly a proud uncle. My sister is doing well and can't believe she's the mother of this beautiful baby girl. Thank you all for your prayers and I'm sure once I get more pictures I will be posting them.

Friar's Corner

At the time of this writing I just came back from my third visit to the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. I was naïve enough to think that one visit to the DMV I would be able to accomplish in getting a drivers license and registering my vehicle. How wrong I was! Going through different lines, paying all kinds of fees and spending an incredible amount of time just waiting that I realized that I’m not as patient as I thought I was.


I think this is due to the instant results that I expect each and every day. I begin my day with a cup of coffee that I get in a couple of minutes, my newspaper is always expected to be there early in the morning, I surf the net on my speedy broadband network and don’t expect to wait very long when I load up videos or download programs. I know that this mentality of instant results does not always exist in all societies. This became a reality when I spent five years as a seminarian in Italy. Where the attitude is that life is too short and it needs to be savored. Of course I eventually stopped fighting this mentality and went along with the crowd but once I arrived back here in the USA I went back to my old ways.

What a society we would live in if we were just more patient with each other and with ourselves. How many more smiles we would encounter as we approach the counter for a particular service. The friendly waves to let us go by when we are waiting to exit a parking lot, not feeling rushed when we truly need a listening ear when things are going wrong in our lives.

If you were to look up the word “patience” in a dictionary you would find several definitions. I found the following appropriate of what I find is patient, “quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.”


In my last Friars Corner column I mentioned about appreciating the “quiet days” of summer. Just reflect on how we feel after a summer that we took it easy and how we tend to be more “patient” with the slow pace of life. If we can work on our patience then we won’t be easily irritated when things don’t go our way (even if we encounter rules that seems to be made up as we reach the DMV counter). When we become patient then we can truly live out the commandment that Christ left us, “Love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn 13:34)

So my dear brothers and sisters as we continue on this journey which at times can be difficult and challenges us let us remind ourselves of the song Charlie Chaplin composed, “Smile”, “You must keep on trying, Smile, what's the use of crying,
You'll find that life is still worth-while, If you just smile.”

The Feast of the Porziuncola