My brothers and sisters, September is a month filled with important news and events for our parish family. I would like to share some of the most important updates with you.

1. Faith Formation Coordinator:

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Mrs. Michelle Gibbs, who has been serving as our Administrative Assistant, is now our Faith Formation Coordinator. You know Michelle. She has served as a catechist in our parish for several years, working with both children and youth. I am confident that she will be an excellent coordinator for our faith formation programs. Please keep Michelle, as well as all the children and youth participating in our various faith formation programs, in your prayers.

2. Blessing of Our Cemetery:

As we do every year, on September 13th, we will bless our cemetery following the 10:30 a.m. Mass, around noon. This is an opportunity for us, as a community, not only to bless the graves, but also to pray for our faithful departed and for all the souls in Purgatory. I hope you can all attend this beautiful prayer service.

3. The Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the 1,000 Jesuses:

“Then He handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle” (John 19:16–18). On September 14, the Church will celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This year, as we did last year, we will celebrate this feast at 6:30 p.m. by praying the Colombian tradition of the 1,000 Jesuses. Please bring your rosary so that we can pray together this beautiful devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you can join us for this special celebration and prayer.

4. Relic of Bishop Fulton Sheen:

Many of us know that Bishop Fulton Sheen, who served as the sixth bishop of our diocese, is to be beatified on September 24 in St. Louis, Missouri. Many of you will remember him for his evangelization work on radio and television. Bishop Tylka will be visiting our Diocese and bringing a relic of Bishop Sheen. Bishop Bonnici will receive the relic during a special Mass on September 29, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Bishop Bonnici invites all of us to participate in this Eucharistic celebration. Additionally, Bishop Sheen’s relic will visit various parishes throughout our Diocese for veneration. Below are the locations and dates of the Masses where you can go to venerate the relic:

• Sacred Heart Cathedral (Rochester): September 29th at 7:00 pm

• St. Stephen (Geneva): October 1st at 7:00 pm

• St. John the Evangelist (Spencerport): October 7th at 7:00 pm

• St. Mary (Geneseo): October 13th at 7:00 pm

• St. Joseph (Penfield): October 28th at 7:00 pm

• St. Mary Our Mother (Horseheads): October 29th at 7:00 pm

• Immaculate Conception (Ithaca): November 4th at 7:00 pm

Remember, The Parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always.

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Holy Trinity Church… 165 Evangelizing!

As you know, I am not from here. Maybe you noticed this from the first day that I came to our parish. Now I wonder, how could you know that I am an international priest? Is it because of my appearance? Do I look very Latino? Or, is it because you listen to me and hear that I speak with a different accent? There is something different about me. Maybe you know what it is or maybe not, but there is something, which makes me a little bit different from you. It was a similar case when the apostles started to preach the gospel. I am very sure that Peter was not Colombian, but he had something that made him and the first Christians different from other apostles and other people who preached pagan gods. It wasn’t their appearance, or their accent, or their nationality, but something else that motivated others to adopt the Christian life and following the Risen Christ, who died on the cross for the salvation of all humanity.

The question, my brothers and sisters, is what motivated the listeners to change their lifestyles and become Christians. This was a style of living that was (and is still today) characterized by love, which is the first and most important commandment of the Lord, just as we just heard in the gospel.

Love is the main characteristic of those who follow Christ because He not only commanded that we need to love one another, but through His sacrifice on the cross He demonstrated His love for us. Let us think for a moment, how can we demonstrate that we love our neighbor? Each time that a parent spends his/her time preparing the food for the family, when a child studies with responsibility, when a young man proposes matrimony to his girlfriend, all of them are demonstrating that they are truly disciples of Christ.… Through each act of love that we do, in our daily lives we are showing that we are disciples of Christ, because as Jesus said in the Gospel, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

Jesus taught us that Love is the summary of the Ten Commandments given by God through Moses on Mount Sinai. Really, this commandment is not new, but the way that Jesus loves us renewed all the law that God gave us in the Old Testament through Moses and the prophets. We should love God and our neighbor, and this, my sisters and brothers, is the summary of the Ten Commandments. Love is the new commandment given by Jesus. This commandment is perfect because love has no limits. St. John in his first letter, in chapter 4 verse 8 says, “God is Love.” If God is Love, love is perfect. And we transmit this love if we are truly followers of Christ. We need to be united with Him through the Eucharist. The Eucharist celebrated in the Church is the expression of Christ’s love for us. Hence, we cannot leave the Eucharist being the same people who came into the Church, because through the Eucharist we can transform our world into a “new earth,” which is described by St. John in the book of Revelations.

Let us allow the love of God to be in us so that we can go to proclaim the gospel of the Risen Lord through our words and works. This is our task, to love one another as Jesus loves us.

Remember, The Parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Holy Trinity Church… 165 Evangelizing!

How many times have we heard the message of Psalm 23 which says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.” “Fear not” and “do not worry” are messages that the Lord gives us in multiple places in the gospels. It occurs in one of my favorite passages in the Bible, Matthew 6:34, where Jesus says “do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” In Matthew, Chapter 6, and other places, the Lord is constantly reminding us not to worry, not to be afraid. Whether it be about the future, about others, even about death and the afterlife.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I know that this is a lot easier said than done. I know in my own life I tend to worry about a lot, particularly about what the future might bring. It is very easy to get worried or afraid about anything and everything. Some of us might be worried about what the future will bring. Others worry about when their next paycheck will come, how their kids are doing in school, sometimes even about individuals from their past. Perhaps the biggest fear is the fear of the unknown. So much of life is the unknown. We all struggle to cope with what we cannot control. So, what can we do? How do we face our fears and worries, whatever they may be?

The answer is actually quite simple: we have to trust in the Lord because He will always be there for us. Now, let me be very clear: just because something is simple, it does not mean that it is also easy. Trusting can be one of the most difficult things for a person to do. For those who have been betrayed by someone they trusted, learning to trust again can be extremely difficult. When trust is broken, it can sometimes be nearly impossible to get it back. But the great thing about the Lord is that He will never betray us. He has made a promise to us, a covenantal bond that He will always keep; a promise that He will always be with us, always love us, and always care for us.

While it is difficult to trust, those of us who find it easier to trust in the Lord can help those who struggle. How? Well, we see the answer in the Gospel. What the Lord speaks to us in the quiet of our hearts, we must proclaim from the rooftops. It is up to us to go out and proclaim the message of love that the Lord has given us. That’s why it’s so important to continue to maintain a relationship with the Lord. When the Lord speaks to us, we can proclaim those messages of love to the world.

A couple years ago, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, Bishop Matano inaugurated the Year of the Eucharist, in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of our diocese. Bishop Matano reminded us that the Eucharist is the ultimate symbol of God’s love for us, the promise that He would always be with us and remain with us. It is the Eucharist, which we celebrate every week, that is a constant reminder that the Lord is with us, and that we can always trust Him.

So, there will always be reasons to worry and fear. Life brings us hardships and difficulties. It’s almost impossible not to worry or be afraid at some points in our lives. The good news is that we have a God who we can trust to take care of us and provide for us. Even the mystery of death can be worry free. As long as we continue to bring Christ’s message to the world, we have His promise that He will acknowledge us before our Father in Heaven, and we will one day be united with Him in Paradise.

Jesus, I trust in you!

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Holy Trinity Church… 165 years evangelizing!

During my vacation in 2022, I visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Las Lajas. This shrine is in the town of Ipiales in the Department of Nariño, in the south of Colombia. I had the opportunity to pray in thanksgiving for my vocation and my priestly ministry in the Diocese of Rochester. Let me tell you a little bit about Our Lady of Las Lajas:

In the 18th century, Maria Mueses de Quiñones, an Indian woman from the village of Potosí, Colombia, often walked the six miles between her village and the neighboring one of Ipiales. One day in1754 as she was approaching the bridge across the river Guaitara at a place called Las Lajas (which means flat, slippery rocks), a terrible storm came up. Frightened, the poor Indian took refuge in a cave on the side of the path. Feeling a bit spooked and alone, she began to invoke Our Lady of the Rosary, who had been made popular in the region by Dominican friars. All of a sudden she felt that someone was touching her back and calling her. She turned around, but didn’t see anyone. In terror she fled to Potosí.

Days later, Maria returned once more to Ipiales, carrying her daughter Rosa, a deaf-mute, on her back in the Indian fashion. By the time she had climbed to Las Lajas, she was tired and sat on a rock to rest. The child got down from her back and started climbing around the rocks. Soon she exclaimed: “Mommy, Mommy, there is a white woman here with a boy in her arms!” Maria was shocked since this was the first time she had heard her daughter speak. She was also scared because she could not see the figures the girl was referring to. So, she grabbed the child and hastened on to Ipiales.

When she told friends and relatives what had happened, no one believed her. So, she just took care of her business and went home to Potosí. When she came by the cave Rosa yelled: “Mommy, the white woman is calling me!” Maria still couldn’t see anything and so she hurried to take her daughter far away from this apparently haunted place. Back at home she told other friends what had happened. This time, since the path by that cave was much traveled, the news of something supernatural happening there spread quickly.

A few days later, the child Rosa disappeared from her home. After looking everywhere, the anguished Maria guessed that her daughter must have gone to the cave, because the child had often said that the white lady was calling her. Maria ran to Las Lajas and was overjoyed to find her daughter kneeling in front of the white lady and playing affectionately with the child who had come down from his mother’s arms to be with Rosa. Maria fell to her knees before this beautiful spectacle; she had seen the Blessed Virgin and the Divine Infant for the first time.

Fearful of ridicule from the people who had not believed her previous accounts, Maria kept quiet about the episode. But she and Rosa frequently went to the cave to place wildflowers and candles in the cracks of the rocks.

Time passed, with Maria and Rosa keeping their secret. But one day the girl fell gravely ill and quickly died. The distraught mother decided to take her daughter’s body to the feet of the Lady of Guáitara. There she reminded the Virgin of all the flowers and candles Rosa had brought her and the poor mother asked the Lady to restore Rosa to life. The Blessed Virgin, moved by the sadness of Maria’s unrelenting supplications, granted Rosa’s miraculous resurrection. Overflowing with joy, Maria went to Ipiales. She arrived at nighttime and told everyone what had happened. Those who had already gone to bed, got up, the church bells were rung, and a great crowd gathered in front of the church to hear what had happened. At daybreak everyone went to the cave. There was no more doubt about the miracle when all could see supernatural lights streaming from the cave. Going in, they found forever engraved into the rock wall, the image of the Most Holy Virgin. Maria Mueses de Quiñones could not recall noticing it until then.

(text taken from interfaithmary.net; photos: wikipedia)

Let us pray under the intercession of Our Lady of Las Lajas. Our Lady of Las Lajas… pray for us.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Holy Trinity Church… 165 years evangelizing!

Alongside the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary is deeply cherished by Catholics around the world. Consequently, June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and August to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This celebration is a devotion that highlights the life, virtues, and purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is depicted with her heart surrounded by roses and flames; sometimes, it is pierced by a sword, symbolizing her sorrows (cf. Luke 2:35).

It is crucial to note that the Immaculate Heart of Mary is venerated, not worshipped. We worship God alone. But what does it mean to venerate? According to the dictionary, to venerate means to show profound respect, honor, or reverence toward someone or something due to their dignity, great virtues, or what they represent. Therefore, we venerate the Virgin Mary, the saints, and the angels because of their exemplary lives and their closeness to God. Let us remember that worship is the absolute adoration of God—the acknowledgment of His Divinity and total surrender—which is offered only to God.

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary gained special significance in the 20th century through the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. During these apparitions, the Virgin called for devotion to the First Saturdays, the praying of the Holy Rosary, and the consecration of Russia; she also indicated that her Immaculate Heart would be the refuge leading to God. Subsequently, several Popes have consecrated the world to her Immaculate Heart.

Pope Saint John Paul II stated, “From Mary, we learn to love Christ, her Son and the Son of God… From her, we learn to be ever faithful, to trust that God’s Word will be fulfilled in us, and that nothing is impossible for God” (translated from Spanish). Alongside the designation of August as the month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we observe other Marian celebrations that honor the Mother of the Lord during this month. On August 15, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, acknowledging that she was assumed body and soul into heaven.

On August 22, the Church also commemorates the feast of Saint Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth. Both of these celebrations are highlighted in the praying of the Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Furthermore, the Catholic Church in Ireland celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Knock on August 21. Although August 8 marks the feast of Saint Dominic de Guzmán, founder of the Dominicans, we could say that we are still honoring Our Lady, for it was to Saint Dominic that the Blessed Virgin Mary entrusted the devotion of the Holy Rosary in 1208.

My brothers and sisters, let us venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary—not only in August but every day of the year—through our love, honor, and devotion to the Holy Rosary.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Holy Trinity Church… 165 years evangelizing!

Each July 16, the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of the Mount Carmel. I have a special connection with this Marian advocation, because my home parish is Our Lady of the Mount Carmel in Medellín, Colombia. I want all of us to hear from our beloved Pastor, Fr. Hart, about this wonderful celebration of our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Holy Trinity Church… 165 years evangelizing!

This coming weekend, July 18 & 19, Fr. John Richard Kyankaaga, MCCJ will be in our parish to talk about the missions that he and his community are doing. Fr. John Richard Kyankaaga, MCCJ was born in Buwunga, Masaka District in Uganda on February 14, 1964. He did both his elementary and secondary education in Uganda. In 1983, he started his formation journey to missionary life and priesthood in the Congregation of the Comboni Missionaries, first in Uganda (1983-1986) in the initial three years of training in Philosophy and then in Kenya where he did his Novitiate (1986-1988) and Theological Studies (1988-1992). He took his first vows in 1988 and was ordained as a priest on June 20, 1992.

As his first assignment, he was sent to Egypt for the study of Arabic and Islam in 1992 and eventually to Sudan in 1994 for missionary apostolate. While in Sudan he worked in Khartoum and in the restive region of Darfur in the west of the country, where he served as parish priest (Pastor) for four years. In 2000, the Superiors sent him to Rome for studies in Sacred Theology, with specialization in Islamic Studies and Arabic Language, obtaining a PhD in 2006. From 2005 to the end of 2016, he was Director of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Cairo, founded by the Comboni Missionaries to prepare missionaries, both religious and lay, to work as missionaries in Islamic countries. In 2017, he was elected and appointed Provincial (Regional) Superior of the Comboni Missionaries for the Egypt Sudan Province. He served in this capacity until the end of 2022.

In 2023 he was back in Rome for a sabbatical Year and since August, 2023 he is serving as educator in Uganda, preparing young seminarians for future missionary service in the Church. He speaks several languages: fluent in English, Italian and Arabic, basic French and he understands Spanish. He speaks a few African languages like Swahili besides a number of some Ugandan native languages and dialects. Fr. Richard is not a stranger in the US, as this will be his 10th visit to the country.

The Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus were founded in 1867 by Saint Daniel Comboni, the first Bishop of Central Africa. Today, the Comboni Missionaries number close to 1,500, with an equal number of Comboni Missionary Sisters. Together, they serve in over forty countries in Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

The Comboni Missionaries remain true to their original calling as missionaries, and often serve where the Church is new and where people are just forming their Christian identity. They also serve in marginalized communities, including in some of the most impoverished places on Earth. Their parishes can be the size of American States, or within the slums of the developing world. Emphasis is given to evangelization, and to service to people who are poor, many of whom have no place else to turn.

Funds collected through the Missionary Cooperative Plan are directed to projects in Africa and Latin America to evangelize, educate (especially girls and young women), and create better living conditions, such as through clinics and the provision of clean water. Beneficiaries range from street vendors in Peru to the Pygmies in the Central African Republic to desert dwellers in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kenya.

In North America, the Comboni Missionaries have a contingent of 30 members in Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Newark and Hamilton, Ontario. Their North American Mission center is at 1318 Nagel Road, Cincinnati, OH 45255.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!
God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez
Holy Trinity Church… 165 years evangelizing!

Last Monday, June 29, the Catholic Church celebrated the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. This solemnity holds great importance and special significance for the life and history of the Church. Let us begin with Saint Peter.

Peter was a fisherman; fishermen belonged to the lower-middle or working class of Jewish society. Although they lived on the edge of poverty, they were not considered the most marginalized (such as beggars or day laborers). They were part of Galilee’s productive workforce and owned their own resources. Consequently, Peter did not have the same level of education as the high priests, Pharisees, or scribes. Despite this, Jesus chose him as the head of the Church after Peter made his profession of faith. This event is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 16:13–20; Mark 8:27–30; and Luke 9:18–21). Peter’s words and the Lord Jesus’s decision to entrust His Church to him are so significant that the Gospels recount this event. Saint John also narrates how Jesus entrusted His Church to Peter in a different context, asking him if he loved Him and receiving an affirmative answer (cf. John 21:15–19). Jesus granted Peter full authority to guide the Church.

On the other hand, we have Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. Paul was a Jewish Pharisee and a Roman citizen who, initially known as Saul, persecuted the Mystical Body of Christ—the Church. After his conversion (cf. Acts of the Apostles 9:1–19), Paul began preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles—that is, to all those who did not belong to the Jewish community. Paul undertook several journeys and established various communities, or churches. He wrote a number of letters to these communities—such as the letters to the Romans, the Corinthians, the Ephesians, and others—which are found in the Bible. Paul dedicated his life to preaching the Gospel, just as Peter did.

Thus, Peter and Paul were great apostles who always proclaimed the truth of Christ to all people. Peter preached to the people of Israel, and Paul to the Gentiles. Both gave their lives for the Gospel; Peter was crucified upside down, and Paul was beheaded. Let us learn from Peter and Paul to profess our faith in Christ Jesus and to proclaim the Gospel, regardless of the difficulties we may face. Likewise, let us pray for Peter’s successor, Pope Leo XIV. He needs our prayers so that he may continue to shepherd the Church according to the heart of Christ.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Holy Trinity Church… 165 years evangelizing!