This coming Sunday (August 3rd), Bishop Matano is visiting our family at Holy Trinity Church. It is a blessing to have our Bishop during the celebration of our parish picnic. I was ordained here as a priest by Bishop Matano on June 4th, 2016, and it is a tremendous honor for me as the Pastor to welcome him.

On behalf of the good people at Holy Trinity Church, I welcome Bishop Matano and thank him for coming to our parish. We thank God for the opportunity to have our Bishop here to celebrate 10:30 am Mass and join us at our parish picnic.

We are very happy to welcome our Bishop to be in our midst—to pray with us and bless us. And more importantly, to celebrate the Holy Eucharist with us, which is the source and summit of our life. We have the honor and privilege to hear his wonderful words about the Eucharist during this jubilee year.

It is praiseworthy to note here that during his years as Bishop, Bishop Matano has faced a lot of challenges, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, our Bishop has guided our diocese with love and dedication, especially in the areas of organization, administration, unity, peace, justice, and pastoral apostolate. I would like to take this opportunity to thank God for his life of selfless service and tremendous sacrifice to the Diocese of Rochester during these years.

Our Bishop is a special gift to us. He is showing Jesus’ face to all of us as a humble and good shepherd, a man of integrity, like John the Baptist, always pointing to the person of Jesus Christ through each one of his acts, prayers, and teachings. We are so blessed to have him in our midst. Let us pray for him so that his apostolate in the Diocese of Rochester corresponds to the design of Christ, our Good Shep- herd. We hope that Bishop Matano enjoys his visit at Holy Trinity Church. Once more, let us welcome and pray for the Pastor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, Bishop Salvatore R. Matano.

Let us pray:

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

Nine years ago, when I was a newly ordained priest, I was sent to serve at Holy Cross Church in Charlotte as a parochial vicar. My pastor, Fr. Thomas Wheeland (now rest in the Peace of Christ) insisted the importance “to be always there” for the community. Even though the priest does many things or maybe not, the presence of the priest is important in the life of each person of our community. This presence means hospitality. But, what is hospitality? “The word ‘hospitality’ has its etymological beginnings in the Middle Ages, from the Latin hospitalitem (meaning ‘friendliness to guests’). This ‘friendliness’ is evident throughout salvation history and especially within the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles. Jesus’ ministry often depended upon the hospitality of others” (ncregister).

This weekend’s Gospel (Lk.10:38-42) is an example of the kind of hospitality that Jesus received by Martha and Mary in Bethany. Martha was worried for doing the right thing, so that her guest feels all the hospitality that she could bring. Mary was at Jesus’ feet listening to Him. Both actions, serve and listen, are very important because through them, people feel that they are important.

The Roman Catholic Church, based on the Gospel, introduces us to the Works of Mercy, which are a set of charitable actions that help us to care for other people in their physical and spiritual needs. If we really practice the Works of Mercy, we are showing hospitality to our brothers and sisters. Let us remember the Works of Mercy:

Let us cultivate hospitality in our wonderful family of Holy Trinity Church. In our parish, we have some ministries (pastor, deacon, greeters, ushers, lectors, altar servers, choir, and so on) which have the mission to be hospitable with each one of the persons who come and participate in the sacred liturgy. However, this is not only the task of those who participate in these ministries. This is also our task. We should show hospitality in our parish, our homes, our neighborhoods, or wherever we are. We need to serve the Lord like Martha and Mary did, always recognizing in others the face of Jesus. Remember, Jesus says, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt. 25:40).

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

My brothers and sisters of Holy Trinity Church.

This coming weekend, July 19 & 20, the diocese of Rochester will have the annual Mission Appeal. Fr. Antonio Carpena Lopez, who is originally from Spain and works in Honduras, will be with us to preach about the missions. Penny Sunday that weekend will be for the Mission Appeal. Please, welcome Fr. Carpena, listen to his message, pray for the missions, and be generous with this important appeal.

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

Through history, many people have wondered who Jesus is, He is a very important historical person, who has manifested the love of God to everyone in the world. In Jesus’ time, many people wondered who He was because some of His miracles and teachings did not correspond to Moses’ law.

Was Jesus a Rabbi? Maybe, and maybe not; this depends upon the focus and priorities of each person. According to the Mosaic and Talmudic rabbis, Jesus was not a rabbi because He did a lot of things that were very irregular in relation to the law and called into question His mastery and inspiration of Yahweh’s covenant given to Moses and the Chosen People. For others, Jesus was a real savior of Israel, because each one of his words and actions are evidence that He talked with the truth that comes from God. Therefore, we, as members of the Roman Catholic Church, believe in Jesus who is giving love and peace to all of us.

Some people struggle about the person of Christ, and they wonder if Jesus was real person or just a myth invented by the Church. We believe in Jesus because we had our first approach with Him through the Holy Scriptures, the Sacred Tradition, and teachings of the Church that we learn from our catechism class (Religious Education); hence, this knowledge of Jesus is important for increasing our faith. We know about Jesus’ miracles, His passion, death, and resurrection. This knowledge serves as an important milestone for our faith. Is it true? How do we know that Jesus ever existed? For this question there are some answers through some scientific discoveries such as historical records, books found in different places (Dead Sea Scrolls, for instance) that speak about Jesus, the Shroud of Turin and so on.

At this point, it is very important to remember the words of St. Augustine: ‘Credo ut intelligam, intelligo ut credam’, that means “I believe to understand, I understand to believe.” Faith and reason are indispensable elements for the life of a human being, such as Pope St. John Paul II wrote in his encyclical letter in 1998. All the historical studies about Jesus help us to believe in Him. Of course, it depends upon us to believe or not if Jesus is the Savior of the world. Let us remember for Roman Catholics Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.

We are certain that Jesus existed as a person who helped many persons through His words and miracles. Today, I am convinced that Jesus is the Lord of lords, the King of kings because all that He did has determined the course of history. I have seen some documents, data and videos through which scientists have demonstrated the historicity of Jesus. I believe in Jesus as my savior because I see in Him someone that gives hope to everyone and because I feel peace in Him. I hope you also believe in Him in the same way.

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

Not many people know that I was one of the music directors at my home parish in Colombia. One of the liturgical songs that I liked (I still like) to sing says, El amor se hizo pan y vino y su emblema es una cruz. Hubo un hombre hace mucho tiempo, la gente lo llamó Jesús (Love became bread and wine, and its emblem is a cross. There was a man long ago; people called him Jesus). This song reminds us how wonderful Jesus’ love is that He wanted to be with us in a piece of bread and wine. Jesus is with us. There is not any question about the real presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

This past Sunday, the Roman Catholic Church celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, in other words, the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. We really believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. When a deacon, priest, bishop, the Pope, or one of the extraordinary ministers of the Holy Communion (EMHC) says to us, The Body of Christ, believe that this is the Body of Christ. Jesus is not only in the Communion; Jesus is the Communion. Therefore, we should always show respect to the Eucharist having our bodies clean and our souls as well. If our hands are not clean, please wash your hands. Do not eat any- thing before the Mass (at least an hour before to receive the Holy Communion [Eucharistic fasting]), and of course, if our soul is not well prepared to receive the Eucharistic Jesus, let us go to receive God’s mercy in the wonderful sacrament of the Reconciliation.

Let us remember how we should receive the communion: “Those who receive Communion may receive either in the hand or on the tongue, and the decision should be that of the individual receiving, not of the person distributing Communion. If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. If one is right-handed the left hand should rest upon the right. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. If one is left-handed this is reversed. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing” (The Reception of Holy Communion at Mass).

Once again, we, Catholics, believe that the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus is in the Holy Communion. If you receive the Holy Communion in your hand, please do not walk with the Holy Communion around the Church. Just consume (eat) the Holy Communion. Go to your pew, and kneel (if you cannot, be seated), and pray saying, to the Lord, “thank you” and how much you love Him. You can also join the cantor or choir in the communion song.

Jesus is the Eucharist, which is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). The Eucharist is the most precious treasure that Our Lord Jesus gave 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.

“This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). These are the words that our Lord Jesus Christ said at the Last Supper. We celebrate the Eucharist not only as the memorial of what Jesus did before He suffered for us on the cross, but we are living that sublime moment in union with the disciples. Jesus’ power surpasses all the limits of space and time; therefore, each time we celebrate the sacrifice of the Eucharist, we are eyewitnesses of passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is not any question about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Jesus said that the bread (or host) and wine that we see is now His body and blood. Jesus Christ is offering Himself for the forgiveness of our sins. He is present in the Eucharist. Pope Francis, in his homily about the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ on June 6, 2021, says, “To celebrate the Eucharist, we need first to recognize our thirst for God, to sense our need for Him, to long for His presence and love, to realize that we cannot go it alone, but need the Food and Drink of eternal life to sustain us on our journey.” For this reason, we celebrate this Sunday the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. We recognize that we need Jesus’ presence in our lives. When we receive Holy Communion, we are not only receiving a host or piece of bread, but we are receiving Jesus Himself. Because Jesus loves us very much, He wanted to stay with us in a piece of bread. We eat His body because we need His strength. The body of Christ is our spiritual food that we need for our journey. Therefore, God is a priority for us.

We need God. Corpus Christi reminds us that Christ gave Himself because He loves us, and we need to receive His love which is present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. The Eucharist is the most beautiful gift that our Lord gave us. We cannot deny ourselves this wonderful gift. Nevertheless, we need to be well prepared to receive it. If we are not, we have another wonderful sacrament: Reconciliation. We experience the mercy of God in this sacrament.

Pope Francis also says in the same homily, “In celebrating and experiencing the Eucharist, we too are called to share in this love. For we cannot break bread on Sunday if our hearts are closed to our brothers and sisters. We cannot partake of that Bread if we do not give bread to the hungry. We cannot share that Bread unless we share the sufferings of our brothers and sisters in need. In the end, and the end of our solemn Eucharistic liturgies as well, only love will remain. Even now, our Eucharistic celebrations are transforming the world to the extent that we are allowing ourselves to be transformed and to become bread broken for others.”

Let us always celebrate the presence of the Lord in the sacrifice of the altar with joy and love. Let us be one with Christ who gave Himself in Holy Communion and let us share our joy for having received our Lord with our brothers and sisters who do not have the opportunity to participate with us in the Eucharistic sacrifice.

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.

I started my formation to become a priest in 1998 when I was 16 years old. I started my formation in Colombia with the pre-theology (Philosophy), and then at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, MD. I remember one of my introductory classes called ‘The Mystery of God’. In that class, my professor, Fr. Jorge Jaramillo Laverde (may he rest in peace), asked the class: “What is God’s name?” All of us started to think and answer one by one. “God’s name is Yahweh,” said one classmate; “No, his name is Jehovah,” said another one; and each one of us started to say names, “Jesus,” “The Holy Spirit,” or even, one said, “God’s name is just God.” None of us could answer that question, perhaps because none of us had wondered about God’s name before. My professor, smiling, answered that question simply saying, “God’s name is The Holy Trinity.” The Holy Trinity? All of us said in unison because none of us expected that answer. What kind of name is Holy Trinity for God? Fr. Laverde looked at us and explained why God’s name is the Holy Trinity.

He said that the Holy Trinity is a community of love between the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is love, according to the first letter of St. John in chapter 4, verse 8. If God is love, this love should be perfect. This perfect love is manifested in a community that is also perfect. If God is only one person, this love is selfish. Even if God is only two persons, this love is also selfish because there is no way to share it with anybody else. However, a community of love between three people is perfect because each one of them gives the best of themselves to the other person. But, we need to remember the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father; the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Son; and the Holy Spirit is not the Father, and the Father is not the Holy Spirit. Each one of them has different roles, but all of them are God. When I need to explain this in catechesis, I use a candle as an example. The wax of the candle is the Father, the light that allows me to see the way is the Son, and the heat I feel when I am close to the candle is the Holy Spirit. Three different realities of the same object, the Candle. Likewise, it is with God. The Father is the Creator, the Son is the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier. Three different realities of the one true God.

But don’t worry if you cannot understand this. Even the Saints could not understand the real dimension of who God is. For instance, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote a lot about God, and after a vision that he had, he stopped writing saying that everything that he had written about God is minimum in comparison to the reality of God. So, my brothers and sisters of Holy Trinity Church, don’t worry very much about the explanation of the most Holy Trinity. The most important thing is to feel His presence in our lives. God loves us, and this is what really matters. Let us rejoice in the presence of the Lord. Let us allow His love to come to us. Let us share this love with our brothers and sisters, especially those who do not know about God.

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.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last week I had the pleasure to introduce you to two wonderful new members of our parish staff: Julia McMahon (our new Administrative Assistant) and Iván Luqueño-Tlayeca (our new Confirmation & Youth Ministry Coordinator). Today, I have the joy of introducing our new Faith Formation Coordinator. His name is Neil D’Alessandro. He will work with our children and families to prepare them, together with our catechists, in our different programs, such as Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Communion, Sunday program, family program, OCIC (Order of Christian Initiation for Children), and so on.

Like Julia & Iván, Neil will introduce himself to our Holy Trinity family.

“Hi everyone, my name is Neil D’Alessandro. In my spare time I enjoy riding my bike, watching hilarious B movies, and cheering for the Buffalo Bills among other things. I just graduated with my M.A. in Theological Studies from Northeastern Seminary. It was during my time there that I began to find myself drawn to the Catholic faith. I look forward to working with you all at Holy Trinity and sowing into the lives of everyone here.”

Neil

Let us pray for Neil, Julia & Iván, for their lives and ministries at Holy Trinity Church.

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

Cross Catholic Outreach

Please welcome Mon. Jean Pierre, who will be speaking at all the masses on behalf of Cross Catholic Outreach. This organization was founded to strengthen the bond between parishes in the United States and the priest and nuns serving the poor in the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America.

We encourage you to be generous in your response to Msgr. Pierre’s appeal. Brochures will be available for those who wish to support this worthy Catholic ministry.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I hope each of you are enjoying these seen days before summer; I also hope that you are doing very well. As you know, our parish has been looking for five members for our parish staff. We have now two members of our Holy Trinity Family: They are Julia McMahon (Administrative Assistant) and Iván Luqueño–Tlayeca (Confirmation & Youth Ministry Coordinator). You may have already seen them in the parish office, but I want to introduce them officially to you. Please, if you see them around, say hello and introduce yourselves to them. They are wonderful people who want to serve all of us in the best possible way.

I want to introduce first our new Administrative Assistant.

Hello!
My name is Julia McMahon, and I am the new Administrative Assistant in the Parish Office here at Holy Trinity. A little about me: I have been part of the Catholic Church ever since I was young and have attended private education all my life. I had completed my education journey with a Bachelor’s in Arts of Psychology at Keuka College in the Finger Lakes. I am very grateful for the warm welcome I’ve already received from many of you. I look forward to meeting more of you soon; please feel free to come into the Parish Office to say “Hello”.

Now, it is the turn of Iván, our new Confirmation / Youth Ministry Coordinator.

My name is Iván Luqueño-Tlayeca, and I am a proud member of Holy Trinity Church since 2022. My wife is Melissa, and we have two children, Jonathan and Xavier. I am honored to be our parish Confirmation/Youth Ministry Coordinator, and I look forward to helping our youth, catechists, and families to continue sharing and learning about Jesus’ love and the Church’s teachings. I am here to serve our parish and to put my gifts and talents to the service of our community. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or ideas to make our confirmation program better. God bless 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

The election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Pope is a source of great joy not only for the United States and Peru—two nations he deeply loves—but also for the entire Church and the non-Catholic world, who were all awaiting the announcement of Peter’s new successor.

Pope Leo XIV is a man who, as an Augustinian missionary, living for many years in Peru, serving as the Bishop of Chiclayo, and traveling across Latin America, knows the necessity of this continent whose people are in physical and spiritual need. His pontificate will face many challenges, but with our prayers, he will be able to face each one of them. Pope Leo XIII (1878 – 1903) was a leader who built a bridge between the traditions of the Church and a world that is rapidly changing.

Cardinal Prevost, using Leo XIV as his name of Pontificate, is suggesting that he will work for a social justice that our society needs. The church in Latin America works for social justice based on the teachings of Pope Leo XIII and of course the other documents of the Social Teachings of the Church such as Rio de Janeiro, Medellin, Puebla, Santo Domingo, and Aparecida (Documents of CELAM [Catholic Conference of Bishops of Latin American and the Caribbean]).

Our new Pope, Leo XIV, will work for this social justice considering problems such as immigration, a problem that is not only present in the United States, but also in other nations. I, as a Latin American priest who is working in the Diocese of Rochester, am very happy seeing how the Holy Spirit is present in the Church. The first American and, at the same time, the second Latin American Pope will work for the necessity of everyone because he knows very well our reality. All of us have the mission to pray for his holiness and his great mission as the vicar of Christ on Earth.

Let us pray:

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