Holy Trinity Church

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

This Sunday, November 9th, the Roman Catholic Church is commemorating the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. You can wonder… we celebrate the memorials, feast days, and solemnities of the Saints, but why do we celebrate the dedication of a church? What is the importance of this basilica to the Roman Catholic Church?

Let us start by saying that the Basilica of St. John Lateran is the oldest church in the world. The dedication of this basilica was in 324 AD as the main cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, that means the Pope. This celebration emphasizes that this church is the head and mother of all churches and helps us to reflect on the unity of the Universal Church. Remember the four marks of the Church that we say in the creed every Sunday and during the solemnities, “I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church…” The Church is One. There is a unity in the Roman Catholic Church, and the celebration of the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran is a way that we celebrate that unity.

Vatican news says, “Today’s Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica allows us to remember the journey of the people and God’s constant and faithful care. At the same time, we are reminded today that each one of us is a ‘house of God’ in the Risen Jesus, because the Holy Spirit dwells in each one of us (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16). This awareness alone leads us to praise the Lord on the one hand, and on the other, it leads us to say, at times excessively, ‘O Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof’ (Mt. 8:8), forgetting that He is already in us and that He welcomes us and loves us not as we would like to be, but as we are, here, now. All the present distractions are what make the Lord’s face blurry. When we learn to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith, of our friendship with Him (cf. Heb 12:1-4), our faces will shine with light that flows from a ‘unified’ heart. The serenity required is momentary, but it needs to develop over a life time of continuous entering within ourselves and heading straight for the ‘King’s room’ (cf. The Interior Castle, Saint Teresa of Avila)” (source).

In this celebration, we should
Pray for the unity of the Church. There cannot be divisions in the Church. All of us are the mystical body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-27). Our Lord Jesus Christ works through each one of us. Even though all of us have different charisms that make us unique, all of us share the same spirit of the Risen Lord who works through each one of us. WE ARE ONE IN CHRIST.

Pray for the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. This basilica is known as the cathedral of Rome, and it was considered the official residence of the Pope until he was moved to the Vatican in 1870. Pope Leo needs our prayers. He is the representative, the vicar of Jesus on Earth.

Respect our own church of the Most Holy Trinity. We need to think and love our beautiful church as well. Let us care for our temple, using properly the pews, carpets, walls, and so on. This is God’s home. The Blessed Sacrament is in the Sanctuary. Let us use the Church as a place for prayer.

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

How many of us know what the four last things are? Perhaps, dinner, watch tv, brush our teeth, and going to bed? Or maybe, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s celebrations? If you thought of one of these things, I am sorry. This is not what I am talking about. When the Roman Catholic Church talks about the four last things, she is talking about Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.

Death: We are mortal beings. That means we will die. We have a day of birth, and we will have a date for death; however, we do not know this date. Only God knows when the time for us to depart from this world to His Heavenly Kingdom is. Our Lord Jesus

Christ taught us that although our physical bodies die, our soul is eternal. We need to remember that the death is not the end of our existence, but just the beginning of something beautiful.

Judgment: Jesus teaches us in the Gospel that we will be judged at the end of our lives (cf. Mt. 25:31-46). St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) says, “In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.” Our Lord will judge us according to our actions and will decide where we are going: Heaven or Hell. However, before going to Heaven, we need to pass through purgatory, which is a state of the soul where we will be purified from our sins. We need to be pure before seeing God face to face. The Church teaches that Purgatory “is a temporary state of existence in which the soul is purified and brought to Christian Perfection” (taken from the association of Catechumenal Ministry [ACM]). Purgatory is a wonderful sign of God’s mercy.

Heaven: This is the Kingdom of God. Jesus came to teach us what the Kingdom of God is and how we can reach this Kingdom. In terms of St. Thomas Aquinas, Heaven is our supernatural destination: we came from God, and we are going back to God. Heaven is not a gift, but our choice. We choose in life if we want to go to Heaven or not. I am very sure that all of us want to go to Heaven; therefore, we should always listen to Jesus and obey Him. Our Lord says, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn. 11:25-26). If we want to live, that means, to go to Heaven, what we need to do is to believe in Jesus and receive His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

Hell: This is the eternal separation from the Most Holy Trinity. Like I choose if I want to go to Heaven through my actions, I choose if I want to go to Hell. If someone does not want to listen to Jesus, not doing good things for others, not practicing the sacraments, and so on, that person is choosing to go to Hell. God will say, if you did not want to be with me when you were alive, I will not obligate you to be with me in the eternity. Go to the place that you chose. I will not be there. That place is called Hell. In other words, Hell is being without the presence of God in our lives.

Do not forget: November is the month that the Church chose to pray for all souls in purgatory. Once souls are in purgatory, they cannot do anything else for themselves. They need our prayers, so God helps them to leave purgatory soon and rejoice in Heaven. Let us remember, one day, you and I will be in purgatory, and we will also need prayers.

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

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 Ramírez

Have you noticed that usually we start our Masses praying for our beloved ones who are now resting in the peace of Christ? Have you gone to a funeral Mass for a relative or friend who passed away? Have you paid attention to the fact that in the petitions of the Mass we pray for all dead? Have you heard in the Eucharistic prayer a special prayer for the souls in purgatory?

Why does the Church pray for the dead? The Roman Catholic Church prays for the dead because she believes in the communion of Saints and God’s mercy for souls who have passed away. The Church wants to help our beloved ones on their spiritual journey to heaven by assisting in the process of purification in purgatory. Let us remember that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) says that purgatory is a purification of those who are elected to enter into the eternal life (cf. CCC #1031). People need to be completely clean from their sins before they see God face to face. As I wrote in the bulletin article from November 7, 2023, “Purgatory is more like heaven than hell because all souls there are not in the hands of Satan, but they are waiting for the lovely hands of God. They have their sorrows, but also joys. They know that God is close. Because of this knowledge, they suffer because they cannot see God yet. But they also rejoice, because they also know that this suffering will end, and they can enjoy the presence of the Lord when they get to heaven.”

This is why it is very important to pray for the souls in purgatory. In the Catholic Church, the whole month of November, but especially November 2nd, is traditionally dedicated to the souls in purgatory. That day, the Church dedicates to pray for all the souls because there are many souls who need our prayers. Our parish, Holy Trinity Church, will have a special Mass for all the souls in purgatory called the Mass of Loving Remembrance on November 7th at 7:00 pm. Everyone is most welcome to pray for our beloved ones who are now resting in the peace of Christ. Please, pay attention to a little change that we will have this year in this Eucharist. As every year, we will light candles when we name our deceased family members and friends. However, we will only name those who died during this year. That means those who died between November 2024 through November 2025. The rest of the deceased people will be in the Book of Remembrance and at the end of the prayer, we will have the intention for those who remain in this book, and we will light a candle in honor of all of them. Once again, you can write their names for this special Mass, in the Book of Remembrance or call their names into the parish office, but only those who died this year will be read aloud.

Therefore, let us pray for the souls in purgatory. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who are waiting to enter the Presence of the Lord. Let us pray for them in the Eucharist, the Holy Rosary, or a Novena. Let us pray not only for our faithful departed, but also for those for whom no one ever prays for. They also deserve to be in the presence of the Lord.

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 Ramírez

Dear family of Holy Trinity Church,

This weekend, we are celebrating the twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The gospel this Sunday is taken from St. Luke 17:11-19, and it is telling us the story of how ten lepers were healed by Jesus, but only one re- turned to Him expressing all his gratitude for the wonderful miracle that the Lord gave him.

This gospel makes us think about our attitude towards the gifts and wonders that the Lord gives to each one of us. Are we grateful for everything that God has done for each one of us? If so, how do we express this gratitude? One of the ways that we express our gratitude is through the Eucharist. Let us remember that the word Eucharist comes from the Greek word εὐχαριστία (Eucharistía), meaning “thanksgiving” or “gratitude”. Each time that we come to the Mass, we are saying “Thank you” to the Lord for all the gifts given by him. If we truly understand the real importance of the Eucharist and how we say “thank you” to the Lord, all our churches would be full of people, where each one of them praise the Lord.

I know that you, like me, come to the Mass. One proof of this is that you took our parish bulletin and are reading this article. Therefore, I invite you to do something else to express your gratitude to the Lord.

Our parish has different ministries in which you can participate. You can thank the Lord sharing your treasure through the weekly collection, Penny Sunday, or CMA (Remember our goal [$196,000] and challenge to reach this goal by December). You can also participate in the different ministries of the parish. Some of you already participate in these ministries as altar servers, lectors, extraordinary ministries of Holy Communion, ushers, readings, videographers, greeters, and so on. I really appreciate all your commitment to the Lord through your ministry at Holy Trinity Church. Your work is invaluable for us. If you do not participate in one of these ministries, you are most welcome to join us. If you are good using computers, consider becoming one of the videographers of our parish. We have parishioners who physically cannot attend Mass, and the streaming video is one of the ways that people feel close to Holy Trinity Church.

Let us know how you can serve God and our church. We will be happy to guide you and suggest to you what is the best way to do it. My office is always open for each one of you. I am here to help you always.

Let us remember that all of us should express our gratitude to the Lord for all the wonders that He does for each one of 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

Dear brothers and sisters,

I studied philosophy in the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (Pontifical Bolivarian University) in Medellín, Colombia. During my time at this university, I had the opportunity to attend different philosophical-theological congresses. One of them, that really helped me not only in my studies but also in the way I now see the cosmos and my relationship with God, was on September 20, 1999. The title for this congress was, God does not play dice. This phrase is from Albert Einstein. One of the conclusions of this congress was that in the disorder of the universe (disorder given by the explosion of the Big-Bang), a perfect order exists. God created the universe perfect. One example of this perfection is the world in which we are living. There is perfect mathematical language in life of all beings in the cosmos.

Now, this conclusion is also given by the sacred author in the book of Genesis when God created the world, “God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:10). God created the entire universe perfect; hence, life is perfect. The Roman Catholic Church believes and teaches that life is a sacred gift given by God; therefore, we need to protect it always from the moment of conception of a human being until his/her death. All human beings are created in God’s image (cf. Gen 1:27).

We see how people are destroying themselves with different wars that often do not make any sense. In addition, people are using drugs and alcohol to escape from their problems, and even some have asked for euthanasia or committed suicide. This is very sad, because we are missing the main point of human history. We are precious before God’s eyes. We are His highest creation. God wants all of us to be happy. This is what Jesus is saying to us in the beatitudes (cf. Matthew 5:1-12).

His Excellency, Salvatore R. Matano, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, is inviting us, as Catholic Christians, to defend life and to be against everything that goes against life. Therefore, Bishop Matano and Bishops of New York State raise their voices against Governor Hochul’s Assisted Suicide Bill. Bishop Matano is inviting us to raise our voices as well, so Governor Hochul will stop Physician-Assisted Suicide in New York. This is not politics. This is a call to defend the most beautiful gift that God has given us – LIFE! You can read the statement of Bishop Matano or there are some copies on the Welcome Desk, so you can read it. In addition, you can find a letter directed to Governor Hochul. Let us inform ourselves about this, and express our support to defend life, which is the most perfect and precious gift given by God.

Let us take note, God does not play dice.

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

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GIVE A GIFT ONLINE TO SUPPORT YOUR PARISH

Our 2025/2026 Catholic Ministries Appeal Goal is $196,000.

Additional Information

Dear Brothers and Sisters –

The Diocese of Rochester is starting the Catholic Ministries Appeal for 2025-2026. Let us remember that “The Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) is the annual appeal inviting Catholics in the Diocese of Rochester to join in a partnership to advance the mission of the Church; ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you’ (Matthew 28:19-20). This year’s mission theme is, “Together we bring hope… and hope does not disappoint,” encouraging us to bring the hope of the Gospel message to others through discipleship and service.

Our parish family of Holy Trinity did extraordinary work on 2024-2025 CMA, our goal was $182,000 dollars, and the parish was able to surpass that goal collecting $199,256 dollars. I am very happy for all the generosity of Holy Trinity family. Therefore, I ask you to continue to donate to CMA for this year.

Our goal for 2025 – 2026 is $196,000 representing an increase of $4,000 dollars.

My hope is that we can reach that goal by December of 2025. Last year 523 families contributed to CMA. If we increase the number of families who contribute to CMA for this year, we will reach this goal very soon. Fr. John Gagnier, who was my pastor when I was the parochial vicar of Holy Cross Church, always says, “Participation, no procrastination.” Let us always participate in CMA as soon as possible.

You and I are receiving a letter from Bishop Matano. He is asking us to participate in this campaign. Once again, my wish is that each member of our great family of Holy Trinity Church participates in this campaign. I know that you have a wonderful and beautiful spirit of service and generosity. Let us work together to achieve our goal for CMA. Remember, “Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

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

Dear Brothers and Sisters.

The peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always!

Next Sunday, September 28, is Priesthood Sunday. This is a great opportunity to pray for all deacons, priests, and bishops around the world. Let us also pray for more vocations to the priestly and religious life. We need more men who want to serve the Lord through their service in the Church. Pope Saint John Paul II, in the Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis written in 1992, says, “Without priests the Church would not be able to live that fundamental obedience which is at the very heart of her existence and her mission in history, an obedience in response to the command of Christ: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations’ (Mt. 28:19) and ‘Do this in remembrance of me’ (Lk. 22:19; cf. 1 Cor. 11.24), i.e:, an obedience to the command to announce the Gospel and to renew daily the sacrifice of the giving of his body and the shedding of his blood for the life of the world.” (PDV 1).

Lacking priests is a reality that now the Church is facing, and our diocese is living in this situation. We have different churches and parishes under the pastoral work of only one priest, for example. Many priests are retiring, and others are dying. We need more vocations. We need more priests. Our Diocese has only 10 seminarians, but… is this enough to cover our Diocese? I don’t believe so. Let us pray for more priests. Like Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “Without priests, we have no Jesus. Without priests, we have no absolution. Without priests, we cannot receive Holy Communion.” I do not get tired of saying this… let us pray for more priests… let us pray for our seminarians who are preparing themselves to serve our Diocese of Rochester. These are our seminarians:

Remember… let us pray for the priesthood. We need more priests, but especially, we need more HOLY PRIESTS.

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

Every time that Catholics gather to worship the Lord, in the Eucharist or a simple prayer, we start with the sign of the Cross on our bodies. Have you wondered why? If Jesus died on the cross, why are we using the instrument that was used to kill our Savior?

Originally, The Cross was used by ancient civilizations, such as the Roman Empire, as a torture method to put somebody to death. “In Rome, people condemned to crucifixion were scourged beforehand, except women, Roman senators, and soldiers (unless they had deserted). During scourging, a person was stripped naked, tied to a post, and then flogged across the back, buttocks, and legs by Roman soldiers. This excessive whipping would weaken the victim, causing deep wounding, severe pain, and bleeding. ‘Frequently, the victim fainted during the procedure, and sudden death was not uncommon… The victim was then usually taunted, then forced to carry the patibulum [the crossbar of a cross] tied across his shoulders to the place of execution.’ The cruelty didn’t stop there. Sometimes, the Roman soldiers would hurt the victim further, cutting off a body part, such as the tongue, or blinding him. In another heinous turn, Josephus reported how soldiers under Antiochus IV, the Hellenistic Greek king of the Seleucid Empire, would have the victim’s strangled child hung around his neck” (crucifixion history).

All of this looked horrible. Possibly many of us have seen movies about the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. We have seen terrifying scenes of the lashings of Jesus, the crowning with thorns, Jesus carrying the Cross, and the crucifixion. A lot of the sorrow of the crucifixion of Jesus was for the criminals. However, the Lord Jesus changed this meaning of the Cross. The Cross is not an instrument of punishment to criminals anymore, but the instrument of our salvation because by His Holy Cross, Jesus has redeemed the world. Jesus Christ died for all of us. His blood washed our sins away, and this is wonderful. For this reason, we call the day when Jesus was crucified and died, Good Friday. It is good not because Jesus died, but because through His death, we gained salvation and eternal life.

Hence, all of us rejoice in this new meaning of the Cross. For this reason, we, as a family, celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross. All of us will be venerating the Holy Cross, remembering that the Lord died on it for each of us this Sunday (September 14th) at 3:00 p.m. The prayer of the thousand Jesuses is a way to say “thank you” to the Lord for everything that He has done for us, especially for His sacrifice on the Cross. Let us come and praise the Lord all together as a great family, recognizing the importance of the Cross in our lives.

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

In the seventh century, the Church in Rome adopted the practice of Adoration of the Cross from the Church in Jerusalem, where a fragment of wood believed to be the Lord’s cross had been venerated every year on Good Friday since the fourth century. According to tradition, a part of the Holy Cross was discovered by the mother of the emperor Constantine, St. Helen, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 326. A fifth century account describes this service in Jerusalem. A coffer of gold-plated silver containing the wood of the cross was brought forward. The bishop placed the relic on a table in the chapel of the Crucifixion and the faithful approached it, touching brow and eyes and lips to the wood as the priest said (as every priest has done ever since): ‘Behold, the Wood of the Cross.’

Adoration or veneration of an image or representation of Christ’s cross does not mean that we actually adore the material image, of course, but rather what it represents. In kneeling before the crucifix and kissing it, we are paying the highest honor to Our Lord’s cross as the instrument of our salvation. Because the Cross is inseparable from His sacrifice, in reverencing His Cross we, in effect, adore Christ. Thus we affirm: ‘We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee because by Thy Holy Cross Thou has Redeemed the World’. (cna)

For this reason, today the Church continues to venerate the Holy Cross. The Cross represents the symbol of Christianity, and it is the instrument of the passion and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Cross is a symbol of the love of God. On the Cross, Our Lord Jesus Christ gave His life to save all of us from sin and give us eternal life. Therefore, the Cross is a symbol of redemption. Each year, the Church celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14th. I want to introduce you to a Colombian tradition called Los Mil Jesuses (Thousand Jesuses). This tradition consists literally saying “Jesus” one thousand times. I invite you to come and to experience this Colombian tradition this coming September 14th at 3:00 p.m. You need to bring faith, love for Jesus, and the Holy Rosary, which are necessary to pray this wonderful prayer. In addition, please write a petition which will be burned at the end of the prayer. If you forget to bring your petition, don’t worry. We will give you paper and pen so you can write a petition on the day of the Holy Cross.

Please, share this marvelous tradition, and invite your family and friends to come and pray and venerate the Holy Cross. If you have any questions about this tradition, please stop by, and I will be happy to answer your questions.

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