Bishop Ray’s Blog
Finding Meaning in Each Day
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My Original Plan: A Mom’s Intervention!
Read more: My Original Plan: A Mom’s Intervention!Even as a young boy, thoughts about being a priest filled my mind. The influence of priests, a Catholic school education, and a faith-filled family contributed heavily to my thought process. I really never seriously considered any other vocation because I felt a strong call to the priesthood at an early age. Not every priest felt the call that early. For me, it was the only thing I really ever wanted to do. It was actually in the fifth grade at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Astoria when I became an altar server. I came to know the…
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Homily Given at Healing Mass on November 19, 2025, St. Luke Church in Whitestone, New York
Read more: Homily Given at Healing Mass on November 19, 2025, St. Luke Church in Whitestone, New YorkThank you, Fr. Costello, for arranging for this special Mass! And thank you and Fr. Chin for concelebrating! We are offering this Mass for all those who are in attendance tonight, as well as for all those who could not join us because of their illnesses. United in prayer, we seek healing and help through the intercession of St. Peregrine Laziosi, patron saint of those afflicted with cancer. Born in Forli, northern Italy, in 1206 to a wealthy family, Peregrine initially became involved in political circles opposed to the Catholic Church. His life was…
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Visiting Cemeteries: Why do we go?
Read more: Visiting Cemeteries: Why do we go?Some people do not visit cemeteries. Some people do. There is no right or wrong in this matter. It is, in my opinion, a personal choice to visit or not to visit! The bodies or remains of our family members and friends are interred or inurned in cemeteries where they rest in peace as they await the final day of God’s judgement. We know they suffer no more – we know they are at peace. But for me, visiting graves in a cemetery brings me a personal peace. I find the visit a time for prayer and reflection. Some…
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Retrouvaille: Help for Troubled Marriages
Read more: Retrouvaille: Help for Troubled MarriagesA married couple who worships at St. Luke in Whitestone encouraged me to write about a program called Retrouvaille (pronounced RET-TRO-VI). It is a word that comes from the French language and is means “to return.” The program is Christian, Catholic in origin, but open to people of all faiths. Basically, it is geared to help married couples who are experiencing difficulties in their relationships to get a chance to put things back together again. Couples who go into the program may or may not have already tried marriage counseling to repair their relationship. But no matter what they have…
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