Bishop Ray’s Blog
Finding Meaning in Each Day
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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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World Mission Sunday Homily Given at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY on October 19, 2025
Read more: World Mission Sunday Homily Given at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY on October 19, 2025Pope Leo XIV (fourteenth), our new Holy Father, recently said, “I saw first-hand how the faith, the prayer, and the generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities.” He also said that your prayers and your support will help spread the Gospel, provide for pastoral and catechetical programs, help to build new Churches, and care for the health and educational needs of our brothers and sisters in mission territories.” For Pope Leo, these words are not theoretical but rather they come from his more than 20 years of service as a missionary in Peru, serving as a parish…
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Jubilee Year of Hope Homily
Read more: Jubilee Year of Hope HomilySt. Gerard Majella Church, Hollis, New York, June 19, 2025 Given at St. Gerard Majella Church In Hollis, New York on June 19, 2025 The Catholic Church has officially inaugurated the Jubilee Year of Hope. This year is a special year of grace, pilgrimage, and spiritual renewal. A Jubilee Year, traditionally celebrated every 25 years, offers the faithful an opportunity to deepen their relationship with God, experience reconciliation, and to participate in acts of charity and mercy. Pope Francis initiated the Jubilee Year and Pope Leo has continued to implement the program as Pope Francis has wanted. The Jubilee year…
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