I wish to take this opportunity to make two directives regarding bulletins at Sacred Heart: (1.) anyone handing out bulletins only does so with my express permission. If you do not have my permission to hand out bulletins, please refrain from doing so; and (2.) whenever bulletins are handed out, it is important that both the SHSP Bulletin and the Oratory Bulletin are handed out together.

Here at the Oratory we are not two communities alongside one another, competing for attention or favor. We do not want to give the devil his opportunity to sow weeds among the wheat and allow ourselves to become a cause of division. Many of you identify primarily with the merged Parish, and others with the Jesus Guild, but what we all have in common is that we worship regularly (even exclusively) at Sacred Heart.

I want for that identity to become the point of unity between us all. There is no need to say as the Corinthians did, “I am for Apollos” or “I am for Paul” – we all belong to God. But in point of fact, if you worship at Sacred Heart, you are going to encounter me, as Rector, and the priests that I have asked to help me in the day-to-day running of this Church, in particular Msgr. Bronkiewicz, Fr. Lenox, and Fr. Perrella.

To accept all that does not mean a change in your parishioner status. Many of you are parishioners of the merged Parish of Sacred Heart-St. Patrick – that’s great; but other massgoers are members of other parishes – and that is great, too. You see, it’s not an either/or situation. If you worship regularly at Sacred Heart, you are two things at the same time: (1.) you are a parishioner in your home parish and (2.) you are part of the worshiping community at Sacred Heart. You don’t have to choose.

However, the additional bulletin we produce just for Sacred Heart is important, because it contains information that you will not find in the Parish Bulletin, particularly in regards to Mass times and intentions. For that reason, I encourage you to take it home each week: it’s not “only for Guild people” – it’s for everyone, and contains information that everyone who worships here needs to know. But to emphasize unity, and because I believe in strong parishes – even though not everyone who comes to Mass at Sacred Heart is a SHSP parishioner – we will also hand out the SHSP Bulletin.

I hope that helps to underline the fact that where all are for Christ, there is no division. Division comes from the evil one: do not give him his opportunity. God bless you all.