Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Jerome,
Pax Christi semper vobiscum!
We are already anticipating our preparation for the communal wedding in November 2022. This special event is for the couples of our parish who are living together and have the need to be in full communion with the church through the Sacrament of Marriage. The fullness of our communion to the church is the fullness of our communion with Jesus Christ. The Sacraments that He instituted provide for us an access to the grace-filled encounter each time we are gathered.
There are some of us who were misinformed about the canonical pre-requisites regarding a catholic marriage. There were parishioners who told me in the past that a divorced man or woman who was previously married in the Catholic Church can no longer be married again in the Church for the second time. Their only option is to re-marry civilly or to live together under the common law and therefore, they can no longer receive the Holy Communion. THIS IS AN ERRONEOUS INFORMATION. Please know that a man or a woman who was previously married in the Catholic Church is permitted to re-marry under the prescription of Canon Law if their previous relationship was annulled and proven unlawful due to reasons that hinder the fulfillment of the end of a Christian marriage. In fact, the information meeting that we have after the 8:30am Mass this Sunday morning, intends to provide our parishioners with information that would allow them to rectify their canonical status that prevents them to enter into the sacrament of marriage in the Catholic Church.
The Marriage Preparation Team continues to provide information to our parishioners every second Sunday of the month after the 8:30am Mass for those who would like to have their union blessed and sealed permanently by the Church. Once again, the fullness of our communion, our deep sense of participation and our vision of the mission of the church shall bring us to a right relationship with God and with each other. I hope that this initiative would bring us one step closer to our divine encounter.
Finally, I would like to thank the team who did a wonderful job in organizing the Valentine’s Dinner-Dance last weekend. It was a very nice event. Our volunteers truly worked hard. I would like to also thank those who supported the Valentine’s fundraising event through their participation. Thanks to you and others, we began the convent restoration process last week. We are primarily focusing on the first-floor area which will be used by the sisters in their ministry. This will be a slow process because there are so many details that are associated with the restoration. Our goal is to have the first floor available by June 2022. Sister Emerenciana arrived last Thursday evening. The two sisters will primarily be in charge of the faith formation of our children as well as the promotion of the Catholic traditions according to the cultural context of our time. I will keep you posted.
Sincerely in Christ and Mary,
