From the Desk of Father Nathan

St Gabriel Catholic Church | Pompano Beach
God Bless You All

Father Nathan St Gabriel | September 22, 2019

A Message from Father Nathan

My dearest people who are close to my heart.

Thank You For the Beautiful Reception

 

I stand before you humbled to thank the Lord, for the greatest gift of priesthood which he has graciously bestowed upon me.

Thank you for the wonderful reception given to me.  It was amazing.

Thank you for your love and concerrn.

Please continue to lift me up to the Lord in your prayers.  I need your prayers a lot.

Thank you to the CCW member and all who have toiled to make this event a grand success.  God bless them and all.

Thankful and Blessed to Be Your Priest

Right after all of this love and sharing, as I was into my prayers, I began to think about the priesthood.  What a precious gift my priesthood is!

If I were not a priest, could I have ever enjoyed this kind of love?

I accept your love with lots of responsibility.  I was reminded of the quote of St. Ambrose on priests

“He made them, the vicars of his love”.

And the greatest wisdom of St. John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests

“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.”

When you see a priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you.

After God, the priest is everything.

Saint Francis of Assisi goes further speaking of the holiness of the priesthood.  Of course along with this holiness goes an abundance of responsibility.

“If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel.  The latter is a friend of God, but the priest holds His place”

—St Theresa

The priesthood to me is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others and bring them closer to God.  It has tons of responsibility.

Hence, please continue to pray for me.  Pray a lot that I may be a shepherd to you all, being faithful to him and humbly minister to you as your servant.

 

The Feast of St. Vincent de Paul

Septemberr 27th we are also going to celebrate the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul (24 April 1581 -27 September 1660) a french Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor.

Let us seek his intercession in our parish.  We have the Society of St. Vincent de Paul who are doing commendable work a committed ministry here at our parish and our community.

Let us pray for them that their ministry be blessed.  God bless them all.

Thank you once again

With lots of love and ever at your service,

Fr. Sahayanthan Nathan

 

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Past Messages from Father Nathan

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | August 13, 2023

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | August 13, 2023

Holy Days of Obligation | The Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains holy days of obligation this way:
Family needs or important social services can legitimately excuse the obligation of Sunday rest (specified in the Fourth Commandment). The faithful should see that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health {CCC 2185}.

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From The Desk Of Father Nathan | July 30 2023

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | July 30 2023

August 4th we celebrate the feast of St. John Vianney who is the patron saint of priests – a French priest, a renowned confessor with supernatural powers. Baptiste-Marie Vianney, also called Cure d’Ars, (born May 8, 1786, Dardillly, France—died August 4, 1859, Ars, canonized May 31, 1925, feast day August 4 (formerly August 9), a French priest who was renowned as a confessor and for his supernatural powers.

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From The Desk Of Father Nathan | July 23 2023

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | July 23 2023

Feast of Joachim and Anne | the parents of Jesus’ mother, Mary. On July 26 the Roman Catholic Church commemorates the parents of the Virgin Mary, Saints Joachim and Anne. The couple’s faith and perseverance brought them through the sorrow of childlessness, to the joy of conceiving and raising the immaculate and sinless woman who would give birth to Christ.

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