Mass Times: Saturdays at 5:00 pm;
Sundays at 8:00 am and 10:30 am.
Mon, Tues, Wed* (*Communion service),
and Fri at 8:15 am;
Thurs at 6:00 pm.
St. Rita Roman Catholic Church
1008 Maple Dr., Webster, NY 14580
585-671-1100
 

The Parish Office is open from 9 am to noon, Monday through Friday.  Stop by or give us a call at 671-1100.

Pastoral Messages

Together We Bring Hope

As Francis of Assisi grew in his faith but was not yet fully converted, he suffered from an extreme disgust of those who suffered from the disease of leprosy. Even seeing a leper at a distance would cause him to double over with nausea.

He would go well out of his way to avoid the places where they lived.

One day, while riding home on his horse, there was suddenly a leper in his path. The leper stood there with his hand out and with pleading in his eyes, begging for alms. Francis, made stronger than himself, got down from his horse and not only gave the man alms, but also kissed the open sores on his hands.

Francis turned and got back on his horse and when he turned back to the path, the leper had vanished.

This is my favorite story of my favorite saint. I have always loved how the Grace of God transformed Francis’ heart and made him “stronger than himself”.

Another way that God helps us to be stronger than ourselves is when we come together as a faith community.

Joyfully living the Gospel of Jesus, we can do so much more when we journey through life together. We do this as St. Rita Parish and as the Diocese of Rochester. When we realize our unity as a diocese, we are literally made stronger than ourselves. The work and love extend so much further and bear so much more fruit than we could ever hope to accomplish on our own.

Please support our parish and our diocese. Please give generously and early to the Catholic Ministries Appeal.

For six straight years, we have finished before Christmas. The CMA is important and deserves our attention and energy. But we also have other important things that God is calling us to do. So, let’s do the CMA well, complete our responsibility before Christmas, and move into the new year able to devote ourselves to other ministries.

And also, if at all possible, please increase your ongoing regular contributions to St. Rita. In your envelopes, or even better, online, support all the ministries that St. Rita is involved in. There is so much more happening and being accomplished than any of us could hope to do on our own. But it all does happen. It happens by the grace of God and because together we are made stronger than we are on our own.

Thank you for all that you do. I am so proud of the people of our parish.

Yours in Christ,
~Fr. Tim


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Scripture

An Introduction to the Sunday Scripture Readings - February 1, 2026

“Seek Justice, Seek Humility”

For the next three weeks, just before Lent begins, we will be hearing from Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. Today, we hear Jesus preach on what God considers worthy of blessing—and it is not the high and mighty, the wealthy, the powerful, or the boastful. God chooses the lowly to bring down the high and mighty. He chooses the weak to bring down the strong; the humble to bring down the proud.

In our first reading (Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13), we hear the prophesy of Zephaniah of the terrible day of the Lord, when all the nations would be punished for their wrongdoing. But, the Lord promised that He “will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord.” So, Zephaniah’s admonition to the people of Israel was to “seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger.”

In our Epistle reading (1 Corinthians 1:26-31), St. Paul explains the wisdom and power of God’s calling, which is to be found, paradoxically, where one would least expect. God chooses the foolish (by the world’s standards), the weak and the lowly. God chooses us in Christ! “It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,” So, we should never boast in ourselves; "Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord."

In our Gospel reading (Matthew 5:1-12), we hear the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which began with eight Beatitudes or blessings. They are a declaration of God’s grace on groups of people whom the world would consider the foolish, weak, and lowly. This is a radical departure from what had been considered meriting God’s blessings. It is the “remnant” God promised in Zephaniah’s prophesy that he “will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly.”

In today’s readings, we are reminded of the countercultural nature of Jesus and His ministry. It is the lowly, the meek and humble of heart who will inherit the kingdom of heaven. So, we would do well to follow the admonition of Zephaniah, “seek justice, seek humility.“

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020126.cfm


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© 2014 St. Rita Roman Catholic Church - Last updated 2022-09-13 21:11:10
Mass Times: Saturdays at 5:00 pm;
Sundays at 8:00 am and 10:30 am.
Mon, Tues, Wed* (*Communion service),
and Fri at 8:15 am;
Thurs at 6:00 pm.