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Father Matt's Sonshine: North Java Church to dedicate playground Sunday
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Tuesday, August 04, 2015. North Java Church to dedicate playground Sunday. North Java church to dedicate playground Sunday. By Matt Surtel msurtel@batavianews.com Posted: Monday, August 3, 2015 12:53 am. NORTH JAVA — All it took was 37 days. When Holy Family Parish’s congregation first started considering a playground, the idea was very well-received, and everybody got behind it. Mass will be conducted at 10 am Aug. 9 at the church on 3416 Route 98. The park’s sign will be dedicated at noon...As with the...
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Father Matt's Sonshine: January 2015
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Saturday, January 31, 2015. The Devil Tears Us Apart. One beautiful Sunday morning, everyone in North Java woke up early and went to church. Before the service starts, the people sit in their pews and talk about their lives and their families. Suddenly, at the altar, Satan appears! The man says, "Yep, sure do." Satan says, "Well, aren't you afraid of me? The man says, "Nope, sure ain't." Satan, perturbed, says, "And why aren't you afraid of me? In Jesus, the first word out of his mouth (“metanoia&#...
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Father Matt's Sonshine: The Wedding Photographer
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Sunday, May 31, 2015. Last Thursday, I received a phone call from a Mexican farm worker who works on a dairy farm taking care of Belgian horses. He asked me to take pictures of his wedding. I don’t remember advertising in the Attica Penny Saver that I was looking for extra work on weekends taking wedding pictures. However, he was desperate and needed someone fast. It was now eight o’clock and I strolled outside to scout for the bride who I found standing next to a pick up truck in her bridal gown&#...
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Father Matt's Sonshine: Green Fog of Envy
http://fathermatt.blogspot.com/2015/07/green-fog-of-envy.html
Wednesday, July 08, 2015. Green Fog of Envy. Your classmate has just been named bishop." And the face of the monk scowled. Be honest with yourself, everyone envies someone sometime. We envy those who get the promotion we sought or get to retire. We envy those whose talents seem better and whose families seem more intact. We envy those whose personalities glisten and whose gifts sparkle when placed next to ours. If envy is natural, like being left-handed, what's wrong with it? In Philippians 2:3-11, Paul ...
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Father Matt's Sonshine: The Voice of the Shephard
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Wednesday, July 22, 2015. The Voice of the Shephard. A devout and beautiful young parishioner told me that he would not be at Mass because he was helping the local fire department with their chicken barbeque for their summer festival. He said that he would get my homily from the Sonshine. So here are some thoughts about the “Good Shepherd.”. Ask yourself, how do you discern the unique cadence of God’s voice? Which is the voice of the Good Shepherd that you follow? The voice of God is recognized whenever ...
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Father Matt's Sonshine: December 2014
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Tuesday, December 30, 2014. Is Your Family Perfect? 8221; Sometimes families can be a tad quirky. I don’t know what a perfect first-century family looked like, but I’m certain that Joseph and Mary didn’t fit the ideal. Joseph had no money. He had no safe place for his wife to give birth and no plausible explanation for her pregnancy. How scared they must have been. Their family was turned upside down before it even began. Is your family imperfect? Thursday, December 25, 2014. Then I remembered, do I have...
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Father Matt's Sonshine: October 2014
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Friday, October 31, 2014. Day of the Dead. NORTH JAVA —Today means all things Halloween throughout the nation. But this weekend has rather different meaning for people with Mexican ancestry. And it’s why area farm laborers and their families are invited to “Day of the Dead” celebration Sunday at Holy Family Church. Or as the church terms it in Spanish, “una misa para todos en Celebracion de Diea de los Santos.”. They also celebrate a Mass, and offer well-loved items at relative’s grave site. An...It̵...
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Father Matt's Sonshine: May 2015
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Sunday, May 31, 2015. Last Thursday, I received a phone call from a Mexican farm worker who works on a dairy farm taking care of Belgian horses. He asked me to take pictures of his wedding. I don’t remember advertising in the Attica Penny Saver that I was looking for extra work on weekends taking wedding pictures. However, he was desperate and needed someone fast. It was now eight o’clock and I strolled outside to scout for the bride who I found standing next to a pick up truck in her bridal gown&#...
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Father Matt's Sonshine: Ice Creme Scoops
http://fathermatt.blogspot.com/2015/06/ice-creme-scoops.html
Sunday, June 21, 2015. On Father’s Day, I shared the following story with our dads about searching. The best “tool” that reflects a dad’s love for God and family. I began a tenacious search for the perfect ice crème scoop. It was 2001, and I contacted Wegman’s, but on Thursday, the manager sadly responded that it was “too late” to order any ice crème scoops on time before Father’s Day. A Blessing Prayer for Ice Crème Scoops for all dads on Father’s Day 2015. As we scoop out dishes of vanilla, chocolate a...
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Father Matt's Sonshine: February 2015
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Monday, February 23, 2015. Can you imagine spending 40 days in the wilderness? Can you imagine spending 40 days being tired, hungry and uncomfortable plus facing temptation by Satan? I’m sure most of you think that you are in a wilderness surviving this brutal. God watches over us as we pray: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11). Sunday, February 15, 2015. This morning each child came up to the altar, picked up “Pickles” from their chair...After the...
