Saint Joseph Catholic Church

The head of the Syro-Malabar Church wrote in a pastoral letter that “in an age when rumors spread rapidly and truth is frequently obscured, we must become seekers of truth like St. Thomas.”

“There is no doubt that social media is beneficial in many aspects of life,” Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil wrote in a wide-ranging letter for the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, the Syro-Malabar Church’s patron saint. “Yet it has also become a platform where falsehood, hatred, and defamation are deliberately disseminated.”

The Major Archbishop added:

When messages that malign others, harm the innocent, and spread falsehood are created or shared indiscriminately, the fifth commandment, “You shall not kill,” is violated, for such actions can wound a person’s dignity, reputation, and well-being.

Today, more than ever, we need the prudence and vigilance to examine carefully what we encounter, to verify what we do not know, to refrain from promoting what is untrue, and to courageously oppose falsehood wherever it appears.

Based in India, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (CNEWA profile) is among the Eastern Catholic churches in full communion with the Holy See.

The Church commemorates the Optional Memorial of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong (1746-1815). He was a Chinese diocesan priest who was martyred with his 119 other Chinese Catholics. Among their number was an eighteen-year-old boy, Chi Zhuzi, who cried out to those who had just cut off his right arm and were preparing to flay him alive: "Every piece of my flesh, every drop of my blood will tell you that I am Christian."

The Roman Martyrology commemorates Blessed Peter Vigne (1670-1740), a French priest, was beatified on October 3, 2004 by Pope John Paul II and proposed to the universal Church as an example of a tireless missionary and apostle of the Most Holy Sacrament.

Today's Roman Martyrology commemorates:

The Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Maria Goretti (1890-1902). St. Maria was born near Ancona (Italy), the daughter of a poor peasant family. Maria was well known to her neighbors for her cheerfulness and piety. When she was eleven, she was murdered after refusing repeated sexual advances made by a teenage boy who worked on her mother's farm. She preferred to die rather than to sin against chastity. She died in 1902, and her mother was present at her canonization in 1950, the first time a parent was present for their own child's canonization.

From Today's Gospel: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him" (Matt 11:25-27).

The United States celebrates Independence Day, the national celebration of our Nation's independence, the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Church in the United States of America incorporates this observance into the liturgy with a special Mass asking for peace, justice and truth. As we celebrate let us remember to pray that God will strengthen and bless America and make our nation a haven of liberty and justice for all--born and unborn.

The Feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle, who at first did not believe, has become for the Church one of the first witnesses to her faith. She is fond of appealing to his testimony and frequently puts in our mouths those simple words whereby he expressed the fervour of his regained faith: "My Lord and my God." It is known that St. Thomas preached the Gospel in Asia beyond the frontiers of the Roman Empire, probably in Persia and possibly as far afield as India. St. Thomas' feast was formerly celebrated on December 21.

The Roman Martyrology commemorates Sts. Processus and Martinian whose bodies lie in a chapel at St. Peter's in Rome. During the time when Sts. Peter and Paul were prisoners in the Mamertine, legend says that these two jailors together with forty others were converted through the prayers and miracles of the holy apostles. They were baptized with water that suddenly sprang out from a rock. The jailors then wished to help the apostles make their escape. Both died as martyrs for the faith under the Emperor Nero (about 67 A.D.).

Today the United States celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Junípero Serra (1713-1784). Miguel Jose Serra was born on the island of Mallorca, Spain. He took the name Junípero when he entered the Franciscan Order in 1730. Ordained in 1737, he taught philosophy and theology at the University of Padua for twelve years. At age 37, he went to Mexico City where he spent the rest of his life working for the conversion of the peoples of the New World. Largely responsible for the spread of the Church on the West Coast of the United States, Junípero founded 21 missions and converted thousands of Native Americans.