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 - January 11, 2026

“This Is My Beloved Son, With Whom I Am Well Pleased”

This Sunday is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It marks the close of our Christmas season, the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, and liturgically, the return to ordinary time. This feast is the revelation of Jesus as the Anointed One, the Messiah, the beloved Son of God.

Our readings today draw an unbroken line from the Old Testament prophesies of Isaiah, prefiguring “the chosen one in whom I am pleased”, the one who will “open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement.”

Our first reading (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7) is an excerpt from one of four poems of Isaiah called the “servant songs”. Isaiah wrote of a meek and humble servant, anointed by God as “a covenant to the people.” He will be a “light to the nations”. It is this prophesy that comes alive in the Baptism of Jesus that we hear in today’s Gospel.

Our Epistle reading (Acts 10:34-38) is an excerpt of a speech given by St. Peter to the household of Cornelius, a Gentile Roman Centurion. It would have been highly improper for a Jew of Peter’s stature to enter into the home of an unclean Gentile. And yet, Peter recognized the will of God in “showing no partiality” to “whoever fears him.” At the end of this speech, Peter baptized Cornelius and his entire household. Thus, Jesus was a “light to the nations”, not only to the Jews.

Our Gospel reading (Matthew 3:13-17) is Matthew’s account of the Baptism of the Lord. John wanted to refuse to baptize Jesus but Jesus insisted, so as “to fulfill all righteousness”; in other words, to fulfill the Old Testament prophesies Jesus may have had in mind today’s prophesy from Isaiah. Even though Jesus had no need for baptism, as He did not know sin, He chose to enter into a sinful world in solidarity with those He sought to save. At the baptism’s conclusion, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended upon Him.

In a sense, Jesus’ act of entering into a very human baptism is an extension of His entering into the human condition, to become one with us, to live among us. He entered into this dark, messy world of ours in order to “bring out the prisoners from confinement” - a confinement of sin and darkness.

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011126.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.