Good day,
I hope you have all been well this week. I am happy to get to share the following letter from Fr. Ken Letoile OP, our Dominican Province’s Prior Provincial:
Dear Parishioners of Holy Innocents,
In my letter of August 8, I encouraged all of us to follow Peter’s example by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus in order to allow him to lift us up in the turbulent seas. Certainly, your faith helped you to get through these last few months and the most recent period of quarantine. Thank you for the support, prayerful and practical, that you have provided for Fathers Luke Hoyt, O.P., Frank Sutman, O.P. and Greg Doherty, O.P.
In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus tells us about two sons who are asked to go and work in the Father’s vineyard (Matthew 21: 28-32). While the Father in the parable has mixed results, I have much better news to report!
This week Cardinal Dolan appointed Fr. Luke Hoyt, O.P., effective immediately, as the next pastor of Holy Innocents. You are already familiar with Fr. Hoyt because of his dedicated service as parochial vicar and more recently as temporary administrator. I am delighted that your new pastor is a Dominican priest whom you already know.
Fr. Hoyt will be assisted by Fr. Leo Camurati, O.P. who will serve as parochial vicar. He and Fr. Hoyt studied together at our seminary in Washington, D.C. He is thirty-four years old, a native of New York and a graduate of Cooper Union in New York City. Fr. Camurati is presently assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in New Haven, Connecticut. He happily accepted my invitation to serve in the Holy Innocents vineyard. Fr. Camurati will begin on September 28.
Fathers Doherty and Sutman remain assigned to Holy Innocents and together with Fathers Hoyt and Camurati will form the Dominican Community that supports the mission of Holy Innocents in their prayers, good works and pastoral care.
I am grateful for your patience and faithfulness during this time of transition. May in the words of Sunday’s second reading, you be “of the same mind, with the same love, united in the heart” (Philippians 2:2) through the power of the Jesus’ Spirit dwelling in you.
In Jesus and St. Dominic,
Very Rev. Kenneth Letoile, O.P. Prior Provincial
I am very honored to receive this appointment. Your kindness and support over the course of the last year makes it a very easy one to accept. I am looking forward to all of our continued work as a parish. I am also very grateful to Fr. Leo for being able to join us and I hope you get to meet him soon. He will be a great addition for us all.
On another note, two brief items to touch on:
First, I am glad to report that Fr. Frank is recovering well. He was released from his quarantine early last week and will take the next several weeks to continue regaining his strength. Fr. Greg continues to be the healthiest of us all. His many years as a missionary overseas have apparently served him well!
Second, we are looking forward to resuming our regular daily Mass schedule very soon. However, for the current week we will again be offering daily Mass just on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Here is the liturgy schedule:
