Pastor's Corner

2018 11-11 Honor Those Who Have Unselfishly Served Our Nation with Our Prayers, Gratitude and Respect

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   This Sunday we celebrate Veterans Day. At this time we remember our men and women who served in the military and who sacrificed so much thorough their dedicated commitment to our country. They were willing to leave behind family and friends to serve our nation.  Many of our…

2018 11-18 Let our Hearts Respond With Gratitude this Thanksgiving Season

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This Thursday we celebrate Thanksgiving Day and we are invited to give thanks in a special way for the many blessings that the Lord has bestowed on us.  We are encouraged to resist the temptation to join with those in our society who are making Thanksgiving Day more commercial…

2018 10-28 We Invite you to Honor our Saints and Deceased Loved Ones

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy    This Thursday we celebrate All Saints Day.  It is a Holy Day of Obligation.  On this day, we remember those men and women who came before us marked with the sign of faith.  As previously mentioned, Pope Francis stated, “To be a saint is not a privilege of…

2018 11-04 We Pray that Our Bishops Will Acknowledge Past Failures and Choose to Enact Recommendations

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy    The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will convene for their semi-annual assembly on November 12th.  One of the primary topics for discussion will be the current abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.  Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the president of the Conference, has called for a National Lay Commission,…

2018 10-21 Celebrating Parish Families – Parish Picnic 2018

Written by: Father Neil Herlihy

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy As a parish family, we continue to be blessed with a firm spiritual foundation and a strong community spirit.  This community spirit was clearly evident at our annual Saint Brigid Parish Picnic.  We are blessed to have wonderful parishioners who truly enjoy being together. At Saint Brigid, we also strongly…

2018 10-14 Celebrate Couples Sacramental Committment to the Lord – 50/60th Anniversary Mass

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy    Last weekend, we celebrated a special Mass at Saint Brigid honoring those couples in the Archdiocese of Atlanta celebrating the 50th or 60th anniversary of their marriage.  Eleven of these couples are parishioners of Saint Brigid.  Archbishop Gregory began a tradition of bringing couples together for an annual…

2018 10-07 USCCB Plan To Address Abuse Church Crisis

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy    Cardinal DiNardo, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has recently announced a comprehensive plan to address what he called the “moral catastrophe” of the current abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in this country. According to Mr. John Allen, writing for the Catholic publication, “Crux”,…

2018 09-23 The Newcomers Social, Welcoming New Parishioners in our Community

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   Each quarter, we sponsor a “Newcomers Social” at the Saint Brigid Parish rectory. We welcome all those who are new to the Parish to join us for food and fellowship.  It is a way to welcome newcomers into our faith community.  They are invited to meet our priests…

2018 09-30 We Are Invited to Join the Nation, to Proclaim the Precious Gift of Life

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   Next Sunday we celebrate Respect Life Sunday. We are invited to join with people throughout the nation in proclaiming our appreciation for the precious gift of life. There will be a series of “Life Chains” which will be conducted throughout the Archdiocese of Atlanta. We are invited to…

2018 09-16 Pray for the Renewal and Sanctification of the Church

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   In communion with the Holy Father, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has called for a National Lay Commission, granted independent authority, to address the current abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. During this painful time of uncertainty, we are invited to…

2018 09-09 In Honor and Remembrance, the World Day of Prayer for Peace Mass, September 11th

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This Tuesday we mark the seventeenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.  We as a nation recall the tragic deaths and injuries that occurred at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on the fields of Somerset, Pennsylvania. As a faith community, we will participate on…

2018 09-02 Take Time for Prayer As We Honor Those Who Labor in the Spirit of Jesus and Saint Joseph

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   As a nation, this Monday we celebrate Labor Day, and we honor all those who labor for a living.  We thank them for their support of their families, and for their service to all those who benefit from their efforts.  Laborers deserve our respect and appreciation and we…

2018 08-24 Special Letter – Invite to Mass for Healing and Open Forum, August 27th

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   My brothers and sisters in Christ: At Saint Brigid, we believe in collaborative ministry: the priests, deacons, and laity working together to build up the Kingdom of God. We are invited to come together to address the scandal of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.  We cannot let…

2018 08-26 Archbishop Gregory’s Statement in Regard to the Resignation of Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   Archbishop Gregory recently issued a statement in regard to the resignation of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick relating to allegations of sexual abuse.  I believe the comments of the Archbishop should be evaluated also in light of recent revelations of allegations of pervasive sexual abuse in various dioceses in…

2018 08-19 Welcome our New Parochial Vicar, Fr. Peter Ha

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   We welcome Fr. Peter Ha to Saint Brigid as our new parochial vicar.  Fr. Peter has been ordained a priest for fourteen years and has previously served in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, Canada.  He is a native of Vietnam and comes from a family of six children.  Fr….

2018 08-05 We Are Thankful for Our Parish Staff and Volunteers

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy Many people are back to work or school after taking time for summer recreation and vacations.  These include our parish office staff and volunteers, and their families.  Our parish office staff and volunteers consist of dedicated priests, deacons and lay men and women who do so much for our…

2018 07-29 Participate in the Mission of the Church Beyond Our Parish – The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   Archbishop Gregory has asked all parishes to foster and support vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life.  We as the Saint Brigid parish family continue to respond enthusiastically to the call of the Archbishop.  At this time, as a faith community, we especially strive to assist seminarians…

2018 07-22 We Are Thankful for our Dedicated Altar Servers

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   Our Holy Father, Pope Francis has a great appreciation for altar servers. In a specific address to altar servers who were gathered in Rome, Pope Francis told the servers that is a great privilege and responsibility to serve at the altar.  He urged them to always take seriously…

2018 07-15 WELCOME. – Refocus and Reenergize Your Spiritual Life

Written by:

Guest Column from Deacon Tom Huff   My dear fellow St. Brigid Parishioners, I am so in love with Christ and thankful for the many gifts and blessings that He has bestowed on our parish.  We are blessed with dedicated priests that give of themselves unselfishly each and every day.  Our Pastor, Fr. Neil, is…

2018 07-08 This Summer, Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   As we know, we are in the midst of our summer season.  At this time of the year, many of us have an opportunity to take a break from school or work, and so we naturally focus more on leisure activities.  As we make time for these leisure…

2018 07-01 We Celebrate the Birth of our Nation

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   This coming Wednesday we celebrate the Fourth of July, Independence Day.  On this day, we call to mind the birth of our nation. We have also recently completed “Religious Freedom Week” sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  As Catholics, we are called to truly cherish…

2018 06-17 We Celebrate Father’s Day

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   This Sunday we celebrate Father’s Day and we remember all fathers in a special way.  As we know, Pope Francis has placed great emphasis and focus on fatherhood. He stated, “Fathers are so necessary as examples and guides for our children on wisdom and virtue.  Without father figures,…

2018 06-24 Guest Column from Fr. Tri John-Bosco Nguyen

Written by:

From our Parochial Vicar, Fr. Tri John-Bosco Nguyen   If I could sum up all of what I want to say to you as my farewell remarks, it would be this, “I AM GRATEFUL!” Saint Brigid has been a blessing for my priestly life.  This is my second assignment since my Ordination in 2012.  I…

2018 06-03 We Celebrate the Source and Summit of our Faith, The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This Sunday we celebrate the solemnity of Corpus Christi, The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. On this great day we acknowledge in a special way the institution of the Holy Eucharist.  It is marked by special displays of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, including Eucharistic Processions and…

2018 05-27 Memorial Day – “May the Lord Enable Us to Be Peacemakers, Wherever We Find Ourselves…”

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   We celebrate Memorial Day this Monday and we remember in a special way those men and women in the armed forces who have made the supreme sacrifice in defense of our nation.  Some of our deceased Veterans were military chaplains who faithfully served the spiritual needs of our…

2018 05-20 Set Aside Worldly Concerns and Embrace the Call to Holiness

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   Recently Pope Francis published the apostolic exhortation “Gaudate et Exultate” (“Rejoice and Be Glad”).  It focuses on the call to holiness in today’s world.  The title was taken from Matthew 5:12 when Jesus says “rejoice and be glad” to those who are persecuted for His sake. Pope Francis…

2018 05-13 Mary, Our Lady of Fatima, intercede for us. Mary, our Mother, Pray for Us.

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This Sunday we remember when the Virgin Mary  first appeared to three shepherd children of Fatima, urging them to pray the rosary for peace.  We call Mary, Our Lady of Fatima, and bestow on her many other titles.  Mary is worthy of these titles because she said “Yes” to…

2018 05-06 We Give Thanks for All Who Helped in Preparation of our First Communicants

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy   Next Saturday, approximately two hundred children will experience a very special day in their lives.  It is the day on which they will be making their First Holy Communion (Eucharist) at Saint Brigid. Our Catechism states, “The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion…

2018 04-29 The Elijah Cup, “A Consecrated Chalice to Provide a Focal Point of Prayer” for Vocations

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy Last Sunday we celebrated the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  We prayed in a special way for vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious life.  Our Church strongly encourages us to sustain this need for prayer for vocations throughout the year. Our faith community of Saint Brigid prays…

2018 04-22 World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Written by:

From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This Sunday we celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. As we celebrate this day, our Church especially encourages us to pray for vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious life. Pope Francis, in his message for the 2018 World Day of Prayer for Vocations, stated, “…the mystery…