Congratulations Fr. Rafferty!  Sunday, May 29th, Father Rafferty celebrates his fiftieth anniversary to the Priesthood.  Fr. Rafferty was ordained on this day, May 29th in 1966, by Francis Cardinal Spellman, the then Archbishop of New York.  As most of you know, Fr. Rafferty was pastor of Corpus Christi Church (W 121st Street) from 1998 until 2013.  Since his ordination from St. Joseph’s Seminary in 1966, Fr. Rafferty has served in a number of parishes here in the Archdiocese of New York.  In addition, Fr. Rafferty was also the chaplain/campus minister of NYU for many years.  He also served as pastor for the English-speaking Church of Our Savior in The Hague, Netherlands.  Here in the Archdiocese, Fr. Rafferty was the youngest president of the Senate of Priests.  This weekend Fr. Rafferty will be at a celebration at Corpus Christi Parish.  Next Saturday evening, here at Ascension, after the 5p.m. Mass , we will have a reception in the dining room of the rectory to recognize Fr. Rafferty’s years of service and to celebrate his 50 years as a priest.  All are invited.