Posted on August 11, 2023 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear Parishioners:
Incredibly we are already halfway through the month of August. Time flies and we don’t realize it. Blessed be God who allows us to be alive. Next Tuesday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is a Solemnity and therefore it is a day of obligation. The Masses will be 6:30 am, 9:00 am, 12:00 noon and 6:00 pm in English and 7:30 pm in Spanish.
The Dogma of this Solemnity was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950 in the Constitution Munificentissimus Deus, in which the Pope declares: “…with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and with ours, we pronounce, declare and define to be a divinely revealed dogma that the Immaculate Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her Earthly life, was assumed body and soul into the glory of Heaven”. Mary is blessed among all men and women because she knew how to listen to the voice of God and accept what the Lord asked of her and he did wonders for her. This is the reason for his joy expressed in the Magnificat. She powerfully sings the revolution of love manifested in the Gospel. It is good news, it is resurrection, it is elevation of the poor, it is a kingdom of love, it is liberation of the oppressed. The “Magnificat” sings all this.
We are a few weeks away from the end of the summer, I hope you have had some time to rest and if you have not taken a few days, you need to. This is time to recharge batteries and share with the family. Now, taking vacations does not imply disconnecting from our friendship with God. In general there is always the risk of doing so, but a good Christian always takes into account that God is the center and first of all. Many stop praying and even going to Mass; in fact in summer we see the decrease in participation in the Eucharist and Confession. We have to rest and take vacations, but we must not become lazy. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of confusing rest with doing nothing. And this is a hoax. Saint Josemaría used to say that “resting is not doing nothing; it is to change occupation”. Rest is very important. We are body and soul, we are one unit. And to be able to work, serve others, smile, pray… we need to have energy. Jesus also rested with the Apostles and took them to a secluded place to regain strength, so that later he could continue preaching and performing miracles. I hope you are having a nice summer and a well-deserved and holy vacation.
Last Tuesday the 8th, Jose Gbaba, our new Director of Youth Ministry, started working. We are going to work with him to create programs for our teenagers, both in school and in catechism. I invite all parents who have young adolescent boys and girls to participate. Little by little we will let you know how and when we will have meetings for them. I am very happy to begin this new adventure of faith for our parish, and I hope to have your support.
Finally, I cannot stop thanking everyone who is putting all their effort into organizing the festival that we will hold on the 19th of this month. Little by little we are seeing the results, especially in the purchase of the raffle tickets, although I confess that only 25% of the parishioners have returned the tickets. I continue to encourage you to support us with this new challenge that will give many financial and spiritual fruits for our parish family. Thank you infinite for wonderful support.
God bless you all
Fr. Alex
