Pastor’s Letter – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on August 22, 2020 View all News

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today, Jesus challenges us because the question He asks today is obvious and direct: “But who do you say that I am?” At first glance, this question seems very easy to answer but is more than a question, because it involves all our spiritual being and everything we believe in. The answer we give will determine our behavior and our way of living; therefore, the answer must be sincere and transparent. As a Christian, one must ask oneself who is Jesus for me and what I recognize in Him; because from a faith received and transmitted by witnesses (parents, catechists, priests, teachers, friends), we have passed to a personalized faith in Jesus Christ. Through this, we have also become witnesses, since that is the essential core of the Christian faith. If we never come up with a clear answer, we will never grow in our following as disciples. May this Sunday’s Gospel lead us to a deep and mature reflection on our faith in Jesus and on our relationship with Him.

I thank all of you, who, as parishioners, manifest your faith in the Lord, overcome fear every Sunday and come to meet Him in the Eucharist. We have seen an increase in attendance every weekend. I continue to pray for you, and that soon all this is over, and we can meet as a community; Many have asked me when we will have the regular times of the Eucharists again, and I want you to know that I wish it to be soon. Still, everything will depend on what our bishop decides, but now I hope that by the end of this month, we can begin to celebrate the Mass at 5:00 PM on Saturdays, thus giving a new opportunity to attend with more peace of mind. In the same way, I want to remind you of the confession times: Wednesday after the 8:00 AM Mass, Thursday at 7:00 PM during the holy hour, on Fridays at 6:30 PM and Saturdays at 3:30 PM, we usually confess in the parking lot in front of the parish office, only if it is raining then we confess inside the church, but if anyone wants to confess at another time, do not hesitate to call us. We will be happy to receive you at the office.

I also want to inform you that we will now celebrate baptisms on Saturdays at 10:30 AM, this to have more time to perform the ceremony, and that parents and godparents can later have time to celebrate as a family. The change was made thanks to some of your requests, and because many of our parishioners were going to baptize their children in other parishes because the days and times did not favor them, I hope that now everyone can celebrate their sacraments here in our parish. Many thanks to those who had the confidence to suggest the change and what your needs are.

I also want to take this opportunity to share with you that we started a new Mass in Spanish last Sunday at 1:30 PM. It was a success as more than 200 people attended. I was happy to see so many of our parishioners, I certainly did not expect so many of you, I hope you persevere, coming every Sunday and so we can keep this Mass. It is a blessing to be able to have another Mass for our parishioners.

Finally, I welcome all our teachers who returned to work last Monday and have begun preparations to welcome the students. With the celebration of Holy Mass, we have started asking God for His blessing to overcome the challenges that we might encounter this year due to the pandemic.  It will not be easy! Still, with our trust in God, we can do a good job. I ask everyone to pray for our teachers that I am more than sure they will do everything to teach and protect our children.

I entrust myself to your prayers, and I ask you to feel free to contact me either by phone or by email. I am here to serve you and help you with any spiritual need you may have, and I desire that together we will walk, grow and get closer to the Lord, as your pastor,  I ask you to have confidence and reach out when you need me.

I have you in my prayers, and may Our Lady, Queen of Apostles, intercede for us and lead us to her son.

Fr. Alex