Posted on March 28, 2025 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We are celebrating the Fourth Sunday of Lent. The liturgy offers us a foretaste of Easter joy. The priest’s vestments this Sunday are rose because we celebrate Laetere Sunday, which invites us to a serene joy. “Rejoice in Jerusalem, rejoice with her, all you who love her…” With these words begins the entrance antiphon for today’s Eucharist. God wants us to be joyful and optimistic; His will is that we always see His joyful presence in our lives. According to psychology, a person who lives sad and angry ends up depressed and sick in body and soul, and that is not a sign of God’s presence. Our joy must be founded on Christ, our friendship with Him, and the grace received through the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. Saint Teresa of Ávila distinguished joy into types: “Holy Joy,” which is that which arises from within through the grace of God and the sacramental life, and “Foolish Joy,” which is external joy and lasts very little, ultimately leaving human beings sadder and bitterer. I hope that this Sunday, dedicated to joy, we seek to be joyful with the Lord despite life’s difficulties.
This week, we received the candlesticks for the adoration chapel. It has taken a long time, but they were made especially for us. I hope we can begin using them after Easter. I can tell you that there are six white candles, like those on the altar at Mass. According to church norms, they must be white or ivory-colored and made of wax or oil. For that reason, I can tell you that they will not be in red cups as before, but rather elegant candles that recall the living presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. For its part, no. 307 of the same General Order of the Roman Missal gives us the meaning of candles: “The candlesticks, which are required in every liturgical action as an expression of veneration or festive celebration (cf. no. 117), are to be placed most conveniently, either on the altar, around it, or near it…” I also want to thank those who donated to purchase these new candlesticks. I will soon call you to ask for the names of those to whom you will dedicate each one. Thus, each candlestick will have its name written as a remembrance and memory of your loved one.
Shifting our focus, I am delighted to share that last Tuesday, March 25, our Bishop Michael F. Burbidge conferred the sacrament of Confirmation on 32 young people from our school and our Religious Education program. It was a day filled with joy and pride as they were sealed with the power of the Holy Spirit in a solemn Mass where we also celebrated the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. I extend my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to the catechists who taught them, especially Lorynie Altejar from the parish’s religious education program and Eric Seith from our school. Both of them did an outstanding job. I also want to express my gratitude to Ms. Karla Alemán, the RE Coordinator, Ms. Magdalena López, and all the volunteers for their dedication and sacrifice. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed. God bless you for all your hard work; you prepared a magnificent ceremony.
Lastly, I am eagerly looking forward to sharing the calendar with you, which will outline the Holy Week activities. I hope and pray that we can all participate in these liturgical activities, especially the Easter Triduum. Let’s prepare our hearts and minds for these significant celebrations.
I hope you have a blessed week.
