Posted on February 9, 2024 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
We are just a few days away from starting the season of Lent. A substantial time within the liturgical
year gives us a new opportunity to create a deeper connection with God through prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving, three great ways to help us unite more with God, sacrifice our bodies, and share the little
we have with others. This Lent, let us think about how we can further help the growth of the kingdom
of God.
I thank those who have committed to the Bishop’s Lenten Appeal (BLA) virtually or through the
envelopes you received by mail. This weekend, we priests will invite you to reflect on this
commitment of faith; as I remind you, every year, each donation is vital to support the works of
evangelization and mercy that our bishop carries out; our generosity is always a blessing that God
returns to us. I invite you to commit with faith and offer it as a sacrifice that God will richly reward.
You will also find more information on how to make this commitment in the bulletin. In advance, our
bishop thanks you for your contribution.
Next Wednesday, February 14, is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. I remind you that it is a
day of fasting and abstinence, a day to pray and make sacrifices. The hours of the Masses will be the
following: 6:30 am, 9:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 6:00 pm in English and 7:30 pm in Spanish. We hope
everyone comes to receive the ashes on your foreheads as a sign of penitence and repentance. Also,
as in previous Lents, we will continue with the program “The Light is on For You.” Every
Wednesday, one of the priests will be listening to confessions starting at 6:30 pm; I hope many can
attend and receive the sacrament of forgiveness of our sins. Likewise, remember that starting Friday,
February 16, and every Friday of Lent, we will have the prayer of the Stations of the Cross; in
English, it will be at 5:30 pm, and in Spanish, it will be at 7:30 pm.
Also, I want to inform you that in the upcoming months, the church’s side doors will be replaced;
since the start of winter, we discovered that the church is not entirely heated because the cold air
filters through those doors that are already quite old and well-worn. The company that manufactures
them has taken over two months to make them; we hope to have the new ones before the end of
winter, in the same way, and for the same reason, we have changed some doors in Hannan Hall. I
thank everyone who is still contributing to the Capital Campaign because, thanks to your donations,
we can make these modifications.
Last week, Gary Frank’s company repaired the HVAC system; for several weeks, the units were not
working correctly; thank God they are now working well, and after discovering those problems, a
new unit was installed for the church vestibule; we hope it will be warmer in these coming cold
winter days.
Finally, this weekend, you will find a flyer with a catechesis on Lent; I hope it helps you better
understand this time that we are about to begin. We will also have a catechism for Holy Week, Easter
Sunday, and Divine Mercy Sunday.
Happy week to everyone, and may you live a joyful Lent.
Fr. Alex
