Pastor’s Letter | Second Sunday of Lent

Posted on March 3, 2023 View all Pastor's Letter

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are celebrating the Second Sunday of Lent, and today Jesus invites us to climb the mountain of Tabor with Him, a different scenario from last Sunday. It is a high mountain, a place where there is light, and where God manifests Himself. The mountain symbolizes the challenges that the Christian life poses to us: pain, fatigue, fears, and everything in life that makes us lose joy. Nevertheless, for a Christian, those challenges and difficulties walked with the hand of God always  are rewarded with something as great as the crown of holiness. Lent is always an invitation to fight hard for our personal transfiguration even if this implies pain by denying ourselves.

On March 13th, the parish staff will have a morning Lenten retreat; it will be a morning of reflection and confessions, as a Staff it is necessary to have moments of prayer; for this reason the parish office will be closed in the morning and will open at 2:00pm, I hope for your understanding and your prayers. As a staff we need to nurture our spirit and our soul to be able to serve you better.

I would also like to invite you to participate in the solemn mass on the solemnity of Saint Joseph on March 20th; this year the solemnity has been moved to Monday because the 19th falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Saint Joseph, the adoptive father of our Lord, has a prominent place in the salvation history and the church has a special devotion to him, which inspires us to live in purity and chastity. This day is also very special for the religious sisters of our parish, who celebrate their patron saint. I ask that we raise a special prayer on that day for the congregation and for more vocations of the Poor Sisters of Saint Joseph. Also, we must all pray for the sisters: for Mother María, sister Delfina, sister Fermina, sister Ursula and sister Adelina, whom we all love and appreciate. We will have the bilingual Holy Mass on Monday, March 20th at 7:00pm, then after the mass we will have a small gathering in Hannan Hall. Everyone is invited.

I cannot help reminding those who have not yet made their commitment to donate to our Bishop’s Lenten Appeal, please make this commitment with faith, with prayer and generosity; you can also do it electronically. You can find a QRcode on our pews so that you can access with your phone or take one of the envelopes. I humbly ask you to collaborate in this year’s campaign. On behalf of our Bishop Burbidge, I thank you for your sacrifice and collaboration. If you have any questions regarding this Lenten Appeal, please do not hesitate to call us.

Finally, I invite you to participate in the St. Joseph’s Dinner to celebrate marriages on March 18th. It is an exclusive activity for couples, the cost of the ticket is $100, that includes dinner, dancing, and other activities that we will have for our couples. I encourage you all to participate with your spouse/partner. It is always nice to share with your wife or husband or your boyfriend or girlfriend. We hope to see you there! Purchase your tickers in the parish office or after Masses.

May God bless you all and let us continue to pray for peace in the world.

Fr. Alex