Posted on December 29, 2023 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus:
I hope you had a lovely celebration at the beginning of Christmas. Do not forget that we have barely begun this wonderful time; for businesses and those who do not practice the faith, it is already over, but for us, it is just the beginning, and it will end this year on January 8th with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, during this time we will meditate on the great mystery of the incarnation; therefore, the lights and the mangers will be in our house until that day. We will continue celebrating it with the same faith and love as in the beginning.
The liturgy of the Church proposes that the Sunday after Christmas Day, the feast of the Holy Family, be celebrated; it presents us with an example of faith: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. It is a day to pray for the families of our parish and all families worldwide. It is a Sunday to renew love between spouses. Today, I always offer one of my masses for the increase of love in families that are so attacked today by the devil because the family is the heart of the Church and the future of society and the world. The Holy Family is a profound example of how the current family should be constituted: a father and mother who bring children into the world because of their love for each other. It is the perfect model to grow and live in love, but unfortunately, today’s society struggles to destroy this model and offers something meaningless. Let us ask this Sunday that our families remain united and continue to be a living testimony of the truth.
I thank everyone for your expressions of affection and your warm greetings, your cards, and your gifts during this time. As priests, you are our immediate family because both Father Paul and I have our families quite far from here, and it is almost impossible for us to see them around this time, but for the love of the kingdom, we decided to embrace this ministry and adopt this spiritual family that is you. Thank you for making us feel at home; we are trying to serve you as much as possible and give our best. I apologize if, ever, due to duties and fatigue, we have not served you as you deserve, but do not forget that we are also human beings, and we make mistakes and get tired sometimes.
This is the last Sunday of this year, 2023, a year that will be marked in the lives of all of us by all the challenges, the joys, and the sadness that we have experienced; each year is different, but each year should help us grow and strengthen our faith more. Let us thank God for all the good things received this year and pray for those friends and family who can no longer celebrate the New Year with us because they have gone to the Father’s house. May they rest in peace, and may our Father God receive them into His presence.
I wish you a Happy New Year on behalf of Father Paul, Deacon Kapral, and the entire staff.
Happy New Year! I have you in my prayers.
Fr. Alex
