Posted on January 19, 2024 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear Parishioners,
We are celebrating the third week in Ordinary Time; during this time, the church invites us to
meditate on the life and public ministry of Jesus; it is a liturgical time that invites us to hope and
focus on the expansion of the Kingdom of God preached by Jesus, the son of God, the Messiah
the Lord. The center of Jesus’ message revolved around conversion “Repent and believe in the
gospel” (Mk.1, 15). To repent is to seek conversion; it is to “radically change your way of
thinking and acting.” Those cultivating death projects must open themselves to life decisions;
those who have moved in darkness must turn towards the light. Only those who are willing to
make this change can enter the kingdom of heaven; therefore, if we want to have a life in Christ,
we must convert and turn to Him, and He, with His mercy, will call us to live His same entire
life, a life of discipleship. To repent is to recognize the kingdom of God more clearly, that is,
Jesus himself.
Next Thursday, the 25th, we will celebrate the feast of the conversion of Saint Paul, when Jesus
chose him as an apostle of the Gentiles by throwing him off his horse and causing him to be born
again. On this feast, the church invites us to pray for the unity of Christians; our bishop, in his
message this year, invites us to pray for this intention: “It is an opportunity to pray and work for
the unity that Christ longs for us to share. Christian denominations are moved to unite in prayer
because of our great love for God, Our Lord, and to seek ways to cooperate in works of charity,
loving our neighbors as ourselves. As Christians, we are brothers and sisters united in our love
for Jesus and our commitment to live according to His Gospel. This forms the basis of our
continued dialogue and commitment to seeking unity and common ground wherever possible.
Especially this week, I ask everyone to pray for the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, who
will create greater unity among Christians worldwide, with full and visible communion as our
goal so that we may be one. Then Jesus and the Father, so that everyone may believe that the
Father sent Him (John 17:21)” (Bishop Burbidge).
Also, I want to invite all men to the retreat that the Knights of Columbus is organizing next
February 3; it is not necessary to be a member of this group to participate. This year, the retreat
will be in the Shrine of Saint John Paul II in Washington, DC; it will be a day of faith and
meditation before the beginning of Lent. If you would like to participate, please call the parish
office or contact one of our members as soon as possible; I will pray that more of us will
participate this year.
Finally, we will send the end-of-year statements for contributions received last year in the
coming weeks. If you do not receive the information, don’t hesitate to contact the parish office or
come personally to see why you have not received it. The statement can be presented at the time
of filing your taxes; remember that the contributions you give in the offertory either via Pushpay
or in envelopes or the capital campaign are tax deductible.
I wish you all a week blessed by our Lord.
Fr. Alex
