Posted on April 12, 2024 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear Parishioners:
We are celebrating the third Sunday of Easter. This Sunday, the gospel presents us with the passage of the disciples of Emmaus, those two walkers who return without encouragement and with a lot of pessimism and pain in their hearts at the death of Jesus, whom they had seen as a liberator of Israel. But now everything is over for them; they have lost hope and joy and believe that everything has ended with the cross. Pope Francis, on more than one occasion, has told us: “Do not let your hope or joy be stolen.” I think that in the face of the events that the world is currently experiencing, it is easy to resemble the disciples of Emmaus. The economic, social, spiritual, and moral crisis in which the world has immersed itself does not allow us to lose the desire to continue walking on more than one occasion. However, Jesus walks alongside us, encourages us, and accompanies us; we just must not ignore Him. Saint Paul, in the Letter to the Ephesians, affirms that Christians cannot live like pagans who live without God and without hope (cf. Eph 2:12). Let us not forget that although everything seems to end, Jesus is always there to guide us because He is alive and once resurrected He never dies again.
Looking ahead, next Wednesday, April 17, our Bishop emeritus Paul S. Loverde will visit us to confer the sacrament of Confirmation on 28 young people from our school and our Religious Education program. This is a significant event as these young people will be sealed with the strength of the Holy Spirit. I invite you to participate in the Holy Mass that will be celebrated at 7:00 pm. In advance, I especially thank and congratulate the catechists who trained them, especially Lorynie Altejar from the parish’s Religious Education program and Professor Frank Vuong from our school; both did a magnificent job, and I cannot forget to thank Miss Karla Alemán, Faith Formation Coordinator and Ms. Magdalena López, and all our volunteers for their dedication and sacrifice. God bless you for all your efforts; I know you are already preparing everything for a magnificent ceremony. Let’s look forward to this joyous occasion with anticipation and excitement.
I cannot help but invite all those who play golf to register and participate in our second parish tournament “Queen’s Cup”. The tournament will be on the 25th of this month at Westfields Golf Club, starting at 8:30 am. The funds raised from this tournament will support our school and parish. Also, you can be one of our sponsors, for more information contact the parish office or visit our website.
Finally, I want to invite you to participate in the parish pilgrimage to the Marian Shrines of Portugal, France, and Spain in September of this year. Visiting these sanctuaries is a special blessing. We will be visiting the places where our Mother appeared with a different message, we still have several spaces available. I know many are still thinking about it, if you would like more information, do not hesitate to visit or call the parish office. It would be a blessing if you could accompany us to see our Mother Mary.
Happy Easter Season!
Fr. Alex
