“And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. …And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:15ff).  As we continue our celebration of the Christmas Octave with the celebration of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, my heart is filled with thanks and joy as I once again celebrate Christmas with you here at St. Katharine of Siena Parish!  This is my tenth year to celebrate Christmas with you and I continue to be inspired by the generous Christmas spirit so many of you have shown during this season; it is truly remarkable this year in the midst of this extraordinary year as we have all struggled through the coronavirus pandemic!  Whether it was with one of the 575 gifts you provided for the women and their children who had no place to go but Mercy Hospice for Christmas, or with gifts and food you provided for the almost 100 needy families at St. Martin de Porres and in our own neighborhood, or in so many other ways, so many of you made it clear that you are aware of the true spirit of Christmas and are eager to share God’s love as we celebrate this clearest sign of his love – his coming in our midst to save us!  God came to show his loving concern for all people and to bring them into his loving family, and your generosity has helped many people – both here in our own parish and throughout the Archdiocese – experience God’s love!  I’m sure you can imagine how helpful your generous support has been, especially this year as the unemployment rate increases and more and more people find themselves without jobs and a place to call home!  In the name of their fellow parishioners, I thank Jane Dwyer, Jane Dooner and Susan Wiener for coordinating the Mercy Hospice project and Dick Banister, Howard Deck, Jeff and Kathy Moore, Pat Carney, Shannon Reilly, Kristen Davey, and Maria Carrillo and Jason Bologna for working with Colleen Maguire, our coordinator for parish life and ministry, and Stephanie Twohig, our parish youth minister, in coordinating the St. Martin de Porres project once again this year – well done!  And, special thanks to all of the CYO members who helped unload the cars Saturday and load the truck on Sunday as well as to Michael and Lisa Pansini who, once again, paid for turkeys to accompany the Christmas food boxes for Adopt-a-Family; that has become a happy addition to an already wonderful program!

I have enjoyed taking part again in the many other Christmas traditions in the parish as well, including a new one that I hope we will continue even after the pandemic restrictions are lifted.  Due to the pandemic, our annual Christmas Concert and Christmas Tableau were recorded for our virtual enjoyment this year.  Make sure you go to our school’s website if you haven’t already seen these wonderful presentations.  But, our school’s Home & School Board, with the help of some very imaginative and resourceful parents as well as some brave – and, at the end of the evening, cold – seventh graders as well as a very interesting collection of live animals, offered a new live event: an inspirational Live Nativity with a drive-through presentation, complete with an excellent recorded commentary.  Over 360 carloads of viewers enjoyed this new experience for our parish.  As I mentioned above, I hope it becomes a new tradition!  All of these wonderful events put everyone – participants and viewers – into the true Christmas spirit!

I want to thank everyone who made our parish facilities so beautiful during this special time.   The outdoor Nativity scenes in front of our church, convent, rectory and school certainly let everyone who passes by know that we are celebrating the birth of Christ, the light of the world!  Christmas is a wondrous celebration here, even in these most unusual times, and I want to thank everyone who enhanced the Christmas Eucharistic celebrations, using their ministries to help make God present at the altar: the lectors, Eucharistic ministers and altar servers, as well as the cantors and various music groups!  We added a few more Masses to accommodate as many people as we could and this required even more ministers to get involved; thank you!

I also want to thank everyone who sent Msgr. Carroll, Fr. Waters and me Christmas greetings in the form of cards and other goodies – these certainly put us into the Christmas spirit!

The church exterior is elegantly decorated with wreathes – ancient symbols of the eternal and undying love that God has bestowed on us through his son!  Of course, it is equally important to decorate the inside of the church, where we, God’s faithful, come to worship Him and praise him every day, but especially during this glorious Christmas Season.  I am very grateful to Amy Tatahbrounian, our church environment coordinator, who continues to offer new ideas to enhance our church interior for Christmas.    As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I’m very happy see so many of you stopping in front of the Nativity set before the altar.  As we draw near to admire the scene, we realize that God draws everyone into his Holy Family!

Yes, as we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, let us all become more aware that we are all part of God’s Family, called to the same holiness that Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived in their lives.  God came into our midst and is still in our midst today.  We are to be the signs of his presence for all to see!  And, let us be thankful, allowing the word of Christ to dwell in us during this holy season of Christmas and throughout the New Year!  We need to be signs of hope and new life, especially during these dark times.  Just as the Holy Family trusted in God’s providence in their struggles, we can do so today, confident that God will guide and protect us today as he has down through the ages.