From Our Pastor

“They prostrated themselves and did him homage.  Then they opened their treasures and offered him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Mt 2:11).  As we continue our celebration of the Christmas season with the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord, we all remember the wise men who came seeking the “newborn king.”  When they found him, they showed him great reverence and offered their gifts: gold to recognize his kingship, frankincense to acknowledge him as God and myrrh in preparation for his death.  During this most holy season, we do well [...]

As we continue in this Octave of Christmas, allow me to wish you a very blessed Christmas!  I hope all of your Christmas preparations were successful and your celebrations have been joyful!  I also hope that you were able to take a moment to sit back and reflect on the meaning of this great Feast – the birth of God’s only son for our salvation!  All around you – even in the secular Christmas decorations and events around you – you will find symbols of this pivotal moment in Salvation [...]

All of this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”  (Mt. 1:22-23) On this, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we all realize that Christmas is just a few days away!  As we hear proclaimed in both our first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and our gospel from Matthew, Jesus, the son of Mary, is also truly God: Emmanuel - that is [...]

 You will notice that the two Christmas trees that had been filled with tags for women’s and children’s gifts at Mercy Hospice, as well as local people in need are gone – so are all the tags!  Over the past few weeks, so many of you have so generously taken the tags and returned with gifts for these needy women and children whom you will probably never meet; in their name, I want to thank you!  Let me also thank those of you who filled the school cafeteria recently with [...]

This Monday we will join with the universal Church in celebrating the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It is a holy day of obligation and we will celebrate Mass at 6:00pm on Sunday evening as well as at 6:30, 8:00am, 12:10 and 7:00pm on Monday; I hope you will be able to join us for this important celebration of our faith. Mary enjoys many wondrous titles but this one is of particular importance.  In fact, it is so significant that it is under this title [...]

 THE SEASON OF ADVENT “Be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:44). With these words, our Lord helps to prepare us for his coming.  As we begin a new liturgical year today, the First Sunday of Advent, allow me to reflect on the season of Advent and the Gospel of Matthew (from which we will hear extensively during this liturgical year). We human beings cannot live without hope.  As far as we know, we are the only ones among the [...]