Thank You!

12-30-2018Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson, VF

A big thank you to all those who helped make our Christmas celebrations spectacular. Thank you to the wonderful voices and leadership of all of St. Mary’s choirs. It takes much effort to bring us such beautiful music. We are grateful for all the volunteers who set up for Masses, proclaim the word of God, help the priests and deacons distribute Holy Communion, usher, and those who clean and prepare behind the scenes so well that we never know the amount of work it takes. What looks effortless is far from it! And, of course, a very special thank you to our “elves,” who decorated our churches and gave us the beautiful atmosphere for worship. To all – thank you! You help make St. Mary’s great!

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The Christmas Challenge

12-23-2018Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” – St. John 1:14 The solemn celebration of the Incarnation of our God begins. Incarnation literally means “taking on flesh.” We celebrate the amazing fact that God the Son, the eternal, Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, through the power of the Holy Spirit, took on human flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and was born for us at Christmas to be our Savior. And yet, in times past as today, the Savior is not always well received:

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Rejoice in the Lord Always!

12-16-2018Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The third Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of joy. The official entrance text for the Mass comes from St. Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, “Gaudete !... Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near” (4:4-5). The vestments that the priest and deacon along with the third candle of the Advent wreath are colored rose, the color of hope and anticipation since it is the color of the sky just before the dawn.

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Having Joy When Feeling Sad

12-09-2018Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First, I apologize if there was any confusion about the normal 11:00am Mass this weekend. There are no changes to the Mass schedule, and there was no bilingual Mass planned. The St. Mary’s Hispanic community has invited anyone interested to join in the festivities for Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrationtoday (9 December), which includes a procession beginning at 11am near St. Angela Hall. Then, Mass (in Spanish) follows at 12:30pm. Following Mass is our fantastic fiesta in St. Angela Hall to which all are invited.

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Having the Best Advent Ever

12-02-2018Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy New Liturgical Year! The new liturgical year offers us a unique opportunity to make resolutions. But instead of resolving to lose weight, go to bed early, or learn a new language, we can make new (or revisit old) spiritual resolutions to deepen the most central relationship we as disciples have – our relationship with Jesus Christ. I encourage all of us to practice waiting (a primary theme of this season) and celebrate Advent now, not Christmas. Catholics value a good “build-up” to a season, and it makes the season of Christmas more meaningful if we have prepared properly. Some ideas…

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