Built of Living Stones

01-30-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“The anniversary of a church’s dedication is celebrated with the rank of a solemnity.” – Roman Pontifical, Rite of Dedication of a Church, 27.

Annually, Holy Mother Church invites us to recall the day our church buildings were consecrated and dedicated to the worship of God. That dedication/consecration Mass marked the moment this space was changed from being merely a building into becoming a church – a true, holy place of worship. If you were present on that night of 2 February 2015, you might recall the first action of the Bishop was to sprinkle the people, the walls, and the altar with blessed water. This symbolized the moment of your own baptism, that exact moment when you went from being a “regular person” to becoming a true temple of God, a temple of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 3:16-17) At most Masses this weekend, we will again sprinkle the gathered people with holy water as a reminder of this change and our subsequent mission to spread the faith beyond these humble walls.

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Continuing the Mission

01-23-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Next Sunday, our parish will not celebrate the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Instead, the Church asks us to recall the date of our parish church’s consecration for divine worship, and she provides special prayers and readings for the Mass. (The liturgical observance is transferred to the closest Sunday so more people can join in the celebration.) Recalling our dedication year-to-year helps remind us of our mission as a local parish within the world-wide Catholic Church. Pray for our parish that we fulfill our mission well, which is always ultimately to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to each of our homes, to Aiken, to our nation, and beyond.

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Life Is Good

01-16-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This Saturday, January 22, is a voluntary day of fastng and prayer for Respect for Human Life. Each human being is made in the image and likeness of God, regardless of age or even stage of development. God Himself revealed this by taking on human fesh in the Virgin Mary’s womb, a reality we have just celebrated in the season of Christmas. There never was a tme that His miraculous concepton and gestaton could have been considered “not human enough” or “not human yet.” Saint John the Baptst even leaped at the presence of Jesus, newly conceived, in the womb of his own mother, St. Elizabeth. In the words of Mother Teresa, “Any country that accepts aborton is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is aborton.”

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You Are the Temple of God!

01-09-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Before all else, we should show gratitude. I am grateful first to God for His gift of you and our outstanding parish. We pray for God’s gracious blessings as we begin a new year of grace. I know that I speak for all of you when I also express our immense gratitude to all the “angels and elves” (as they like to be called), who did such an outstanding job decorating the church for the Christmas season. They are truly dedicated and bring such joy to their work!

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We Have Seen His Star

01-02-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This year, we arrive a little early to the Epiphany of the Lord, a.k.a., Three Kings Day. Traditionally celebrated on the Twelfth Day of Christmas (Jan. 6), liturgically in the United States and some other countries, it is moved to its closest Sunday after Jan. 1.

The word “epiphany” comes from a Greek word that means “manifestation,” i.e., making something known. From the Catechism:

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