CHRISTMAS 2018 Dear Parish Family, “This will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12 Why a baby? Doing it that way it took 30 years to begin to get to the message out and 3 years of ministry to arrive … [Read more…]
ADVENT 2018 Dear Parish Family The message of Advent has always been a call to prepare. To prepare oneself for the journey of faith by knowing personally the scriptures. Not just the pastoral happy bits but the whole dynamic truth. Including the passages which challenge your assumptions. To strengthen one’s prayer life as a … [Read more…]
Don’t miss this year’s Christmas Bazaar. Mark it on your calendars and come early so you do not miss out on our famous meat pies.
Harvest Home 2018 Dear Parish Family, Harvest Home, like so many pastoral focused celebrations, no longer holds the meaning it once did. Thanksgiving, an American celebration we adopted, has overshadowed it. In some respects, for me, this is like reading the last chapter of a book. Yes, you get the author’s point but lose … [Read more…]
EASTER 2018 Dear Parish Family, I am writing this Easter Pastoral in the midst of Lent, so forgive me if I talk about temptation. Temptation to just skip to the happy parts of the Gospel message. The temptation you face when you pick up a book and just read the last chapter. Why wade … [Read more…]
LENT 2018 Dear Parish Family Myth: Lent is forty days long Fact: It is more than forty days because Sundays do not count. Myth: Lent is about giving something up. Fact: It is a time of discipline. Taking on something in a disciplined fashion in … [Read more…]
ADVENT: A SEASON OF HOPE Advent 2017 Dear Parish Family As we approach the Season of Advent we are encouraged to lay hold of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. The Gospel was written for times such as ours. The level of anxiety throughout the world is at one of its highest levels. … [Read more…]
EASTER EVE The Liturgy of Redemption The Pascha (Greek) or Christian Passover has been celebrated in the Church from its earliest days. A vigil was held from the evening of Saturday to dawn on Sunday. After the preliminary blessing of a lamp or lamps by the deacon (“The light of Christ”), there followed a … [Read more…]
EASTER 2017 Dear Parish Family, Well it is getting to that time to end the chocolate fast, shed the drab winter coats and celebrate the birth of little creatures. Yes, I say that “tongue in cheek.” Unfortunately for most people that is their Easter. Another day on the calendar to gather the family and … [Read more…]