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Dear Parishioners,
Thanks to the leadership skills of Dr. Stephen Deehan with the support of Phil, Barbara, Darius, Edna, Noelle and Bob, our Hands of St. Luke ministry has gotten off to a good start. Before Thanksgiving, we had received a lot of non-perishable foods and turkeys and we were able to be able to give these gifts of love to our friends at Catholic Charities the day before Thanksgiving. Our pantry now is empty, and my hope is that we, as a parish family will fill the pantry by establishing new habits. The habit I would invite you to take on is that every time you go to the supermarket, bring back some non-perishables and place them on the shelving rack in the narthex or place them in the bins labelled for frozen items such as hams and turkeys or non-perishables. The narthex is open from 8 a.m.– 8:00 p.m. The Catholic Charities food pantry is always in need of staples such as rice, beans, pasta, tomato sauce, coffee, tea and toiletries but especially Campbell and Progresso canned soups. If shopping online and your means permits, you could order a few additional items to be delivered to the narthex if that is easier. As we prepare for Christmas, I would love to be able to send another full truck of staples and Christmas foods or treats to Catholic Charities. Before Thanksgiving, I had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with our little pre-k 3 and pre-k 4 children. I look forward to having our little ones come to the 9:30 a.m. mass on Sunday, December 13th. A big thank you to everybody who so generously supported our Diocesan Appeal. Ninety-one donors have given a total of $18,895. I am deeply grateful for the sacrifice that we together have made to support the many ministries of our diocese. May God bless us for the sacrifices that we make in his holy name.
I was very pleased by the amount of people that came to Advent confessions last Tuesday. I am very grateful to Fr. Mike, Fr. Alex and Fr. Hubert who assisted with the confessions. Do remember, Fr. Hubert or I will still be available for confessions every Saturday from 4:00 p.m.- 4:50 p.m.
In the last year and a half since I was appointed your pastor, I have had the honor of supporting many families in our parish. It was a joy to become acquainted with John Beatrice, the father of Jim. John had been very ill for the last year and I was privileged to get to know this wonderful war hero. John was 99 years of age and fought against the Japanese in World War II. He had many heroic stories to tell but his greatest pride was being a husband, dad and grandfather. Our dear parishioner, John, passed away on the Feast of Christ the King and I celebrated his funeral mass on Friday, November 27th. I will always remember this holy and patriotic man and give God thanks for men like John who give us the freedom that we should never take for granted. I extend to his sons, Johnathan, Jim, Jim’s wife, Wendy and his grandchildren our prayers and love during this time.
A big thank you to my dear friend and parishioner in New Hampshire, Corinne MacLennon-Kennedy for donating our beautiful Advent candle in loving memory of her beloved Hamish.
Do remember this coming Tuesday is December 8th, which is a Holy Day of Obligation. On this day, we remember Mary being conceived without original sin and we give God thanks for Mary, who was the first tabernacle for Jesus our Savior. Masses will be celebrated at 9:00 a.m. (live-streamed) and 7:00 p.m. on this beautiful holy day. Mary, Mother of Grace, pray for us. Enjoy this second week of Advent!
Fr. Owen