Pastor's Letter for the January 31, 2021 Bulletin

From the “Here We Go Again” Department, I understand there was a text message sent out in my name on Friday, January 29th, asking the recipients to “take care of a domestic errand for me today.” Please remember that if you receive anything like that supposedly from me either as a text message or an email message to simply ignore and delete it. 

It’s so disappointing to have to continue dealing with things like that these days.  If any of you are familiar with messaging sites and internet access services that are safer and that don’t depend upon “Big Tech” please let me know! While “going off the grid” is looking more and more attractive all the time, I know it is also still valuable for us to communicate with each other electronically.  Again, don’t be surprised if we shift our live-streaming location to a different service other than Facebook: of course, after our School’s online auction – which will utilize our parish Facebook page to live-stream the Auction Raffle drawing (see you then!).

On a more positive note, our Christ Our Light Parish’s Pro-Life Committee is planning a faith formation opportunity in conjunction with the “Year of St. Joseph” that Pope Francis has designated for 2021.

Drawing upon a book developed by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, entitled, Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, we are planning to have faith sharing gatherings on Mondays, one in the morning at 9:30 a.m. and another at 6:00 p.m. (you could choose to attend whichever is more convenient for you) in the Conference Room, to prepare for a “Consecration to Jesus through St. Joseph.”  The first, introductory gatherings are planned for Monday, February 15th, at either 9:30 a.m. or 6:00 p.m. There are 4 additional gatherings on the subsequent Mondays until March 15th.  The final event would be on Friday, March 19th, the Feast of St. Joseph.  Those who would like to make the consecration to Jesus through St. Joseph could do so immediately following either the regular 8:35 a.m. Mass or after a Friday evening Mass on March 19th (time yet to be determined because of Friday evening Stations of the Cross in Lent).  

The Food for the Poor organization, together with the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas, is enabling us to participate in the matching funds campaign mentioned in the fall. So, they will match up to $2,000 worth of food donations we make.  This week we will send a donation of $2,000 to the “PTPA” and that will be matched by this campaign so that a $4,000 shipment to our sister parish, St. Elizabeth Parish in Caracol, Haiti, of “large bulk bags of beans and rice, will take place early in March.”  Thank you for your on-going generosity to all of our various parish outreach activities that enable us to participate in campaigns like this. 

May the Lord continue to bless us with joy and peace as disciples of Jesus and to help us to be always ready for the gift of eternal life in Heaven!