News - December 2021 RSS Feed

Happy New Year! For many of us, the changing of the calendar this year will be very welcome. All the same, I would be remiss if I did not give thanks for the gifts of 2021. It was a year which will be remembered for a continuing pandemic, tragedy, division, and hurricane survival but the gift was in the response of service and sacrifice by many people that sustained us through a difficult time and, ultimately, set us on a path to recovery...

With deep joy and gratitude, I extend to you my prayerful best wishes for a holy and blessed Christmas.  During the Advent Season, it has been my prayer that each of you would find opportunities to reflect on your own faith and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. Whatever it is that our hearts and souls desire, whether we realize it or not, our ultimate desire is Jesus Himself, for this reason, we are filled with joy and consolation at Christmas to know that all that we hoped for has been fulfilled in the person of the Christ Child. Several years ago, I received a Christmas card with this message: “This Christmas, I wish you Jesus.” On the inside it read: “Isn’t it nice to have everything!”...

It’s hard to believe that we are only a few days away from Christmas. The holidays can come and go before you know it. This year, slow down and truly experience this special season centered around family, joy, charity, and most importantly—Jesus. Here are a few ideas to help you prepare your heart for Christmas...

St. John Paul II began a tradition early on in his papacy where he invited the children of Rome to assemble in St. Peter’s Square on the Third Sunday of Advent during his Angelus address. He asked them to bring their little statue of the baby Jesus that would be placed in their Nativity set at home. ​​​​​​​ John Paul II blessed the figurines of those present and told them to assemble before the manger scene with their family in a spirit of prayer...

In the modern world, we have all but forgotten the saints. Once upon a time, we used to name not only our children, but even our streets and our cities in honor of the saints of God, in order to seek their heavenly aid and intercession, and in order to continually bring these holy saints to our remembrance. On each day of the year, we kept the festival of not one saint only, but of many, sometimes even dozens on the same day...