Pastor's Corner

January 04

My Dear Friends,

This weekend, Catholic Christians celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, sometimes called “Little Christmas.” In the western branch of the Catholic Church, this feast celebrates the manifestation or showing of the Christ Child to the gentile visitors who followed a star. Scripture says that the wise men brought the Child three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These represent Christ’s kingship, divinity, and death, respectively.

Epiphany is an even older feast day than Christmas in the Catholic Church. In our country, Epiphany is usually not celebrated much. But in many nations of the world, such as many Latin American nations, this is a very big feast day, the day when the Three Kings (Los Tres Reyes) bring presents to children. Here at St. Mary’s, the Three Kings will show up and bring presents to children following the 1 p.m. Sunday Mass as they always do at this time of year. This year, we give special thanks to the Leland Police Department and many others for helping the Three Kings with their presents.

Also this week—Jan. 4-10—Catholic Christianity celebrates National Migration Week. Like the Holy Family that had to flee to Egypt for its well-being, the Church honors those who have migrated to other lands for the well-being of their families. The theme for this year’s celebration is: “Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice.” Here at St. Mary’s, we have been immensely blessed through the decades by thousands and thousands of migrants from every continent of the world (except Antarctica). This week we ask God’s blessings on the newcomers to our land, and we thank God for enriching the Church with the beautiful customs our migrants have brought with them. May we always follow the example of Jesus Christ in welcoming the stranger into St. Mary’s.

Mark your calendars for two wonderful dinners that are coming soon. The first is the Polish Dinner that will be held on Saturday, January 17th at St. Mary’s, and the other is our annual Mardi Gras Dinner that will be celebrated on Saturday, February 21st.

 Sincerely yours in Christ,

-           Father Bob