Dear Parish Family,

Jesus affirms that we are salt of the earth and light of the world. You and I matter! We are capable of changing the world and reclaiming it for our Lord through the working of the Holy Spirit in us. Salt turns bland food into a flavorful treat (it also melts frozen ground water and prevents us from slipping on ice, as we well know this time of year!). Light casts out darkness. These identities of salt and light give us the courage and confidence to boldly proclaim Christ's light and mercy which renews the world and brings people back to life. Never fall for the lie that your life or your work doesn't matter much. Your light must shine before others, not so that they might praise you, but that they might glorify God your heavenly Father!

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The World Day for Consecrated Life will be celebrated in the Church on Thursday, February 2, 2023, and in parishes over the weekend of February 4-5, 2023. Please pray for all those who have made commitments in the consecrated life, and be sure to thank them on their special day. May they continue to be inspired by Jesus Christ and respond generously to God's gift of their vocation. 

A Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking is observed on Wednesday, February 8. I invite you to offer this prayer for St. Josephine Bakhita's intercession: Saint Josephine Bakhita, you were sold into slavery as a child and endured unspeakable hardship and suffering. Once liberated from your physical enslavement, you found true redemption in your encounter with Christ and his Church. O Saint Josephine Bakhita, assist all those who are entrapped in slavery; Intercede on their behalf with the God of Mercy so that the chains of their captivity will be broken. May God himself free all those who have been threatened, wounded or mistreated by the trade and trafficking of human beings. Bring comfort to survivors of this slavery and teach them to look to Jesus as an example of hope and faith so that they may find healing from their wounds. We ask you to pray for us and to intercede on behalf of us all: that we may not fall into indifference, that we may open our eyes and be able to see the misery and wounds of our many brothers and sisters deprived of their dignity and their freedom, and may we hear their cry for help. Amen.

Finally, I offer you the following statement from Bishop Malesic regarding dispensation from the obligation to abstain from eating meat on St. Patrick's Day, which falls on a Friday in Lent this year: “Throughout the season of Lent we are invited to participate in the opportunity for prayer, fasting and almsgiving in order to deepen are awareness and better appreciate the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us on Good Friday. This year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday in Lent, and several have inquired about the possibility of a dispensation from the obligation to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in Lent. After prayerful consideration, I am granting this dispensation from the obligation to abstain from meat for those who feel it absolutely necessary to be dispensed in order to celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick. I ask that those who exercise this dispensation and eat meat on the Feast of St. Patrick to select another non-Friday day during Lent to abstain from eating meat or to make some offering on behalf of the poor, whether by prayer, fasting or almsgiving. Be assured of my prayers for all the faithful who continue to strive to imitate the joy of the saints and follow their example with the same seriousness and commitment with which they practiced their faith. May God bless you and those you love." - Bishop Edward C. Malesic

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow