Pastoral Letters

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus,

It is my wish and prayer that you have a grace-filled Christmas, even though we are in this most unfortunate and uncertain time of pandemic. But it is in God that we place our trust, and He does provide healing, health and all the heavenly blessings.

It has been six months since I took over the pastoral leadership of our parish. I take this occasion to THANK every member of our parish family for all the good things that you have done. Looking back, we can be proud of rising to the occasion to combat the challenges, to ensure the safety and well-being of each other and to stand united in this journey. Kudos everyone and again, ‘THANKS’.

We are glad indeed to get a new set of directives and guidelines from the Archdiocese in the light of recommendations from the State government. Please read the special memo from Archbishop Sample.

Going forward, we can gather for worship, up to 50% of the capacity of our church; owever, as we are required to adhere to the guidelines of maintaining 6 feet physical distance, our church can accommodate 150 people inside, and 50 more people in the parish hall, if needed. There is no need for you to sign up for attending the mass in our church. Moreover, you are REQUIRED to wear the face mask/covering during the entire time of attending mass and sanitize the area/pews that you may have used. You may use the hand sanitizer as you enter the church. By way of reminder, these guidelines will be posted in the vestibule.

May we embark on the year 2021 with a greater hope and positivity! Let us passionately believe that our benevolent God has great things in store for us. We may have a new year resolution by now; here is one that will help make our journey together as St. Francis parish family: “Something to dream, someone to love and something to do”. May this resolution echo in our minds and hearts to stay focused on letting others know who we are and who we are called to be!

Let us start this New Year with a specific goal of preparing for the Centennial celebration of our parish. Thanking God for His continual providence, the pioneers of this faith community who toiled tirelessly to bring us to where we are now, and all those who joined their hands in many ways to put things together for the past one hundred years: yes, it will be a moment of expressing our gratitude. As St. Augustine said, “the more grateful we are, the more blessings will He give us”, let us stand united in making this historic event colorful and cherish-able.

May we entrust ourselves to the care of our Heavenly Father and Mother to start the New Year with a greater fervor and commit ourselves more fervently in building our parish family stronger in its witnessing mission to the values of the Gospel! May the paternal/fraternal guidance of St. Joseph to whose care this year is dedicated, be our advocate in bringing God’s special blessings to all of us!

Fr. Amal