Dear Parishioners, 

Our liturgical calendar gives us a beautiful feast on September 8 – the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the birthday of Mary, the Mother of God. This year, at St. Valentine, we will celebrate this special feast together on Saturday, September 12, beginning with a procession at 5:00 p.m., followed by Holy Mass at 5:30 p.m. After Mass, we will gather for fellowship in the school gymnasium.

I warmly invite every one of you to join us for this beautiful celebration.

During the procession, we will carry a statue of the Blessed Mother. I invite each person to bring a flower, preferably from your own garden, as a simple and loving gift to Mary. During the celebration, everyone will have an opportunity to offer the flower to our Blessed Mother. What a beautiful way to express our love, gratitude, and devotion to the Mother who gave us Jesus!

As many of you know, I have celebrated this special feast wherever I have served as a priest, both here in the United States, Cayman Islands and in India. In India, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated with great solemnity. It is a solemn feast, and the celebration traditionally begins with a nine-day novena in honor of Mary, leading up to a grand celebration of the Mass on her feast day.

For me, this feast is more than simply a date on the calendar. It is a special opportunity to thank God for the gift of Mary in our lives. Through Mary, God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. We have received so much through her loving example, her prayers, and her intercession.

I have personally experienced Mary’s intercession in a very profound way. While I was serving in Kumta, India, in 2021, I prayed earnestly for Mary’s intercession in a situation involving deadly cancer, and I came to believe deeply that Jesus granted a healing through her prayers. This experience strengthened my trust in Mary’s powerful intercession. I am sure that many of you also have your own stories of prayers answered and favors received through the intercession of our Blessed Mother.

We have invited our Family of Parishes to join us, and we are expecting many people to come together for this joyful celebration. Let us make it a truly beautiful parish celebration – a time of prayer, gratitude, faith, and fellowship.

So, with all my heart, I invite you: please come and celebrate with us! Arrive by 5:00 p.m., bringing a flower for Mary. Come with an open heart and a spirit of prayer. And please plan to stay after Mass for our fellowship and reception in the school gymnasium.

Let us honor Mary together and ask her to lead us ever closer to her Son, Jesus.

Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother! Pray for us and for our parish!

In Honor of Blessed Virgin Mother,

Fr. Theo Dcunha SAC