Author: Kathy

“Joy to the world! The Lord is come”!

Kathy Weekly message

Dear parish members, wishing you every blessing this festive season! 

“A child is born for us; a Son is given to us” (Is 9:5). What Isaiah prophesied as he gazed into the future from afar, is now proclaimed to the shepherds as a present reality by the Angel: “To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:11). The Lord is here. From this moment, God is truly “God with us”. No longer is he the distant God. He has entered the world. He is close to us… “For you the Savior is born”.

The celebration of the birth of Jesus is therefore a celebration of the infinite love of our heavenly Father and we need to thank God for that great gift given to each one of us so freely.  As we remember and celebrate this gift, we need to realize that only Christ can bring us the love, peace, joy and happiness which we all seek. We need to come to Him as often as we can and be filled with those graces and blessings, He longs to bestow on us. As I wish you happiness during this season, I pray that the gifts of love, joy and peace brought by Jesus may overflow into the New Year for each one of you.  

The Mother of Jesus is our mother, if we intercede to her she will definitely assist us on this journey of experiencing her Son’s blessings, and she will help us to bear witness in our world to His truth, His love and His peace.

On behalf of Fr. Kishore and our parish staff I pray that our loving Lord bless you and your loved ones with a joyful grace-filled Christmas. And may the gift of God’s love come alive in your heart in the New Year 2020 and bring you many occasions for rejoicing. Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and allowing Him to lead us, will definitely help us to have a new 2020 vision, a better vision.

A Merry and blessed Christmas!

Fr. Socorro Fernandes

 Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!

A warm welcome to all those who will be returning back to this parish even though you have not been here regularly – you have 2020 to look ahead and to make new decisions. All we can say is Welcome Home. If you are a member of this parish, I hope to see you taking a more active part in various ministries, in commissions and committees that we have. I am sure you will find something that will stir your interest if you are really looking forward to actively taking part. We remember those family members who are still far from home and unable to be with their loved ones.

We hold in our prayers those who may be sick, lonely or bereaved. May the Peace and Joy of God’s presence surround you and bless you with Grace. 

 From the Principal

Dear St. Valentine Parish,

The faculty, staff, and students of St. Valentine School wish you all the blessings of the season. Our school year theme is “Be Still and Know that I am God”. Our teachers and students are focusing on our relationship with our Lord and relationships with each other. During the Advent season our students from kindergarten through grade 8 all have had the opportunity to spend time growing closer to God during their daily reflections, during our weekly Advent wreath lighting prayer service, and during their mini- retreats. Our teachers do a wonderful job offering a prayerful and age appropriate retreat for each grade level. St. Valentine School has been working to prepare the path to our hearts for Jesus.

 In a favorite Christmas song “O Holy Night” there is a line that states “the thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices”.  We are indeed a weary world as we look around and see division among people, poverty, violence, and so much intolerance and hatred in our own country and around the world. It often seems that our world is again in darkness as it was at the time of Christ’s birth. St. Valentine Church and School communities shine forth as a beacon of Christ’s light for a “weary world”. I count myself very blessed to be a part of a community of faith that supports a Catholic School. Our children need faith and the values the Gospel teaches to be able to go out and continue to shine with Christ’s light. Thank you, St. Valentine parish, for your continuing support of our faith-based school.  Your prayers, support and generosity help us to carry out our mission of a school based on values that are rooted in Catholic teachings, academic excellence, love and respect for all, and allows us to provide a community of faith for our young learners making us a strong community in Christ. Thank you for being a part of our mission. Merry Christmas!

Mrs. Damuth 

Third Week of Advent

Kathy Uncategorized, Weekly message

Who  did  you  come  to  see?  A version of this question is posed by Jesus many times in the Gospels. He asks it of Andrew and John when they begin to follow him. He asks it of Mary Magdalene in the garden of the resurrection. He asks it in today’s Gospel. “What did you go out to the desert  to  see?” There is something innately  human  about  “seeing.” Animals  have  eyes  —  some  with much more powerful vision than our own — but that’s not the kind of seeing Jesus is talking about. We could phrase the question several other ways. “What are you looking for?”  “What  are  you  longing  for?” “Whom do you seek?” It is in seeing for ourselves that our suspicions  or  hypotheses  are confirmed, that our desires discover their fulfillment, and that we can rest for a moment in certainty. John the Baptist  sought  certainty  of  Jesus’ identity. “Are you the one  who is to come,  or  should  we  look  for another?” Jesus sends word to him based  on  the  testimony  of  sight, observations  of  the  mighty  deeds Jesus has begun to work. “Go  and tell John what you hear and see.” God recognizes our desire to see. In the Incarnation, the Word is made flesh. The invisible is made visible. The supernatural is made manifest in an infant who can do little more than the most natural of movements as he feeds, cries, sleeps. We don’t need to wait for Christmas to see God. The work of God is all around us. Those blinded by sin “regain their sight.”  People  overcome backgrounds of poverty and violence to  make  world-changing contributions. Addicts grow and heal. Truth is spoken, and people listen. Let’s pray for the grace to see God’s movement  in  our  lives  this  week. How  have  you  seen  the  work  of God?

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Kathy Uncategorized

 This weekend, in every nation on earth, the Church rejoices that in Jesus Christ and by his victory over sin and death the Kingdom of God has come among us: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. This Feast of Christ the King, ushers us into the ‘New Year’ beginning with the First Sunday of Advent on December 1st. It is time to be purple (or violet) for a while. We are all aware that Advent is a season of preparation but unless we make sincere efforts to prepare for the coming of Christ it will just be another busy season. See how you can strengthen your dedication to the Lord and his Church.

So, how to do this?

1) Try to get to Church every weekend of Advent and participate in the Advent liturgy. You can even get an Advent wreath and light it at home and pray together as a family.

2) Come to Mass on weekdays as often as possible during Advent.

3) If you have not yet started probably this could be a good time to start praying together as a family.  

4) Look for a family who would appreciate your help during Christmas season or volunteer to serve someone in need.

5) Go to Confession so that your Christmas Communion will truly be holy. For the communities of St. Valentine and Our Lady of Loretto a special penance service will be on December 11, at 7.00 pm in Church.

These are just some of the suggestions; of course you can find many other things to do that can make your Advent and Christmas more meaningful. Let us hold one another in our prayers and I wish you all many blessings as we enter the new liturgical year.

May Jesus Christ Our Lord and King continue to rule our hearts and minds always.

Prayers for a Blessed Advent Season.

 

Fr. Socorro

   Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! 

This Thursday as we celebrate this great holiday first of all we need to pause and give thanks to God for the many gifts and blessings that have been bestowed upon us. For many of us, Thanksgiving Day is so full of activity that there is a tendency to forget what’s at the heart of Thanksgiving.  When we give thanks to God, our sole motive should be pure gratitude.  Thanking God for His blessings toward us and appreciating His blessings in our lives. God has surely blessed us far beyond our needs even to our wants.    Let’s be content with whatever He has given us to the point of being truly thankful by putting Him first in our lives.

 Secondly, it’s also a wonderful time to thank those around us for all the love that is shared and all that they do for us, making our lives so rich and full! So I take this opportunity to thank each one of you who have helped me in my ministry. Sometimes just being present in the Church or continuing to be a member of the parish is a great encouragement and support. So THANK YOU for that.

 Lastly attending Mass on Thanksgiving Day is an excellent way to enrich that holiday. We need to come together as a community of faith and give praise and glory to God. Our Mass is at 8.30 am.

 My prayers and blessing on you and your families this Thanksgiving Day and always.     

Once again, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

 Fr. Socorro

Weekly Message from Fr. Kishore

Kathy Weekly message

Today is the second to the last Sunday of the Liturgical year. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. So, as we come to the end of the liturgical year, the Church focuses our attention on the final days of the world, our own death and the Final Judgment. On this Sunday the Scripture Readings traditionally speak about “The Day of the Lord,” or the “Second Coming” of Jesus in glory as Judge at the end of the world.

 In the First Reading of today, Prophet Malachi tells the Israelites about “The Day of the Lord.” He warns them telling them that the Future is known to God alone, and God will bring healing and reward for the just who forearm themselves with words and works like peace, justice, mercy and truth, and retribution for the proud and evildoers. 

  St. Paul encourages us not to be weary of doing good. He suggests that our best preparation for the future is to devote our attention to present duties, to maintain a holy and wholesome balance between prayer and service, work and play, and to develop enduring family ties and values. Today’s Gospel passage warns that the date of the end of the world is uncertain.  Signs and portents will precede the end, and the faithful will be called upon to testify before kings and governors.  The Good News, however, is that those who persevere in faithfulness to the Lord will save their souls and enter God’s eternal kingdom. The question of us on this 33rd Sunday is: Am I faithful to the Lord? Do I  persevere in my faith? 

Confirmation & Eucharist Enrollment – 2019-2020

  This year our parish is blessed to have nineteen (School & Faith Formation) 8th graders who are going to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. They are going to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This Sunday Sacramental Enrollment is going to take place at the Noon Mass. I would like to request all of you to pray for our nineteen 8th graders, parents and sponsors. We are also blessed with eighteen (School & Faith Formation) children who are going to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (The Body and Blood of Christ). Let us pray that through their preparation they may understand well about the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist and grow in devotion to this everlasting food. 

 

God bless you! Have a great week.

Fr. Kishore Babu Battu SAC