Dear Friends,

The feast of the Epiphany and Monday’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord bring the
Christmas season to a close. It came to a close for many people a lot sooner but the Church celebrates the season through these two feasts since all have to do with stages in the “coming” of the Lord. In many cultures the Feast of Epiphany, the Day of the Kings, is as big a feast as Christmas – the Eastern Catholic Church celebrates it as a Holy Day. For us it is a celebration of the expansiveness of the
Incarnation – to all people and to all nations. An event long-awaited by ancient Jewish people in the Middle East now impacts Christians around the globe in every culture and nation. The Baptism of the Lord marks the emergence of Jesus onto the public scene and the beginning of his public ministry. For that reason it
serves as the conclusion of the Christmas season and a bridge into the season of Ordinary Time where we follow the public ministry of Jesus. The weekday liturgies after Monday are from the First Week in Ordinary Time.

As the Christmas season comes to a close I want to thank all those who put special effort into our celebrations – musicians, cantors and choirs, liturgical ministers, hospitality ministers, those who decorated the Church and the environment outside the building, money counters, staff members and volunteers who were called into service for any number of tasks. Thanks also to the Social Ministry Commission and each of its sub-groups for their work in identifying needs that could be assisted by sharing our Christmas spirit.

The International group raised $8,860 for the Euphrasia Women’s Center in Kenya and $5,225 for the Immaculate Conception Food Pantry in the Philippines. The National group raised over $3,247 for Catholic Charities in New Orleans. The Community group raised $7,325 in cash and gift cards, as well as $2,500 worth of clothing, to be distributed to homeless teenagers in area high schools. The Parish group brought in $4,227 to be used for families in need within the parish community. In addition to all of the above, the teens in LIFE TEEN and the middle school students in MORE YOUTH purchased $2,750 worth of gift cards for homeless and poor teenagers in the Las Vegas area and the Women’s Guild earned over $5,000 in their bake sale to assist a member’s medical bills and Christmas expenses. All of these funds, of course, were over and above the funds that you generously donated to the parish at Christmas time. So, to all we are truly grateful.

Pagasa (hope), Paz (peace), Infunaya (love) and Joy were the international words hanging on the walls of the Church throughout Advent and Christmas. They are messages that extend beyond the season and beyond the boundaries of the parish. They are fruits of the Holy Spirit within each of us – and blessings of God that we are called to bring to others. Every day of 2007 is “ordinary” time but it can also be “graced” time if we focus on that task and on those gifts.

Fr. Pat Render, csv