HAPPY NEW YEAR!
On New Year’s Day, January 1, the Church honors Mary, the Mother of God. She carried Jesus into the world. With her unconditional faith, our Blessed Mother saw the love of God in the sorrowful, the ordinary, and the joyful. She placed her trust in God and saw his glory in everything.
As we come together at the end of this trying year, I think it is good for us to spend time reflecting on the “reason for this season” – Jesus Christ, the Lord! As you know, we are still in the Christmas Season and for this reason, we gladly rejoice for his glorious birth. We welcomed Him to our homes and to our celebrations, remembering that, as Christians, we celebrate Christmas not as a secular holiday, but as a proclamation of our faith that God so loved the world.
Now as we usher ourselves into the New Near, it is good to think and look ahead and what are those things we need to go through in our Faith life. We prove we are stronger for it, for we have Jesus at our side and those who hope and live with him have nothing to fear. 2021 was a challenging year for us a parish community here at Saint Bartholomew. 2022 will be more challenging for we will be following a THREE-YEAR PARISH PASTORAL PLAN; for 2022, 2023 and 2024. Everything we do in our Faith Life as a parish community will revolve around this plan. That’s why I already expressed my commitment together with Father Linh to implement it.
Thank you to all of you, who came forward to take part in the FOCUS meetings and Discernment weekends! Thank you to all of you who volunteered to serve as members of the planning committee! We unite ourselves with our Holy Father, Pope Francis is his call to prepare ourselves for the 2023 Synod on Synodality.
May Mary as the model of discipleship, offer a wonderful guide for our year ahead. When we immerse ourselves in God’s love and respond to his presence and grace, we bring that love to others. When we share how God is working in our lives with those around us, we resolve to let God shape our hearts to be more generous and loving. With eyes of faith and hope, you will know God’s presence in your daily life and it will bring you peace.
May your new year be a time of commitment, courage and renewal. Be assured of my prayers that 2022 will be a year full of blessing and joy for you and your loved ones.”
Fr. Senic and Fr. Linh

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