A message from our parochial administrator, Fr. Paulson Mundanmani:
Dear Friends,
With TRANSITIONS among clergy and vacations that were planned long ago, and a new priest joining us only on February 1st, it has been a bit of a struggle to manage the month of January. Fr. Vince Cotter will be here until the end of January, and I have asked a visiting priest from Rome, Fr. Anand to extend his vacation and assist us from January 15-31. For now, we are good and I am so grateful. I have also asked the local clergy to assist us in case we need priests. I want to thank you for your continued prayers for me.
Flu Season Prompts us to Take Measures at Mass: Starting this week, we will not be sharing the cup during communion until the flu season is behind us. SHOULD YOU COME TO MASS? The Obligation to attend Mass on Sunday and other Holy Days of Obligation is the ordinary expectation for Roman Catholics (Canon 1247). However, extraordinary circumstances such as sickness or severe weather excuse the faithful from this obligation. If you suspect you have the flu or are suffering from a serious cold or other contagious illness, please stay at home and do not risk spreading infection to others. HOLDING HANDS DURING THE LORD’S PRAYER: If you have flu, avoid holding hands during the Our Father. THE SIGN OF PEACE: Please do not take offence should someone choose not to shake hands with you during the Sign of Peace. An appropriate gesture for those who are concerned about spreading the flu virus might be to clasp your hands together and with a smile say “Peace be with you”.
Today we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Christmas season draws to a close with the celebration of baptism, where Jesus is acknowledged and revealed as God’s beloved Son. Pope Francis last year invited all Christians to mark the date of their Baptism and to celebrate it as the day when the Lord gave them the Holy Spirit to guide them in their lives. He conceded that it is impossible to actually remember that day but he invited all believers to go home and find out that significant date in their lives because, he said, it is when the Father gave them the gift of the Spirit who “opens the eyes of the heart to truth”. Describing Jesus’ baptism as a manifestation of His humility and availability to immerse Himself in the river of humanity, the Pope explained that along the banks of the River Jordan, God kept his promise to take charge of the fate of human beings, and Jesus is the tangible and definitive sign. “God has taken charge of our fate” he said. Pope Francis said, the Feast of Jesus’ Baptism invites every Christian to remember his or her own Baptism, because to forget it means to expose ourselves to the risk of losing our memory of what the Lord has done in us.
Fr. Paulson