From the Pastor
December/18/2009
Now we come to the shortest week of Advent, the fourth one. Only when Christmas falls on a Sunday can we get the full impact of this week. It is the week of great hope and great expectation for all those who still have the ability to hope. Human beings cannot live without hope. Unlike the lower forms of animals, we are blessed (or cursed) with the ability to think about the future and to form our actions in shaping it. This is so essential to our human life that, to be without hope, to have nothing to live for, is to surrender to despair and death. So, one of the reasons we read the Old Testament a lot during Advent is to learn what to hope for. The people of that time had the courage to hope for big things; yet, their hopes were not really so different from ours. They were hoping for the Messiah, and we hope for eternal life with the Messiah after working out our lives on earth according to His ways, so as to enter into His Life. We even have a little foretaste of this life in the Eucharist (at least, for those who receive the Eucharist worthily). In today’s Gospel, we see profound things happening is a small town and among rather obscure people, almost hidden from the rest of the world. This is the way, it seems, that God prefers to work: in quiet ways. In moments of prayer when we come to realize that “God is with us,” and this is translated as Emmanu-El! As we sing this Advent hymn for possibly the last time this year, may we come to know that HE IS! – and, then like Mary, proclaim His goodness in our lives by following His ways, and bring something of His peace into our little part of His world!
This Monday evening, December 21st, we will conduct our annual Advent Penance Service at 7:00 PM, with several priests available for Confessions during that time. It is an opportunity to prepare the manger of our hearts for receiving Christ at Christmas. When He comes, will He find any room to dwell there? I hope so. The last opportunity before Christmas is Dec. 23rd at 9 AM.
Our school children performed their Advent musical special this past Tuesday evening, and each of the classes from pre-K to 8 did a special holiday-themed presentation. It was a very delightful occasion, and I congratulate Mr. Pablo Falcon for the nice variety of music and for bringing out the musical talents of our 270 students. If you missed it, there’s always next year.
Many thanks to the men and women who helped us with the Christmas mailing this year: Frank & Rita Manfredonia, Anne McDonough, Mary Murphy, Cathy Everett, Lorraine MacLaren, and Eleanor Blaine. They are like God-sent to help us in time of need! I also thank all of those volunteers who participated in decorating our church this past Friday and this coming Monday. May your handiwork be pleasing to the Lord and His people!
As I enter my fifth year as Pastor here, I want to thank you for your wonderful support of our parish church and school. There are so many good and supportive people here to whom I am indebted for their help in making our parish a testimony of faith and strength in difficult times. I would be remiss in not mentioning our seasonal “snow-birds,” too, for they are generous, too. Your support of God’s people goes well beyond the needs of our own community. In gratitude,
I thank you for your generous contributions these past few years that have made possible the following: the growth of our mission in Guatemala, where the much-needed expansion of the school allowed 84 children to graduate this year (up from 14- four years ago when we started); the lovely structural addition to the impoverished parish church in Belle Glade; badly needed financial assistance to the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Haitian mission in Delray Beach; the completion of the retreat center and chapel in Radom, Poland (which will accommodate 180 participants); help for the parishes in Pahokee and Indiantown (both building larger churches to accommodate their increasing numbers); and the help given to missions in Rwanda, India, and the Philippines. May God reward you for your kindness to His people in need!
Congratulations to the two recently (re- and) elected members of the Parish Pastoral Council, Lorraine MacLaren (2-year term) and Kit Johansen (1-year term). Their willingness to help us with the decisionmaking for our parish will add to the spirit of building up the Body of Christ here in our midst. We also thank Mike Wigderson, now concluding his term of service.
Congratulations to our young people from the “EDGE” youth program for winning 1st Prize in their division in the annual Holiday (read “Christmas”) Parade in Delray Beach last weekend. The theme of the parade was “A Traditional Christmas,” and our youngsters were carted along in a float as Mary, Joseph, the Three Kings and angels, towed by Joe Hughes. I extend a special thank you to Don and Duncan MacLaren, Jay Flood and Patrick Albano for their help in making the “Keep Christ in Christmas” float so presentable.
We, the Priests, Deacons, Sisters and Staff of St. Vincent Ferrer Parish wish you all God’s choicest blessings in this holy season of Christmas, and pray that your family may enjoy the graces of this holy time of year, when God became one of us, to assure us that we are not alone in our struggle to come to Him! May your New Year be filled with health, happiness and peace!
Very Rev. Canon Tom
This Monday evening, December 21st, we will conduct our annual Advent Penance Service at 7:00 PM, with several priests available for Confessions during that time. It is an opportunity to prepare the manger of our hearts for receiving Christ at Christmas. When He comes, will He find any room to dwell there? I hope so. The last opportunity before Christmas is Dec. 23rd at 9 AM.
Our school children performed their Advent musical special this past Tuesday evening, and each of the classes from pre-K to 8 did a special holiday-themed presentation. It was a very delightful occasion, and I congratulate Mr. Pablo Falcon for the nice variety of music and for bringing out the musical talents of our 270 students. If you missed it, there’s always next year.
Many thanks to the men and women who helped us with the Christmas mailing this year: Frank & Rita Manfredonia, Anne McDonough, Mary Murphy, Cathy Everett, Lorraine MacLaren, and Eleanor Blaine. They are like God-sent to help us in time of need! I also thank all of those volunteers who participated in decorating our church this past Friday and this coming Monday. May your handiwork be pleasing to the Lord and His people!
As I enter my fifth year as Pastor here, I want to thank you for your wonderful support of our parish church and school. There are so many good and supportive people here to whom I am indebted for their help in making our parish a testimony of faith and strength in difficult times. I would be remiss in not mentioning our seasonal “snow-birds,” too, for they are generous, too. Your support of God’s people goes well beyond the needs of our own community. In gratitude,
I thank you for your generous contributions these past few years that have made possible the following: the growth of our mission in Guatemala, where the much-needed expansion of the school allowed 84 children to graduate this year (up from 14- four years ago when we started); the lovely structural addition to the impoverished parish church in Belle Glade; badly needed financial assistance to the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Haitian mission in Delray Beach; the completion of the retreat center and chapel in Radom, Poland (which will accommodate 180 participants); help for the parishes in Pahokee and Indiantown (both building larger churches to accommodate their increasing numbers); and the help given to missions in Rwanda, India, and the Philippines. May God reward you for your kindness to His people in need!
Congratulations to the two recently (re- and) elected members of the Parish Pastoral Council, Lorraine MacLaren (2-year term) and Kit Johansen (1-year term). Their willingness to help us with the decisionmaking for our parish will add to the spirit of building up the Body of Christ here in our midst. We also thank Mike Wigderson, now concluding his term of service.
Congratulations to our young people from the “EDGE” youth program for winning 1st Prize in their division in the annual Holiday (read “Christmas”) Parade in Delray Beach last weekend. The theme of the parade was “A Traditional Christmas,” and our youngsters were carted along in a float as Mary, Joseph, the Three Kings and angels, towed by Joe Hughes. I extend a special thank you to Don and Duncan MacLaren, Jay Flood and Patrick Albano for their help in making the “Keep Christ in Christmas” float so presentable.
We, the Priests, Deacons, Sisters and Staff of St. Vincent Ferrer Parish wish you all God’s choicest blessings in this holy season of Christmas, and pray that your family may enjoy the graces of this holy time of year, when God became one of us, to assure us that we are not alone in our struggle to come to Him! May your New Year be filled with health, happiness and peace!
Very Rev. Canon Tom