My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In what seems like the blink of an eye, another calendar year has passed. We would be remiss to not recognize and give thanks to God for the blessings in our life He has bestowed. Personally, allow me to offer my undying gratitude to everyone for your continued love and support of the work of our parish. Every accomplishment in the year past is, through God’s Grace, due to your dedication and love for the Church. I am grateful to be with you all.

As we turn the page on the past and look to what lies ahead, we immediately have the opportunity to prioritize our spiritual life. Like every new year, in the first seven days we have four opportunities to participate in the divine services of the Church. This year, we have the unique occasion to celebrate the Forefeast of the Theophany on a Sunday.

While the world measures and emphasizes the external and temporary, the Church calls us to measure and emphasize the internal and eternal. St Basil the Great encourages us to “behold the wonderful light of the Gospel truth and recognize the nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world.” We are reminded of this Gospel truth in the gospel of Matthew (16:26), “for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”

Knowing the availability of the divine services of the Church at the beginning of this new year, accept the challenge to emphasize the internal and eternal. St Anthony of the Desert offers “every day I say to myself, today I will begin.” May today be the day we all begin.

My prayers for a peaceful, blessed and spiritually rewarding 2025 for you all and your families continue.

In His Service,

+Fr. Mario