Category: Fr. Abraham’s Weekly Column

2nd Sunday of Advent

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Did you read the happy news that our Deacon John shared in last Sunday’s bulletin? He wrote: “I wish to share the exciting news that St. Matthias was recently awarded an opportunity by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry to participate in a 3‐year opportunity to learn and implement Accompaniment strategies.” This is the result of the painstaking efforts that Deacon John and Sue Lenczewski have been making to make our youth ministry more effective. In the acceptance letter, the Project Manager of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry wrote:

“After reviewing all of the applications and interviews, I am pleased to share that St. Matthias has been selected to participate in one of the five cohorts for the Accompaniment Project. Congratulations! The selection process was exceptionally difficult, and we considered many factors while continually calling on the Holy Spirit for guidance in our discernment. In the end, we believe that we have the right set of parishes with the right demographics, attitude, and gifts to make a difference in our Church’s ministry with young people.”

 We are one of only 43 parishes chosen nationally. Considering that there are over 17,000 Catholic parishes in the US, this selection is very significant to us to be part of this three-year national pilot project for accompanying our youth about whom we all have great interest and concern. Praise God! Stay tuned for more info about the next steps as this will involve the rest of us too.

We enter the second week of the season of Advent. Naturally, we are going to be caught up (if we are not already!) in preparations for Christmas and all the celebrations surrounding that holy day. Since this year’s Advent is the shortest in many years (only three weeks instead of the usual four), it will make us feel very rushed and even totally unprepared as Christmas suddenly comes upon us. This is true not only about all the external preparations (decorations, shopping, sending greetings, gift buying and wrapping, etc.) but also about our spiritual preparations. One important spiritual preparation is the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession which we all can benefit from. Due to this year’s Advent limitations, we will not be having the Advent Penance Service. Instead, we will have ample opportunities to avail of this wonderful sacrament throughout Advent. I wish to repeat what I wrote in the bulletin last week:

“Both of us priests plan to be available for confessions during the whole season of Advent: weekdays after the 8 am Mass, and a longer time on Saturdays from 3:00 – 4:30 pm. If these times are not convenient, you can call any of us and make an appointment. I would encourage you to plan early to take advantage of this Sacrament that brings so much peace of heart.”

 Today’s gospel, about John the Baptist who was sent as the messenger to prepare the people for the Messiah, has this verse: “And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by John in the river Jordan, confessing their sins” (Mark 1:1-8). This is a timely reminder to all of us about repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Very glad to see that many of you are already utilizing these Advent days to receive the grace of this healing Sacrament of Reconciliation/Penance. We priests have this opportunity this Thursday at the Diocesan center as we gather for an Advent day of retreat. All of us are in need of the healing touch of the Lord.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

1st Sunday of Advent

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

We are happy that our “Spread the Light Christmas Tree” campaign is on track despite some hiccups along the way. Seven parishes, including ours, had decided to collaborate in buying the trees from the same Tree company. But all of us were disappointed at the much smaller size of the trees delivered instead of what we had ordered. We complained to the company and they replaced more than half of our trees that were too small. Hence we are able to do justice to all our parishioners and others who sponsored the trees, though there may be slight variations in size. Thank you for your understanding of a situation beyond our control. Hearty thank you to Jo-Ann Piagentini and Pat Cullen who coordinated the entire project with the help of so many of our parishioners and staff – too many to name here. Enjoy the ethereal beauty of these 300 trees lit for over a month from now, and invite your families and friends to come and enjoy the same.

This first Sunday of Advent reminds us to enter this holy season of preparation for Christmas with hope. Unlike the animals, we are blessed with the ability to think about the future. We need to do it with hope rather than hopelessness. One of the reasons why we read the Old Testament passages during Advent is to learn about the hopes of the people of those times. They longed for restoration of order and peace in a world of division and conflict as they awaited the Messiah. Our hopes are no different from theirs: lasting peace, tranquil lives, sufficiency of food, end to conflicts, suffering and pain. The difference is that we know that the Messiah has come and so we await the anniversary of his coming as well as be conscious of his second coming at the end of time.

The Advent practices are meant to help us welcome the Messiah in our hearts in a very conscious way. The lighting of the Advent wreath is a beautiful practice that happens in our church each Sunday of Advent. But it is a lovely practice that more and more families are doing at home. Please see in today’s bulletin a short prayer service for the families who plan to have an Advent wreath lighting at home.

Jesus is ‘Word made flesh’ and so we need to listen to God’s Word more frequently. In the recent months, many of our parishioners have been taking a copy of “The Word Among Us” monthly publication. Some of you have told me that the daily scripture readings, prayers and reflections in them were very helpful. I am happy that we offered this free for our parishioners even though I was told to follow the practice in some parishes where an offering of a dollar per book is in place. No matter what, growing in familiarity with the Word is truly a great preparation for Christmas.

Let us not forget that receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the best spiritual preparation for Christmas. Both of us priests plan to be available for confessions during the whole season of Advent: weekdays after the 8 am Mass, and a longer time on Saturdays from 3:00 – 4:30 pm. If these times are not convenient, you can call any of us and make an appointment. I would encourage you to plan early to take advantage of this Sacrament that brings so much peace of heart.

Let us all live Advent and make it a fruitful experience.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

I hope we all had a happy and relaxed time for Thanksgiving, with family and friends. Thanksgiving has put us into the start of the holiday mindset – a whole season of celebrations, excitement, and joy. Generally, we use positive terms to wish one another:

“Happy Thanksgiving.” “Happy Hanukkah.” “Merry Christmas.” “Happy New Year” or, for those who are concerned about political correctness, “Happy Holidays!” But not everyone feels happiness. Studies show that holidays evoke not just feelings of happiness and enjoyment but also sadness, cynicism, and even loneliness. How do we help and support those who don’t find calendar holidays a time to celebrate?

Psychologists and counselors recognize high levels of stress and unhappy feelings during this season. They suggest many tips to maintain balance and prioritize one’s mental health – including a healthy lifestyle with quality sleep, regular exercise, and a nutrient-dense diet. One tip is to connect and reach out for support. Small groups like family, close friends, and church groups can be a big source of support. I believe it is here that you and I can be observant to sense feelings of unhappiness or depression in individuals around us, so we can reach out to them and offer them encouragement.

As believers, one tip that we can practice, as well as suggest to others, is to turn our emotions over to God and pray for peace and connection every time we feel down. I found Psalm 30 very helpful. Its dominant theme is thanksgiving for God’s deliverance. In nearly every line the psalmist either expresses thanks and praise for God’s deliverance or describes the circumstances of that deliverance. Keeping the spirit of Thanksgiving, all the days after Thanksgiving Day, is the best way to stay happy.

Today’s Feast of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (formerly known as Feast of Christ the King) is the signal that the Church’s calendar year is coming to an end and that we are about to start the new year! Thus, the First Sunday of the New Year in the Liturgical Calendar is next Sunday as we begin the season of Advent! It is good for us to know that today’s feast was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life that leaves God out of our thinking and living and organizes human life as if God did not exist. This feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ’s royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations. May we all recognize this truth and continue our efforts to honor Jesus by living his values in our lives.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Today is the World Day of the Poor. It was established by Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et Misera, issued on 20 November 2016 to celebrate the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. In preparation for this year’s celebration of the World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis had urged everyone to work toward providing free healthcare, medical examinations, vaccinations, and bill payment assistance to those in need.

The theme for World Day of the Poor 2023 is a passage from the Book of Tobit: “Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor.” The Pope stressed that “a great river of poverty is traversing our cities and swelling to the point of overflowing; it seems to overwhelm us, so great are the needs of our brothers and sisters who plead for our help, support and solidarity.” This is literally true in our own area as our St. Vincent De Paul Society is overwhelmed with requests for help in the recent months. Helping those in need is something that we here at St. Matthias, have been passionate about through the ministry of St. Vincent DePaul Society, and we can be happy that we are helping as many deserving individuals and families as we can.

Last Sunday we revived the Children’s Liturgy of the Word, which we had suspended during Covid. The 10 am Mass was packed with families with children and it was a delight to see some seventy children having a separate and wonderful time of understanding the Sunday Scriptures.  They were given an increased opportunity to come to a full, active and conscious participation in the Liturgy of the Word according to their spiritual capacity.

I am sure that we all agree that helping our children appreciate and benefit from the Sunday worship is very important. Taking them away from the adults during the Mass facilitates sharing the message of the gospel with them at their level and encourages them to form a loving and generous response to the Word of God. This way of doing Mass helps children to learn about their faith in a positive and enjoyable manner. This encourages parents to bring the children to Mass and to come as a family regularly. I am very grateful to Cecelia Regan who leads this ministry, with the help of Dee Nann, Jody Martielli, Maria Fonseca, Melanie McNamara, Marianne Viaud and Fran Johnson.

We are entering the Thanksgiving Week. We all take a pause from our regular work and activities to celebrate this quintessential American holiday. But, the celebration will be meaningless unless we become people of gratitude. Thanksgiving Day is to remind us that our expression of thanks to God and to others must become a habit with us on a daily basis. Please come for the Thanksgiving Day Mass here in our church at 8 am so that we can begin this day with the Eucharist, which literally means thanksgiving. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving time with your family and friends.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Out of over 17,000 Roman Catholic parishes in the US, about 800 are considered to be predominantly African-American. Our 12 noon Mass today is an opportunity for our parish community to celebrate National Black Catholic History Month – thanks to the initiative of our St. Martin de Porres Society. I am very happy to welcome Reverend Gerard C. Marable, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Galloway, NJ, as our presider.

When we recite the Creed on Sundays, we profess our belief in the “communion of saints.” The Book of Revelation 7:9 says: “I saw a huge crowd After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.” This reminds us that the holy ones in heaven are diverse in terms of nationality, race, color, or language. One takeaway we can learn about the National Black Catholic History Month is that there are over 100 saints from across the African diaspora. Currently, though there are no African-American saints, the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has advanced beatification and canonization causes of six inspirational African-American men and women: Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Servant of God Mother Mary Lange, Venerable Henriette DeLille, Venerable Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Julia Greeley, and Sister Thea Bowman. You can read more about these holy men and women in our bulletin this month.

The “communion of saints” reminds us of another celebration: the commemoration of our departed brothers and sisters. The special Memorial Mass we celebrated on November 2nd evening was a very touching and meaningful liturgy. One of the emails I got stated: “Because we could not be in NJ for the remembrance mass, we were thankful that St. Matthias live-streamed it. We could be present for our mom along with all of those families who lost their loved ones as well.” Yes, we do miss our departed dear ones and we continue to lift them up to God.

But this month is also meant to remind us of our own death – a topic that we rather not discuss or even think of. So it may sound strange to hear that there is a revival of an ancient practice called “Memento mori” or “remembering one’s own death.” Even before the Roman empire, meditation on death and the last things was a common practice of ancient philosophers like Plato. The phrase and the practice were then incorporated into medieval Christianity. “Memento mori” was such a popular religious theme in this period that it inspired a genre of art, music, and literature.

The difference for the Christian is not only remembering our own personal death which of course will happen as there is an end to this earthly life, but Jesus has transformed our death into a new life of glory through his own resurrection. St. Benedict said to keep death before your eyes daily. St. Francis of Assisi had made peace with his own mortality, going so far as to call death his “sister.” Some­day Sister Death will greet us and we will go home to our God who created us, loves us, and re­deems us through Jesus our Savior. So this commemoration of the dead is not to make us scared but hopeful of our own future life of bliss with our dear ones in the Lord.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Veterans Day is coming up in a week! For over 100 years, we have remembered those who served our country in uniform on 11 November – first as Armistice Day, and then, since 1954 as Veterans Day. A few years ago, the Department of Veterans Affairs broadened that tradition of observance and appreciation to include both Veterans and Military Families for the entire month of November. Besides the annual rituals of remembering them with wreaths and visits to their tombs, many organizations celebrate this upcoming weekend honoring the veterans in various ways. Many popular restaurants and other retailers across the nation are giving them free meals, discounts, and other freebies Veterans Day. Some parishes plan to pray the Patriotic Rosary on Veterans Day.

In the context of yet another tragic mass shooting a week ago – this time in Lewiston, Maine – peace and prosperity in our nation is a matter of grave concern and consideration. Every solution that has been proposed will not make our nation safe and secure unless we give priority to spirituality and family life. The profiles of most shooters reveal emotional and mental issues arising from dysfunctional families and mental health. That’s all the more reason for us to listen to what our Church has been at pains to promote. These words of Pope Francis, delivered at various events, are worth remembering and practicing:

–          “The family is the foundation of co-existence and a remedy against social fragmentation.” 

–          “Every threat to the family is a threat to society itself. The future of humanity, as Saint John Paul II often said, passes through the family. So protect your families! Protect your families! See in them your country’s greatest treasure and nourish them always by prayer and the grace of the sacraments.”

–          “We need simplicity to pray as a family; it is very beautiful and a source of great strength!  And also praying for one another! The husband for his wife, the wife for her husband, both together for their children, the children for their grandparents….praying for each other.  This is what it means to pray in the family and it is what makes the family strong: daily prayer.”

–          “Living together is an art, a patient, beautiful, fascinating journey. This journey of every day has a few rules that can be summed up in three phrases which I have already repeated many times to families, and which you have already learned to use among yourselves: May I? Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

Let us speak about these to our family and thus help every member of our family connect with God and with one another.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

This week is important for us for various reasons. Tuesday is Halloween. Wednesday is All Saints Feast. Thursday is All Souls Day. And Friday is First Friday with our Holy Hour and Sacred Heart devotion.. First in this list is Halloween which some consider as a negative holiday, because it’s been turned into a commercial driven candy fest, which obviously isn’t healthy for our children (or for us parents who raid the candy bag!). Some others oppose it for religious reasons, saying that it opens children to evil and is too frightening – although many church parking lots are used for “trunk or treat” for safety reasons! I think it is good to have some perspective that will help us look at it objectively. It was in the year 835, that Pope Gregory IV designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day, or All Hallows’ Day (the term hallow means holy referring to saints). The night before was known as All Hallows’ Evening from which the term Halloween came. 

Many festivals worldwide celebrate a time when the dead return to mingle with the living. The Hindus call it a night of Holi. The Iroquois Native Americans celebrate a feast of the dead every 12 years, when all those who have died during the preceding 12 years are honored with prayers. A national holiday in Mexico, the Day of the Dead, begins on November 2 and lasts several days. In this gruesome festival, death becomes a kind of neighborly figure, appearing on candy, jewelry, toys, bread, cakes, and so on. This is the time when the souls of the dead are thought to return and when the living are to honor them. For example, doors are decorated with flowers to welcome the angelitos, the souls of dead children.

For us Catholics, Halloween, All Saints Day, All Souls Day and the whole of November are opportunities with two goals: first. to really think about, cherish and remember our loved ones who are departed from the earth; and second, to reflect on our own mortality and the meaning of death as a gateway to the next world. That’s why this Thursday evening at 5pm we will have a special Mass to remember our departed ones. Bringing their photos to church will help us remember them as a community. The lit candles will remind us of their life in the light of Christ who rose from the dead. Offering prayers help us to thank God for the blessing of their lives in which we too shared.

All these will also remind us about the reality of death – a topic we rather not think about! This season of Fall offers us a pageantry for our senses with the vibrantly colored leaves but the falling leaves remind us of the completion of the cycle of life – a living metaphor for death that will happen to all of us. Bible often calls it with a very pleasant term ‘sleep’ and even Jesus used that term regarding his friend Lazarus who actually had died. See John 11:11-14. St. Paul spoke about those who are alive and those who are asleep (referring to the dead) in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. Yes we don’t need to be afraid of death because Jesus conquered death through his resurrection. It is a guarantee for us to think of death as a passage to the life of eternity, to join the “communion of saints” a doctrine that reminds us of rejoining with our dear departed ones who are with God.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Today is World Mission Sunday. It is our chance to show love and solidarity to our brothers and sisters overseas who share our faith. In offering our prayers and donations, we join with missionaries everywhere in communion and compassion to support them in spreading the Good News. Pope Francis has a beautiful message for this occasion. Let me quote just two paragraphs:

For this year’s World Mission Sunday, I have chosen a theme inspired by the story of the disciples on the way to Emmaus, in the Gospel of Luke (cf. 24:13-35): “Hearts on fire, feet on the move”. Those two disciples were confused and dismayed, but their encounter with Christ in the word and in the breaking of the bread sparked in them the enthusiastic desire to set out again towards Jerusalem and proclaim that the Lord had truly risen. In the Gospel account, we perceive this change in the disciples through a few revealing images: their hearts burned within them as they heard the Scriptures explained by Jesus, their eyes were opened as they recognized him and, ultimately, their feet set out on the way. By meditating on these three images, which reflect the journey of all missionary disciples, we can renew our zeal for evangelization in today’s world.

The image of “feet setting out” reminds us once more of the perennial validity of the missio ad gentes, the mission entrusted to the Church by the risen Lord to evangelize all individuals and peoples, even to the ends of the earth. Today more than ever, our human family, wounded by so many situations of injustice, so many divisions and wars, is in need of the Good News of peace and salvation in Christ. I take this opportunity to reiterate that “everyone has the right to receive the Gospel. Christians have the duty to announce it without excluding anyone, not as one who imposes a new obligation, but as one who shares a joy, signals a beautiful horizon, offers a desirable banquet” (Evangelii Gaudium, 14). Missionary conversion remains the principal goal that we must set for ourselves as individuals and as a community, because “missionary outreach is paradigmatic for all the Church’s activity” (ibid., 15). (It is very easy to google and read the full message of the Pope).

I myself had many beautiful experiences as a missionary priest in the Diocese of Kohima in the north-eastern Indian state of Nagaland, prior to my coming to the USA. Being one with the simple folks in their own struggles gave me so much contentment. Living with minimum conveniences in the mission lands (no regular power, no heating during winter, no running water, etc.), I was happy to join other missionary priests, nuns, catechists, and parish leaders to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to those who were eager to know the truth of the Catholic Church. I’m sure our Fr. Lancelot also will have many beautiful missionary experiences to share with us.

How wonderful that we have missionaries coming from different countries to St. Matthias to make the Mission Appeal (as part of the Missionary Cooperation Plan of our Diocese) each year. We have been very generous in our financial support of the Missions. Let us do the same on this World Mission Sunday. In a world where so much divides us, let us rejoice in our unity as missionaries through our Baptism, as it offers each one of us an opportunity to support the life-giving presence of the Church among the poor and marginalized in more than 1,111 mission dioceses.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT: We are all following the conflict between Israel and Palestine that has become a war after the massive surprise attack by Hamas resulting in the death of over 900 Israelis. While the world leaders have condemned such a terrorist attack, the retaliation is bringing more deaths. Pope Francis has begged both sides to “please stop the attacks and weapons and understand that terrorism and war do not lead to any solution, but only to the death and suffering of many innocent people. War is a defeat, every war is always a defeat.” He asked the faithful to join him in praying for peace in Israel and Palestine. We do pray for peace while the world leaders look for a political solution through dialog.

SYNOD ON SYNODALITY: It is this dialog that can make the present Synod on Synodality in Rome a success. Pope Francis opened the Synod’s three-week assembly with a call to remember that the Church exists to bring Jesus to the world and should face today’s challenges with a gaze fixed on God rather than “political calculations or ideological battles.” Francis repeated that the synod is not “a political gathering” or a “polarized parliament” but “a place of grace and communion.” And yet there is much polarization on many issues that will be discussed by the delegates in this Synod of Bishops, which for the first time includes laymen and women as full voting members. We accompany them with our prayers for the Spirit of God to guide them.

SPIRITUAL TECH CONNECT: Some of you have asked me about the progress of the live streaming/media upgrade plan in our church. At the beginning of this month, you may have read an update about it in the bulletin. It was published as part of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) decision to have more communication with our parishioners. Remember the ‘Spiritual Tech Connect’ campaign? We had launched it two years ago for the Giving Tuesday to purchase and install permanent tech equipment in our church building to spiritually connect with our community. That would give us the capability to project videos and images on large monitors that can be seen easily by everyone in church and by those watching online.

I am grateful to our Tech Committee (past and present members: Msgr Joe Curry, Peter Kostik, Barry Dusault, MaryBeth Oria, Elena Malinconico, Kathy Rezac, Andy Fuentes, Ana Kelly) who worked in the initial planning of this project. Later, two of our parishioners, Jeff Beck and Joe Mancuso, have been working with me on researching on the practical aspects of this project, meeting with different vendors to investigate, explore, compare and finalize what is best for our church.  After countless hours of research, we have identified the technology we need to upgrade our church projection system. It includes a new contrast-enhancing 150” diagonal screen and an 8500 lumen projector to ensure a bright image.  The screen will be placed on the crucifix wall behind the choir for maximum visibility, so we will be moving the crucifix higher on the wall (with proper consultation with our diocesan experts) to make space for it. As with any project, there has been delays in implementing this project too. Thanks to so many of you who graciously contributed to this Spiritual Tech Connect project, we all can be happy that we are in the last leg of seeing this project happen, and so we can look forward to enhancing our worship experience with this tech upgrade in the near future.

Your brother in Christ.

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

We are excited that our celebration of the Hispanic Heritage is this weekend during the 5 pm Mass on Saturday. This Mass is part of the National Hispanic Heritage Month observed from September 15 to October 15, 2023, celebrating the contributions and importance of Hispanics and Latinos to the United States and those American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.  I’m very happy that our own Fr. Lancelot McGrath is an expert in Spanish language and culture and so he is our presider for this special Mass.

In the past, I was asked, “Why do we need a Hispanic or bilingual Mass since we have only a tiny minority of Hispanic parishioners?” My answer was that this has nothing to do with numbers but for the whole parish to realize that we are a diverse community and that everyone is welcome. It is a chance for us to appreciate the different ways of being and celebrating together as an ecclesial community of the people of God.

The reality of Hispanic Catholic presence is this: For the past four decades, Hispanic/Latino ministry has flourished in thousands of parishes across the country, including our own diocese of Metuchen. This past summer, the US bishops approved a National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry referring to Hispanics/Latinos as a blessing from God, as a missionary and prophetic presence that revitalizes the church in the United States. The Plan calls for a synodal church that is more welcoming, evangelizing, and missionary at all levels; a church that can build vibrant parish communities with our Hispanic/Latino brothers and sisters, in the context of a culturally diverse society.

The theme for 2023 is “Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America,” highlighting the contributions of Hispanics to the economic, political, and social growth of the United States. The most important gift, however, that our Hispanic/Latino Catholics bring to the Church in the U.S. is faith and popular piety. Bishop Arturo Cepeda, chairman of the US Bishops Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church, says: “We celebrate our faith within our Church, in our communities. We celebrate our faith with our families, and we want to continue to celebrate our faith in the larger context of our society. One of the greatest gifts is the sense of community…that sense of being together, of solidarity, of being united with our own planet, celebrating and respecting life, our own Catholic traditions, our great love for Our Lady, and the celebration of our faith through the sacraments.”

Such values are extremely important for us all. We are happy and proud that our tradition of welcoming and celebrating cultural diversity is one of the significant and meaningful ways to bring about the Kingdom of God more fully here at St. Matthias. Thank you to our Hispanic brothers and sisters for the faith, hope, and love you bring to prayer, worship, and daily life in all your diversity as Hispanic, Latino, and Latina Catholics. Your reverence and enthusiasm are truly an inspiration to us all.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal