Pastor’s Letter: December 31, 2023
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Soon we will be welcoming in the New Year. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of Fr Reiser and Fr Tom to wish all of you a Blessed New Year. May 2024 be a faith filled year for each of you. This year there is a lot to be grateful for. St John Vianney celebrates its 50th year since its founding. We are grateful for all who made it possible especially Fr Paul Schwaab and all our Founding Members of St John Vianney.
We continue with the celebration of our Christmas season this weekend with the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family. We recognize the gift of the Holy Family in our lives who not only sacrificed so much to bring the baby Jesus into our world but also serve as an ideal for Christian Families.
As previous bulletins were prepared ahead of time, I was not able to convey the tragic news of the loss of Fr Stephen Gutgsell. Fr Stephen was stabbed to death early in the morning of December 10 in his residence. We buried Fr Stephen Gutgsell on Monday December 18. I invite you to keep Fr Gutgsell and his family in your prayers as well as the community of St John the Baptist Church in Fort Calhoun where he resided. Please also keep the priests in the Archdiocese in your prayers as we continue to grieve the loss of our brother priest.
As this bulletin letter was written before Christmas, there are not many updates to mention in this column.
Once again, thank you to all our volunteers who spent countless hours making our Churches beautiful for the Christmas season. Thank you also to all who made our liturgies a Blessed occasion. It is indeed a Blessed time to share with you the spirit of Christmas lived as we focus on the birth of Jesus in the manger.
Please note that the offices will be closed for the Christmas season till the 1st of the New Year. If there is any Sacramental emergency, call Mary Our Queen Church at 402 333 8662 and press the extension number 8 and you will be directed to a priest. If no one answers, kindly leave a message and a priest will get back to you as soon as he is able to.
As we make our way to the end of the year, if you are planning to make a charitable donation for tax purposes, we invite you to please consider a generous gift to our Parish Capital Campaigns or building funds at both Mary Our Queen and St John Vianney. There is also a Christmas wish list that can be found at Mary Our Queen’s Parish website. Your generous gift would not only help us with the upkeep of our Parish Facilities but will also help us look towards the future where we continue to create new opportunities for our Parishes to be a place where our faith is lived and shared.
God’s Blessings,
Fr Marc