Pastor’s Letter: January 7, 2024

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are into a new year.  This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany where we celebrate the arrival of the three wise men, or sometimes referred to as magi, who came to do homage to Jesus.  We recognize that the light of Christ can lead us just as it led the three wise men to travel a great distance to encounter Jesus.  We pray that the light of Christ continues to guide us in all that we  do.

Monday is the Baptism of the Lord where we celebrate the beginning of Jesus’ Public Ministry.  Monday also marks the last day of Christmas. As we take down the Christmas decorations that made our Churches beautiful, I would like this time once again to thank all who spent countless hours to make our Christmas Season at St John Vianney and Mary Our Queen a joy filled occasion.

This year, 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 the Founding Members of St John Vianney.

Having gone through a Season of Christmas as a Family of Parishes, we will continue to adjust our preparations so that we can continue to grow as a Family of Parishes.  We will do our best to make available the Sacrament of Reconciliation at both our Parishes.  Next year, we will have our combined Midnight (or rather 10pm) Christmas Mass at St John Vianney.  I thank you for your support as we slowly navigate our early stages as a Family of Parishes.

Fr Tom’s brother, Steve passed away on January 1st.  Please keep him and his family in your prayers.  At the time of this letter, the arrangements for the funeral have not been made.

Here are some things going on at our Family of Parishes:

St. John Vianney

• We will be having our Casino Night on Friday, January 26th and our Annual Barbeque Competition on the 27th of January.  The proceeds for these events go to support our Community Outreach Ministry. Please keep these days free.
• We have purchased some new whiteboards for our Classrooms in the basement.  We have also purchased a few new TVs for the youth and young adult rooms to facilitate more programs.  We are also going through all our furniture in our basement classrooms this week to see what is needed for replacement or repair.

Mary Our Queen

• The Men’s Club will have their Annual Game Feed on Saturday, February 3rd.  The proceeds support our Men’s Club and their charitable activities at MOQ.

Please keep Saturday, February 10th for Mary Our Queen’s Annual Fundraiser – the Marquee.  This event supports our Parish Community.

God’s Blessings,

Fr Marc