Recently, I received an email from a parishioner who shared with me how troubled she feels about what she’s witnessing going on in our country at the present time. Her daughter’s boyfriend works for the Justice Department in Washington, DC and he says it’s “really bad” there. No one knows what’s coming next.

It’s understandable for people to be on edge when thousands of jobs have been lost, when some of the guardrails that protect citizens are being dismantled.

Recently, I’ve become more aware of the caregivers in our midst who walk among us often unnoticed, but who are providing heroic care in rather challenging circumstances. They include parents and grandparents caring for chronically ill or disabled children; husbands and wives caring for ill, disabled, or dying spouses; grown children caring for elderly parents; relatives, friends, and neighbors providing quiet care and support to disabled people and elders living alone.

Are you aware that the Catholic Church is currently in a Jubilee Year, which will continue until January 6, 2026, the Feast of Epiphany? Pope Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 by opening the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on the evening of Dec. 24. He explains in his Bull of Indiction that the Holy Door is opened “to invite everyone to an intense experience of the love of God that awakens in hearts the sure hope of salvation in Christ.”

What have you decided to do for Lent? Traditionally, we reflect on what Jesus came to do for us. By suffering and dying on the Cross, Jesus has taken upon himself our sins and the sins of the world, which expresses God’s great mercy and forgiveness. In Lent, we prepare to renew our Baptismal promises at Easter by coming to terms with the ways we have not always renounced evil and sin, and have not put God at the center of our lives. We haven’t always nurtured the gift of our Baptism.

As of this writing, Tue, Feb 25, health updates about our Holy Father, Pope Francis indicate that he is slowly improving from his recent health challenges, although he is not “out of the woods.” He did meet with some Church officials to carry out some of his responsibilities from the hospital. I offer the following for you to use in your prayer for his continued healing.

Are you aware that some critical services offered by the Catholic Church have been cut as a result of recent executive orders signed by the president? One result is the defunding of USAID, the main international humanitarian and development arm of the U.S. government, which has been providing about 50 percent of the funding of Catholic Relief Services (CRS). CRS assists the poor and vulnerable overseas, including emergency relief and human development initiatives.

Matt Bensman has been on staff with us here at Holy Family Parish since August 2018 when he began serving as our Youth Faith Formation Minister / Social Media Coordinator. Later, in January 2024, he began serving as our Director of Family Faith Formation. Over the course of time since then, he has discerned that he needs to spend more time caring for his young family including his special needs son, Theo.

I came across a saint I knew nothing about recently reading Matthew Kelly’s “Saint of the Day” for Jan. 29 – that I share with you. It is St. Gildas the Wise (6th century). While we don’t know a whole lot about St. Gildas, we do know that he was “of the truth.” That may be why he came to be known as Gildas the Wise. After all, wisdom is truth lived. St. Gildas lived the truth by condemning the corruption of British kings and clergy in his book, On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain.

There are many folks around us looking for hope. Maybe you’re one of them. Some have lost loved ones or are dealing with a terminal illness, others are alienated from family members, or have seriously messed up their lives having made bad choices, or have faced daunting challenges they have had no control over such as a loss of a job. They long for some comfort and help to get them through their despair.

This Sunday, the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, is designated as the Sunday of the Word of God. In 2019, Pope Francis instituted this day as the Sunday of the Word of God to remind us of the role of the Word of God in the life of the Church. In the Introduction to the Lectionary used to proclaim the readings at Mass, it explains that “In the hearing of God's word, the Church is built up and grows, and in the signs of the liturgical celebration, God's wonderful, past works in the history of salvation are presented anew as mysterious realities.

We’ve been blessed with Fr. Bill William’s ministry here at Holy Family Parish for over 3½ years. He has been a “God-send” to me serving as a partner in ministry as a Senior Assistant by sharing some of our weekend and daily Masses, funerals, anointings, and confessions. In that time, we have become dear friends as well as colleagues. Additionally, he has become very fond of the many members of our parish who have welcomed him as a special part of our community.

The start of a new year often prompts us to look back at what was, as well as to look ahead at what possibilities there might be. Besides the resolutions to shed the pounds added over time or to recommit to personal goals left unmet, a faith-focused approach to the new year could make quite a difference in how our days ahead unfold.

Recently I mailed out to all registered parishioners a copy of our parish Annual Financial Report. Along with the report, I usually include a request for you to make a once-a-year “grand” gift to the parish to assist with the cost of maintenance, repairs, and renovations since the weekly offertory collection revenue only covers our regular operating expenses.