Dear Friends,
A lot is going on in our Parish. Praise God! I am so proud of your engagement in your spiritual life that we are encouraged to offer you so many opportunities of prayer and reflection during this sacred time of Lent. Please do not feel overwhelmed, but feel free to choose a program or two or more that you could attend during this sacred time. For this year’s Lent obviously, there are some not to miss opportunities such as attending the Lenten Mission, celebrating the sacrament of Reconciliation, attending an extra Mass, or an Evening Prayer, or the Stations of the Cross, or The Taizé Prayer, or a Bible Study and so on.
This year I am particularly thrilled to have Fr. Hugh Cleary, CSC, our former Superior General, to present our Lenten Mission. His visit has been long overdue, as I have been after him for the past three years. I heartily welcome Fr. Hugh to our parish. Please make it a point to attend his presentation which will be done in collaboration with two of our Holy Cross parishes: Sacred Heart -Francis de Sales in Bennington, VT and St. John the Baptist in North Bennington, VT. This is possible thanks to the advancement of the technological marvel. Fr. Hugh will prepare us to celebrate the “Miracles of Life” that we will experience during the Triduum Celebrations.
I take this opportunity to thank our very dedicated people in the Altar Guild Ministry. Very often they go unnoticed as they work behind the scene. Thanks to them, we are able to have such lovely flow with our worship experience as they see to the cleanliness of the Altar Clothes, the Altar Candles, the Albs and Chasubles, and also as they see to the steady supply of Bread and Wine needed for the celebration of the Eucharist. In particular, I take this moment to thank Peggy Thorpe who has led this ministry ably for the past 8 years. She now deservedly takes a break. Thank You Peggy for your commitment and dedication to this ministry. I also want to welcome and thank Joanne Fusco for taking on the leadership position of the Altar Guild Ministry. May your love for God and of the worship bear abundant fruit.
I am once again grateful to those who have already given to Our Catholic Appeal 2021. I request the others to consider participating as your contribution not only supports the ministries of the Diocese, it also shows your understanding of how the Catholic Church operates for we cannot be on our own. We are not an independent entity able to survive on our own. We are here in this beautiful place only because the Diocese has blessed us and we are inextricably connected to the Diocese. Hence, please support the OCA 2021.
The Second Sunday of Lent invites us to reflect on Jesus transfigured on a high mountain in front of Peter, James and John. It was a moment of reassurance for those disciples who needed some hope. It, too, is a moment of reassurance for us all as we plough though the challenging days of the pandemic.
Be Blessed!
With love, Fr. John