Dear Friends,
The Year 2025 is a very significant one for Catholics and for the St. John’s Community of faith. In 2025, the Church once again walks together the journey of a Jubilee. Every 25 years, the Church reminds us that the Lord desires to set us free from every form of slavery. By opening the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica on 24 December 2024, Pope Francis invites us to fan the flame of hope that will echo the theme of Jubilee 2025—Pilgrims of Hope.
Please watch for future announcements about how St. John’s will participate in the Church’s Jubilee Year. You may find Bishop John Noonan’s comments on the Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee on the diocesan website at Pilgrims – Diocese of Orlando, Florida.
In addition, 2025 is going to be a year of celebrations for us here at St. John’s. In September, we will begin our year-long celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the foundation of our parish, which occurred in September 2001. You will hear more about this in the days to come.
January 2025 is Holy Cross Heritage Month for us in the U.S. We will use this as an opportunity to learn a little more about the Congregation of Holy Cross whose members founded and continue to serve the community of St. John’s.
The Congregation was founded by Fr. Basil Moreau in Le Mans, France, in 1837 to serve the educational needs of post-revolution France. Soon after, the Congregation began to serve the educational needs of Asia, Africa, and North America.
One of the distinguished members of the Congregation is St. Brother André Bessette whose feast we celebrate on January 6. Alfred Bessette entered the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1870 and took the name Brother André. As doorkeeper in one of the Congregation’s schools, he fostered devotion to Saint Joseph among the sick and soon became known as the “Miracle Man” of Montreal for the miraculous cures attributed to his intercession. In 1904, he founded the world-renowned Oratory of Saint Joseph. Do not be afraid to pray to this simple man of prayer and ask for his intercession.
We are blessed to have sacred relics of both Fr. Moreau and St. André in the altar in our Church.
In this context, I am very pleased to welcome Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., the Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Bro. Paul comes to us from Rome, and this is his first official visit to our parish.
Bro. Paul was elected to be the Congregation’s 14th Superior General in 2022, becoming the First Brother Superior General; this position previously was reserved only for priests of the order. A native of New Haven, CT, Bro. Paul professed his First Vows in the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States in 1979 and his Final Vows in 1985. He has a wide range of experience, working as a teacher, administrator, campus minister, vocation director, formation director, retreat director, provincial councilor, and Executive Director of the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC). He held the position of Vicar General of the Congregation before being elected as Superior General. A very hearty welcome, dear Brother Paul!
It is most fitting that Bro. Paul should visit us on the weekend that we celebrate the Solemnity of The Epiphany of the Lord. With the coming of the Magi to visit the newborn King of Israel, we celebrate the Epiphany, the manifestation of God’s plan that salvation is for all of creation.
Through the birth of Jesus, we celebrate the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that all people of the earth will be gathered into God’s embrace (Is 2:2-5; 11:10-13). The people of Israel who have returned from their exile are not only expected to build their own city and its temple but to expand its scope to include nations and religions beyond their boundaries. Same theme is echoed in the Responsorial Psalm 72: “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”
In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul further explains this notion that the Gentiles are “coheirs,” “members of the same body,” and “copartners” with the Jews, forming one body and sharing in one promise. What a reversal of roles! This is unique, something never before heard. Praise God for the Epiphany that has made us part of this one Body of Christ.
I would like to THANK all the liturgical and other ministries that worked hard to make our Christmas celebrations very meaningful and our worship space very beautiful. We are truly blessed because of people like you.
I also wish to thank Josefina Perez and her team who, for the second year in a row, orchestrated “Breakfast with Santa” on Sunday, 22 December. She and her many volunteers donated their time, talent, and treasure to festively decorate the Fr. Patrick Peyton Room and Holy Cross Hall, creating a special occasion for our children. Our amazing Kitchen Crew prepared and served a delicious pancake breakfast, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and their elves enlivened the morning. Our children greatly enjoyed this special event — the moms and dads, too!
New Year’s a time for making new resolutions to become closer to God. You have many options; here are a few:
- listening and praying “The Bible in a Year Podcast” and “The Catechism in a Year Podcast,” both by Fr. Mike Schmitz.
- journeying with Mother Mary as we listen and pray “The Rosary in a Year (RIY) Podcast” offered by Ascension Press and hosted by Fr Mark Mary Ames, F.R. To sign up and follow along, visit their website at https://ascensionpress.com/pages/riy-signup. You can also sign up on our website: https://www.stjohnviera.org/.
Good news: the dates are now confirmed for the pilgrimage of a lifetime to Croatia and Medjugorje: 8 – 18 July 2025.
Be Blessed! With Love,
Fr. John