Dear Parishioners,
Coming to the end of a
calendar year and the beginning of a New Year makes me reflect on various past
events and remembrances that I have.
I can recall reading George
Orwell’s 1984 as a student and
thinking about what would it be like when we actually reach that time period. Then there was the song 1999 by Prince. We were
supposed to party it up like there’s no tomorrow. Then we faced the Y2K potential threat focusing on what will happen when the
computers have to change to the next calendar year, 2000. In the end, it really
didn’t live up to the hype.
I wasn’t born yet during major
world events like World War I or II, or conflicts like Korea. The adults I knew
sometimes talked about them and I read about these difficult times in the
history books. I was a boy/teen during Viet Nam and remember some news stories
from those tumultuous years (that included the sexual revolution, the drug
culture, hippies and a regular questioning of all authority). I later witnessed the collapse of Communism in Europe and the tearing down
of the Berlin Wall. Later, the Gulf War was substantially more real to me as we could watch it on
TV with reporters embedded with the troops.
I actually was in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina when the Bosnian War (c. 1991-1992) broke out
there. I had to get a number of teens
and young adults who were part of a youth pilgrimage to safety in London at
that time. It was pretty scary!
However, what I think
substantially changed things for me/us in America happened in the year 2001—September 11, 2001 to be precise. I saw the 2nd plane hit the World
Trade Center building on TV and later visited the ruins about a month or two afterwards. Things in America, I fear, will never quite
be the same again.
What will 2016 hold? A presidential
election is on the calendar. We are also
in the midst of a Jubilee Year of Mercy in our Catholic Church. But what else will come?
As we approach the New Year, I
customarily entrust and consecrate the parish wherever I am pastor to the care
of the Blessed Virgin Mary on New
Year’s Eve. I give this parish and all
of its parishioners over to the loving care of the Mother of God. I invite you to join me at the 5 PM Mass (please note the time!) on
New Year’s Eve—the Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
I can think of no better way to start the New Year right.
Why not take the time to
entrust your families to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s maternal care as well? Even if you cannot make this particular Mass,
parents, you can (and should) pray
for your children and families at home.
My prayers and Masses are
continually offered for your spiritual well-being. Please remember me as well so that I have the
graces necessary to live up to my responsibility as your pastor.
God’s blessings in the New
Year!
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
