Christmas Was Brought To You By...Our Parish Communities of Faith

Everything in this life is ultimately a gift from God, so our gratitude always starts with Him - especially for the gift of His Son Jesus. From time to time, though, people need to be reminded of how much you are appreciated by others and how you are making a difference in our parish families. Your faith, prayers, and participation in the life of St. Martha Parish and St. Mary Parish are sources of strength to my faith and to countless people around you! When we gather to worship at Christmas and week after week, we are reminded of God's love for each of us, and that we are united in faith with our collaborative communities and the whole Catholic family. You are a tangible sign of Christ and his body the Church to each of us around you, and community is a key part of vibrant parishes!

As we said verbally at Masses on Christmas, Fr. Bill and I want to express our appreciation for all those parishioners who contribute to our Christmas celebrations and the ministry of our parishes throughout the year. Most importantly, all parishioners who graciously welcomed and accommodated the influx of worshippers have provided the critical ministry of hospitality, making our parishes places people know they will not be judged but included in the community of faith. The music ministries help us raise our voices in song and our hearts to God, and this year at St. Mary they heroically did this without the support of a music director (A.J. starts next weekend). Extra thanks to Sara Comeau, Anne Lesnik, and John Clabeaux at St. Mary, with Anne DiSanto and Jeff Johnson at St. Martha, for their music leadership. The art & environment teams, assisted by our building & grounds person at each parish, make our churches beautiful and festive with the joy of the season! Those who donated toward Christmas flowers helped defray the cost of decorating God's house fittingly with living creations of God; the list of donors and those they honored is published in a binder in each church (copies may be requested from your parish office). Those who supported the giving tree at St. Mary provided many gifts and gift cards for area families who would have had little this Christmas, and the gift tags at St. Martha allowed us to show our love and appreciation to the active and retired Religious Sisters in our community. The altar servers, lectors, ushers and extraordinary-ministers of Communion enrich our liturgy as they serve with dedication at the tables of God's Word and of the Eucharist each week. The Lewicki family at St. Martha and the Anderson family at St. Mary continue their abundant generosity in plowing and sanding our properties at no cost to our parishes, while Rich Hender & Scott Leary (and those who assist them) work very hard to clear walkways & stairs at their respective churches - on top of all their regular buildings & grounds responsibilities. The ministry of our deacons and priests (including Fr. Dennis who loves assisting at both parishes so much) are signs of God's promise to be with us always, and I am grateful to be among them as part of our whole Pastoral Team.

Finally, it is a sign of your dedication to your parish and our ministry together that you have contributed generously to your parish Grand Annual, and many of you submitted an Offertory Pledge - your commitment to regular financial support going forward provides stability for our parishes. Letters updating your pledges will be sent out soon, and you can change your pledge as necessary. If you have not yet returned your gift or pledge, additional information is available in packets by the church doors.

In your active service at Christmas and year round, in your financial support, and in your prayerful presence at Mass - you are making a difference: strengthening our parish families!