Your Greatest Gifts Need No Wrapping

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 help strengthen my faith. 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 the communities of our collaborative and the whole Catholic family. You are a tangible sign of Christ and his body the Church. To each of us,
this community is a key part of our vibrant parishes!

As we said verbally at Masses on Christmas, Fr. Lambert 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, we thank all parishioners who graciously welcomed the influx of worshippers and provided the critical ministry of hospitality, making our churches places people know they will not be judged but included in the community of the faithful.  All of our music ministries help us raise our voices and hearts to God in song, guided by the leadership of Anne DiSanto and Jeff Johnson at St. Martha and Jillian Carelli at St. Mary. The art & environment teams, with a lot of help from the building & grounds keeper Rich Hender at St. Mary, make our churches beautiful and festive with the joy of the season. Those who donated toward Christmas flowers allowed us to decorate God's houses fittingly with living creations
of God; the list of donors and those they honored is published in a binder in each church (copies can be taken from that podium or requested from your parish office). Those who participated in the giving trees and other gift tags provided many gifts for families and
others in our area who would have had little this Christmas. Maggie Hoagland and her helpers ran another amazing Family Day and directed the very precious collaborative Christmas Pageant. The altar servers, lectors, ushers, greeters 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 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.

Armand Pepin & Tim Pac work very hard to clear walkways & stairs at their respective churches (on top of all their regular buildings & grounds responsibilities), with much needed assistance from parishioners. Snow removal helpers are still needed - see separate article. Our Collaborative staff worked extra hard facilitating your participation and offering a compassionate ear to those who are hurting. The ministry of our deacons and priests 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.

Taken all together, this is true Christian Stewardship of our time, talents and treasure. In your active service at Christmas and year round, in your financial support, and in your prayerful participation in our liturgies - you are making a difference: strengthening our parish families!