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!