Dear Community of Saint Joseph’s;

 

Before we get too far away from the Christmas season I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved for making Christmas at Saint Joseph’s an occasion of joy.  I personally find the preparations for Christmas to be a stressful and demanding time.  In the moment I sometimes get so distracted by the deadlines and responsibilities of the season I can forget what is really important.  In spite of my personal limitations, I found that every Advent Sunday our parish family gathered in prayer to celebrate, forgive and share. 

 

Regarding the sharing: the Saint Joseph’s Giving Tree Project reached out to more families this year than ever before. This year we provided approximately 500 gifts to individuals and families that would not have had presents at Christmastime. We gathered $5750 in food gift cards to share at Christmas and throughout the year.  Our Giving Tree Team worked with a variety of organizations such as: Angel Tree, Above The Line,  Siena House, Tyler House, Families in Transition, CASA, Nueva Dia Children’s Center and Casa De La Cultura.  And not only presents, but also meals and groceries provided by the ministries of our Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.  To enter the parish office the weeks before Christmas was to walk into a whirlwind of activity as our parishioners worked with great dedication to share great abundance and good cheer.

 

In Advent and Christmas our Church was beautiful and welcoming and there was a prayerful spirit of hope in our music, liturgies and in our communion with one another.  I pray that this New Year will be a time of great plenty in your life. May God bless you with all you need and all you desire and may we continue to seek the God who lives amongst us.

 

Father Matt Pennington

Pastor