Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Dear Parishioners,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! As we begin the new year, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. This feast of Mary has an interesting history that dates back as far as the fifth (5 th ) century. The liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council restored the original Roman practice of beginning the new year in honor of Mary.

Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est., promulgated on Christmas 2005, the last sentences of the encyclical is a prayer to the Blessed Mother: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, you have given the world its true light, Jesus, your Son—the Son of God. You abandoned yourself completely to God’s call and thus became a wellspring of the goodness which flows forth from Him. Show us Jesus. Lead us to Him. Teach us to know and love Him, so that we too can become capable of true love and be fountains of living water in the midst of a thirsting world.”

January 2nd will be my 10th anniversary as Pastor of St. Peter. It’s hard to believe that I have been at St. Peter for ten years. My prayer is that God will continue to use me to bring His message to our community. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be on Wednesday, January 4 th .

Adoration begins at 1:00 P.M. and concludes with Benediction at 6:00 P.M. What a wonderful way to begin the new year by spending time in prayer with our Eucharistic Lord.

The second collection next weekend will be for the Building Maintenance Fund.

Have a Blessed New Year!