Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Gratitude and Hope
As we come to the last Sunday of the year, we are invited to pause, look back, and give thanks. The past twelve months have been filled with ordinary days and extraordinary moments. Many families celebrated births, weddings, sacraments, and other joyful moments. Many also suffered ill health and grieved the loss of loved ones. There were moments of gatherings and goodbyes, of busyness and quiet faithfulness, of making mistakes and unexpected grace. Through it all, God has remained present, steady and faithful, walking with us as individuals and as a Parish Community.
As a Parish Community, this is a moment to be grateful. We rejoice with and give thanks for the many people who make our parish life possible: those who pray, serve, teach, visit, clean, plan, organise and quietly support behind the scenes. We give thanks for families, children, youth, adults and elders, newcomers and long-standing parishioners alike. Each one is a living stone in the Church. We give thanks for the moments of joy that lifted our hearts; and for the challenges that stretched our faith and taught us how to be compassionate and trusting.
The liturgy of this final Sunday focuses on the Holy Family, and the values that enrich every loving family. It is within our family, at once both fragile and strong, that we encounter the love of God.
We turn our gaze to the year ahead. The turning of the calendar is more than a date change. It is an invitation. God always offers us a new beginning: renewed faith, deeper love, a fresh openness to grace. The coming year will bring its own joys and uncertainties, but we step into it knowing that we do not walk alone.
May we enter the new year with grateful hearts, attentive spirits and a renewed desire to live the Gospel more fully. May our parish continue to be a place of hospitality, prayer, compassion and hope. With God’s help, we will continue to build a community where Christ is encountered and shared.
With trust, we place the year ahead into God’s hands. With St. Paul we are confident that the One who began a good work among you will bring it to completion. (Philippians 1:6)
A Happy and Prosperous Year to All.
Fr Silvio