My dear brothers and sisters,

Christ is born: sing glory! Christ has descended from heaven: go out to meet Him!  Christ is on earth: lift yourselves up! Sing to the Lord, all the earth; for He who belongs to heaven is now on earth! St. Gregory Nazianzen (+389)

I would like to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. During this Advent and Christmas season, we celebrate Hope, Peace, Joy and Love; I pray that all four of these would fill your life in every way this Christmas and beyond. We celebrate Emmanuel, “God is with us.”

I am grateful to God. I am grateful for all of you, the community of faith here at St. Lucy Parish. This year we all faced many challenges and difficulties. It has been a year filled with heartache and tears as I mourn my dear Father. However, God gives us Christmas. He gives us Jesus. God’s response to our cries is clear and unequivocal:  His Son.  He is God’s gift for our lives.  Without Christ’s presence among us we would be lost. Through God’s presence working within us we are being healed, transformed, reconciled, and made whole. What a beautiful gift  given to us from God, his Son, Jesus.

The best Christmas gift we can give each other is to share our faith with loved ones and strangers alike. Joyfully proclaiming that “God is with us.” With all the blessing God has bestowed on each of us not only sharing our faith with others but the gift of peace. Peace in our families, communities, and our world. I pray that Christmas for each of us is a joyful moment to hear the Good News once again, God is with us. May we welcome him again with hope. And may all of you, your family, and your friends have a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

Celebrating the birth of Christ is so much more meaningful when it’s shared with my Parish family.

Yours in Christ,

Father Horgan