Christmas 2015 - Peace and Greetings
Wednesday 23 December 2015
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Peace and greetings to you from Fr. Joe!
On behalf of the parishes of St. Gerard & St. Anne and Holy Spirit, it is a joy for me, again this year, to convey to each of you, warmest wishes for a Christ-filled Christmas and a New Year filled with the loving presence of the God of life.
'Emmanuel' is our source of joy at Christmas."The Joy the Gospel is something to be experienced, something to be known and lived only through giving it away, through giving ourselves away" (Pope Francis). The joy of the Gospel by its very nature is self-disclosing; once acquired it cannot be concealed but shared.This joy consists in "an endless desire to show mercy, the fruit of our own experience of the power of the Father’s infinite mercy". Therefore, the Holy Year of Mercy will be an occasion not only to experience the infinite love and mercy of the Father but also to express the same through a life of forgiveness, reconciliation, dialogue and spiritual and corporal acts of mercy.
After the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth, we the members of the parish family are invited to do everything possible to strengthen our relationship with God and with each other and to live the spirit of God's mercy. Let us strive to transform every human family into a place of communion and renew our commitment to the care and protection of children.
Let us also pray for peace in the world, especially for those countries torn apart by war and violence. May Jesus, the 'Prince of Peace', touch our hearts with compassion and the spirit of solidarity!
I also want to extend a sincere and appreciative wish to all of you, who, under a variety of titles, share with each other the exciting mission of exemplifying the love of God. My hope is that the road we have shaped together will be a font of mutual enrichment, of renewed commitment and of joyful and fraternal collaboration in proclaiming the coming of the Reign of God in the person of Jesus.
I invite all of you to join our parish Christmas Celebration. Kindly refer to our Christmas Services page for our Christmas schedule. On a personal note, I will be on my annual holidays from 29th December 2015 to 21st January 2016 and as usual I will be spending it with my family members in India. Many sincere thanks for your ongoing love, support and prayers during the year and be sure of my humble prayers.
May the grace of Christmas transform us into fountains of joy and hope for the world. I wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2016.
Fr. Joe