Nativity of the Lord
PEACE ON EARTH AND GOOD WILL TO ALL
To All the Families of Epiphany of the Lord
Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger (Luke 2:10-12).
Dearly beloved parishioners during this time of joy and peace, when God has become like us, I invite you to discover and contemplate the mystery of His birth and His greatness in the simplicity of a Newborn. This time always brings joy–hopefully the joy of Christmas will make us meditate and live this mystery as a family and in divine grace. For, this is our Blessed Time of Hope and Grace of Jesus.
At Christmas, dear friends, the Grace that has appeared in the world is Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, God and true Man. He has come to our history; He has shared our path. He has come to free us from darkness and give us light. In Him grace, mercy, and the tenderness of the Father have appeared: Jesus is Love made flesh. He is not only a teacher of wisdom. He is not an ideal that we tend to. He is the meaning of life and of history that has a spot among us (Pope Francis).
Dear spiritual sons and daughters, I thank you all for your expressions of affection and your warmth during this time. It is my First Christmas with you and I am very happy to serve you as your Pastor. I strive every day to guide and show you the path to God. A thousand thanks to all of you who since September 19, 2024, have become my Spiritual Family. I also thank you for your Monetary Support and your contribution towards the Christmas Basket Program; without your collaboration, the parish could not move forward and thanks to your Sharing Heart we can move forward. And remember always that Charity begins at our Home first.
Nevertheless, dear friends, I would like to thank all the members of our Parish; and to all those in the Parish Ministries and Groups. Finance Council, Parish Council, Liturgical Ministries, Educational and Youth Ministries, Outreach Ministries and all the members in Other ministries of our Parish. All of you are the Heart of the parish, I feel very grateful for all the support you bring to our parish community. Thank you very much for all your efforts to build up our Epiphany Community. It is a great joy to work as a Team.
However, in a particular way, I am grateful to our Parish Staff with their Job Responsibilities: Wallace Friedel-Business Manager; Holly Cerveny-Parish Office Coordinator/Administrative Assistant; Shellee Murcko-Director of Faith Formation; Tony Zsigray-Music Director; Abigail Cashin-Coordinator of Outreach; Anthony Abadia-Clerical Assistant; Deacon-Leon Holmer and Deacon-Jose Garcia; Jon Jacoby, Mike Turtureanu, Ray Wuertz-Maintenance; Samantha Salas, Ariana Espinosa, Liza Negrete-Housekeeping Team, and Kristie Ruedy-Director of Special Events.
Dear friends, our Pastoral Staff is working as a Team and I know that they are rendering a Yeomen Service to our Epiphany Community and will continue to do so. I am very happy with all of them because they are a great Team and they give their best to serve you as you deserve it, whilst they always seek to show the face of Christ. For me as a Pastor, they are not just Collaborators, they are a Family of Faith who help me carry this Parish forward in faith.
I owe a special gratitude to Pastor Mary Wood, the current Pastor of Calvin United Church of Christ in our Birmingham neighborhood, for her fraternal love, affection and ecumenical openness at being inclusive towards the Pastors and to the Parishioners of Epiphany of the Lord Parish. Let us all be united together as Pilgrims of Hope for the Jubilee Year-2025. For, this is the greatest moment of convergence of faith in Jesus.
On behalf of Fr. Clement Sahaya Anand SAC, the Pastoral Team, and myself, we wish this Christmas to be a Time of Hope and Spiritual Reconciliation. May the Grace and Peace of Baby Jesus abundantly bless your Homes, your Families, your Intentions and all your Projects and the entire Parish Community of Epiphany of the Lord.
I wish to close my Christmas Letter with a Benediction I read recently: May You be Filled with the Wonder of Mary, the Obedience of Joseph, the Joy of the Angels, the Eagerness of the Shepherds, the Determination of the Magi, and the Peace of the Christ Child. God Bless You Now and Forever. May our Lord Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, bless You, Your Families and Loved ones at this Blessed Time of Hope and Grace. May Mary, the Mother of the Child Jesus and our Mother, Watch over You and our Beloved Parish of the Epiphany of the Lord always.
I Wish You a Merry and Holy Christmas, Full of Peace and Well-being and a Graceful Happy New Year-2025. I hope to meet each of you in the Church. May Christ abide in your hearts always!
Fr. John Peter Lazaar SAC Pastor, Epiphany of the Lord Parish