Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! I wish to begin this New Year with a heart filled with thanks to all those who are on the faith journey with the Catholic Community of Sacred Heart. With the joyous spirit of that community, all involved in ministry pulled together throughout the year to worship fully as a community of faith. The last days of the Advent Season were a beehive of activity as we witnessed the young children of our parish in the Christmas Pageant. Then everyone moved into action as chairs were put in place to welcome all those who would attend the 4:00 P.M vigil Mass for Christmas. People worked together to decorate the church for Christmas, the children’s choir practiced in the hall, the Sacred Heart Beats in the Conference Room and the Adult Festival Choir in the Church. Behind the scenes readers prepared to proclaim the word, altar servers practices, ministers of Holy Communion came forward, homilies were prepared, many gifts were bought for the needs that hung from the Giving Trees, people feasted at the Mustard Seed, donations made to the Food Pantry. That was just the month of December. This community action and working together takes place all year long here at Sacred Heart and we should all thank God for the gift we are to one another.
I am also filled with thanks as we enter 2019 for the wonderful staff we have serving the parish. Joe Calabrese keeping the church so clean, which is a challenge for a part-time position, but he does a great job! When you call, Tina Buckley and Darleen Page (morning and afternoon respectively) take down the details of needs to be addressed along with their responsibilities with day to day operation of the parish. Tara Corcoran leads us so well in faith formation for those of elementary age and younger. New on the scene is Lee Maleno who heads our ministry to those in Junior and Senior High and young adults. And last but not least, the leader of the pack, Pam Chaplin! As Ministry and Operations Manager, she keeps me and everyone else on the mark so that nothing slips through the cracks and all fits into place. How blessed we all are by their leadership.
As we enter this New Year of 2019, may we all have the grace to begin again and encourage each other to bond fully as a Catholic Community. Let’s keep the doors open for new members to join us and be on this wonderful faith journey together. May we all be aware of the deepest desires God places in our hearts as we enter this New Year!