My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

No sooner did we get accustomed to 2025, the year comes to an end, and everything starts over. Sometimes, the change of year is unwanted because we perceive things going so well, while other times, we perceive this change not coming fast enough. Either way, here we are.

Whether wanted or not, we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize and give thanks to God for the blessings in our life. Personally, allow me to offer my undying gratitude to everyone for your continued love and support of the work of our parish. Every accomplishment in the year past is, through God’s Grace, due to your dedication and love for His Church. I am honored and grateful to be with you all.

Regardless of where we stand, I would suggest embracing this change and the opportunity provided to recenter our priorities, can only be to our benefit. In the fourth century, St Basil the Great received a literary education practicing law and teaching rhetoric. Having been raised in a pious family, he quickly left his profession and dedicated his life to God. In doing so he wrote, “I had wasted much time on follies and spent nearly all of my youth in vain labors, and devotion to the teachings of a wisdom that God had made foolish. Suddenly, I awoke as out of a deep sleep. I beheld the wonderful light of the Gospel truth, and I recognized the nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world.”

Things are no different for us today than they were in the fourth century of St Basil. His ultimate realization and subsequent teaching that our perceptions cannot be based on the “nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world” but rather on the “wonderful light of the Gospel of truth,” is our call to embrace the change and recenter our priorities. We ask ourselves if we have wasted our time on follies, vain labors and the nothingness of the wisdom of this world or are we willing to behold the wonderful light of the Gospel truth.

As we enter this new calendar year, I pray we all embrace this opportunity to recenter our priorities, not to the nothingness but to the light of the Gospel of truth. May our Loving and Benevolent and Merciful Lord guide us and grant us His Grace, Wisdom and Peace in this new year.

In His Service,

+Fr. Mario