February 5, 2023

Sisters and Brothers,

Thanks to your generosity, we were able to use monies donated to the Poor Fund to provide twenty rosaries to the Salvation Army in the Byward Market.  A number of their clients — some recently out of prison — were asking for the rosaries for prayer and they reached out to us.  Another example of our sacrifices making a difference. 

Lent begins on Wednesday February 22.  In his message of last year, Pope Francis wrote:  Each year during Lent we are reminded that “goodness, together with love, justice and solidarity, are not achieved once and for all; they have to be realized each day” (ibid., 11). Let us ask God to give us the patient perseverance of the farmer (cf. Jas 5:7), and to persevere in doing good, one step at a time. If we fall, let us stretch out our hand to the Father, who always lifts us up. If we are lost, if we are misled by the enticements of the evil one, let us not hesitate to return to God, who “is generous in forgiving” (Is 55:7). In this season of conversion, sustained by God’s grace and by the communion of the Church, let us not grow tired of doing good. The soil is prepared by fasting, watered by prayer and enriched by charity. Let us believe firmly that “if we do not give up, we shall reap our harvest in due time” and that, with the gift of perseverance, we shall obtain what was promised (cf. Heb 10:36), for our salvation and the salvation of others (cf. 1 Tim 4:16). By cultivating fraternal love towards everyone, we are united to Christ, who gave his life for our sake (cf. 2 Cor 5:14-15), and we are granted a foretaste of the joy of the kingdom of heaven, when God will be “all in all” (1 Cor 15:28).

We have been having ongoing problems with our phone system ... meaning at times calls are cut off mid-conversations or messages are not received.  Thank you for your patience.  While the matter is being looked at — temporarily fixed and issues return — if you can, emailing is the best way to contact the office.  Hopefully the issues will be addressed soon.

God Bless!