Pastor's Weekly Update: Sunday, January 9th

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This is the “official” end of the Christmas season, and when you come to church next Sunday or during the week this week you’ll notice that the Christmas decorations

have been put away. In an extended sense, though, the Christmas season continues until the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas) on February 2nd. In Rome, all the nativity scenes stay out until February 2nd to encourage everyone to continue imitating Mary in meditating upon all the beautiful events we have celebrated in our hearts. I’ll be doing the same at my home!

Do you have a nativity scene in your home? If not, maybe you could take advantage of an after-Christmas sale to purchase one to be ready for next year.

Recent read: Handing Down the Faith: How parents pass their religion on to the next generation by Christian Smith and Ay Adamczyk. This is the latest in a series of books by Christian Smith about the faith life of young adults and how faith is passed from one generation to the next in a variety of religious contexts in the United States. It is not exactly an instruction book, but a work of sociology, but you still might find some insights that are helpful. Available to loan.

St. John the Evangelist, pray for us!

Yours in Christ,

Father Royce Gregerson

Queridos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo,

Hoy celebramos la Fiesta del Bautismo del Señor. Este es el final "oficial" de la temporada navideña, y cuando venga a la iglesia el próximo domingo o durante la semana notarás que las decoraciones navideñas se han guardado. En un sentido extendido, sin embargo, la temporada navideña continúa hasta la Fiesta de la Presentación del Señor (Candelaria) el 2 de febrero. En Roma, todos los Nacimiento de Jesús permanecen fuera hasta el 2 de febrero para animar a todos a continuar imitando a María en meditar sobre todos los acontecimientos hermosos que hemos celebrado en nuestros corazones. ¡Haré lo mismo en mi casa!

¿Tienes el Nacimiento de Jesús en tu casa? Si no, tal vez podría aprovechar una venta después de Navidad para comprar una para estar listo para el próximo año.

¡San Juan Evangelista, ruega por nosotros!

Suy

o en Cristo,

Padre Royce Gregerson