Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am so grateful today. I am filled with gratitude for the great blessing that is our common faith. I am thankful for Our Savior Jesus Christ, born in the radical simplicity of a cave in the little town of Bethlehem 2000 years ago. I am grateful for the hundreds of Catholics who are worshiping with us this weekend and receiving our Eucharistic King in Holy Communion.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

A friend recently shared a song about the absurdity of the busy, secular Christmases. It’s called,
“I need a Silent Night.” The lyrics of the first verse and refrain are:
I've made the same mistake before--
too many malls, too many stores.
December traffic, Christmas rush
It breaks me till I push and shove.

Children are crying while mothers are trying to photograph Santa and sleigh.
The shopping and buying and standing forever in line. What can I say?

I need a silent night, a holy night.
to hear an angel’s voice through the chaos and the noise. I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here to end this crazy day with a silent night.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near!

I have a good friend who is a priest and lives in Indiana. He is about six and a half feet tall! He tends to stand out in a crowd… especially when he wears his clerics. He usually comes to visit once a year or so. While in town, we often go hiking because we do have some amazing trails. So to get a little exercise, I decided it would be good to try climbing Camelback Mountain. If you have never hiked this mountain, I have to say it is a difficult climb. My friend let me know that it is especially difficult for a guy with size 15 shoes! Hiking with skis for feet is hard enough but my friend is not all that coordinated either - as he reminded me all the way up the mountain! Actually, I was nervous for him! There were lots of obstacles along the path and crevices and sheer cliffs. He kept reminding me that there was a shortage of priests and perhaps we should turn back!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On the weekend of December 10/11, 2016, our parishes will be taking up the annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Priests and Religious. This is an opportunity to honor and thank the thousands of senior Catholic sisters, bothers, religious order priests, and our own senior diocesan priests who responded to God's call in their youth and who, now in their retirement years, need our help so that they can live in dignity, free of anxiety about their means of support.

Queridos Hermanos y Hermanas en Cristo,

Durante el fin de semana del 10 y 11 de diciembre de 2016, nuestras parroquias estarán llevando a cabo la colecta anual nombrada el Fondo de Retiro para Sacerdotes y Religiosos/as. Esta Oportunidad se presenta para dar honor y agradecer a los miles de hermanas religiousas de la tercera edad, igual que a los hermanos religiousos, sacerdotes de órdenes religiousas y nuestros propios sacerdotes diocesanos de la tercera edad. Estos siervos han respondido al llamado de Dios desde su juventud y ahora, jubilados, necesitan nuestra ayuda para que vivan con dignidad y libres de ansiedad sobre su sostenimiento.

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