February 3, 2016
My brothers and sisters,
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near. (Philippians 4:4-5)
I quote St. Paul because his words capture the feelings of my heart this season. For Corpus Christi Parish, it has been a season of great blessing. We have so many reasons to rejoice.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Yes, in the midst of our thanksgiving and ever present anxieties of life we are being called to enter into prayer and petition for ourselves, our families and our world. It is perfect time to enter into this next season of our lives…the season of Lent 2016. Our parish is focusing on a simple theme: Journey Toward Christ, the Light. If we but focus on Jesus and journey towards him during this holy season, He will renew and give great focus to the work of our hands here at Corpus Christi.
I strongly encourage you to choose from a myriad of possibilities to journey toward Jesus this season: join a small Emmaus Faith Sharing Group; reflect on the weekly scriptures; purchase a Little Black Book with its six-minute daily reflections; celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation; join with us EVERY Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist. (Included with this letter is a card summarizing the many suggested activities and ways which can assist you in our journey toward Jesus.)
As we look towards our future, many important activities are on the horizon:
Pope Francis has invited all the Church to focus this year on MERCY. This involves reflection of the mercy God has for each and every one of us. The Year of Mercy also invites each and every one of us to be agents of mercy in our troubled world.
Our Archdiocese is also holding a very important Archdiocesan Synod with its focus on Evangelization. We are privileged to have three members of our parish on the group of 200 people doing the core work this coming year: Deacon Paul Mueller, Vickie Figueroa and Sheila Finch with Homer McClarty being the alternate. We will be having local discussions on the topic of how do we best share the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom He came to establish.
One of our initiatives launched last year was to begin a Corpus Christi Endowment to plan for future needs. We have taken $300,000 of the funds from the sale of property at the Immaculate Heart of Mary site and invested it for future needs. Our goal is to build it up over time to one million dollars. That would give the parish an added $50,000 a year annually to assist in needs when buildings grow old and in need of repair. I encourage to consider making a Legacy of Faith contribution to the Endowment. By including a gift in your will, you will be letting your children and grandchildren know how important the gift of your faith is to you. (Included with this letter is more information on the Corpus Christi Endowment.)
We will also be hearing much more about the 2016 Reach Mission Trip when a number of our members will be going South to assist those in need in the hill country of our nation. The experience is a wonderful way for the young (and not so young) Christians to pour themselves out in service to others.
And the peace of Christ which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
A heartfelt thanks to all of you for all your support and willingness to serve in the past year. May the Spirit guide our hearts and feet in service of the Kingdom of His justice, mercy and peace.
Your brother on journey,