On this Third Sunday of Lent Year C (Year of St Luke), Jesus blesses all of us with one of his most powerful parables: The Prodigal Son. I invite all of you to meditate on this well -known parable as part of your Lenten Journey in this JUBILEE Year of HOPE. Contemplate the famous painting of Rembrandt « The Return of the Prodigal Son ». This painting was displayed at St John XXIII Seminary in Boston. I passed by it every day during my four-year formation, A constant reminder of God’s unending Merciful Love. You can see this in the powerful embrace of the Father welcoming home his younger son dressed as a beggar, kneeling down and holding his head close to his father’s heart. You can also notice on the right side of the painting the jealous , older brother standing nearby amazed that his father welcomes back with open arms the younger son who had left home ab- ruptly and « swallowed up half of his father’s property with prostitutes ». We know that in this...

Each year I meet with every candidate to the Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation. This year was truly a marathon with 47 Confirmandi and 97 First Communicants. I have just completed that joyful marathon! I learn a lot from each candidate. This year we talked a lot about Heaven where we will meet God but also all the saints. In thus Jubilee Year of HOPE, we look forward to the day we will be in Heaven. Of course, the greatest grace will come from seeing God. But there will be also many graces to be in the presence of a multitude of Saints. Are you also looking forward to seeing your FAVORITE SAINT? WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE SAINT IN HEAVEN? For Confirmation, candidates need to choose one Sponsor who can assist on their Journey of Faith toward Heaven and also the name of a Saint who will be their Confirmation Name. Names are very important. They help strengthen our identity. They can inspire us to imitate great saints and get their spiritual support. I pray that Catholic parents will return to choose names of well-known Saints for their newly born children. I recall in Southern France where I was...

Do you know what is a General Confession? The concept is simple: instead of confessing to a priest your sins since your last confession, you confess all your sins since your first confession. Why should I make a General Confession? It is not necessary. It is not an obligation. It is not part of the Ten Commandments. But it is highly recommended to make one during a Jubilee Year or when you face major spiritu- al challenges at a critical time in your life. A Jubilee Year occurs every 25 years. The last one was in 2000. As you know, Pope Francis opened a new one in 2025 as a Jubilee Year of Hope! What are some of the benefits of a General Confession? General Confession will bring you many spiritual benefits when you make a thorough preparation. It will help you...

A Jubilee Year is a time to Celebrate and Rejoice. Nearly 100 parishioners participated in our Jubilee Retreat last Saturday. We received unanimous positive feedback. We wish most of you could have attended. It was a Joyful Celebration of our entry into the 2025 JUBILEE OF HOPE proclaimed by Pope Francis. The entire retreat was inspirational beginning with a Mass honoring Mary Mother of Hope on this First Saturday of March, followed by fellowship in Narthex (breakfast) , Jubilee Presentations and discussion in small groups in Father Martin Hall, Holy Hour of Adoration in the Church, confessions, lunch, general discussion and in conclusion, proposed specific actions at the parish level. First I would like to express my appreciation to the large number of clergy, staff , volunteers, and all the 100 participants who made this retreat so successful. Special thanks go to Father Carlos who led the preparation , coordination and implementation of this major event. Second , I am inviting every participant to...