7/4/21
First Sunday as Mary, Queen of Saints Parish
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
Greetings in the Lord, who makes all things new! (Rev. 21:5)
On this first Sunday of our new parish, we give thanks to God for the gift of our Catholic Faith, and how that gift of faith is lived and expressed here in the families and hearts of our parishioners. Today, the Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title “Mary, Queen of Saints,” becomes our mighty patroness. She will intercede for our parish family, obtaining graces to help us here in this life, and to assist us in reaching our goal — eternal life!
For the past several months, our Advisory Council has devoted some time at each meeting to develop a visioning statement that would assist us in setting a course for our work together. What the group came up with is this:
Mary, Queen of Saints Parish is a welcoming community of joyful Catholics
who are transformed and strengthened by the celebration of the Eucharist.
We embark on a life-long journey toward sainthood by
learning our faith, loving and serving our Lord and neighbors
as we make disciples of all those we encounter.
Our Lord wants us to be holy, he wants us to be Saints! Our parish should help us in that goal. Our liturgical life: the Mass, sacraments, and communal prayer; our catechesis and evangelization; our social events; and our ways of serving the community around us – all of this should in some way contribute to our cooperation with God’s grace at work in us making us holy. We want to go to Heaven!
Thank you all for the many ways that you enrich our parish life. Father Canice, Father Joachim and I remember you daily in our prayers and count ourselves blessed to be here in your midst.
Mary, Queen of Saints, pray for us!
In the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts,
Fr, Jean-Luc Zadroga, OSB