Sunday, October 26th 2025
Dear Parishioners of Pope St. John XXIII Parish Faith Community,
This weekend we celebrate the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scriptures remind us that the Lord always listens to our prayers. True prayer, however, begins with humility with an honest recognition of our weakness and dependence on God. The tax collector in the Gospel shows this humility as he bows his head before the Lord, while the Pharisee reveals the sin of pride, both in his words and in his attitude. Let us always be mindful of our own disposition before God whenever we pray and worship.
In the first reading, we hear an important phrase: The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. Serving God opens our hearts to Him. We can serve the Lord in many ways by keeping His commandments, by serving our neighbors, and by actively supporting our parish ministries. This is also an invitation to each of us to reflect on how we can serve God more faithfully within our parish family.
As we continue our Stewardship of Time, Talent, and Treasure, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the many sacrifices you make as a parish community. Thank you to all our volunteers across the five campuses who dedicate their time and energy to parish life especially during our Feast Day celebrations and parish events.
Bsides weekly events, in these weeks, we witnessed the joy and generosity of our community through various events: the Fall Harvest Bazaar at St. John of the Woods, the Potluck Breakfast at Visitation, the Holiday Bazaar at our main campus. We are deeply grateful to all the volunteers, vendors, and participants who made these possible. Because of your generosity, we were able to continue funding important parish projects.
Today, we celebrate Halloween for all children, including our CCD students, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Thank you to everyone who helped organize this joyful event.
This coming weekend, we will celebrate All Saints Day (Saturday, November 1) and All Souls Day (Sunday, November 2). Please check the bulletin for the Mass schedule at all campuses, including the Vietnamese Mass at Gethsemane Cemetery. Praying for the souls of the faithful departed is a sacred duty of the pilgrim Church. You are encouraged to offer Mass intentions for your departed loved ones, that they may rest in Gods peace and intercede for us in heaven.
Many have asked about Fr. Hendrys pilgrimage to Medjugorje. He has written a reflection, which you can find in this weeks Parish News. I also recently returned from a vacation in Australia, and I would be happy to share my experience with anyone who is interested.
As we enter this annual focus on the Stewardship of Treasure, I invite you to reflect on how God has blessed you throughout the year. Later this week, you will receive my stewardship letter encouraging you to prayerfully consider how you can return a portion of those blessings to our parish family. Your generosity allows us to continue our mission helping one another encounter Jesus Christ in meaningful and transformative ways. Next weekend, one of our parishioners will share how your stewardship truly impacts the life of our parish.
Finally, I would like to remind everyone that we have not yet completed our Archdiocesan Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) goal at our mission stations. Let us come together to finish this important effort so we can focus on growing our parish ministries. I invite all of you to participate fully in the life of our Church through your time, talent, and treasure. Together, we strengthen our parish and nurture the faith of our children, building a legacy of hope for generations to come.
Thank you for your continued love and support for our parish family. Please know that you are always in my prayers, and I humbly ask that you keep me and our parish in yours.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Tuan Nguyen, D. Min
Pastor