Sunday, March 30th 2025
Dear Parishioners of Pope St. John XXIII Parish Family,
Welcome you all to this Fourth Sunday of Lent; this is also known as Laetare Sunday. It is called Laetare or Rejoice Sunday because it gives us all a new hope, that Jesus opens His door for all of us sinners and saints so that we can join Him at the table of fellowship. But to enter and enjoy His fellowship we need to humble ourselves, acknowledge our failure, seek His mercy and reconcile with Him. All the readings of today help us reflect on this theme. The first reading expresses the joy and satisfaction of the people of Israel having their first Passover meal in the promised land, enjoying the fruit of their labor. The second reading assures us that we are new creations because we are reborn in water and spirit, destined to eternal life. In the Gospel, Jesus expresses the joy of the father seeing his prodigal sons return. Let us also rejoice today in the Lord for His mercy, forgiveness and fellowship.
Thank you for bringing the homebound parishioners for the healing mass this weekend at all the locations of our parish. We wish and pray that this sacrament of healing helps all of us to be healed from all ailments of body and soul. You are cordially invited to come and join us in the Daily Mass during this Lenten Journey. Especially on Thursdays wherein Deacon Theman offers the Lenten reflection for the English community after the morning mass and for the Vietnamese community after the evening Mass. Let us make use of this opportunity to prepare ourselves for the paschal feasts. Please go through the bulletin for the details of the sacrament of reconciliation for spiritual renewal.
The Faith Formation program is in full swing with many activities as it is reaching the final phase of the program, with our Elect and the candidates prayerfully approaching the baptismal fount to embrace their Lord in faith with the parish community on the Easter vigil. I am also very pleased with the Faith Formation program for our students that we have. They have been coming to their class on weekdays as well as on Saturday and Sunday for their special class. We had a blessed time meeting with parents of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion Candidates for this sacrament.
I thank Sister Theresa and her team for supporting our Faith Formation Program. We have grouped students to different classes according to their age in sacramental preparation. So, we have been working very hard to assist each student to understand the sacrament that they are going to receive. The basic requirements thats expected of them are to learn a few basic prayers and attend Daily (if they can) and Weekend Masses. They are very faithful to attend Mass and they are studying the basic prayer that we asked them to remember.
We also extend our care and assistance to our STEM students with Holy Mass on every Thursday and all the catholic children specially were provided the opportunity during this Lenten season to avail the sacrament of reconciliation. I also spent time meeting with parents who are preparing their children to receive First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. I am very pleased with our Catholic School, and I am very pleased with our Teachers, Faculty and School Staff who are serving in our school. The STEM academy is also busy with the preparation for the School Auction to be held on April 5th, all the parishioners are invited to extend their help to raise enough funds for the school activities.
We have had many Funeral Services within the last few weeks at different locations of our parish. We thank you for taking the time to attend these services to pray for those who have passed away. We thank the Lazarus Ministry for reaching out to support these families and assisting them plan Funeral Services for their loved ones. It is hard for many families in this situation, yet they complimented the Lazarus team and the parishioners for their love and care with which we have assisted them in their difficult time. Please keep them in your prayers during their time of mourning!
Pope St. John XXIII STEM Academy is conducting a study to help strengthen our plan for the future. Your opinion and feedback are critical to informing our study and ensuring that we hear from a variety of community members. We are hoping all families will participate even though you have not enrolled your child(ren)/grandchild(ren) at Pope St. John XXIII STEM Academy. We will let you know when the survey is available and ask that you be ready to complete the approximately 5-minute survey. Thank you in advance for your help.
There is more information that I would like to ask you to check on our parishs website, parish Facebook, bulletin, and electronic letter available weekly. Thank you for always supporting our parish.
Sincerely, Yours in Christ
Fr. Tuan Nguyen, D. Min.
Pastor