This Week's Letter from Our Pastor

Welcome you into the 33rd week in Ordinary Time. We are celebrating the last but one Sunday of the liturgical year. We will conclude this liturgical cycle of the Year A with the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King next Sunday. Today’s readings remind us that God does not give gifts merely for us to possess; he entrusts them to us so that, through love and service, they may bear fruit. The question is not whether we have received as much as someone else, but whether we are willing to put what we have received at the service of God and our neighbor. That is why the reading from Proverbs praises the woman who opens her hand to the poor. Her generosity is not an accessory to her faith; it gives her faith a visible form. The poor are not interruptions to the life of discipleship. They are neighbors whom God entrusts to our care—and, in serving them, we encounter Christ.

In the Gospel, the servants are entrusted with their master’s goods. Two put their gifts to work; one, afraid, buries what he has been given. The third servant’s failure is not that he had less than the others. It is that fear kept him from acting faithfully. The parable asks us to look honestly at our own lives: What gifts, opportunities, relationships, and responsibilities has God placed in my care? And am I using them—or hiding them?

We will be starting the new liturgical year with the Advent season which prepares us for the birth of our Savior. Please set aside a small portion of your saving for the Homebound Ministry, which will collect gifts through Giving Tree, Raffle tickets and other donations. Let us spread the Joy of the season to everyone around us. You have been wonderful in supporting this ministry for so long, I also thank you for the same.

We heard from the speakers at different masses at different locations of our parish regarding the Stewardship of Time, Talent, and Treasure. For every parish to be alive and thriving, it depends very much on the participation and the contributions of its members. Because it is the members who are the Church. Therefore, I earnestly invite you to consider caring for your church for its life and ministry. So that we can hand over to our future generations the tradition and faith we have nurtured. Please consider stepping up to serve at various ministries and supporting the church through your finance and other means.

This Sunday, the Vietnamese Catholic community celebrates the Feast of the Vietnamese Martyrs, honoring the 118 holy martyrs who gave their lives for the faith on Vietnamese soil. Among them were bishops, priests, missionaries, catechists, and laypeople from Vietnam, France, and Spain. These courageous witnesses helped sow the first seeds of Christianity in Vietnam and nurture the growth of the Catholic faith in our homeland.

On this special occasion, we also congratulate the Vietnamese Martyrs Choir as they celebrate their patronal feast! May each member continue to offer their voices to God in prayer and praise, serving with love and unity day by day to build up the spiritual house of God, our Church.

We remember the martyrs' courage, unwavering faith, and steadfast witness to Christ. May their example inspire us all to remain faithful to God and courageous in living out our faith.

Let us encourage our CCD children and the youth group and their parents who take the responsibility of bringing them for the preparations of Christmas pageants. As we are in the month of November, let us continue to pray for all our departed brothers and sisters that they be purified from their inequities and shine in the presence of the Father.

Sincerely, Yours in Christ,

Fr. Tuan Nguyen, D. Min

Pastor