Beloved Parishioners,

As we continue in the ordinary time of the year, which is the season we are in now, I wish to share some reflection with you on the significance of the Liturgical Calendar of the church.

The sage in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 declares that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens,” and nothing exemplifies this more in the Church than the Liturgical Calendar. The Liturgical Calendar organizes the Church’s year into seasons and feasts that commemorate the major events in the life of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and key aspects of Christian theology.

Aside from demonstrating the unity of the Church expressed sufficiently through the uniform celebration of common feasts and seasons, the Liturgical Calendar essentially helps Christians remember and relive the key events of salvation history, from the Incarnation to the Resurrection. By observing these events annually, believers reaffirm their faith in the central mysteries of Christianity and their significance for personal and communal salvation. Furthermore, the Liturgical Calendar also provides a rhythm for worship, guiding the spiritual life of the community and helping Catholics connect individually to a broader Christian tradition, thus offering a way to live out shared beliefs and practices.

The origin of this calendar can be traced back to the early Church. Early Christians began by aligning their observances with Jewish festivals, such as the Passover and Pentecost, but as Christianity evolved, distinct Christian celebrations emerged which also led the early Christians to seek a way of organizing and unifying worship practices across the teeming and diverse Christian communities.

The major seasons contained in the Liturgical season include Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Each of these seasons has its own liturgical color, scripture readings, and hymns, helping to emphasize different aspects of the Christian story and spiritual life. More so, the seasonal variation in the calendar enables believers to engage in a yearly cycle of biblical reflection and eschatological preparation. For instance, Advent is a time of anticipation and preparation for the celebration of Christ's birth, while Lent is a period of penance and reflection leading up to Easter.

The second part of this reflection would be concluded in next week’s Pastor’s Corner. I wish to use this opportunity to express the appreciation of the Parish to Tony Jorgensen who, along with their Pioneer Earthmovers Company, assisted us in paving the long trench in our parking lot that has been in bad shape. On behalf of the entire parish, we thank them for doing such a marvelous work for us at a highly discounted price. The Parish Council, the Building Committee, and the Finance Council have been brainstorming on how to get our parking lot into good shape. I want to assure you, all my beloved parishioners, that we are not keeping quiet about it, but it is our financial constraint that has been the major challenge in putting it into a good shape. Any assistance from anyone or a corporate body towards this parking lot would be highly appreciated.

Finally, this week, I welcome Very Reverend Fr. Augustine Nwosu C.S.Sp. who is the Provincial Superior of Holy Ghost Congregation Southeast Province who is my superior. He is on a canonical visit to all the members of the Nigerian Southeast province working in the United States. It is my pleasure, on behalf of the Parish, to say a big welcome to him to our parish. We pray that as he continues his visit to other places in the United States, God’s grace would be upon him.

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