Greetings of the peace and joy in the Christ Child!
It is with excitement that we present to you once again this special issue of our parish bulletin known as the “Good News Bulletin” (Christmas 2015 thru Epiphany 2016). It aims to highlight the various events and happenings in the parish during the first six months of the fiscal year (July to December). It’s nice to see a recap as to how we are building the Kingdom of God in this part of Beaverton through our liturgies, ministries and outreach to the greater community.
You will find in this bulletin issue reports from the parish staff and our school principal, updating us on the state of affairs of our core ministries and programs. Aside from our very able and efficient parish personnel, we are profoundly grateful to the various ministries that are led by our parishioners like the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Social Concerns Ministry, Knights of Columbus, St. Therese, St. Gerard, and St. Jude Guilds,
Pro-Life Ministry and many others. The various parishioner-led ministries complement the work of the staff in ensuring that we can provide the best possible service to our faith family. This collaborative spirit among volunteers, parishioners and staff truly make our parish community a thriving and fertile ground for the Gospel.
As some of you might already know, two months ago, we opened a new Spanish Saturday Vigil Mass at 7pm. This is a response to the growing population of our Hispanic
parishioners. Our regular 2:30pm Spanish Mass on Sundays has become so crowded to the point that it’s no longer conducive for a solemn celebration of the liturgy. Overcrowding also poses safety risks in cases of emergency since there is not a lot of room to move around. The response has been very positive to the new Spanish Vigil Mass, averaging 250-300 people. We thought that the 2:30pm Mass would decrease in number, but it has stayed the same. This means that we have opened the door for others to join our parish family.
As we gaze on the Christ Child in this season of Christmas, we are also filled with gratitude and awe with the incredible mercy of God as we celebrate as one universal Church the Jubilee Year of Mercy. God’s manifestation of mercy par excellence is through the sending of his Son, who is Mercy Incarnate Himself. By sending us his Son, he not only restored the whole creation back to its original dignity but also, most importantly, restored us as heirs of His Kingdom. There is no greater
manifestation of mercy than this. Let the image of the Holy Family be a school of virtues for us especially that of mercy, allowing us to be instruments of reconciliation especially in those relationships that need healing and reinvigoration. After all, the Christ Child is the also the Prince of Peace. Let the lasting peace, fruit of God’s mercy, rule our hearts and set us forward as we usher into another year.
Merry Christmas and a Grace-Filled New Year to You and Your Loved Ones!