From the Pastor’s Desk Dear Parishioners,

Things to Think About...
Very often I come across an article I wish all the people of the parish would have an opportunity to read. In this current article, the Pope said: “Old age is not a disease, it’s a privilege.”

Continuation from last week
“In fact, the Vatican conference, "The Richness of Many Years of Life," spent almost as much time discussing the gifts older Catholics bring to the church as it did talk about their special needs. The conference discussion, the pope said, cannot be an "isolated initiative" but must continue at the national, diocesan and parish levels. The church, he said, is supposed to be the place "where the different generations are called to share God's loving plan. “Just a few days before the feast of the Presentation of the Lord Feb. 2, Pope Francis pointed to the story of the elderly Simeon and Anna who are in the Temple, take the 40-day-old Jesus into their arms, recognize him as the Messiah and "proclaim the revolution of tenderness. “One message of that story is that the good news of salvation in Christ is meant for all people of all ages, he said. "So, I ask you, spare no effort in proclaiming the Gospel to grandparents and the elderly. Go out to meet them with a smile on your face and the Gospel in your hands. Leave your parishes and go seek out the elderly who live alone.

"While aging is not a disease, "solitude can be an illness," he said. "But with charity, closeness and spiritual comfort, we can cure it "Pope Francis also asked pastors to keep in mind that while many parents today do not have the religious formation, education or drive to teach their children the Catholic faith, many grandparents do. "They are an indispensable link in educating little ones and young people in the faith."

The elderly, he said, "are not only people we are called to assist and to protect in order to safeguard their lives, but they can be protagonists of evangelization, privileged witnesses of God's faithful love."

On a personal note, I want to stress to our grandparents that they pray for their grandchildren each by name, and I strongly believe that your good example will bear spiritual fruit.

Blessings,

Father Brian