Kerygma Series: "Response"

Dear Parishioners,

We have now covered 3 of the 4 dimensions of the Gospel message or “Kerygma.” In this series we asked questions:

1. (Created) Why is there something instead of nothing?

2. (Captured) Why is the world so messed up?

3. (Rescued) What is God doing about it?

And now we come to the final part, “Response.” The question is simple: “What is our role?” In other words, if we have grasped the profundity of the Gospel, there should be a natural response. That response will differ depending on who you are and where you are in your state in life. The big picture response is likely enfolded in two parts: Gratitude and Surrender.

Gratitude: I am thankful that God has saved me. I am thankful that he loves me and does not want be to be captured by the sin and wreckage I have created in my life.

Coming to Mass and receiving the Eucharist (word means “thanksgiving) is a potent way to show my appreciation. It also reveals that only in God is my soul at rest and capable of a joy beyond understanding. The goal of the kerygma is to come into a transformative, life-changing, and ongoing encounter with Jesus Christ. This is clearly a journey that fills one’s lifetime and culminates in heaven.

Surrender: With this understanding of the Gospel and having a personal encounter with Jesus, I trust Him who made me and loves me. He is the remedy for my wounds and reason for my rejoicing.

Almost every weekend, I have heard a story of how the Surrender novena has changed lives here at Holy Trinity and beyond. The novena itself is not magic, but it helps us to let go and respond in a potent way for all that God has done for us. When we finally let go of all those things that weigh us down and give them over the Jesus, we will be truly free. This is part of Jesus’ reasons he came. Recall the passage in John 10:10, “I have come that you may have life, and life in abundance.”

May this last week of Advent give you an opportunity to respond in gratitude and surrender once again to our Lord for his coming as man, dying on the cross, and rising again on the third day is the greatest news ever!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

He is Risen!

Dear Parishioners,

Praise be Jesus Christ! He is Risen!

I hope this Easter weekend brings you all a renewed hope in the saving power of God over evil, as he conquered the evil one and opened up the way to eternal life in heaven. This is the Good News, or rather Great News for all time! 

This past year has been full of pain, sorrow, anger, suspicion, violence, and death. All of this is tragic. All of this was darkness and sad. Yet, all of this was known ahead of time by our Lord. All of this was borne upon the shoulders of our Savior on the cross. All of it was joined to His death AND RESURRECTION! Yes! Christ conquered death and is offering us life, hope, and joy beyond and through the sufferings of this life.

This year, I have had a share in my own sufferings, and yet and I continue to be full of hope because of Christ who loves me and accompanies me through it all. Be encouraged! Be lifted up at this new no matter what has happened or is happening now that causes you so much pain. Jesus is our divine counselor and doctor. He knows the depth of it all. His love is complete and full just for you! Let go of anything that blocks his love. Know that he wants you to be with him in eternity, yet has a purpose for you here and now on Earth. Praise be the Lord!

O my Jesus! I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything!

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Looking Back On 2019

Dear Parishioners,

Merry Christmas and blessed new year!  I hope this posting finds you well. It is at this time of the year that we look back on what God was doing in our midst.

As for me, this past year has been a continuous celebration of many glorious “firsts” in view of our new church building. We celebrated our first Christmas in the new church. I will never forget the beauty of the 35 ft. Christmas trees in the Sanctuary. They were breathtaking. We also celebrated our first Easter Vigil where we offered immersion baptisms in a fount worthy of the Sacrament. The Blessing of the Easter Fire went smoothly, for I no longer needed to use a megaphone, but rather just a wireless handheld microphone, and the outdoor speakers in the front of the church worked perfectly. In the Spring, we hosted Bishop Peter for the Vicariate Mass of Confirmation, and we were well suited to seat all who came. When Summer began to wind down, our “Trinity Windows” were raised up into their frames above our heads on the South side of our church. One word: Magnificent! All of these things have given us so many ways to give God the glory! I am still pinching myself. What do you remember? What about our church has spoken good news to you?

Finally, this year has also been one where we have said goodbye to some amazing people. We prayed them into eternity. While this may seem to be sad news, for me sadness is not the ultimate story. Indeed, these individuals, our beloved faithful, I have given me great hope in the Good News of life after death and the Resurrection of the body. Our faithful departed are people who have lived lives of Christian example which have inspired me and challenged me. Thank you, Lord, for their example of courage and faith! Who has died this year who has encouraged you and lifted you up? Maybe spend time praying for them and giving thanks for giving us their examples. We have been privileged to have lived in their lifetimes don’t you think? I certainly do. Praise God for them all!

Merry Christmas. And blessed New Year

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Good News in 2018

Dear Parishioners,

Each year, I encourage our staff to write a bulletin letter about what good news happened in this past year. Looking back and counting our blessings is a way to remind us that God is very much involved in our lives and our community.  So, please take some time to read the articles from our staff and pray for the ministries in which they have been participating.  Who knows, maybe God is calling you to join in the good news too.

The most significant moment in this year and possibly in the last several decades was the construction of our new church building. September 1st, Archbishop Sample, Bishop Peter, some 15 priests, 6 deacons, and some 820 laity gathered to bless our new church. It was one of the highlights of my priesthood thus far. How our community gathered together to help make it all happen is simply miraculous!  It serves as a testimony to God’s grace working in our midst. I can hardly wait to see how beautiful the church will be adorned on Christmas and how our first Catechumens will be baptized on Easter.

The new building is a perfect example of what the Church documents call, “Noble Simplicity.” It mixes the traditional with the modern. More good news is still coming in the form of new stained glass windows and Stations of the Cross. We are working hard to get our video system online so families can see what is going on from the Cry Room and Day Chapel. When baptisms occur, we will be able to watch it live on our new 16 ft. projection screen.

Our Lord inspired us to raise the needed funds and dedicate ourselves to the ongoing work of sharing what he has done in our midst. This new building, like an ark, I pray, will guide countless people toward their heavenly home where Christ dwells with his Father and the Holy Spirit. May God be praised and given the glory through our new church.

Have a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year!

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Christ Sets Us Free!

Dear Parishioners and Friends in Christ,

All praise be to Christ Jesus who is risen from the dead!  Alleluia! After our lenten journey of preparation, we are finally here.  Today, we celebrate the greatest gift given to humanity: salvation won by Christ through his suffering, death, and resurrection (a.k.a. The Paschal Mystery).  Our heavenly Father sent his only begotten Son to walk with us as God-man thereby taking on all our sins, though not having sinned himself.  By his taking on our sins, crushing them in death, and rising on the third day, he has opened up for us the way to eternal life. This is the Good News! 

Many of us struggle to realize this in our lives due to all the stress we experience and the sheer weight of sins which we carry unnecessarily.  In addition, the popular media and news give us no reason to hope that anything will change.  Each one of us carry burdens which dampen our joy or even blind us to the Divine Mercy which Christ wants us to experience.  So, today is the day we celebrate the fact that God has done something miraculous for us which can set us free.  

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

— John 14:6

Do you want to be set free?  Do you want to truly live without the burden of all that holds you down? You can be set free!  You don’t need to do this alone.  You do not need to be afraid or worried all the time.  Christ is the answer.  It’s all about him. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Today, spend some time in quiet prayer.  Share with Jesus your pains and sorrows, your sins and problems.  Ask him directly and without pretense or precise language to enter your heart, to have permission to take on all these burdens, and create you anew.  Ask him to take away whatever disordered attractions keep getting you into trouble.  Allow yourself to die to yourself in Christ, to let go and let Jesus take over.  He won’t let you down.  He will never leave you.  He knows you and loves you beyond all measure, for his love is perfect and his grace is sufficient for you to be able to handle whatever hardships come your way.  He desires for you to live with him along with all the Saints and Angels in heaven. But, know that in the meantime, he has work for you to do. By letting him be the Lord of your life, he will set you on a path that will bring you joy and fulfillment.  Living by His Holy Spirit is an adventure worth living.

Let the reality of Christ’s resurrection steep in your soul.  And finally, if there is anything I or any of our staff can do to help you on your Christian journey, please let us know.  That’s why we are here.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger

Pastor

Proclaim The Good News Of Life

This weekend, specifically this Sunday, we observe the 38th anniversary of a tragic Supreme Court decision in our country to legalize abortion. Since then, nothing has done more to polarize our country and be the cause of death for the most poor and vulnerable. Nothing has done more to dehumanize men and women and uproot the sacred trust that every child should have in their parent. More children have died in our country through abortion than the sum of all of our wars. This is an atrocity that must end.

Let us be clear, all human life is sacred. Even in the milieu in which we live, the alleged right to have an abortion is outweighed by the right for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for the unborn child. No argument of defect or quality of life for the child is effective. No argument regarding the potential tragic context of conception (ie.rape) outweighs this inalienable right for the newly created child. Our Scriptures and Sacred Tradition are clear and unambiguous. We express and promote a preferential option for the poor and strive to seek out the most vulnerable. Nobody is more poor or vulnerable than a newly conceived baby in the womb.

Until the day that this law is changed and even after that hopeful day, we as Catholics must do what we can to support women and men, who find themselves in situations wherein an abortion is something they seriously consider, to choose life for their child. We need to support all agencies and churches who seek out to help those whose lives have been damaged by abortion in one way or another. We need to teach and support our teens as well as engaged couples about the grace and joy of natural family planning as well as the heroic decisions surrounding adoption. It is not enough to simply say no to abortion. We need to be people who lift up and change our culture to create support structures that will imbue the value of every human life from natural conception to natural death.

Our world is graced with so many amazing people who have changed our world due to the choice of adoption rather than abortion. One popular example is that of the Denver Broncos quarterback, Tim Tebow. Within our own community are amazing people who are with us because of the choice for life. I can even testify that I have met people who are the result of miracles, for they survived either being aborted or the attempt to be aborted. Each one of these persons have gone to do great things for the Church and humanity as a whole. In their presence, I am speechless yet grateful to God for their presence in our midst. Who knows who has not been allowed to change our world because they never got the chance? But, even then, the argument of human accomplishment as the value of embryonic or adult human life is not as strong as the value that every human life is given no matter what their situation or condition because they are a creation of God.

This Sunday (Jan 22, 2012), we have the opportunity, as we do every year, to let our feet do our talking. Join our fellow Christians and people of good will who want to end abortion in our country. Join us at 1PM for the annual March for Life, which begins in front of the Court House here in Grants Pass. Pray for an end to abortion. Pray that our country will turn back to God and recognize the preciousness of life in every person. And until that day comes, let us continue in hope loving each other and proclaiming the Good News of Life.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger

Pastor

Merry Christmas! Good News!

Dear Parishioners,

Merry Christmas! This week's edition of the bulletin is what I like to call our “Good News Bulletin.” In it you will not only find the common informational items, but also a special reflection from each of our staff members. Describing the good news that has happened in this past year at our Church.


In my purview, I note many things. Financially, I look back and thank God for helping the parish and the school end the fiscal year (ended June 30th) in the black. I am further thankful that we expect that to occur again this fiscal year. Donations are up, not tracking with the economy, which I hope is a reflection of our greater effort at special accounting, communication and transparency. At risk of counting the sheep, I have noticed a renewal of younger families attending Mass. I am very excited to see an increase of volunteers and the resurrection of our Liturgy Committee and a creation of a new Environment Committee who is responsible for the amazing decorations in the Church for Christmastime. I am thankful for the assistance of Frs. Fister and Ezurike, who have done much to help lift our spirits and encourage our faith. When Fr. Paschal was reas- signed, I noticed a deeper care and responsibility for our homebound and sick, relieving me of some of the stress and time that this important ministry requires. Hiring Julie Mercier as our new Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministry was also a highlight after months of searching and interviews.


There are many other signs of renewal coming in 2011. I plan on continuing our Catholicism 101 series into the new year. Soon you will find information about our Welcome Home Catholics program which has seen much success in years past. I have hope to see our new parochial vicar, Fr. Dominic, arrive in late January.


In all, there is much for which to be thankful. Ultimately, I give our Lord all the praise and glory. I am thankful to the Father for sending his Son to us whose beginnings in a stable should move us all. I thank God for giving us wisdom and inspiration to follow more faithfully as stewards. May God bless you and your family. May this “Good News Bulletin” inspire you and remind you that God is definitely at work in our midst.


Merry Christmas!


Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor