Dear Parishioners,
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Every year, we publish a multiple-week bulletin during the holidays. As such, I have encouraged our staff to write a reflection about the good news that happened to them and the ministries this year. One might assume that the pandemic obscured our vision and abilities to minister to the community, but I am proud to say that just the opposite was true. Of course, there were roadblocks and obstacles. But, that just meant we had to let go of old paradigms, our need to control, and just let Jesus take care of everything (cf. Surrender Novena). So, I hope that you will find this bulletin a source of encouragement and joy.
As for myself, I look back and have the fondest memories of spending Wednesday’s giving away boxes of food for whomever drove up into our parking lot. All said and done, we gave away 36,820 boxes of food and 2,400 gallons of milk to those in need. It was such a bright spot in a dark time of our year. When we finally ended, it had been over a year since we gave out our initial food boxes. I am so grateful for meeting new people, working together as a team, praying with people who either asked or seemed to need it, reassuring those who came to us in tears that God would provide, and the laughter and joy that came with just giving oneself away in service. The parish staff also stepped up to support this event with a clear sense of mission.
I am also grateful for the teachers and staff of our school. The hurdles that were set before us, unexpectedly, required us to pivot several times, and they did! Our school population is the largest since I arrived (see Colleen’s reflection therein). Through adversity, we have found a focus and dependence on Jesus.
I am grateful for the presence of Anthony Hoangphan, our pastoral year seminarian. Having another person in the house can create issues. Yet, Anthony was flexible and charitable the whole time. I didn’t know if we would have enough things for him to do given the COVID shutdowns. But, alas, there was no shortage of things for him to do in ministry. In addition, we learned new skills in woodworking, and even build a children’s shelf/seat for the school auction.
Finally and possibly most potently, the Surrender Novena was a huge gift. My mother, Helene, passed in September of 2020. A year or more prior to her passing, she began praying this relatively unknown novena over and over, possibly completing it over 30 times. My brother-in-law stumbled upon it in a Catholic bookstore in Denver. He showed it to my sister, Carolyn, and they then gave it to my mother. She shared it with the rest of my siblings, and I preached about it at her funeral. Archbishop Sample was present at her funeral and, long story short, he began to pray it. From there, it was reproduced and given to all the priests of the Archdiocese. Since then, it has gone out to countless people who have found profound solace and hope praying the novena. At last tally, we have ordered over 3,000 cards and I expect to run out of those in several months. I was recently told that the archdiocesan Office of Divine Worship had given out almost 20,000 of these novena cards! Praise God! I have mourned my mother’s passing, but it is most certainly pierced by the light of this legacy of prayer which she championed in her last year of life, and I believe continues to do so from heaven.
So, as we say farewell to 2021, I want to leave you with the prayer refrain from the Surrender Novena. I believe it to be a key to our true joy in Christ now and into our future:
“Oh my Jesus, I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything!”
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
