As our Christmas season draws to close I wanted to take another opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! As we conclude these Christmas days, I wanted to take the opportunity in today’s column to say thank you! It’s something that while I always feel it, I don’t always remember to say it, so again, thank you! Thank you to all those who helped to make the days of our Advent & Christmas seasons days of such joyful celebrations of God’s presence & love among us.

   I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to each & every member of our parish family who gave of themselves in some way to enhance our celebration of these holy days. Rather than starting to name individual people, as I know that I will inevitably accidentally end up forgetting someone or I will remember that other person who should definitely receive a round of thanks right after the bulletin is submitted and it will be too late to add them to the list. Thank you for all that you did to help us encounter Emmanuel in these Advent & Christmas days. Whether it was through helping to decorate or clean the Church, or helping to minister at Mass, or helping to make everyone feel welcome, or helping point out to visitors where the restrooms were, or putting a hymnal back in the rack, or anything else, it was all very much appreciated. Again, thank you for all that you did to help worship & celebrate & encounter Christ well!

   As we celebrate this weekend the Epiphany of our Lord, we celebrate the revelation of Jesus to the nations. In so many ways you have been revelations of God’s love & presence through your kindness & generosity to so many. Thank you, not just for what you do, but more importantly for who you are!