One can never say Thank You too often. And gratitude is the essence of the Christian faith as expressed in and through the Catholic Church. Gratitude for God’s love and gift of life and eternal life, gratitude for the gift of faith, gratitude for family and for friends, gratitude for the blessings God bestows on us—and that we are called to share with others.

I begin this thankful litany with our Parish staff. St. Catherine of Siena is blessed to have a dedicated and caring, a profoundly faith-filled group of people who desire nothing less than to bring God’s love and hope to all through their ministries. Kathi Bonner at religious education, Judy Pluta and Sandi Smith through Youth Ministry and Young Adult Ministry, Lisa Cerchia at the front office, Mike Grappone in the presentation and man-agement of our facilities, and Susan Zybert and Nicole Poirier in the beautiful sounds of praise to God through our Music Minis-try. Well educated in the role of their ministries in and through the Church, combined with dedication and love makes their work a winning combination that creates and sustains a warm, welcoming and vibrant Catholic parish. I thank them for all that they do for our parish and for you and your families.

Our volunteers which are happily too many to name—and are the backbone of any Church—boast a particularly strong membership here at St. Catherine of Siena, and one that is noth-ing new to this parish. From the very foundation of St. Catherine in 1974, there have been an army of volunteers who have created a legacy for Christ. From the folks who volunteered to decorate, plant the trees and commit their lives to building a facility and a community, to the dedicated minds who put up the structure, assisted the pastors in guiding the parish as it grew through Fi-nance Councils and Parish Councils, committees galore for nu-merous events and outreach activities, Men’s and Women’s Clubs, parish picnics and outreach, Mary Garden-creators, Small Christian Communities who grew the parish one-by-one, to the altar linen societies to catechists teaching future generations of Catholics, Buildings and Grounds members and more. These peo-ple and groups not only built this house of worship but today maintain and sustain it—welcoming more and more Catholics to the fold.

Today our Parish continues the wonderful Catholic tra-ditions of the ongoing mission and ministry of Jesus Christ in our modern world. From Pantry Partners, St. Elizabeth House, Youth Feed the Hungry offering corporal works of mercy, to a new Health & Healing Ministry and the largest single parish contin-gent of Eucharistic Ministers going to St. Francis Hospital offer-ing care for spiritual works of mercy, to Eucharistic Ministers who serve the residents of McLean Home, to a growing Youth Ministry outreach—locally and across New England—to more than 64 religious education catechists, to a growing music minis-try assisting our liturgies, to hosts of volunteers who care for the parish grounds, decorate the liturgical seasons, and simply are the lifeblood of this local Church. And it does not end here.
The people in the pews! This number of faithful has seen an in-crease in the last few years, which is a testimony of a dual nature: first, it is a testimony to the current members of this parish. Your welcoming community draws more and more Catholics each year as people move into the area or search for more meaning in their life; second, it is a testimony to the people coming—they desire something more in life than a good job, a lovely home and com-munity in which to raise their families…they seek the meaning of life which is to serve and love God in this life so that we can be with Him forever in the life to come. Knowledge and Truth are the hunger points and you and a parish community are freely willing to offer what you have come to know. That is true Christian fellowship.

Some pundits and others love to tell you that “faith” and the Catholic Church in particular are “dead.” To that I say: Bah, humbug! Faith is alive and well as is the desire for it. And there is only One reason for that: God is alive and well—and His Love will never die. This Christmastime as we celebrate the memorial of His Incarnation and the Babe of Bethlehem and remember what that truly means—the love of an infant that came to heal us of our weaknesses and forgive us of our sins—offers each and everyone one of us the gift of Eternal Life. No receipt, no exchange necessary. This gift won’t be found under the tree or in the stocking, but rather in a manger and then on a Cross. For the gift is Love. So in this Season—Believe It. Live It. Share It.—right here at St. Catherine of Siena Parish. Welcome and thanks!