With the conclusion of this Christmas season,ending with this Sunday’s celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, I would like to complete this holy and joyful time of the year with my deepest and most sincere thank-you to all who were involved with our celebration of Christmastime here at Saint Catherine of Siena Parish:

My staff—from Susan Zybert, MikeGrappone, Manuela Hanshaw, Lisa Cerchia, Kathi Bonner, Ashley Kara and Nicole Levesque—for their dedication and their professionalism to their jobs and their roles here at our parish, and for their desire always to make sure that the best is put forward for the people of this parish. Whether it is the programs they create and manage—from religious education which helps to nourish the parish to want to know more about God’s love, to the youth ministry which helps everyone participate in the live-experience of our faith, especially the youth, to music which helps to feed the practiced-desire to sign the Good News all the way to the presentation of our parish facilities which makes it inviting to come, to the friendliness and great welcome given to those who actually do come here and seek direction for help in all  matters, we are blessed for their commitment to keeping St.Catherine of Siena Parish as a joyful and nourishing place to be part of;

Decorators—Janet Fischer, Rosemary Clarke,Alexandra Palomo, Marco Palomo, Will Pendergast, Joanie Morris, Barbara Hopkins, Terry Longo, Marghan Pendergast, Bill Egan, Tom Lonergan, Bernie Slattery, Dennis, Kathy Moore —for their willingness to spend the time and give their talents in making sure that our parish home is always so beautiful! From the flowers and wreaths selected, the designs created, the set-up and the tear-down, to the ongoing work to keep everything fresh, in this we are blessed with an abundance of talent and willingness which they freely spend on others;

Lead Ushers and collectors—Michael Williams, Mark Stewart, Steve Cerchia, Kevin Frasier
and those who helped with the collections—for their spirit of welcome to all our visitors and for their organizational skills in seeing to it that the very crowded liturgies are well organized and smoothly run;

Counters of the collections—Maureen Pereira, Kathy Hayes, Marlyce Rooney, Diane
Mahakian and Sheila-Rae Vendetti—usually, and at my fault, not counted among those who make things happen here—these folks see to it that your donations are accounted for and deposited promptly in the bank. It is a big task, an important task—and one that happens every single week;

The musicians, various choirs and cantors alike—too many to name individually but  nonetheless all well-recognized by sight and by sound—they add so much to our liturgies and help to elevate the human celebration of the Word of God to the heavens. A great deal takes place here: talent, time and treasury. Weekly practices are only the beginning and they are
greatly appreciated by all our parishioners for all that they do—and offer—to our parish community; and,

Parishioners—one and all—who fully participate in the liturgies not just at Christmastime
but all year long in word and music, for their prayers at the Mary statue, their participation in our
ministries and programs, and for their financial support of the parish and all of our corporal and
spiritual works of mercy!

It is by your Will, time, talent and treasury that Saint Catherine of Siena Parish is an active and
vital part of the Archdiocese of Hartford, supporting our local ministries and programs as well as in giving large support to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal and the Knights of Malta Mobile House of Care—which reach beyond Simsbury and brings God’s Love to many. It would be easy to just show-up for an hour once a week and “call it quits” but you are people of a self-giving love, and for that I thank you and each and every one noted above!