As we begin the new academic year here at St. Catherine of Siena we see new beginnings ahead for our Religious Education program, our Youth Ministry program, our Music Ministry program with its choirs and special liturgies and so many more. I look around and see all the ministries come back into full swing and I see hundreds of faces of wonderful people who make our parish so lively. From our more than 60-plus religious education catechists and aides, to volunteers who help with the youth ministry as chaperones and helpers at events, to the many voices who enliven our liturgies and lift our prayers, to the folks who feed the hungry in Hartford or those who feed our neighbors who are recuperating from surgery through Comitas. Our parish comes back to life and it is a life that brings life to the world—Christ’s life—in many ways.

This massive action from so many people is a sign of Christ to the world—and while we may not individually feel as if we are being Christ to someone in need nor may we feel that we are continuing His mission and ministry in the world around us, we are. Make no mistake about it, the smallest act of kindness such as the Sunday mornings spent teaching Christ’s Truths to a child or young adult letting them know that God loves them, the making of a meal for a homeless person in Hartford or for a neighbor who is ill down the street; to the comforting voices connecting someone to Christ in the pew—and so much more—is indeed the ongoing mission and ministry of Christ. In our time and place we are taking part in the feeding of the five thousand or the healing of the man’s withered hand or the welcoming of Zacchaeus into the fold.

May we never forget that, especially as we celebrate with the whole Church the canonization of Saint Mother Teresa, a small act of kindness or a simple offering of hope may lead someone who is lost or forgotten back into the light of Christ and the knowing that God indeed loves them and desires them. Who knows how transformative that simple act may be.

As we begin this new year together, I wish to thank all the many volunteers who bring this parish to life and make Christ present to the world in need, and to those who come to our parish and pray and light candles for someone’s need or fund the many ministries that bring God’s love and peace into reality for so many. Thank you!