As I mentioned at all the Masses last weekend, the people of Saint Catherine of Siena Parish were amazingly generous and kind in our 2018 Advent Giving Tree program, raising a total of $98,237.79 and then directing their donations to be allocated in the following manner: to the Knights of Malta Mobile House of Care, a total of $55,856.00 and to our parish’s Neighbors in Need Fund, a total of $42,381.79! No other word can express my thanks other than AMAZING! When I spoke to Michelle Murphy, the executive director of the Malta House of Care

This Sunday the Gospel of John proclaims the account of Jesus’ first miracle, and what the Church considers another manifestation of Christ as the Son of God (adding to the Nativity of Jesus, the Epiphany of the Lord, and the Baptism of the Lord) at the Wedding Feast at Cana—the miracle of changing water into wine.

A parishioner working on his Eagle Scout project has designed and built a new food pantry collection station—it’s in the same location in the vestibule, but this new set-up provides for a safer, bigger and wonderful ease-of-use, offering better organization of the various types of food stuffs we collect. The new food pantry station is easily mobile and can be brought right to the vehicles outside that are taking the food to the Town of Simsbury Food Pantry.

As we end the Christmas season with today’s celebration of Jesus’ Baptism by John in the waters of the Jordan River, we might ask ourselves “what is today’s celebration all about?” We are told by John that he baptizes with water but when Jesus comes, He will baptize with “fire and the Holy Spirit.” What does this mean, and why do we then in the Catholic Church use water at baptisms?

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: