This is a very exciting week ahead for all of us. It is Catholic Schools Week. You will find our Catholic Schools Week Calendar in the bulletin today. The week kicks off with the St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic School Open House Sunday, January 31. Please visit the teachers by connecting at www.visitstclareschool.org between 1:00 PM and 3:40 PM this Sunday afternoon. Each grade has a specific time for families to meet and greet the teachers via a zoom link. The website has videos of each teacher sharing their classrooms too. You can view the videos anytime using the website link.

Christmas decorations have been tucked away in storage for another year – hopefully a more joyful, peaceful, and friendlier year. Our churches will look a bit simpler, plain – ordinary. But isn’t it in those moments God speaks to us, reveals himself, and is present beside us? Isn’t it in those moments that we are asked to live out our baptismal promises we renewed last Sunday? Isn’t it in those moments we are asked to say: I am Gods’ beloved child. God will use my talents and gifts to build his Kingdom. I deserve respect and dignity. Striving to live Jesus’ example, imitating him in mercy, charity, peace, goodwill, and healing that can transform, change not only our normal ordinary daily activities and moments of encounter, but also the wider land in which we live. Just like in the life of the Apostles from today’s Gospel. Let’s us be open to those ordinary encounters with God’s grace and go see where God is staying nowadays. Be Bold Be Holy Be Catholic.

I said happy, certainly we wish happiness for ourselves our loved ones and friends, but as we begin a new year, the question is: What will this year be like? What will it bring? An end to COVID, a united country, a stable economy? How about our health, peace, and happiness in our families? As our catholic community of the Archdiocese embarks on the collaboration of Families of Parishes, what will that look like? There is so much unknown, perhaps a bit of fear, pondering the uncertain, it is hard to look to the future with a sense of ease.