To Be a Servant

02-05-2023Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We give a heartfelt congratulations to our parishioner, Alex Leguizamon, who on Sat, Feb 4, was ordained to the Holy Order of the Diaconate. Alex has been preparing for over five years, and now his prayer and hard work have come to fruition! Since Alex is bilingual, we will be seeing him serve at both the English and Spanish Masses.

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Built of Living Stones

01-29-2023Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“The anniversary of a church’s dedication is celebrated with the rank of a solemnity.” – Roman Pontifical, Rite of Dedication of a Church, 27.

This Sunday we recall the day our church building was consecrated and dedicated to the worship of God. At that moment, this space was transformed from being a mere building into a church – a true, holy place of worship. If you were present on that chilly night of February 2, 2015, you might recall the first action of the Bishop was to sprinkle the people, the walls, and the altar with blessed water. This symbolized the moment of your own baptism, that exact moment when you were transformed from being a “regular person” into a true temple of God, a temple of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.)

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An Extra-Ordinary Time

01-22-2023Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On Saturday, February 4, our parishioner Alejandro
(Alex) Leguizamon will be ordained a deacon at our Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston. For about five and a half years, Alex has been preparing, and now the time has come! Please pray for Alex and his family as he makes his final spiritual preparations for this important gift of the Holy Order of Deacon.

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Gratitude

01-15-2023Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Thinking back into one’s childhood, one of the things that often comes to mind is learning to say “thank you.” It seems odd that such a thing has to be a learned behavior. As we grow older and reflect on the love and sacrifices others make for us, I believe it becomes easier to see and appreciate the importance of expressing gratitude to those around us.

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God Is Light

01-08-2023Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This Sunday, Jan 8, as we joyfully celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, we also are happy to host a visit from our Bishop, Jacques Fabre. This will be Bishop Fabre’s very first visit to Aiken. The Bishop will be the main celebrant for the 11:00am and 1:00pm Masses. Then, at 2:30pm we will host reception for him in St. Angela Hall. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Bishop Fabre!

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Holy Mother of God

01-01-2023Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy New Year of Grace – 2023! The civil new year brings us an opportunity to have that moment in time to start again. For us as Catholic Christians, we have a unique opportunity since this transition occurs during one of our most powerful and important liturgical celebrations – the Season of Christmas. In particular, today is what we call the Octave Day of Christmas and the celebration of the most important title of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Mother of God.

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O Holy Night!

12-25-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

If you are visiting with us, welcome! The Christmas Masses often bring many visitors to our parish, especially family members and friends of parishioners. We pray you find a warm welcome from our family of St. Mary’s Parish and School. I invite all visitors and parishioners to receive our free gift, the book Holy Moments by Matthew Kelly, as you leave Mass. It will deepen your faith, hope, and love. Special thanks go to our generous anonymous donor, who has made the gift of this book possible.

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A Challenge to Help our Children Excel

12-18-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are in the midst of a 120-Day Million Dollar Challenge, and pledges have been coming in already as I write this! Since the holidays create accelerated deadlines for this bulletin, I am writing this column only a couple of days after we introduced the challenge at Masses. I will be providing updates on our progress as soon as I can get them to you.

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The 120-Day Million Dollar Challenge

12-11-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson, VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This weekend at the 11:00am and 1:00pm Masses, we make our final farewell to Fr. Francisco as he leaves us to become pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Greenwood. In his over two years with us, he has become part of our St. Mary’s family. He won’t be far away, and I’m sure he’ll enjoy a visit from you.

On December 19, we give a very warm St. Mary’s welcome to Fr. Orlando Serrano. Please see a personal note from him below. Welcome, Father Orlando!

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Immaculate Mary

12-04-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson,VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As Advent begins to get into full swing, we come to the truly beautiful Holy Day of Obligation, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, this Thursday, Dec 8. Love means that we joyfully fulfill certain obligations – things we must do. But, it is an obligation fulfilled in joy. People who are married know this! Catholics out of love not only are obliged to participate at Holy Mass all Sundays but also a very few Holy Days.

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Saying Farewell

11-27-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson,VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As you have likely heard by now, Fr. Francisco has received a new assignment from our Bishop. Effective Dec 15, Fr. Francisco will be the new pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Greenwood. This is what every priest prepares for, so we are immensely happy for Father. At the same time, we are, of course, sad to see him move on.

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Jesus Christ Our Eucharistic King

11-20-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson,VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First, please note that there will be no 5:00pm Sunday Mass today (Nov. 20), due to the Eucharistic Procession, so please plan accordingly.
Below, please find a summary of our recent Strategic Plan initiative by Parish Council chair, Liz Stewart. God bless! – Father Wilson

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Your Parish Council worked on facilitating a Strategic Plan for the Parish for almost a year. We are now at the most exciting stage – Implementation. Let’s look at how we got here and where we are going.

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Black Catholic History Month

11-13-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson,VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

November is Black Catholic History Month. “The presence and contributions of African Catholics range from the earliest centuries of the Catholic Church to the present. … Let Catholics from all the nations of the world rejoice in the Gospel and the gifts presented by members of every race who bear the name of Catholic.” (from an article by Fr. Raymond Petrucci) Let us help each other as brothers and sisters in one faith to create a glimpse of heaven, the “great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and language. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9).

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A Flurry of Activity

11-06-2022Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B.Wilson,VF

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

November is a busy month! Here are several updates for you:

More and more hearing aids today are equipped with Bluetooth technology, allowing users to control their hearing aids even through an app on their phone. We are in the process of installing the necessary devices which will allow those with this technology to stream audio directly through our church’s sound system. Once installed, we will offer training sessions and other information on how to connect wirelessly through your smartphone. Stay tuned for more information very soon. As you hopefully know, since the 1950s, St. Mary’s has owned Calvary Cemetery at 1255 University Lane here in Aiken. I wanted to make you aware of some improvements happening there. First, we have installed new, concrete curbing throughout the main drive of the cemetery. Also, we are preparing to open up more of the usable land we have, which will make the area even more beautiful. Finally, in December, a columbarium for cremated remains will be added. 

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