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.

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.)

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.

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.

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!

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.