the Father’s Corner – Sacred Heart Catholic Church

: Message from Fr. Peter Antonisamy, OMI (Pastor) :
Birthday Wishes

My Dear Parishioners & Friends,
I’m very privileged to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and love to all ofyou who wished me “happy birthday” through phone & WhatsApp, text messages, Facebook. Thank you so much for taking part in my birthday dinner. Your presence physically and spiritually made my birthday very special. My sincere thanks to our Sacred Heart Committee members who arranged my birthday party and made my birthday a memorable one. Again, I thank each and everyone of you for your prayers and wishes.
Blessings! Fr. Peter

New Year Message 2023

My Dear Parishioners,
First of all, we would like to wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year! The New Year means many new dreams and new achievements. We forget all the sorrows and pains of the past year and start afresh. As we step into this New Year with lots of dreams, goals and enthusiasm with the solemnity of the Virgin Mary the Mother of God, may She walk with us throughout this year and fulfill our dreams and goals. May every moment in our lives be blessings and may we be showered with love and care. A New Year is like a blank book. The pen is in our hands. It is our chance to write a beautiful story of ourselves. I wish and pray may the New Year bring you happiness, peace, and prosperity and may the blessings of God remain with you and your family throughout the year. May God bless us all!
Fr. Peter Antonisamy, OMI

Christmas Message

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests” ( LK 2:14)

My Dear Parishioners,

On this Christmas day, let us be thankful to our Christ for all his bestowed blessings that sparked on our family.
I wish and pray that this spirit of Christmas infuse your life and that of your family members with love, prosperity, good health, & joy. On this day, we rejoice that God has drawn near to us in the incarnation of Christ. We honor the Blessed Mother Mary for her trust and humility and we celebrate this holy season with the communion of saints with great joy. May your Christmas be filled with God’s love and blessings. Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day. Be assured of my prayers, as we gather around the manger. Let us be glad and rejoice that Jesus, the prince of peace is born among us. May the newborn Baby bless us all!
Wishing you and your family good health, peace, happiness, and prosperity in the coming year.
Merry Christmas.
Fr. Peter, OMI

A Thanksgiving Message from our Pastor

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (Psalm 107:1, 8-9)

Dear Parishioners,

Thanksgiving Day is the perfect time to remind one another of the many reasons there are to be grateful. On this special day we are reminded to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives. Let us count our many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise us what the Lord has done. The surprise is not just in the outward material blessings of the last year. It is also in the times of pain and suffering which seemed to be for no good purpose but turned out to be blessings in disguise. That, too, is the goodness and grace of God.

Let us be thankful not only for the things we have but also for the things we no longer have to have. May the Almighty continue to bless us and our families. Let us remain faithful and be thankful to Him. May our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe protect us and intercede for us. Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving, Fr. Peter.

Dear Parishioners!

“Be thankful in everything, in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

I just take this moment to say “A BIG THANK YOU” to everyone for your valuable prayers and birthday wishes. Thank you very much for making my birthday very special. There are no words to express my gratitude and love for all the blessings, prayers, wishes through phone calls, beautiful birthday messages and gifts that I received. My sincere and “BIG THANKS” to our parish committee members for organizing my birthday party and my Eighteenth Anniversary of my Priesthood (May 12, 2022). And my sincere thanks go to all the volunteers that helped our parish committee members for making my birthday event and my priestly anniversary very special ones. Thank you and love you all. Blessings!

Thanksgiving Message
My Dear Parishioners,
Thanksgiving is a day to remember all the good things regardless of how small or large they may be. It is a time to give, a time to love and time to reflect on the things that matter most in our life. Thanksgiving is center on giving thanks for what we have and the special people in our lives. It is a time to catch up with our loved ones, sit around the table and share one of the most delicious meals of the year. Whether you are near or far from your loved ones this thanksgiving, there are so many ways to share just how much you care with thoughtful thanksgiving wishes and messages for everyone in your life. It is also a time to show gratitude to God for all His necessary blessings in our lives. I wish you all a very happy thanksgiving. Blessings, Fr. Peter, OMI

Father’s Day Message from Our Pastor
Today we celebrate Father’s day. People celebrate this day with their friends and relatives. It is believed that this day has got some positive energy which keeps us happy. Fathers are the ones that guide us in life and which brings in front some interesting possibilities for our family. He is the one tasked to provide and offer great opportunities and that’s why we should honor our father the best way we can. Just like our mom, our dad too has so much influence over our life. The contribution of a father in shaping the life of a child is not negligible at all. Fathers are the ones who put their lives on the line just make sure their kids and families stay well and happy. Father’s Day offers us a chance to acknowledge all the sacrifices and compromise our father has made to bring a smile on our face. This is why they must be shown some love and appreciation on Father’s day! They deserve to know how much they mean to the family. On this very special day, we shall also remember all those fathers who have gone before us. Let us pray for their soul and be reminded of the good values they taught us. May God bless us all. Happy Father’s Day!

My dear parishioners!
I just wanted to take a moment and say “thank you” to everyone for all of the birthday wishes. I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for your lovely birthday wishes and for loving me. All of your wishes and blessings mean a lot to me, that you took time from your busy lives to wish me a happy birthday. Thanks for making me feel special and for being a special part of my life. Thank you so much for your kind greetings and blessings. I was overwhelmed by receiving so much attention for my birthday. I’m sure that with all these wishes, it will become a great year. “There are no words to thank you for all the beautiful greetings and gifts I received on my birthday. Thanking you from the bottom of my heart for making my birthday a special one.” My BIG THANKS to our parish committee for organizing my birthday and Ordination anniversary ( May 12, 2021). And sincere thanks to the Knights of Columbus of our parish for regulating the traffic and to the ushers and volunteers who helped our committee members on the day of my birthday. You all made my birthday and ordination Anniversary of priesthood very special ones. Love you all, I so feel humble, Fr. Peter, OMI

Easter Message: “I am the Resurrection and the Life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” (Jn 11;25). My dear parishioners! After having spent forty days of lent in prayers, penance and almsgiving, today with joyful heart we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is truly Risen! Alleluia. This Easter day is the hope of new beginnings, love, and happiness. I wish you and your family the happiest Easter celebration of a lifetime. We, all of us love Easter because we get to send more sweet wishes to the ones who matter to us. Easter reminds us of the need to be grateful. Christ’s sacrifice and the joyful resurrection should be enough to keep every worry off our hearts today. It’s a new dawn and new hope. Let us have a blessed Easter Sunday with love and happiness, joy and peace, bright feelings and may our heart experience the pleasure of God’s blessing as we celebrate the father’s sacrifice through the son, Jesus Christ. Easter day has come with lots of happiness and peace of mind. The trees are blooming, and the flowers, sun, moon, and stars are celebrating the spirit of the risen Christ. He is up, and because of that, we have hope. Today, Jesus is alive, and the tomb is empty. He is no longer in the grave. Because our Lord is alive today, and because we have a living God, therefore we have a living hope. Once again, I wish you and your loved ones a very happy and blessed Easter. The Lord has truly Risen! Alleluia..Alleluia..Alleluia! May The Risen Lord bless us all. Fr. Peter Antonisamy, OMI.

New Year message 2021: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.” (Jeremiah 29: 11) My dear parishioners! The day of Christmas was celebrated on the 25th of December. On the other hand, happy New Year 2021 will be celebrated on the 1st of January on Friday. Both festivals have a special place in our heart. We can enjoy these festival days with our friends family and relatives. The New Year 2021 is fast approaching. We are eagerly waiting to celebrate it with a lot of joy and enthusiasm in spending time with friends and family, and for offering Happy New Year wishes. The start of each New Year is a time to reflect on the year just past, and make plans for the future. It holds a special magic for all of us, with a promise of new opportunities and the possibility to change our lives for the better. Let us also give thanks to God for all the necessary blessings, protection received in the year 2020 amidst the pandemic of COVID 19. As we are very closer to start of the New Year 2021 with the Solemnity of our Blessed Mary, the Mother of God, May the Almighty bless us with health, wealth, and happiness. May our Blessed Mother, our lady of Guadalupe always protect us with her mantel of love. May the New Year bring our family peace, joy, and happiness. Let our dreams take flight in the New Year 2021. Wishing you all a blessed and prosperous New Year 2021, I remain. Be safe. I love you all. Blessings, Fr. Peter.

My Dear Parishioners! I would like to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! During this season, we will be celebrating Hope, Peace, Love and Joy; I pray that all four of these would fill your life in every way this Christmas and beyond. I am grateful to God. This Christmas, as in all previous years, we celebrate “Emmanuel” (God with us). Without Christ’s presence among us, we would be lost. Through God’s presence working within us, we are being healed, transformed, reconciled and made whole. I pray you all have a fantastic Christmas. Christmas is a magical time. It tends to bring back happy memories of family gatherings and charming traditions that have been passed down through the generations. Christmas carols (Posadas), gift exchanges and family feasts are just some of the enduring traditions that make the season one of the world’s favorite holidays. Christmas means something different to every person and family, but everyone appreciates a simple card or a message. Many families take a family picture to send with a card, but even if you do not do that, text messages or even emails wishing families a Merry Christmas will make them feel special. As we are eagerly awaiting the “Infant Jesus” be born among us, let us make a manger in our own hearts for Him who brought Love, Peace and Joy to the world that we may become the heralds of His good news to the poor with many faces. Again, I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and A Prosperous New Year 2021. May God bless us all.

A Thanksgiving Message from our Pastor
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (Psalm 107:1, 8-9)
Dear Parishioners,
Thanksgiving Day is the perfect time to remind one another of the many reasons there are to be grateful. On this special day we are reminded to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives. Thanksgiving Day is one of the best times of the year we use to remind ourselves of the many reasons to be grateful. A day to enjoy and relax, Thanksgiving is also a great day to catch up with family and friends. And one of the things that make every Thanksgiving better is receiving a message early in the morning. God has blessed us with many gifts of blessings. Let us count our many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise us what the Lord has done. The surprise is not just in the outward material blessings of the last year. It is also in the times of pain and suffering which seemed to be for no good purpose but turned out to be blessings in disguise. That, too, is the goodness and grace of God. Let us be thankful not only for the things we have but also for the things we no longer have to have. May the Almighty continue to bless us and our families with many more gifts of blessings that we remain faithful and be thankful to Him. May our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe protect us and intercede for us. Wishing you all a very happy thanksgiving, I remain. May God bless us all. Let us be united in prayers! Amen.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus! Greetings of peace, love and joy from your new pastor, Fr. Peter Antonisamy. I hope and pray you are all doing well at this time of crisis. I am writing this small note, especially to thank each and every one of you for your warm welcome to be a part of your community and serve you all as a pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, in Eagle Pass. I take this golden opportunity to express my gratitude of joy and happiness and for your kind and warm welcome. As St. Paul says, “what is more, I continue to consider all these things to be a loss for the sake of what is more valuable, knowing the messiah Jesus, my Lord. It is because of Him that I have experienced the loss of all those things. Indeed, I consider them rubbish in order to gain the Messiah” (Phil 3:8). I firmly believe the words of St. Paul the apostle of Christ. The celebration of the Eucharist is a unique and very special and precious gift given to priests. It is my strong belief that if a priest loves the Eucharist, the flock love him and love his ministry. I do my best to serve you all and take care of your spiritual needs. So dear sisters and brothers, again, thank you so very much for your warm welcome and acceptance. Let us be united in Christ and work for the Glory of God. Take care and be safe. Blessings.

Message from Fr. Lawrence OMI
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, This weekend is my last week here in Sacred Heart Parish and next week on Wednesday, I will be leaving to Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville, TX. Once again, I am writing to you say a Big Thanks to each and every one of you for all your support, prayers, wishes, cooperation, friendship, and fellowship that you have shown for the past seven years here in Sacred Heart Parish. It has been a great and enriching experience for me here in my life as I continue my journey of life as an Oblate priest. I have learned a lot from here in the community and has helped me to grow in my spiritual life and as a whole in my personal life. Every one of you have contributed to my life in one way or another. I can say that we all have grown in many ways and as the motto of the Golden Jubilee of our Parish invites us to “Grow in Faith”, Hope and pray that we all will grow in our faith and grow closer to God, to Others and to Ourselves. Always, you all will be in my thoughts and prayers and ask you also to keep me in your prayers. Blessings! This will be my new address: Immaculate Conception Cathedral, P.O. Box 311, Brownsville, TX 78522-0311

Message from Fr. Lawrence OMI
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I take this opportunity to express sincerely from the bottom of my heart a Big Thanks to each and every one of you, all the organizations and groups of our parish for showing your love and appreciation by participating in the Birthday and Farewell Parade. I cannot express enough in words for your thoughtfulness, wishes, prayers and blessings that you have brought into my life. I thank all the members of the Sacred Heart Committee for organizing this event along with Knights of Columbus members and KC Wives, Ushers, Choirs, Lectors and Ministers, Altar Servers and Committee, Movimiento Familiar Catolico, Cursillos de Cristiandad, Altar Society, Lay Oblate Associates, Catechists, Ministry of Consolation, Comunidades Eclesiales de Base, Grupo de Evangelización & Asamblea. Once again thank you for all wishes and prayers. May God bless you all!

Message from Fr. Lawrence OMI
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I am writing this message to let all of our parishioners know that I have been transferred from here to Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Brownsville, TX and will be leaving Sacred Heart Parish in middle of September. At this time, I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude from the bottom of my heart for all that you have been to me during these seven years as your Pastor. Together we have accomplished many things both improvements of our parish in Spiritual activities and building and keeping the parish facilities and all these things were possible because of your contribution and dedication of the Sacred Heart Committee, Finance Council, Parish Staff, All the Choirs, Groups and Organizations of our parish. As the saying goes, “Every drop of water makes the Ocean,” so too every one of you in one way or another has made your contribution to what we are as a Parish Faith Family. Nothing is small or big but your true involvement and dedication made it possible. I humbly ask you to keep me in your thoughts and prayers that I may continue to be a dedicated Oblate priest and serve the people of God with the spirit of St. Eugene DeMazenod and through the intercession of our Mother Blessed Virgin Mary. Once again thank you for all your support and prayers.

Father’s Day Message from Fr. Lawrence OMI
I wish all the Fathers and Grand Fathers A Happy Father’s Day. Also I remember and pray for all Fathers and Grand Fathers who are living that the Lord may give them all the grace and blessings and an eternal life and peace to all those who are deceased. As I wanted to write a message for the Father’s day, this is what came to my mind. A Father in a family is like another side of a coin and without which the coin has no value. Because the coin is valuable only when the two sides are with valid identity. So too a family is full of joy, peace and love when there is a Father and a Mother. A mother carries a baby for ten months but a father carries his child in his heart and mind throughout his life. If the fathers walk in integrity; then happy are their children after them! Let us pray in a special way on this Father’s Day for all the Fathers and Grand Fathers that the Lord may bless them all abundantly. Once again A Happy Father’s Day!

WEEKEND MASSES SCHEDULE CHANGES
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On the Solemn Feast of the Holy Trinity, after careful planning and preparation we re-opened the Church doors for the Public Mass with the regular scheduled and had the additional space in the Parish Hall. However, people are taking the crisis and the situation seriously and so we average about 40 persons per Mass. Therefore, considering the present situation and number of people attending we have decided to have only three Masses on weekends. Hence, we will have the following Mass schedule for the coming weekend until further notice: On Saturday @ 5.30 PM in Spanish On Sunday @ 10.00 AM in English @ 12.00 PM in Spanish As we have announced the Holy Hour on Friday, the weekdays Masses and the weekend; Masses will continue to be livestreamed as long as it is needed. We will continue to watch carefully the attendance at the Masses and if there is a need then we will gradually add more Masses. In addition, we will work it out according to the direction and guidance of the Bishop Tamayo.
— Fr. Lawrence Mariasoosai OMI

Christmas Message 2019
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Jesus Christ is the Reason for this Christmas Season. Because as He brought Joy to the shepherds, He brings Joy, Peace, Love and Hope to all of us. Christmas is a season which brings all the family members and friends who are far and near together to cherish and strengthen the relationship of love. Thus, the season brings joy in our hearts and minds, families and thus there is the real Peace, which Jesus promised to all and that leads to live in Hope for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Let us celebrate this season with joy and glorify the Lord along with the Angels as we read, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:14 So, I wish you All A Merry Christmas and also pray that the Lord Jesus Prince of Peace bring Joy, Peace, Love and Hope in your hearts and families. Once again A Happy Christmas and Blessings!

Message for Thanksgiving
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As we pray in the Psalm 9:2, “I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” Each and every day, we have so much to be grateful for in this life. However, reality is that sometimes constantly life demands, struggles, and worries give more room to defeat than to a heart of thanks. Or we forget, in the midst of busyness and pressures, just to pause and give thanks, for all that God has done, and continues to do in our lives. So I invite you to take a moment to be thankful to God like things that we take for granted: I am grateful for the heart, which you keep beating each and every day. I am grateful for the blood, which flows, through my body, sustaining me. I am thankful to you, oh God, for my eyes which see, my ears which hear and all the gifts that you have given me. Thank you God for keeping me alive. Hence, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Ps 136:1”
Happy Thanksgiving and may God bless you!

Veterans Day Prayer
Dear Lord, Today we honor our veterans, worthy men and women who gave their best when they were called upon to serve and protect their country. We pray that you will bless them, Lord, for their unselfish service in the continual struggle to preserve our freedoms, safety, and our country’s heritage. Bless them abundantly for the hardships they faced and for the sacrifices they made. We respect them, we thank them, we honor them, we are proud of them, and pray that you will watch over these special people and bless them with peace and happiness. In Jesus’ name we pray; Amen. By Joanna Fuchs

Father’s Day Prayer and Blessings
God our Father, We give you thanks and praise for fathers young and old. We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation; May they find courage and perseverance to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrifice. We pray for all the Fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering; May they know that the God of compassion walks with them in their sorrow. We pray for men who are not fathers but still mentor and guide us with fatherly love and advice. We remember fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers who are no longer with us, but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. May the Almighty Father, bless them all. Amen.

Prayer for Our Service Men & Women
Heavenly Father, as we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy every day, we think of how they have followed in the footsteps of your son, our Savior, Jesus Christ in the giving of their lives for others. Please hold our servicemen and women in your strong arms. Cover them with your sheltering grace and your presence as they stand in the gap for our protection. Amen.

Happy Mother’s Day
Motherhood is a tough 24 hour job, no pay, no day off, sometimes it is unappreciated, but yet resignation is impossible. A mother is a woman created by God to bring love, joy, happiness and caring into his world. Mothers are the sweetest gift from Gods to us. There is no way we can ever really thank our mother for all she does for us, nevertheless we must make it a habit to keep reminding ourselves of the various sacrifices she made while raising us. Mothers’ Day is the best time but not the only time to say in words how much you love and care for your mom. May God bless them all.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Risen Christ,
He is risen! Halleluiah!
This is the glorious message of Easter and great reminder of the victory of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Savior was resurrected, as we all will be. He suffered so that He could succor us in all of our trials. He paid the ransom for us as Heavenly Father’s children so that we could be delivered from death and sin. As St. Peter says in 1 Peter 1:3, The “lively hope” we are given by the resurrection is our conviction that death is not the conclusion but a necessary step from mortality to immortality. We should all praise God for the assured resurrection that makes our mortal separations temporary and gives us the hope and strength to carry on. We are called to testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He is our Creator, Savior and Redeemer, Advocate with the Father, and Deliverer. One day He will return to rule and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. I wish you all a Happy Easter and pray that the Risen Lord may fill your hearts and minds with His Peace that which the world cannot give us.
Many Blessings!

Thanks to You All
Greetings of Love, Peace and Joy from Fr. Lawrence OMI. I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to each and every one of you for your prayers, wishes and gifts during this season of Christmas and New year. Also I invite all of you to commit and dedicate in this New Year by sharing your time, talents and treasure to grow in our faith and build up the Parish Faith Family. Let us follow the model of the Holy Family and come closer to God and one another. May God bless you!

New Year’s Message
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ, I wish you all A Happy New Year and pray many blessings to you and your family. The New Year brings with it a fresh start, new opportunities and an exhilarating sense of rejuvenation. We often make New Year’s resolutions in an attempt to improve ourselves and to be better towards others and ourselves. Expressing our love, gratitude, respect and appreciation to others on this day and sending those wishes for New Years is a great way to share in this spirit of renewal with our friends, family and coworkers. Let us celebrate this exciting, colorful, grand, magical New Year with a great big smile. May this year give you the opportunity to follow your dreams, love like there is no tomorrow and smile unconditionally. Once again, wishing you a year full of happiness and prosperity and continue to pray that may you have a happy and healthy New Year 2019!

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” John 3:16 We rejoice again this year in the opportunity to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ among us. In the midst of this season of Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy, we continue to find ourselves in a world beset by materialism, selfishness and violence, which upset the life of Individuals, Families and Countries. However, our Catholic Christian faith beckons us to rejoice, to feel our worth and to fall on our knees and keep the Love of Jesus Christ in the center of our lives and help others to have it abundantly. May you and your loved ones know the joy that comes from the mystery of Christ’s birth among us! May we continue to be witnesses of Christ’s Love and Mercy to one another. Make an effort to become the messengers of Love of Christ. Love begins at home and let us begin from there. I wish you all A Merry Christmas and pray that the Infant Jesus fill your hearts and minds with His Love, Peace and Joy. Christmas Blessings!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am happy to be back after spending a good time in the birthplace of St. Eugene de Mazenod and the founding place of the Oblates. It was an enriching experience and enhancing my understanding of my oblate life. Thank you for your prayers and I always remembered you all in my prayers and during the Mass in all the holy places that I visited. Also, I say a big thanks to Fr. Peter Anthonisamy for his great help in my absence. Blessings.

Message for Thanksgiving
1 Chronicles 16:34 invites us to “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” We have 101 reasons to give thanks because as someone says, “Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. Most importantly though, I am thankful for you today and every day.” –Anonymous. Therefore, be thankful for what you have than what you do not have because you will never and ever have enough. As John F. Kennedy said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them” not only one day but also throughout our life. Happy Thanksgiving and may God bless you!

To commemorate my 25th year as an Oblate, I have been asked to attend an Oblate spiritual renewal course in France, where our Oblate Congregation was founded by St. Eugene De Mazenod. I will be out of the parish beginning September 10th and God willing I will return on November 28th. I asked you to keep me in your prayers and I assure you that all of you will be in my thoughts and prayers. I also asked you to please welcome Fr. Peter Antonisamy, OMI, who will be taking care of the parish while I am away.

Mother’s Day Message
“Mother is the sweetest word in all the languages. It is the first word that springs from the heart. It is the first word we learn to lisp as we begin life. It is the last word we gasp as we depart from life. It is the golden cord, which binds the earth to heaven. It is the love that changes the poorest cottage into a paradise. It is the greatest of all loves. It is the eternal love.” If we are transported upon the wings of imagination back to the scenes of our childhood, we can recall the tender caresses, loving embraces and sweet lullabys of our mothers at twilight. We hear again their soft voice, which once made our infant hearts rejoice. We are who we are and what we are because of our Mothers. For I remember in the evening when the fire was burning bright she would call me to her side and say, “Be brave, my boy and faithful; and never be ashamed of the teaching that you learned in your dear Mother’s name.” To honor all our Mothers let us keep the values they taught us and never abandon them. Happy Mother’s Day; pray and entrust them all under the care and protection of Our Mother Blessed Virgin Mary.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Risen Christ,
May the Love, Joy and Peace of the Risen Lord Jesus be with you all. I wish you all a Happy Easter and pray that the Risen Jesus may fill your hearts and minds with Peace. We trust the architect who builds our home, the pharmacist who gives us medicine for healing, the lawyer who defends us in court and in so many things. But we also need someone trustworthy and knowledgeable where God is concerned. Risen Jesus, the Son of God, is the one who makes God known to us. So I invite you all to have trust and confidence in the Risen Lord by praying, “Jesus I Trust in You.”
Happy Easter and Peace be with you all!

Why Do We Give Up Things for Lent?
The idea behind giving up something for Lent is based on Luke 9:23 “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” So, essentially it is about self-denial, carrying our cross and following Jesus. It is something that is done in a prayerful way, so that we can wholly renew ourselves in Christ. That is an important part of the process for you as an individual, but also as a family. Whatever you give up for lent like chocolate, ice cream, soda, meat, sweets, coffee, alcohol, internet twitter, Facebook, etc., then that money can be collected and bring forth in the Lenten cards and offer them so that they can be used to help the poor and the Church. Therefore, if you have received the Lenten cards then make sure to bring them during or at the end of Lenten season. Thus, what we give up for Lent will have a real purpose and meaning!

Birthday Blessing
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all the parishioners, groups, organizations for the beautiful and memorable birthday celebration, wishes and prayers. God bless you all!

My Dear Brothers Sisters,
I would like to express my sincere thanks from the bottom of my heart to all of you for making our 3rd Sacred Heart Festival and Raffle a success. Behind every successful event there are many people, who have given their time, talent and treasure and put their heart and soul in hard work of 100% and committed to the end. In the first place, I like to say a Big Thanks to the Festival Committee for their full cooperation and commitment. Then I thank all the organizations and families who worked hard with enthusiasm and collaborated to make this festival an awesome one. At last but not least, all the volunteers, musicians, matachines and parishioners who gave their time, talent and treasure towards this festival. Once again, I say a Big Thanks to All of You!

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In the first place, I wish you all A Happy Easter and may the Peace of the Lord fill your hearts and minds. “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. Because, we are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song,” said St. John Paul II. “The great gift of Easter is hope – Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake.” Basil Hume. The resurrection gives our life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what our circumstances. There may be a hopeless situation in our personal and family life, as a nation and in the world but always; we are called as Christians to live as people of hope. Because, Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life. The message of the Risen Christ is always, “Peace be with you and do not be afraid, I am with you always.” Again, I wish you all a Happy Easter and Peace be with you all.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
I wish you all a Happy and Blessed New Year 2017! A fresh new year is once again upon us. It’s the time to be thankful for the blessings of the past year and to take stock of all our achievements and failures in our personal and professional life. At the same time, New Year 2017 is a brand new year to start afresh, to start strong, and yet another chance to do everything we want to do this year right. A New year brings not only happiness, it makes us happy with a hope to fulfill our dreams or a new beginning our life. So, a new year is very special to everyone and therefore I wish you all again A Happy New Year 2017. Also, Pray and bless you all with the words of Moses: “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!”

My Dear Brothers and Sisters
In the first place, as we welcome this wonderful time of the year, I wish you all Merry Christmas and pray that may our hearts celebrate the true reason for the season and may our homes be warmed by Jesus’ Joy, Peace and Love. Because of our Golden Jubilee Year of our Parish, this Christmas is a special one for all of us. Therefore, not only we celebrate Christmas but also we make our commitment to the Prince of Peace Jesus Christ, as a Family of faith to grow in Our faith and share the faith with one another. Thank you for being part of Our faith family and sharing your time, talents and treasures for the growth our parish family. I pray that the gift of Love, the gift of Peace and the gift of Joy and Happiness of Jesus be yours at Christmas. Once again I wish you all Merry Christmas. May God bless you!