Dear Parish Family,

Today's celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph reveals both the blessings and challenges of family life. One might assume that having a husband and wife who are saints and a Child who is the Son of God would clear the way of all trials and tribulations. Not so! Mary and Joseph both had to wrestle with all the complex situations surrounding the conception, birth, and upbringing of Jesus. Just put yourself in their shoes in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke to see what I mean! However, through these challenges and their trust in God, they grew in wisdom and grace together as a family.

 

As a Lord of the Rings fan, I like to use the example in marriage preparation with engaged couples of the conversation between Boromir and Aragorn entering the Woods of Lothlorien. Boromir sees the way through Lothlorien as perilous, but Aragorn replies that it is "fair and perilous, but only evil need fear it or those who bring some evil with them. Follow me!" Lothlorien represents marriage and family life. The way is "fair" and beautiful, but also "perilous" and dangerous because marriage and family life change us, but only evil need fear this change. 

 

We cannot predict the outcomes of giving our hearts fully to a spouse or to loving our family through all the ups and downs of life. There is a risk when we give our hearts fully in family life of getting hurt, and yet the Church encourages those who nonetheless choose the way of marriage and family life because of the great beauty of giving our lives fully to our spouse and family in the manner and likeness of Christ on the Cross. 

 

Members of a family are prophets who believe in the fulfillment of God's promises despite all odds. A prophet isn't someone who sees the future, but someone who trusts that God will be there each step of the way. The Holy Family certainly didn't see the future and all the trials they would face, but they prophetically opened their hearts to the Lord's promptings. The beauty of spouses saying "I do" to a future yet unknown creates a huge space for God to enter, provided those spouses continue to stay surrendered to the Lord and to one another. Only evil need fear family life, or those who bring evil with them into this sacred reality. Follow the Lord Jesus into the fullness of family life just as the Holy Family did!

 

We celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God this week. It is a holy day of obligation. The Vigil Masses on Wednesday, December 31 will be at 4:00 pm at St. Patrick's and 4:30 pm at St. Mary's. Masses on Thursday, January 1 will be at 9:00 am at St. Mary's and 9:30 am at St. Patrick's. Due to the solemnity, we will not have last Wednesday confessions at St. Mary's, and we will close the St. Mary Wednesday Adoration early around 3:45 pm to prepare for the Vigil Mass. Adoration at St. Pat's will be moved from Thursday, January 1 to Thursday, January 8 at 7:00 pm. 

 

Please mark your calendars for an upcoming Estate Planning Seminar on Wednesday, January 21 at 6:30 pm in the St. Mary Banquet Room. Many of us have wills in place, but have we considered taking a few simple steps to include our parish in our estate plan? Come learn the simple ways of putting together a will and the language to easily include St. Patrick's, St. Mary's, or whichever parish we hail from in our will. These legacy gifts leave a lasting remark and remembrance for future generations! Contact the St. Mary Parish Office to register at 440-285-7051 or use this link: https://forms.gle/68mtERe9VjpXXDvj6 

Ready for a pilgrimage to Italy? Join me and Fr. John Betters on a Classic Italy pilgrimage from May 17-27, 2026! We have a few spots left, so take a look at the itinerary and register soon at https://stmarychardon.org/classic-italy-pilgrimage

Happy New Year!

Fr. Scott Goodfellow