My Dear OLQP Parishioners!
It is with great joy that I am writing you in gratitude for your presence and continuous prayer for our parish family and the local community.
It has been an uncertain year for all of us. We have been slowly coming out of the pandemic that made all of us realize our frailty and the precariousness of our human condition, and at the same time, we find a need for a deeper conversion of hearts. Our Sodality members have continued their work in supporting all of us with their prayers, offering Mass intentions, saying the rosary, and reaching out to our parishioners in need of a healing word. Our ushers, ever faithful to their ministry are present at all Masses and other services as needed. The Sanctuary and Gospel choirs, along with the Praise and Worship ministry resumed their rehearsals and Sunday singing. Those in the Neocatechumenal community have been meeting regularly to celebrate God’s Word and grow together in faith.
Our parish has been moving forward steadily welcoming our parishioners back, while at the same time endeavoring to create a safe space for everyone to come together to worship. It has not always been easy, but we have been gradually picking up activities; for example, our Christmas Bazaar was a success and brought joy to those who were able to attend. We have held a couple of meetings with the heads of our ministries, resulting in fruitful discussions about our parish life and the collaboration with the Cornerstone School. We give thanks to God for our partnership with this school, as we are carefully looking forward to furthering collaboration with their management.
Among various maintenance works, I would like to enumerate some of them that God allowed us to accomplish this past year. The church and school gutters were repaired, and the temporary boiler was installed exactly at the right time before the winter temperatures hit, as we patiently await the new boiler to be installed in the spring of 2022. We had the church external safety lights installed and the rectory roof replaced along with other rectory repairs and renovations including plumbing, fixing the walls, and upgrading. The good news is that as we are moving forward toward the New Year with the major kitchen project underway. Despite a few months’ delay, the work has already started! We are having our pilot phase of the church pews renovation and the padding installed. We pray that at the beginning of the next year we will have our new bulletin that will grant everyone access to current parish communications. In the effort to spread information about our parish in the neighborhood, and beyond our local area, we will post the bulletin on our website, olqprcc.org.
In this season of hope, I would like all of us to pray for the repose of the souls of our beloved parishioners, and their families, who in a unique and lasting way left a mark of faith and dedication to the lasting legacy of our parish community. I would like to ask your prayers for the spiritual growth of our community, the discernment in taking the right decisions, and the successful completion of the projects mentioned above in accordance with God’s will. We are the people of faith united in the Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit and this season of Advent is fitting to extend my warmest greetings and prayers to all of you and your families.
May the peace of Christ’s love, manifested in Bethlehem come and abide in your hearts!
Cherishing you in my prayers,
I am yours in Christ and His Blessed Mother Mary,
Fr. Zygmunt