Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy New Year! Here’s wishing you and yours a blessed and safe 2006! Today we celebrate with the rest of the Catholic Church all over the world, the Feast of Mary, Mother of God. As we recall Mary’s ‘yes’ to God, hopefully all of us are inspired to say “yes” to God and to God’s Will in our lives. This is an awesome Feast Day! And it’s very cool that it falls on Sunday this year. Of course, today we also pray for the New Year. Most especially, today we pray for peace, peace in the world, especially Iraq and Afghanistan, but also for peace in the hearts of all people, the peace that can only come from being “in-line” with God’s Will. May each one of us have that peace every single day. And may we share that peace with others so that they could have that interior security that all of us need to live in this crazy world.

It is impossible to look ahead in this New Year, without looking back at 2005. 2005 was a tough year in many ways for the whole world. The year began with the devastation of the Tsunami in Indonesia. The world came together to help so many who lost everything. St. Maria Goretti did its part. Little did we know last January of just how much we’d have to come together again in September and October for our brothers and sisters in our own country, as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed the Gulf coast region of the South. None of us will ever forget the images of loss and devastation. Once again, St. Maria Goretti did our part to help. There was the earthquake in Pakistan, and tornados in southern Indiana. On April 2 nd, we lost our beloved Pope, John Paul II. It was hard to say goodbye to someone who had done so much for our world and for our Church. The entire world came together to mourn. In April, St. Maria Goretti had a special memorial Mass for John Paul and our doors were draped in black cloth. God was still with us, though, and a couple of weeks later, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI. In many ways, the world was a much smaller place in 2005. A war in Iraq, bombings in London, an AIDS epidemic in Africa, it all seemed more like it was happening to all of us, as children of God, rather than to strangers half way around the world.

And yet 2005 was also a year of great blessings. Here at St. Maria Goretti we settled into our new church and enjoyed all of the “Firsts” in it: the first First Reconciliation, the first Lent and Easter, and the first First Communion and Confirmation. We were extraordinarily blessed and graced with a wonderful Parish Mission in February, led by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. The Italian Festival continues to grow and become a major community event in Westfield. This year’s the biggest one yet! In September, St. Maria Goretti had its first ordination when our former Business Manager, Steve Miller, was ordained to the permanent Diaconate for the Diocese of Lafayette. In August, we were all so pleased and happy as Josh Bennett, a young man from the Parish, went to seminary to pursue studies for the priesthood. Clearly, the Elijah Cup is working. Let us all keep praying for vocations. On December 8th, just a few weeks ago, we celebrated the Tenth Anniversary of the First Mass here at St. Maria Goretti. And although the snow and ice kept some away, we were all grateful to God for what He has done and is doing here within our Parish family.

In the good times as well as the tough times, God has been with us and has blessed us beyond our imagining. What does 2006 hold? I guess that only the Holy Spirit knows for sure, but it’s not going to be boring. We have a lot of work to do as a Parish. Let us work together to accomplish God’s Will in our lives and in our world. Let us have a great year in 2006. May we truly make it a year of the Lord.

In Christ,

Fr. Kevin

One kind word can warm three winter months.