St. Anne Parish

Deacon Andy serving at altar.

May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace Amen

 

Notice:  

January 22,  2023

      Dear Parishioners, It is with great sadness that I have to report to you the death of Deacon Andy Dimas. He had been fighting cancer for many years and was finally called home on January 19th at 3:00 pm. Deacon Andy was a good a faithful servant of Christ's and he served the parish well.

      I am so grateful for the opportunity to have served at St. Anne with him and his beloved wife Mary Lou.

Rosary will beheld at 11:00 am and the funeral mass at 12:00 noon  Friday February 3rd here at St. Anne.

Burial at National cemetery at 2:00 followed by reception at Parish hall.

Please Keep him and his family in your prayers.

With Christ's Love,

Fr. Brito 

​

 

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

From Fr. Brito, Pastor

       In the past few weeks we have interacted with Saint John the Baptist. Beginning a few weeks ago with the baptism of the Lord to these final passages of his prophetic life. When Saint John was asked if he was the Christ, he testified that he was not the Christ and said that he was there only to testify to the Christ and to prepare the people for his coming. “I am the voice of the one crying out in the wilderness ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’“.  In the gospel of Saint John we hear these words: “A man named John was sent by God to testify to the light… he was not the light, but came to testify to the light”

       In the First reading today and again quoted in the gospel we hear these words:

“The People who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen”

This is of course is a prophecy of the Christ. It is Jesus Christ who is the light of the world.

John’s mission is now complete he has pointed out to the people who the Christ is and of course we know he has pointed to Jesus.

John ends his mission with these words: “Repent, because the kingdom of God is close at hand.”

These are almost the same words Jesus uses to begin his public ministry: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.

Jesus leaves the area where John was preaching and begins to call his disciples who would be known as apostles.  Beginning with two sets of brothers who were fisherman and disciples of John the Baptist. John had prepared these men well. Two of these brother were referred to, by Jesus, as the Son’s of Thunder. If John the Baptist was thunder that preceded the Light (that is Jesus) and James and his brother were disciples of the Baptist and a disciple is sometimes called a son, than it was fitting that these two brothers would be given this title “Sons of Thunder”. These Sons of Thunder would soon be known as the "Sons of  Light".

For Jesus is the Light that has come into the World.

Saint John Paul the second, gave the Church five new mysteries of the rosary know as the luminous mysteries or the mysteries of light. The second luminous mystery is “the proclamation of the kingdom of heaven”

When Jesus says: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. He is proclaiming a new hope. It is through his life, death and resurrection that we have access to heaven. Before he came there was no hope for entering heaven. He who is the light proclaims this hope to us. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.

      As Jesus calls his disciple, they will come to know him as they live with him. As they come to know him, they also come to love him. And in loving him they want others to love him also. Jesus does not just belong to his apostle, or the Jewish people but rather, he is to be made known to all people. He came for the salvation of the world. We too must share our knowledge of Jesus with others, beginning with our children.

Baptism alone is not enough. We must know Jesus and in knowing him we will love him and in loving him we will follow him. Because: He is our light and our salvation. Amen