On Rest, Reservations, & a Spirituality of Gentleness & Kindness - Jan 1, 2023

Dear Friends,

I hope that you and your families could enjoy some rest and relaxation this week after the festivities of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The parish office has been quiet as most of our staff, including Fr. Chuck, took well-deserved vacations. My parents and sister joined me here in Austin while I shared the daily Masses with Fr. Mike and made hospital visits as needed.

We are very grateful for our team of volunteer ministers who helped make our beautiful Christmas liturgies possible. The most stressful part of the weekend was planning for the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass. In pre-COVID years, the church would reach the fire code capacity, and an overflow Mass in the gym was necessary. Without any space for an overflow Mass while the construction project is ongoing, we decided reservations would be the best way to avoid having to turn people away at the door.

Fortunately, next year we should be able to do away with reservations and have an overflow 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass in our new parish ministry center right next to the church. Christmas 2023 will hopefully be a grand celebration after the disruptions of the pandemic and our construction project. It will also be a great opportunity for grown children of our parishioners to see our new ministry center when they come home for the holidays.

Pope Francis gave us a belated Christmas gift by releasing an apostolic letter on St. Francis de Sales on December 28. The letter commemorates the 400th Anniversary of his death and is entitled Everything Pertains to Love and describes the life and spirituality of St. Francis de Sales. Born in France to a noble family, Francis de Sales became the renowned bishop of Geneva during the aftermath of the Reformation. He preached a spirituality of gentleness and kindness and modeled how to seek holiness in a pluralistic society. Isaac Hecker was deeply influenced by Francis de Sales as Hecker developed his vision for the mission of the Paulist Fathers. Guided by this new letter of Pope Francis, I look forward to meditating on the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales in the weeks ahead.

Have a happy and blessed New Year,