FM's Message | Sunday, April 9th, 2023

Happy Easter! Feliz Pascua! This day we gather as a community to glorify God and give him thanks and praise for what he has done for us in Jesus Christ. This Sunday, we are gathering in St. James Church to allow all those who want to come to have space for parking and a bench. Last night we celebrated the Easter Vigil and welcomed three new members to our faith and parish. There have been many moments of grace this past Lent and I want to give thanks to all who are helping the areas of ministry and administration. I am thinking of all the people who are now looking for ways to bring the community together as one and who are coming together at retreats, Alpha, religious education, healing prayer nights, and other ministries. We still worship on Sundays in our respective languages, but at the heart of all of our work is Jesus and our determination to make his name known to every person in Salem. To bring his message to everyone and healing to those who are wounded is what our mission is. At the start of the parish in 1826, the first efforts were to serve the immigrant community arriving from Ireland and then other countries, Poland, Italy, and Canada. In our own time, we continue to see an influx of communities from South America, the Caribbean, and Africa. As the world continues to change, we want to be able to respond to the changes too. In a world that appears to be rejecting the message of Jesus Christ, we are a people who must look out from our front door, offer welcome to all those who are searching for meaning, and continue to bring His message.
As we continue to use the principles of Divine Renovation, we are striving to be a parish that looks out from our front door onto a world that we want to bring Jesus to. It is our mission to evangelize and heal in this community. We welcome those who are searching and those who are lost. While we may not be as big as some other communities, our mission is huge and can only be accomplished with the help of the Holy Spirit and good leadership. We are trying to raise up leaders and then allow them to help evangelize and heal in the context of our parish. We need everyone’s gift and since we are all leaders through our baptisms, we all have a call to bring others to Jesus.
The early Christians, on paper, were not much. They were a few successful fishermen, a tax collector, and a few siblings. Together, with the help of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, they brought us to where we are now. A church that has grown across the world to be an organization that seeks to call others to a relationship to Jesus, use our gifts to bring about the reign of God, and to bring healing to those in need.  We will always need the Holy Spirit to restore, renew, and heal the church and all those who come to her. We have been privileged to be called to do this in this beautiful city that once was an international seaport and now welcomes tourists from everywhere to visit and learn about its rich history. Welcome to all who are returning and to those who are seeking. Happy Easter.
We welcome you to our parish and invite you to think about how you might join us, first to worship and then to walk alongside us as we go out to the world, starting in Salem, and bring the good news of Jesus to others. In the pages that follow, we hope you will see a program or group that piques your interest and join us.
On behalf of the entire staff, and the community, welcome. We hope you have a joyful and love filled Easter and will come to join us again soon.
Peace,
Father Murray

The Catholic Appeal report for this week:
Building news: This week we are signing an agreement with a construction company to start the re-pointing work on the Immaculate Church. This will begin a project that I expect will take several years to complete. We will start this summer with the front of the church and then the chimney and the rear wall. In the future, we can address the sides and the window coverings.