Fr. Tom’s Letters

With the Christmas Season now ended, we are now in that long period of the procession of weeks that the Church calls Ordinary Time. This beginning of Ordinary Time only stretches about 5 ½ weeks before we begin Lent on Ash Wednesday, February 18. The liturgical color is now green; the thematic focus is hope. Welcome to Ordinary Time.

Again, many thanks to you for a wonderful Advent/Christmas season at St. Anne’s. People worked as a team in all sorts of ways to support a more extensive Sponsor a Family ministry both at Thanksgiving and Christmas. St. Anne’s extended our generosity to more than 1500 families in need of support during this past holiday season. Thank you.

Many parishioners participated in many other Advent/Christmas activities. Liturgically our church looked beautiful; all of it is accomplished through a small group of volunteers and the assistance of our maintenance staff. Parish ministries such as our parish school, Knights of Columbus, Faith Formation, Senior Scene, and Home School Association all had activities and gatherings to celebrate this special time of the year. Parish choirs, liturgical ministers, lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, sacristans, and altar servers responded generously to all the needs for the Christmas celebration. Thank you.

Our parish Christmas collection surpassed all previous totals. As we still receive some donations for Christmas, the total will be in the vicinity of $250,000. That is extraordinary and thank you all for your generosity.

Christmas break extended two full weeks. Our faith formation and parish school are once again fully involved. Before long we will be preparing for First Communion and Confirmation. Eighth graders in our parish school and faith formation are now learning about admission to local Catholic High Schools. Congratulations! Our parish school students do very well with high school admissions. When there is disappointment, we do our best to help students find a Catholic high school most appropriate for that student.

My Christmas break really extended just short of a full month as I went on retreat just as schools re-opened last week. I travelled to Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester, Massachusetts for a Jesuit-directed eight-day silent retreat. Now this was my third eight-day retreat since January 1, 2025. I attended 8 day retreats last January, in August, and during these recent days. So if I am not more holy than before, these retreats aren’t working!

I’m not sure about being more holy, rather doubtful, but the gifts and graces of these retreats are without question. The beautiful nature of Eastern Point; ocean, seals, birds, rocks, woods, stars, wind and calm seas with occasional rough surf; combined with the silence, quiet no talking, allow for listening for God speaking.

Yes, God speaks to us who open ourselves to listen. In today’s gospel, John the Baptist makes clear God spoke to John. I trust that I have heard God speak to me these retreats of the past year. He speaks about my life, our parish, the priesthood, and my family. He speaks to me about prayer, God’s presence, the Eucharist. I am moved with gratitude, alertness to God’s presence, and continue to seek his help in all those areas of my life.

In terms of our parish how grateful I am for you our parishioners who truly are St. Anne’s Parish and responsible for the many goods that happen here. Very grateful I am for the parish staff, the school staff, the faith formation staff, the rectory staff, the maintenance staff, the sacristans, and our clergy who work, serve, minister here in all sorts of ways, often providing leadership and organizing our community of volunteers in all kinds of activities. Our parish is blessed and I am blessed to be here among you. During Lent, I hope to share with you in a Lenten series some learnings about prayer that I have gained during the retreat.

A theme of these 2025-26 retreats has been my moving to the “right lane.” The right lane is slower; the right “laners” watch others speeding by; the right allows one to see more clearly signs along the road; the right laner doesn’t need to look to pass people by and infrequently uses the horn and learns patience. Since my 70^th birthday nearly two years ago, I have discovered I’m okay and enjoy life better in the right lane. By the way, I’ve noticed some parishioners in the right lane with me. For those who are considering joining us in the right lane, it’s partly good: safer, slower, less demanding, more calm, and peaceful!

Some people look at right lane people and think the right lane people are headed for the exit ramp, some call it retirement. Be careful, that’s reading between the lines or lanes. Right lane people learn to live a day at a time; they don’t make extended plans, nor do they have any plan on taking an exit ramp. They merrily move along it at their own pace. One retreat I’ve learned that’s what God is asking me to do at St. Anne’s. Please don’t read between the lines nor lanes. There’s nothing there!

Have a peace-filled week.