The following is the first part of a series of installments of the Pastoral Letter. 

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

As we begin our journey toward a Eucharistic Revival, I write with great hope and joy in God that His Presence will ever be our guide.  I offer you my prayerful reflection about how we might begin our journey together and consider our relationship with God as the defining moment of our faith. I ask you to pray and discern where we might together recommit our desire to receive Jesus in the Eucharist that we are filled with God’s Presence and become Christ to one another.  It is my fervent prayer that, on our journey, we will love Jesus in one another.

Invitation from Jesus

Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him (Matthew 9:9).

How many of us wish to follow Jesus?  For those of you whom I have met, from the youngest to the oldest, I believe your response would be a resounding, “I do!”.  When we are born, Jesus already knows each one of us, loves us and calls us to follow Him.  From the moment we are baptized, we begin to follow Jesus.  Some of you consented as adults to be baptized and some of you were presented by your parents and godparents to follow Jesus and as your family and friends taught you about Jesus, you also continue to follow Him.

This call is a love-filled invitation from Jesus to you!  He invites each one of us to give our lives completely, without measurement or personal interest, without thinking, “what’s in it for me?”  Remember Jesus was criticized because He called sinners – people like you and me.  They accepted His invitation because they recognized Jesus is the Way to Perfection.  Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we make a Covenant with Jesus to love Him above all things and to serve Him in our brothers and sisters.

By Bishop John Noonan, December 09, 2022