May 20, 2012

My brothers and sisters:

May the peace of the Risen Christ be with you!

I would like to extend my invitation to you and your families to attend the 88th annual Pilgrimage and Parish Mission to be held at St. Theresa Shrine, Wakaw on the 16th and 17th (Saturday and Sunday) of June, 2012.

We are pleased to announce that our parish has partnered with Face to Face Ministries to offer a complete parish mission joined with several traditional Pilgrimage activities.

In this way, we will follow the Little Way of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, and patroness of Missions. From her emptiness and hunger, she opened up her heart to be richly nourished by the power of the sacraments and prayer, and magnified her love for the Word of God. “When I open the Gospels, I breathe the fragrance exalted by the life of Jesus, and I know which way to run.” As a pilgrim church, the Word and the sacraments give us the sense of direction and a sense of belonging in his Kingdom.

It is in this spirit of longing for the Lord that I ask you all to join in begging St. Theresa for her intercession for blessings upon our upcoming Mission and Pilgrimage. We ask the Little Flower for her benevolent oversight on our preparations for your attendance, and for your safety as you journey to our Mission and Pilgrimage in June.

Let us hope and pray that this Mission may renew our commitment to God and the Church in the light of the living example of St. Theresa!

United with you in prayer,

Fr. Phong Tran
Parish Priest