The Church, for many centuries, has evangelized peoples all across the globe. However, in a society that had been already evangelized those efforts naturally would diminish. If everyone is Christian, some might ask "why evangelize?" The reality is that evangelization should never stop as it constitutes the proclaiming of the essential message of Jesus Christ; that he is God and he died for our sins.

St. John Paul II called the Church to a "New Evangelization" some years ago. Unfortunately this effort was either not taken up or it became confused with catechesis. Catechesis (handing on the essential teachings of the faith) has a different objective from evangelization. However, evangelization needs to happen prior to catechesis, otherwise the content received through catechesis has very little meaning. In short, if people don't "know" Jesus, teaching them "about" Jesus becomes a merely intellectual exercise and is deprived of its most important element; a relationship with Christ.

Some wonderful and amazing things are happening at our parish! More and more, each Sunday we are meeting numerous new families who are joining. In the last 3 weeks alone we have had 21 families join our parish and quite a few more join just this past weekend.

I had numerous people tell me they are from the area but are just finding us and coming back to Church. Others have heard about what's happening here and decided to give us a try and are making this their home. Time and time again this is what I am being told every weekend.

If you have not yet registered at St. Thomas More, please either do so via the website or in the parish office.

Dear Parishioners,

As you know, one of the distinctively Catholic beliefs is that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus, Himself, is truly and fully present whenever we receive either the consecrated Host or from the cup. This has been the belief of the Church since the time of the Apostles.

However, it is not uncommon for people to speak errantly about the Eucharist. Far too often I have heard people talk about receiving the "wine" or, receiving the "bread." We need to remember that we never receive wine at Communion, just like we never receive bread. We always receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. This is, in fact, the point. When the gifts are brought forward they are merely bread and wine. But by virtue of the prayer of the priest and the action of God, they become the Real Presence of Christ. They are no longer bread and wine.

Dear Parishioners,

I would like to thank everyone for our wonderful Christmas celebrations. It takes quite a bit of coordination and numerous volunteers to do everything from decorate the church to ensure that our liturgies are well done.

I would like to thank all of our people who helped with the environment in the church, especially Nancy Kijewski and her team. All of our volunteers for the liturgies; lectors, ushers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and servers.

On this first Sunday after Christmas, the Liturgy invites us to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Indeed, every nativity scene shows us Jesus together with Our Lady and St Joseph n the grotto of Bethlehem. God wanted to be born into a human family, he wanted to have a mother and father like us.

On behalf of the entire staff of St. Thomas More, Merry Christmas to you and your family! How wonderful it is for us to be together worshiping the Lord Jesus as we celebrate his coming into the world and into our lives.

Living life as a joyful Christian is tremendously better than life without the Lord. With Jesus we are given his grace and strength to endure trials and difficulties and to live in his goodness.

O Wisdom, O Holy Word of God,
You govern all creation with your strong yet tender care.
Come and show your people the way of salvation. From the O Antiphons

Deep in December, in the final days of Advent, Wisdom remembers as she sits by the Fire and knits. She has a long memory. She is an old woman.

Wisdom was there before the beginning and she saw it all happen - light from darkness, dry land from sea, earth carpeted with green growing things. She was more than a spectator. She was God's companion artisan, playing with delight in the fields of creation (Proverbs 8).

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared,
Then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute sing.

In the Middle Eastern desert, where the Hebrew people wandered forty years, is a road. A strange phenomenon that travels report is the road seems to end suddenly just ahead but to resume a hundred feet later, only to disappear for some distance once again. The constant wind that blows sand over the surface hides and then reveals the path again.

For God has looked upon his servant in her lowliness, all ages to come shall call her blessed.

Today we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary in the womb of her mother Anne. There is no specific information about Anne and Joachim in the Scriptures. The Protoevangelium of James, described her father as a wealthy member of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. These writings are not considered authoritative, but give us a glimpse of traditional beliefs about Anne and Joachim and their beloved daughter, Mary. They were both deeply grieved by their childlessness. They dedicated their lives in the temple trusting God would hear their prayer. Soon an angel revealed to Anne that her future child would be honored for all generations. Not knowing what that meant, they trusted that as God blessed Sarah and Abraham, they too would know the meaning of the angel’s words to Anne. They are greatly honored in the Eastern Catholic Churches, which celebrate their feast on September 9. Anne is known as the protector of woman in labor.

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared,
Then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute sing.

In the Middle Eastern desert, where the Hebrew people wandered forty years, is a road. A strange phenomenon that travels report is the road seems to end suddenly just ahead but to resume a hundred feet later, only to disappear for some distance once again. The constant wind that blows sand over the surface hides and then reveals the path again.

For God has looked upon his servant in her lowliness, all ages to come shall call her blessed.

Today we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary in the womb of her mother Anne. There is no specific information about Anne and Joachim in the Scriptures. The Protoevangelium of James, described her father as a wealthy member of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. These writings are not considered authoritative, but give us a glimpse of traditional beliefs about Anne and Joachim and their beloved daughter, Mary. They were both deeply grieved by their childlessness. They dedicated their lives in the temple trusting God would hear their prayer. Soon an angel revealed to Anne that her future child would be honored for all generations. Not knowing what that meant, they trusted that as God blessed Sarah and Abraham, they too would know the meaning of the angel’s words to Anne. They are greatly honored in the Eastern Catholic Churches, which celebrate their feast on September 9. Anne is known as the protector of woman in labor.