Dear Brothers and Sisters in  Christ, 

We have come to the glorious feast of the Epiphany wherein The God-man, Jesus Christ our Lord reveals Himself to all  the nations of the world. The Magi, who are known to us as  Balthazar, Melchior and Gaspar,  come from the far corners of  

the earth representing all the various peoples on this  planet. Christ comes for all but unfortunately many  still do not recognize Him. 

We sang the beautiful Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” frequently during Advent, but now  is the time for the world to come, to come to Him.  What star may they follow to lead them to their Savior? Stars are objects that shine brightly, especially in  the night sky. We cringe on dark, lightless and dreary  nights, but when there is a panoply of stars our spirits  are lifted. Many people are in the dark and dreary.  Maybe you can be the star they need to steer them  in the right direction. Anyone making that effort to  come to Christ is rightfully a pilgrim. Pilgrims are all  at different stages on their journey, but always they  need the encouragement necessary to stay on the  right path and keep on going even when the going is  difficult. 

The Magi knew this only too well. Nonetheless,  they pursued, perdured and found the treasure that  satisfied their longing. They also brought prophetic  gifts indicating Who this newborn King was. Gold for  royalty, Frankincense for Divinity, and Myrrh for One  Who would die like the rest of us in order to conquer death itself. 

Speaking of gifts, I wish to express my heartfelt  thanks to all of you who have been so very kind and  generous in your personal gifts to me, your lovely  cards and especially for the many Masses and the Spiritual Bouquet.  

We all are grateful to those who gave so much of  their time and talent to make our Christmas celebration beautiful and uplifting once again, our choirs,  both adult and children, instrumentalists (have you  noticed the new saxophonist?); our decorators; our  custodial staff who attack the snow immediately; our  office staff and anyone else who out of love for God  and parish made this a most joyful season. 

 A Blessed Epiphany, 

   Father Langan