Pastor's Letter Nov. 13: Changing Seasons

Dear Parishioners,

November is the time when nature falls to sleep. The trees lose their leaves and the ground becomes lifeless, cold and hard. In the spring life will emerge again... The cycle of seasons takes us through the Paschal Mystery, the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. Our Lords body was cold and lifeless in the tomb and it came back to full life never to die again. This mystery and the hope of our own bodily resurrection, is extended to us through our own baptism into Christ.

I was blessed as a seminary student many years ago in Rome to take a class on Christian Archelogy. It was taught by a priest who was an archeologist. One of the benefits of being in Rome is that we took many field trips in and around Rome to investigate the ancient Christian sites. One of the places we visited was the Catacombs, which are ancient Christian cemeteries going back to the 3rd century. They are very fascinating and one of my favorite places to visit.

For Faith Night this week, Nov. 16, in keeping with the theme of Christian death for November, I would like to do a presentation on the Catacombs in Rome. Through this historical presentation we will learn about the Early Christian’s approach to death and burial and the hope of the resurrection. I will also present the many Christian symbols we find in the Catacombs. Please join us for Faith Night on Wednesday.