Dear St. Agnes Families,
Blessings!
What a blessing our Fall Festival was!
By the time I finished celebrating four Masses that afternoon and finally made it to the festival, the celebration was in full swing. On my way to the field, family after family stopped to tell me how grateful and happy they were for such an amazing event. Their joy said everything about the day you created.
I am sorry I missed so much of it this time. In addition to our regular schedule of five Sunday Masses, we celebrated three extra Masses that afternoon: our Academy Mass, the closing Mass for a parish retreat, and our Portuguese Mass, which is now celebrated every Sunday. It was a full day of grace for our parish, and I am grateful that so many of you were part of it.
It was a special joy to celebrate our Academy Mass with you. Seeing the church filled with so many families and children was a reminder that everything we do as a parish and school begins with Christ. You then carried that same spirit out to the festival, where fellowship, good food, music, and fun filled the rest of the day.
I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to our Home and School Association. Your planning, organization, and countless hours of work made this celebration possible. A special word of thanks goes to Mary Stevens, Brittany Gonzalez, and Maria Elena Solorzano for their leadership and dedication.
Thank you also to every parent who volunteered, decorated, cooked, set up, cleaned up, and gave of their time and talents. Thank you to our maintenance and security crews, whose quiet, faithful work kept our campus beautiful and safe for everyone. And congratulations to all of our raffle basket winners!
Thank you for all you are doing for St. Agnes Academy and Church, and for building a better community for everyone who comes through our doors. When we work together and put others first, we live out the JOY we teach our children: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last.
I am grateful to God for each of you and for the gift of this St. Agnes family. Please know of my prayers for you and your loved ones as we continue through this season of thanksgiving.
With gratitude and blessings,
Fr. jc