To the members of the Saint Finbar Church community:
Happy New Year!
As the calendar moves from 2020 to 2021, I am grateful for your steadfast support during what is a very challenging time. Few of us could have imagined a year ago the changes and the challenges that we have been enduring over the past ten months.
As much as things have changed and continue to change, I am grateful for the eternal truths that will never change. At Christmas we were reminded that our Lord and Savior took human form through the vulnerability of an infant. He was born not into a life of opulence and ease, but born to a humble virgin in a manger. It is often that God works not through our moments of confidence but through our thoughtful humility.
The past year has been a time of humbling in which so many things we took for granted seemed to disappear before our very eyes. Whether it be gatherings with extended family, the comfort of our work routines, our children safely attending school, and our ability to be together for worship as children of God – all of these routines have been disrupted. Many in our community have lost loved ones due to COVID or during this COVID era. The hardships have been many and yet our faith in God prevails.
As we enter 2021, I humbly ask that you continue to focus on God and His unfathomable love and mercy. The Crucifix is a visual reminder that Christ has won the victory over death and by taking human form and dwelling among us, He knows our pains, our hardships, and our challenges. God created us to live with Him through eternity. He also walks with us through each and every step of every single day.
Although the virus continues to spread throughout Southern California, we know God’s love and mercy is ever present. Through God’s grace, we have come so very far through this pandemic. He will continue to guide us through each and every step along the way.
I am grateful to each of you for your steadfast support. As I often say, “At Saint Finbar Church, we journey together and not alone.” As we continue to place our trust in Christ, we know each new day now brings more light. His love pierces through the darkness and His light will continue to guide our community as the light of Christ illuminates the world.
Despite the challenges and hardships we have experienced over the past year, as a community we have continued to walk in faith with Christ as our guide. In faith we have continued to invest in the restoration of our community’s facilities and prepare for the restoration of our community.
We continue to host Faith Formation, Confirmation, and adult formation classes in the distance learning environment. We continue with Baptisms and Baptism preparation, we continue to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation to everyone who asks, and we continue to gather for Mass. The members of the Pastoral Team and I continue to see to the needs of our community members through countless phone calls and innumerable Zoom encounters. We are here to serve you and I am grateful for each of you.
It was Christ who restored us to our dignity as children of God. Through Christ we are again co-heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is through your support that we are able to be witnesses to His Glory and the Good News of Salvation. I humbly ask that you continue your support of Saint Finbar Church in the new year as you have so generously provided for our community over the past ten months.
It is the mercy of God and the sacrifice of His only begotten Son that has transformed our world and changed our destiny. I invite you to continue the journey of faith through the pandemic period. Our restoration is not far away.
Sincerely,
Fr. Francis Mendoza