june 22, 2025

​This weekend, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ-Corpus Christi, a feast that calls us to reflect deeply on the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, the very heart of our Catholic faith. In the Eucharist, Christ gives Himself completely to us, the body, blood, soul, and divinity. So that we may be united with Him and with one another as one Body in Christ.
This feast reminds us of the strength and unity we find when we gather around the altar, nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. Just as the Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian life, it also teaches us how to welcome one another with open hearts, as Christ welcomes us.
It is in this spirit of unity and gratitude that we joyfully welcome our new pastor, Father Janusz Kowalski, into our parish community. As we receive Christ into our lives through the Holy Eucharist, let us also open our hearts to receive Father Janusz, as our shepherd and spiritual guide.
Father Janusz brings with him a wealth of pastoral experience, a deep devotion to Christ, and a heart ready to walk with us in faith. As he begins his new ministry among us, let us offer him our prayers, our encouragement and our full support. May our parish be a place where he feels the presence of Christ alive in each of us. As Fr. Eric and I, are preparing ourselves to take leave and begin a new chapter in our own journey of faith and ministry, please keep us in your prayers.
Transitions can bring a mixture of emotions, anticipation, uncertainty, even sadness—but they also offer opportunities for renewal and new growth. I am confident that Father Janusz, who is well known to both parishes, will continue to nurture the spiritual life of our parish community with great care and pastoral sensitivity. Dear parishnors, I encourage each of you to extend to him the warmth, support and open-heartedness.
As I look back on my time here with deep affection and gratitude at St. Therese and St. Marks, I am comforted to know that our parishes are going to be in good hands. May we keep one another in prayer during this season of change and may God bless Father Janusz abundantly as he begins his ministry among us.
At this special moment in the life of the Church in United States, as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage draws to a close, the central truth that unites us, is that Jesus Christ, is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. This historic pilgrimage has rekindled in many hearts, a deeper love for the Blessed Sacrament and a renewed sense of mission to be Eucharistic people, rooted in prayer, communion and joyful witness.
May we renew our love for the Holy Eucharist and for one another, as we celebrate this beautiful feast of Corpus Christi this weekend and may the Eucharistic Lord, who has begun this new chapter in the life of our parish, bring it to fulfillment in joy and grace.
With love and peace in Christ,
Fr. Albert.