A Joyful Celebration: Welcoming Our Shepherd, Bishop Matano 

Saturday, December 27th, 4:00 p.m. at St. Mary Church, Dansville, N.Y. 

Dear Parishioners,

I am honored to announce that the Most Reverend Bishop Salvatore Matano, Our Bishop will be visiting our parish to celebrate the Holy Eucharist on Saturday, December 27th, 4.00 PM at St, Mary’s Church, Dansville. This will be the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph—OUR PARISH PATRON SAINTS This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and pray with our shepherd. All are invited to join us for this special Mass. The Bishop, as the shepherd of our Diocese, plays a vital role in our faith community, and his visit is a sign of our unity with the wider Church. This Mass is a special occasion for us to experience his ministry firsthand and receive his pontifical blessing. I encourage all parishioners, their families, and friends to attend this significant event. Let us show our warm hospitality and join together in prayer and worship.

From the Desk of Father John

Dear Parishioner,

As we come close to the Christmas feast, I send to you affectionate greetings and the promise of my prayers that God will bless you and your loved ones during this holy season. These are my two Christmas wishes for 2025: Will you please offer me these two gifts only? l am longing and dying for these gifts more than any other time and l certainly hope to receive them: Jesus-among-us (Emmanuel) and the other gift is YOU!  And I hope that this will include those who have drifted away from the sacraments and prayer life – and will come home to our Church this Christmas through your invitation. I treasure these gifts especially the present (gift) of your presence at the Lord’s Table. Be sure of this: You are welcome at Holy Family Catholic Community! If you want to know God’s love for you, you are welcome. If you want to follow the gospel of Jesus, you are welcome. If you want to pray, you are welcome. If you seek the truth, you are welcome. If you are strong or struggling in your faith, you are welcome. Regardless of your status in the Church, regardless of your marital state, regardless of your prior religious experience, regardless of your personal history, background, or sexual orientation, please know that you are welcome at Holy Family Parish. If you want to strengthen and deepen your life in Christ, you are welcome!  In a special way, the community of Holy Family looks forward to greeting our parishioners-family members who are Home for Christmas. I pray that this Christmas will be a happy and holy time for you and those you love. Please pray for our parish, its vitality, its future and its outreach to the poor. May we all be faithful to the love God shares with us in Jesus, born of Mary, in a stable in Bethlehem!

Celebrating the Nativity of the Lord Jesus gives us the opportunity to once again return to the true spirit and joy of this blessed season.  The danger for us is to get too caught up in the commercialized holiday that we forget the heart of what we celebrate.   The greatest sin of our modern culture is the sin of complacency and indifference.   Many are satisfied with stripping this holy season of Jesus Christ; we must fight that temptation and bring Christ to the center of our celebrations.   You and I must be witnesses of the Lord Jesus, reminding all our neighbors and friends to the great birthday celebration of the Lord.   Today, Christmas has become the season of materialism and indulgence.    We must make it a season of faith and charity, announcing to the world the great love and mercy of God.  Only then can we rediscover true spirit of Christmas. As Christ has made a home with us, let us make a home with each other. As we become more conscious of God’s love for us and seek to share that love with others, I ask you to express your gratitude through your Christmas gift to our ministries—Food Pantry and St. Vicent de Paul—that reaches, the poor, hungry and needy.  Know that you and the concerns of your heart are remembered in our prayers during this holy season. Let us make a difference for Him…  Let us be different for Him… Let JESUS make us different…Let JESUS be the difference in us.

We are so blessed to welcome our Shepherd Bishop Salvatore Matano in our parish to preside over Mass with us on this special Feast of the Holy Family, our patron saint of Holy Family Catholic Community on Saturday, 4.00 PM, December 27th at St. Mary’s Church, Dansville. This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and pray with our shepherd. All are invited to join us for this special Mass. The bishop, as the shepherd of our diocese, plays a vital role in our faith community, and his visit is a sign of our unity with the wider Church. This Mass is a special occasion for us to experience his ministry firsthand and receive his pontifical blessing. I encourage all parishioners, their families, and friends to attend this significant event. Let us show our warm hospitality and join together in prayer and worship

Lastly as your pastor, I treasure the gift of you and the dedication, sacrifices, and hard work you have shown to make this Parish a beacon of Christ’s love. I thank those who serve in the various ministries and organizations in our parish.  On behalf of the Staff, I wish you all a wonderful and merry Christmas. l am thrilled and joyous to celebrate Christmas worship with you, your family and friends.  May the Lord Jesus bring gifts of good health, deep faith and family peace to all the faithful of Holy Family Catholic Community throughout the New Year 2026! May the peace, joy, and love of the Holy Family be present in your lives each day of the New Year. Merry Christmas and God bless.  Fr. John