Christmas Gratitude

My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Grace and Peace to each of you and your loved ones.

What a year it’s been. As you well know, come Christmas time we typically pull out all the stops, as is proper for our patronal feast day. So I’d personally like to share my regret that we can’t have the same level of robust liturgies, festive gatherings, and abundant service opportunities this year that we’re used to having.

That said, I wish to express my great gratitude for your perseverance through this challenging time. I’m personally heartened and inspired by the commitment we’ve all made together in leaning into the health and safety precautions that have allowed us to carry on with our essential sacramental mission here at Nativity of Our Lord.

Thank you for bearing with us through liturgy reservations, masks, hand sanitizer, and the like. In addition to providing as safe an environment as possible, you’ve also helped to put your fellow worshippers at ease in the process.

Hopefully we’ll never have another Christmas like this one! But in the meantime, you’ve helped to ensure that we can still celebrate Our Lord’s birth as best we can given the circumstances, and that itself is cause for celebration.

We’ve worked hard to provide ways for all of us to participate in this great feast day, whether it’s live in the church or livestreaming at home or in Steiner Hall, in addition to the driveup (or walk-up) Communion services. 

Please join us however you can, and we look forward to a time — hopefully very soon — when we’re all able to worship, share in fellowship, and serve God’s people together again under one roof (or in one County Fair-themed parking lot!).

When Jesus was born some 2,020 years ago, he came into a dark world to be a light to the nations, to console the sorrowful, and grant freedom to captives. And he wishes to do the same again every year — perhaps this year especially.

Please know that we are here for you and we’re praying for you, and please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help you during this challenging time.

Merry Christmas to you all, and here’s to a better 2021.

Fr. Patrick Hipwell, Pastor

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Published in the Sunday, December 20, 2020 parish bulletin