November 25, 2018

My Dear Parishioners,
   Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones.  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving together over great food and personal time with each other.  God dwells in every person and especially in every family.  Your family is the foundation of our faith.  You are meant to be with each other in this life and forever in heaven.  Please love each other, pray for each other and give thanks to God for each other, including those who have died in your family.  Thank God for the gifts of their love, kindness and thoughtfulness.  God bless your family forever. 
   The new liturgical season of Advent will start at our 4pm Mass, December 1st, with the new liturgical year of Cycle C.  All the readings for weekend Masses for the next liturgical year will be taken from Cycle C.  During Advent, the Gloria will not be used until Christmas.  Advent candles will be lit.  This weekend at our 4pm Saturday Mass, we will have a ceremony to welcome those who are in the RCIA to become Catholics at the Easter Vigil.  To prepare for Christmas, the birthday of our Lord Jesus, please consider going to confession sometime between now and then.  I hear confessions about 20 minutes before every weekend Mass.  Please know that no priest will be available to hear confessions on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. 
   All Saints Church Building Fund: Thank you to so many generous parishioners who have donated to our Building Fund to pay for the new lights in our church and the many other projects that were done and are still being worked on.  Every family in our parish has been asked to contribute for we are a church family.  We are to share the same responsibility to help pay the bills and to keep up our buildings.  Thankfully we are blessed with $61,539.00 so far from about 80 parishioners who have donated to our Building Fundraising.  That’s only about 13.6% percent of our registered parishioners.  Our goal is $170,000.  Furthermore, for the love of our church family and God, I suggest that every group or organization of our parish contribute 10%-25% from their savings to the Building Fund or hold a fundraising event for the parish in the next few months.  Also, as a stewardship parish, anytime that anyone or any group, including our All Saints School, makes a profit from their activities or sales, I suggest that 10% of their profit be donated to our church family.  This is an important practice in our church family and a great example to our children to put God first and to always be thankful for what we have. 
   Finally, this coming weekend, December 1st & 2nd, the Vietnamese parishioners of our parish will sell food after every Mass.  Please consider buying some to-go-boxes of food for your family and friends or to eat authentic Vietnamese soups in our parish hall to support our parish.  There will be lots of food for sale.
   Holy Day of Obligation: Saturday, December 8th is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This is a Holy Day of Obligation.  Holy Masses are Friday at 6:30pm, and Saturday at 8am and 9:30am.  Our Saturday evening Mass stays the same at 4pm for the 2nd Sunday of Advent (this Mass does not fulfill the obligation of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary). 
   Finally, thank you everyone for joining the Vietnamese Catholics of our diocese with our Bishop Kemme to celebrate the Vietnamese Martyrs celebration last weekend in our parish.  Wow, there was a lot of people and the food was great.  May God bless you much for you have loved Him much like the martyrs and saints, Fr. Hien