Fr. Hien's Weekly Letter 04/02/23

My Dear Parishioners,
     Are you ready for Easter?  Yes, it’s near.  In union with the universal church, we along with over a billion faithful throughout the world celebrate Palm Sunday.   On this special day, we will commit ourselves to live with Jesus in our hearts, minds and souls and to promise Him that we will be His true and faithful disciples.  We will continue His loving and saving work as long as we live.  Let us today live joyfully for the Lord is with us. 
     As you enter our church for Holy Mass this weekend, please be sure to take a palm with you, they are available as you enter our church.  Once these palms are blessed, please don't trash them but keep them in your home.  Also, please don't trash our church or church areas.  
Penance Service: To prepare your bodies, minds and souls for Easter, please bring your family and friends to church this Sunday from 4-5pm with 6 priests hearing your confessions in church.  The priest's name will be posted outside of his confessional room.  As you enter the church through the main doors, the American priests will be on your left (choir side of the church) and the Vietnamese priests will be on the right side.  Yes, all Vietnamese priests can speak English and Vietnamese.  Please do your own examination of conscience, pray your Act of Contrition and do your penance in church.  I will expose the Blessed Sacrament for adoration, so you are welcome to stay in church and pray as long as you please.  When you go into the confessional to make your confession, please remember to confess your sins only and not the sins of the whole world or your spouse's or children's, grandparents', etc... Keep in mind too that many people are waiting in the confessional line for their opportunity to confess.  It would be so kind of you if you would allow an elderly or disabled person to go to confession first.  Finally, please don't talk or visit in church because you are in the house of God and the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for prayer and thanksgiving.     
     FYI--First, we are looking into the possibility of putting roof top heating and air units on the entire school buildings and gym due to the current heating and cooling system being too old and unreliable and too expensive to maintain, too many problems!!!! We are checking to see how much it would cost for everything and how long it would take to install.  Keep in mind that we are dealing with super old buildings and there is very limited space.  I am sure  the costs will be very expensive.  Please pray for the Lord's guidance so that we as a church and school family may know what to do or not to do, and to keep our school going for the good of so many children.  Secondly, we have done some concrete work around the church, on the east side of the church by the single door with the codes, this small area needed to be paved due to the high volume of rain water coming from the church’s and foyer’s roofs; we paved it so that the rain does not flush the soil away and cause this area to be dirty.  Since we had extra concrete, we paved by the marble statue of St. Theresa, to keep grass away from the flower beds.  Roses and mums will be planted there.  Again, in front of the church office is a stage with steps for the Christmas display, and for our annual October Marian procession and adoration with the bishop, which will be Saturday, October 7th, this year.  Please put this date in your calendar so that you can join our bishop, All Saints Catholic school families, and hundreds of people for lots of fun, food and activities.  This stage will also be used before Mass on Sunday, June 18th, for our confirmation students, 6th, 7th and 8th grades students, to take their group picture with our bishop (Bishop does not want to take a group picture after Mass in church.  He only wants individual pictures after Mass).  This stage can also be used for many school outdoor events in the future.  Again, the costs for these improvements are paid by the Vietnamese food sales, the many volunteer parishioners and the good hearted people.  Thank you everyone for serving our Lord at All Saints with me.  We are blessed to have each other and God has been so good to us all.  God bless you all together and all of your loved ones with a Blessed and Happy Easter, frhien. 
     PS. Please make every effort to attend the holy Masses and service on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.  I promise you that I will keep it short and sweet like myself : )