November 18, 2018

My Dear Parishioners,
   Are you ready for Thanksgiving?  It is coming on Thursday, November 22nd.  We will have a special Mass on Thanksgiving Day at 8am.  Please join me in giving our thanks and praise to God for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us, our families and church.  God always blesses those who thank Him.
   Thank You: A special thank you to our All Saints Catholic school children for leading us in singing at Holy Mass last weekend.  Please know that we love you and you are important to our church and families.  A special thanks to our school principal, our school parents and many volunteer parishioners to make this event possible.  I can’t wait to have our children singing again for us on Sunday, December 9th. 
   Cantors & Musicians Needed: Parishioners, our church family needs volunteer musicians for our Holy Masses – from cantors and those who could join our adult choir, to those who can play an instrument such as an organ, piano or even guitar.  We would love to have your service and talent used for God in our church.  If you are interested or want more details, please contact the church office.  Thank you for considering to serve God in these ministries.  I’m still wishing to have a youth choir and a Spanish choir in our church, for we are a church family full of children, youth and adults from many cultures and languages.  Our church family will be fully alive when we serve God together and help each other in praising and worshiping God from our hearts.
   House Update:  Since September, we have poured 10 trucks of concrete for the new chapel area, for the new trashcan area and the new driveway between the church office and our newly purchased house.  That’s a lot of concrete if you know what I mean.  More concrete will be poured next year to keep water from damaging our buildings.  The construction people and Lewis Street Glass have been working on the windows.  Anderson Windows were installed.  In the next few months, we will fix the interior of the house, such as lots of sheet rock, new paint, plumbing, new bathroom toilets and vanities, and fix the old hardwood floors. 
   Church Lights Update: All the new LED lights in the church, plus all the lights near the interior doors to the church areas, are installed.  They are so bright, especially around the altar, the tabernacle, the statues and the Stations of the Cross.  Thank you for your generous donations that have made this possible.  May these lights and the new angel statues in our church remind you of your financial contribution to our church that made this possible.  If you have not donated to our Building Fund yet, please know that we are waiting for your help.
   Vietnamese Martyrs Celebration: It was in 1988, 30 years ago, that Vietnamese Martyrs were canonized.  This special celebration will be celebrated in our parish this weekend from Friday evening to Sunday evening with many guest priests for confessions and for Holy Masses.  Everyone is invited to this event, especially for the sacraments of confession before Christmas, the procession of the Vietnamese Martyrs relics before Holy Mass on Sunday by our bishop, followed by a tasty Vietnamese dinner in the Fischer Center.  Come and join us for prayer, worship and authentic Vietnamese food.  
   Love you all & Happy Thanksgiving, Fr. Hien