Dear Friends, Thanks to Father Rob for lending us his bulletin article this week! We were recently blessed to accompany fifteen of our parish teens to the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, where we spent three days with 16,000 other Catholic teens and an hour in conversation with Pope Leo! If you were blessed to attend Mass at our parishes this weekend, you got to hear the witness of some of our amazing youth and catch their contagious spirit. In case you missed it, please check out the livestream recording of their Mass talks on our website. And if you’d like to hear even more from our NCYC teens, this week’s episode of our Faith Break podcast is devoted to interviews with our group. They have many beautiful stories to share about how they saw God during our pilgrimage and deeply desire to make the love of God they felt at NCYC real to everyone back home. NCYC can make a huge impact on the faith life of young people, as our parishes have seen over the many years we have participated. Thank you so much for supporting our teens and providing the opportunity for them to have this life-changing experience. It’s not only an investment in the future of our church, but it is bearing great fruit in our parish family today. In Gratitude for Many Blessings, Karen Luke and Anne Gallagher

Dear Friends, Well last Saturday, even with some sunshine, cold wind and snow these moments did not drive out the hearty Western New Yorkers to Mass. What drives folks out to Mass? Priorities??? The 4 PM Mass was so much lighter in attendance than usual. The 5:30 PM Mass which is not always heavy in attendance had 30 people coming together in worship. Note the photograph of these faithful 30 individuals. SO, I understand the drive of the loyal fans for the Buffalo Bills. I also understand that we hoped they be the winners of this high altitude game. They weren’t. I have said over and over again when you play these games, any game, there is a winner and, yes, a loser. No one wants to be the loser. But that is the reality. My friends who are more versed on football rules and such have made endless comments about the loss for the Bills. I wish they won but they didn’t. This past Sunday a parishioner wore a shirt that said continue to “BILLIEVE in the Bills.” I shared at the end of Mass, pointing out this shirt, let us, the faithful of Jesus, put as much energy and faith in continuing to believe in our Lord. There’s a place around the corner from our church, that I often refer to as the new mega church. It’s not a church but a sports arena. I refer to it as a new “church” because that’s where many folks now “worship.” Yep, the times are different. SO, I thank all of you who come to worship alongside me, our Parish Staff and fellow parishioners. We always refer to our faith as a mystery. It is for sure. I do believe, and yes, BILLIEVE, that miracles can happen. But please join me in believing in the miracles of being present to Jesus Christ, our brother. You may desire to always win. That’s understandable, but know when Jesus is your “quarterback” , you will be winning in the glory of your baptism! Blessings and Joys, Father Rob

Dear Friends, On the actual Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th, I had arrived around 5:45 AM to celebrate the 6:45 AM Mass at Transfiguration. While I was preparing for Mass I received a text from a dear friend who shared we have a new Bishop. I thought, is she serious? I knew she was awake, so I called her. Yes, she was right! We have a new Bishop as everyone knows at this time. The Most Reverend John S. Bonnici is our bishop-designate. For so long folks have been asking me when will we have a new bishop. Well, I can say our new bishop will be installed as the tenth Bishop of the Diocese of Rochester on March 19th, the Feast of Saint Joseph. Our new Bishop is succeeding Bishop Matano. Bishop Matano came to Rochester in November 2013 after Bishop Matthew H. Clark retired. We certainly thank Bishop Matano for his presence these 16 years for dedicated service to our diocese. Our prayers will continue to support him. Bishop Matano has shared he will continue to live in our beloved diocese. Our new Bishop is a native of New York City. His parents, were immigrants to the United States. His father, John, was from Malta. His mother, Gertrude, was from Romania. After World War II , his parents left and came to this part of the world. They met, got married, settling in Toronto, then they and his sister moved to New York City, where he was born. It is an exciting time and we can only imagine what is going through the mind, heart, soul, and prayer of our new Bishop. May we keep Bishop Bonnici in our prayer as we prepare to welcome him to our diocese and also keep in our prayer Bishop Matano, for his years of dedicated and prayerful leadership. I have known five Bishops in my lifetime. They are Bishop Kearney (who confirmed me), Bishop Sheen (who I was an altar boy with), Bishop Hogan, Bishop Clark ( who ordained me), and Bishop Matano. I look forward to the days ahead of getting to know Bishop Bonnici! Blessings to all, Father Rob

Dear Friends, I’m thinking of a song Carol Burnett sang to close her weekly television show. Part of the song would go like this, “it seems we just got started and before you know it, comes the time to say so long.” The Christmas season comes to a liturgical end this weekend. For me, it does seem like we just started and here we are ending the season celebration with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This weekend at our masses we will renew our own baptismal promises and be blessed with Holy Water. As the baptism of the Lord is noted in each of the Gospels, it signifies the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. For you and I this weekend, it is a time to acknowledge our own baptism and how we share the Good News of Jesus Christ by our “public ministry.” How do we live out our baptismal commitment in witnessing to the faith we profess? What do we acknowledge in the life of Jesus? What do we take hold of and live out as He did among all people? I received many Christmas cards and well wishes these past few weeks. I am grateful for all your goodness to me, your prayers and support as we share our faith with one another. One card I received expressed these words, “Every time a hand reaches out to help another…that is Christmas. Every time someone puts conflict aside and strives for understanding… that is Christmas. Every time people forget their differences and realize their love for each other… that is Christmas. May this Christmas bring our world closer to a spirit of caring, closer to the blessing of peace.” These words remind me of what it is to live our Baptism among one another We will conclude the Christmas season and begin the rest of the liturgical year. May we go forth living the life of Jesus Christ and find we desire being one, holy, catholic and apostolic. Again, thank you for all your cards, gifts and most importantly, living our faith joyfully among each other. Blessings, Father Rob

Dear Friends, We are exiting the Christmas season with the Epiphany of the Lord. Next week we will celebrate the Baptism of our Lord, and then return to Ordinary Time. Ordinary. What does that mean to you? Does it mean something that is plain and simple, something you experience every day? We are bombarded by so much, good and bad, in our fast-paced society; do we seek out what is ordinary and good in this extraordinary time we live in? Do we see the divinity of Jesus in the people we meet in our ordinary life? Wise Men and Women See God in the Simple Things If you’re on social media, you have probably seen a meme going around that features this quote: “God has a plan for your life. The enemy has a plan for your life. Be ready for both. Just be wise enough to know which one to battle and which one to embrace.” There were certainly two competing plans for the Magi: God’s and Herod’s. And, wise as they supposedly were, it wasn’t entirely easy for the Magi to discern which was which. After all, Herod posed as a friend. He offered the Magi hospitality and kindness. Though the Gospel doesn’t say so, he probably flattered them and appealed to every moral weakness he could observe in them. In his palace, they must have felt great physical comfort — rest and tables of plenty on what was an otherwise long and treacherous journey. But if the Magi were honest with themselves, I’ll bet they would have admitted that, regardless of Herod’s charm, they felt a gnawing sense of doubt while in his presence. When they looked upon the Christ Child, born in a stable without any of the comforts of the world or protections of wealth, they probably felt the opposite. They probably felt safe. The Magi were lucky enough to have the right plan spelled out for them in a dream, but for the rest of us, it’s enough to remember this: God’s plan is often the one that leads us to places of great simplicity, great humility and great love. Let’s have the wisdom to view power with suspicion, and innocence with admiration. Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS ©LPi I hope you continue to find the love and peace of Christ in our ordinary days! Blessings, Fr. Rob