Pastor's Message - March 8/9, 2025

My Dear Friends in Christ,

On this First Sunday of Lent, I am reminded of a profound experience I had last year during a pilgrimage to Eastern Europe with members of our parish and beyond. The pilgrimage was a journey of deep faith, as we visited the shrines of the Child Jesus in Prague and

the Divine Mercy, along with many cathedrals and basilicas across the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, and Poland. One highlight was visiting the very cathedral where

Pope John Paul II had once celebrated Mass—a moment of great reverence and connection to our spiritual heritage. I hope that, in time, you might consider a pilgrimage as a gift

to yourself, a chance to encounter God in new ways before your journey on earth concludes.

Equally memorable was our trip to the Holy Land in 2022, where I had the privilege of accompanying members of St. Anne’s in Byron, California, as the substitute chaplain for Fr.

Ron Schmidt. For many, it was their first visit, and the experience was transformative. We

walked the holy streets of Jerusalem, visited the Sea of Galilee, and saw the places where

Jesus performed many of His miracles. One of the most moving moments was in Nazareth, where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, announcing the miraculous conception of

Jesus. I had the honor of presiding at Mass before the grotto where that life-changing

event took place.

That pilgrimage was truly a “desert experience.” Like the Israelites, like Jesus, we faced

struggles, but in those struggles, we found a deeper reliance on God. We experienced moments of emptiness and solitude, but also moments of incredible closeness to the divine.

Walking from Mount Tabor to the holy cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, we were filled

with awe as we touched the place of Christ's birth and prayed in the tomb of His resurrection. It was a powerful journey—a “moment with God” that continues to resonate in my

heart.

As we began Lent this past Ash Wednesday, we entered our own desert experience, which

is the essence of this sacred season. Lent invites us to embark on a journey FROM THE

DESERT TO THE CITY. This season asks us to leave behind our comforts and enter a

time of emptiness and spiritual reflection. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we create the space to hear God’s voice in the quiet of our hearts. We enter the desert, much like

Jesus did after His baptism, to prepare ourselves for the fullness of His presence in our

lives.

In our modern world, we may not need to travel to the Holy Land to experience the desert.

The desert is not merely a physical place but a spiritual one. It is any place where we remove ourselves from the distractions of daily life to seek God in the silence and solitude. It

is in the wilderness of our own hearts, when we feel distant from the world, that we meet

God. Lent is an invitation to empty ourselves of distractions, to simplify our lives, and to

allow God to fill us anew.

Just as our journey to the Holy Land was marked by struggles and triumphs, our Lenten

journey will be the same. There will be moments of desolation, but these will give way to

moments of renewal and grace. Lent teaches us to persevere through temptation and to

emerge victorious, just as Jesus did in the desert. It is through this struggle, through fasting

and prayer, that we are transformed.

So, let us embrace this Lenten season as a journey of hope. Let us enter the desert to meet

God, to be purified, and to be made alive in Christ. And as we emerge from this journey,

let us be ready to embrace the fullness of life in the city of God’s Kingdom, where we are

called to live in His love and share it with others.



In Christ, Fr. Geoffrey