Dear Mary Mother of God Family,

One of my favorite Christmas stories is The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry. In the story, a young couple each sacrifices their most precious gift, to be able to offer a gift to the person they love. It is amazing story of Love!

Christmas is a time for us to remember that God has offered the most precious gift He had to us, because of His love for us! Jesus!

These kinds of gifts rarely have to do with money, but instead with our time, our presence, our tears and more. It is about sacrificial giving of self for the other, out of love!

Jesus is that kind of gift to us from God, the Father, a total giving of self, out of love for us!

May our greatest Christmas gift this year, no matter what our circumstances are, be that we recognize the depth and power of God the Father’s love for us, in Jesus and the hope and peace that offers us. May it be a light that shines on and in us!

On behalf of all here at Mary Mother of God, I would like to wish you and your families a most Blessed and Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year.

Servu, Msgr. Joe

Querida Familia María Madre de Dios:

Uno de mis cuentos de Navidad favoritos es El Regalo de los Reyes Magos, de O. Henry. En la historia, una joven pareja sacrifica cada uno su regalo más preciado, para poder ofrecer un regalo a la persona que aman. ¡Es una increíble historia de amor!

La Navidad es un momento para que recordemos que Dios nos ha ofrecido el regalo más precioso que tenía, ¡debido a su amor por nosotros! ¡Jesús!

Este tipo de regalos rara vez tienen que ver con el dinero, sino con nuestro tiempo, nuestra presencia, nuestras lágrimas y más. Se trata de la entrega sacrificial de sí mismo por el otro, ¡por amor!

Jesús es ese tipo de regalo de Dios, el Padre, para nosotros, una entrega total de sí mismo, ¡por amor a nosotros!

Que nuestro mayor regalo de Navidad este año, sin importar cuáles sean nuestras circunstancias, sea que reconozcamos la profundidad y el poder del amor de Dios Padre por nosotros, en Jesús, y la esperanza y la paz que nos ofrece. ¡Que sea una luz que brille sobre y en nosotros!

En nombre de todos aquí en María Madre de Dios, me gustaría desearles a ustedes y a sus familias una muy bendita y feliz Navidad y un feliz y saludable Año Nuevo.

Servus, Msgr. Joe

This Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent and is called Gaudete Sunday, which means Rejoice in Latin. We use the Rose-colored candle and vestments to remind us of the nearness of Christmas. These symbols represent joy, and mark a shift in the tone of Advent from penitential to joyful anticipation, as Christmas draws near. 

In the midst of any struggle or darkness, can I find a reason to rejoice and be grateful today? Can I recognize that Jesus IS the light that shines in the darkness, and that turning to Him, especially this Christmas, can open my life to new and hope filled things! 

May you recognize a reason to Rejoice today! 

Servus, 

Msgr. Joe

Este domingo es el tercer domingo de Adviento y se llama Domingo Gaudete, que significa Regocijar en latín. Usamos la vela y las vestiduras de color rosa para recordarnos la cercanía de la Navidad. Estos símbolos representan la alegría y marcan un cambio en el tono del Adviento, que pasa de la penitencia a la anticipación gozosa a medida que se acerca la Navidad. 

En medio de cualquier lucha u oscuridad, ¿puedo encontrar una razón para regocijarme y estar agradecido hoy? ¿Puedo reconocer que Jesús ES la luz que brilla en la oscuridad, y que volverme a Él, especialmente en esta Navidad, puede abrir mi vida a cosas nuevas y llenas de esperanza? 

¡Que reconozcas una razón para Regocijar hoy! 

Servus, 

Msgr. Joe 

December 2023


Welcome to Mary Mother of God. I invite you to click through these pages to see the many wonders that await you here in our parish community.

Especially during this Advent and Christmas seasons we have many different opportunities to learn about your faith and yourself.

The Mary Mother of God is a greatly diverse community that has many ways to become involved in many different things from being a liturgical minister to help those in need both locally and abroad.

I pray that your visit here prompts you to come visit us in person and see how you can be part of our great family.

I hope to see you around!

Servus,

Msgr. Joe
 

Greetings to Mary Mother of God!

I welcome you to click through these pages and learn some of the wonderful things that are happening here at Mary Mother of God Church! We have many opportunities for you to grow in your love and service of the Lord.

The only thing that can beat clicking through these pages, is actually coming here!

Our church, chapel and parish grounds offer a place for prayerful time with the Lord. Our many activities and wonderful people offer you the opportunity to actively participate in our great parish family.

As we enter this Easter Season and Springtime, may the new life around us reflect the hope of
the life within us.

Servus,
Msgr. Joe

 

• We are continuing with the Leadership Study and building on the great traditions here.
• We are developing a Small Group Faith Sharing process, called Be My Witness, which will begin in Lent. We are looking for people interested in being leaders of these groups. More information will follow, please watch the bulletin and webpage for more information.
• We will be working with St. Joseph’s parish to be part of a service opportunity to go build or repair homes in West Virginia, through the Wade County Work Camp. There will be an informational meeting about this program in mid-January.

Enero 2023

Querida María, Madre de Dios Familia:

¡Rezo para que al comenzar este Año Nuevo, ustedes y sus familias estén seguros y saludables!

¡2023 tiene muchas oportunidades emocionantes para nosotros aquí en María, Madre de Dios!

· Continuamos con el Estudio de Liderazgo y nos basamos en las grandes tradiciones aquí.

· Estamos desarrollando un proceso de Compartir la Fe en Grupos Pequeños, llamado Sé Mi Testigo, que comenzará en la Cuaresma. Estamos buscando personas interesadas en ser líderes de estos grupos. Más información seguirá, por favor vea el boletín y la página web para más información.

· Trabajaremos con la parroquia de St. Joseph para ser parte de una oportunidad de servicio para construir o reparar casas en Virginia Occidental, a través del Campo de Trabajo del Condado de Wade. Habrá una reunión informativa sobre este programa a mediados de enero.

Estas son solo algunas de las cosas emocionantes que están sucediendo aquí en María, Madre de Dios. ¿Quieres involucrarte más? Si es así, contáctenos a través de la oficina parroquial, ¡y lo ayudaremos a comenzar!

Gracias por tomarse el tiempo para leer esto. ¡Espero que te unas a nosotros!

Servus,
Msgr. Joe

September 29, 2022

Dear Mary, Mother of God Family,

I pray that as we roll into the Fall that you are all well and that the school year has gotten off to a great start. I have been visiting our Religious Education students and have found them to be a great blessing.

I want to announce to you that I have begun a process to take the information that you all gave me in the Town Halls and the Survey and to create a Leadership Study Team. This group will:

· Exam our current Leadership Structure and Process

· Exam the Leadership Structure of other parishes and see what we might be able to copy

· Research resources and webinars about Parish Leadership and see what we can use.

· Take the information that has been found and build a Leadership Structure here that we all believe would be most effective and Gospel based

· Determine how these Leadership groups will be populated.

I met with the Finance Advisory Council and the Pastoral Council to begin this discussion and now I want to open it to anyone from the parish who is interested and willing to work. I would invite you to give this your prayerful consideration. If you feel you are willing and able, I invite you to attend the next meeting on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, in Holy Spirit Hall at 7:00 pm.

I want to announce that Darrin Nelson, who has helped us make great strides in the Outreach Ministry and Formation of our Parish Leadership, will be transitioning from this to helping me organize and implement this process that I have listed above, as a Parish Life Consultant for Renew International. He will also be introducing a small group initiative to our parish this coming Lent. More information will come about this.

I want to personally thank Darrin for the amazing things that he has helped us develop and implement over the last few years. I look forward to continuing to work with him in these new ventures.

As I thank Darrin, I also want to thank you all for your prayerful support. Let us continue to ask God to guide us as we look always for ways to serve Him!

Servus, Msgr. Joe

May 2022

Welcome to Mary, Mother of God Church webpage!

I am a recent addition to Mary, Mother of God Parish and I wanted to provide an opportunity for me, as your new pastor, to listen as you share your thoughts about our Parish. I invite you to either:

• Attend a "Townhall with Msgr. Joe" Thursday May 26th, 7:00 PM in Holy Spirit Hall

• Share your thoughts by filling out this Survey

There are also hard copies of the survey available in the Church Sacristy. I look forward to hearing from each of you.

I am discovering new and exciting things every day! We as a parish community are blessed in so many ways especially with:

· An impressive number of significant diverse ministries, that are alive and well!

· A spiritual and diverse community of faith with an active and involved Spanish community!

· A wonderful facility that offers us a beautiful place to worship, meet and play!

As you go through this page, I hope you feel the great life that is part of the Mary, Mother of God family of faith, and whether this visit to our webpage is your only part of the journey with us, or you chose to be part of this great Family, that Christ is shared! Thanks for the visit and please contact us if you have any questions!

Servus,
Msgr. Joe