Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Like the early disciples, we, too, are a faithful community that seeks to love Our Lord with our whole hearts. We, too, are invited to be in close relationship with Jesus. We, too, have been called to a unique mission of bringing hope to the hopeless, comfort to the sorrowful, and love to the lost. Sharing your blessings, your gifts, and talents, brings the light of Christ to those who have known much darkness.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“To love at all is to be vulnerable,” wrote CS Lewis. This is why real love can be amazing and not so easy at first! The temptation is to think that it is better to never love. The tragedy is that life is never fully lived in the capacity with which God created us to live. The temptation is to think that you are playing it safe by refusing to love. But the alternative to the risk of love is boarding on a hell-like existence completely self-absorbed.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our culture has embraced February 14th as the day to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. St. Valentine was a 3rd-century martyr whose life and deeds are celebrated worldwide. Although the Roman Catholic Church continues to recognize St. Valentine as a saint of the Catholic Church, he was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of the lack of reliable information about him. He is the patron saint of lovers, people with epilepsy, and beekeepers.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Church celebrates Candlemas Day on February 2nd every year. Today the Church celebrates the Presentation of the Lord. This feast celebrates three important events. It commemorates the day that Our Blessed Mother Mary came to the Temple as the Law required of all women, to go through a purification ceremony 40 days after giving birth. Because of this, it is also referred to as the Feast of the Purification of Mary and is the reason why it is always celebrated on February 2nd.