12/19/2025
A letter from Father Barry:
My Dear Friends,
“…the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
We have come to the end of another very challenging year, BUT the light of Christ still shines amidst the darkness of this world, and the darkness has not overcome this light. This is the cause of our joy as we get ready to celebrate a most unusual Christmas. It is unusual only in that we cannot celebrate with all the people that we are used to sharing Christmas with, but we will celebrate because no matter what may be happening in the world, we will join the angels in song on Christmas Eve when we celebrate the birth of our Messiah. God himself comes to intervene in our history in order to definitively set things right.
We must learn to trust the Lord. We must learn to trust in his divine will for us. Last Christmas, none of us could possibly imagine what this year would bring, but we have to see the hand of God at work in our lives especially in times of trial. Mary and Joseph had to trust God completely when they had to make the long trek to Bethlehem and then again when they had to flee into Egypt. We ask Mary and Joseph to help us trust God as they trusted him.
May we be a people of faith and joy that rejoices in the light and hope that Christmas brings. This light truly does shine in a world full of darkness, and this light must pe*****te our hearts. We are called to be the light of Jesus to the world, so that one person at a time, one soul at a time, we can start bringing that light to a world that so desperately needs it.
I have included a short message that Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta the Little Daughter of the Divine Will wrote after seeing the image of the Baby Jesus. I hope you will take a few minutes to read and ponder these words from our Saviour…
How to make Jesus be born and grow in your hearts.
The Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta the Little Daughter of the Divine Will:
Finding myself in my usual state, I was longing for little Baby Jesus, and after many hardships, He made Himself seen in my interior as a little Baby, and told me: “My daughter (Luisa), the best way to make Me (Jesus) be born in one’s own heart, is to empty oneself of everything, because in finding empty space, I can place all My goods in it. And only then can I remain in it forever, if there is room to be able to carry all that belongs to Me, all that is My own. A person who went to live in the house of someone else, could be called happy only if he found empty space in which to be able to put all of his belongings; otherwise, he would be unhappy. So I am.
The second thing in order to make Me be born and to increase My happiness, is that everything the soul contains, both internal and external – everything, must be done for Me; everything must serve to honor Me, to execute My orders. If only one thing, one thought, one word, is not for Me, I feel unhappy, and while I should be the master, they make Me a slave. Can I tolerate all this?
The third one is heroic love, magnified love, love of sacrifice. These three loves make My happiness grow in a marvelous way, because they render the soul capable of works which are superior to her strengths, as she does them with my strength alone. They will expand her, by making not only her, but also others love Me. And she will reach the point of enduring anything, even death, in order to triumph in everything, and be able to say to Me: ‘I have nothing else; everything is only love for You.’ In this way, she will not only make Me be born, but will make Me grow, and will form a beautiful paradise in her heart.”
On behalf of the Parishes of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Charles, St. Thomas, and St. Angele, I pray that you and your family have a Blessed Christmas and a grace filled New Year. You will all be remembered in our Christmas Masses.
God bless,
Fr. Barry Tkachuk, Pastor
