A Sweet New Year To You!

Dear Parishioners, friends and family in Christ,

In Judaism, on New Year's eve, at the start of the festive meal, people dip sliced apples into honey as a symbol of asking God to grant them a sweet new year.

As they eat the sliced apple dipped in honey, they pray: "Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree. May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our ancestors, that you renew for us a good and sweet year." 

I pray that God will bring all of us a good and sweet year!

The New Year always brings us great promise and hope, and we make some form of a New Year's resolution to be better than we were in the previous year. And we know, based on our experiences and our faith, that we can't achieve our goals, dreams or bring our New Year's resolutions to  fulfillment and fruition by ourselves. We need God's grace to be able to do this. 

I pray that 2012 will bring you God's abundant blessings and graces to fulfill your dreams and your heart's desires. 

At the close of 2011, as I reflect on this past year, I am grateful to God for sending me to St. Francis de Sales Parish, and for allowing me to meet so many wonderful people, who are filled with zeal, energy, generosity, faith, hope and love! 

I am truly grateful to all our parishioners, especially those who have been so generous with their time and talent and for being involved in the different ministries within our parish. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart, and I look forward to working with you for many, many more years!

I wish you a Happy New Year 2012!

Fr. Peter Jae Choi