Now in those days, John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.” Mt:3 1-5
Dear Brother and Sister in Christ,
Advent paints a picture of the world as it is – not as we wish it to be. It is a world filled with too much darkness, despair and division. This has certainly been more evident during these days of continued warfare in Ukraine, Israel and in many other places around the world. But the call of Advent is for God’s people to intentionally choose to ‘prepare a way’ for the Lord by removing all the obstacles that prevent us from embracing Christ and His Kingdom. The spiritual gifts of faith, hope, and love can’t be sentimentalized away by focusing on ‘city sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style’. Rather, Advent invites us to make the necessary changes to welcome God’s arrival into our world.
Each year we are presented with the opportunity to embrace change in our personal lives, place of work, in our homes. At the parishes, the change we are called to welcome and ‘prepare a way’ for will not only involve a new pastor/leadership for our Quo Vadis Domine parish family, it will also involve the restructuring plan for the entire Archdiocese of Detroit. As we shared with all our parishes at weekend masses, and through our website, bulletin, and social media, the next two years will be a time for radical renewal and restructuring of how parishes will operate in the future. More information about the restructuring plan for the Archdiocese of Detroit can be found at: restructuring.aod.org.
Despite our many shortcomings, God comes to us in the Christ-child. And to our great surprise, God shines a light in the darkness that the world has not been able to crush for almost two millennia. We look forward to sharing in and fully experiencing the ‘long wait’ of Advent so that we might be better prepared to welcome our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah. We warmly invite you to share this Advent season, Christmas season, and all the other seasons to come, as we journey through a new year in relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Only God can meet our deepest longings for peace, hope, and love. Without God, it’s all just tinsels and wrappings. With God, every moment – from the long wait to the joyful arrival – is how we attain true joy!
Please accept our invitation to participate fully in the life of the parish through the celebration of the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. God loves you and so do we. Let’s celebrate this incredible truth together. We very much look forward to seeing you at Church this Advent, Christmas, and into the New Year!
In Christ,
Fr. Tim Birney ~ Fr. Johnson Pradeep, SAC ~ Fr. Ryan Walters ~ Fr. Roberto Franca ~ Fr. Leo Sabourin ~ Members of the Pastoral Staff
Click here to view the 2025 Advent & Christmas Schedule
(Copies of the 2025 Advent and Christmas Schedule will be arriving to registered households soon)