(Christ the King Ann Arbor bulletin for January 1997)

The darkness that covered the earth has given

way to the bright dawn of Your Word made flesh.

May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus be with you! The sentiment above, taken from the opening prayer for Mass during the day on Christmas fittingly capsulizes what we are about. We have once again celebrated the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus, and the Light that shines in the darkness, a Light the darkness cannot overpower, has shone in our hearts in a special way as we have celebrated during this holy time of Advent and Christmas. I'd like to take a moment to thank all of the folks whose hard work and going well beyond the extra mile made our celebrations, especially of Christmas itself, very special. Roger Holtz and his excellent music teams did a wonderful job of leading us in the praise and worship that the Lord always deserves but that seems particularly appropriate during this holy time. I have heard many folks' comments that they were very touched by the music. If we accept as true St. Augustine's adage that 'he who sings well, prays twice' then Roger and his folks got in some serious prayer this season! May the Lord Jesus richly bless them for their work. I'd like to also thank all of the folks who volunteered their efforts, either 'visibly' or behind the scenes to serve with the decorating, the liturgical ministries, etc., especially Mike Loveland and his crew. The staff: Janet, Cheryl, Gloria, and Maureen did a wonderful job. My personal thanks to the folks of Christ the King, who delight in gathering in the Lord's Name and pouring out their hearts in praise and worship of Him. You certainly have embraced the "full, active, and conscious participation" in the Mass that the Church so desires all her people to do. Given what it takes to pull them off, I am always amazed that our Liturgies do get pulled off! And yet they do, and with the patience and support of the folks of Christ the King, they continue to be a blessing and a source of strength for all of us-- a very special sign of the continued care and providence of the Lord Jesus for us.

On a personal note, I would also like to thank all the folks for their kind remembrances of me during this festive time. For all the cards and goodies, all the wear-ables, munch-ables, read-ables, and spend-ables, I am touched and very grateful. (I now have a life time supply of black clothes.)

We begin this new calendar year full of hope. The Lord Jesus continues to lead us to surrender more deeply to Himself, to fill us more and more with the power of His Holy Spirit, and to draw us more deeply into the heart of His Church. I am confident, that as long as we continue to put Him first, both as individuals and as a Parish, this will continue. We face many challenges, and yet we face them with hope, trust, and confidence in the One Who became flesh for us. Let us spend this year truly living for Him, and praising His Holy Name! I commend you to the care of the Mother of God and the protection of St. Michael.