Dear Parish Family,
With the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord this weekend, our Christmas Season comes to a close and we enter back into Ordinary Time. Jesus' Baptism marks the turning point from His infancy and young adult life, which was mostly hidden and private for 30 years, to his adult life where His public ministry begins. 
 
Jesus' public ministry only lasted for about 3 years until His crucifixion, but it was filled with miracles and heavenly teaching which garnered strong reactions on both sides. Some people recognized that this was the Lord and followed Him with their whole lives, while others made it a point to oppose Him because of the challenging nature of His works and teachings which threatened their lifestyle. 
 
Rather than being a point of failure, the death of Jesus at a young age signified the success of His ministry and the accomplishment of God's plan even when it seemed like the path of discipleship He opened to us was doomed. His resurrection broke every earthly measure of judging success by revealing God's victory over sin and death through untiring faith. 
 
No matter how young or old you are, remember to judge your success based on your fidelity to God and His plan for your life. When I was a teenager discerning what I felt was God's call for me to be a priest, God spoke to me saying, "I don't promise you a long life, but I do promise you a fulfilling life if you follow Me." Those words have helped me say yes to God in so many ways over the years.
 
God never said faithfulness was easy, but He makes the burden light by letting us share everything with Jesus. Through our Baptism into the life of Christ, we have this amazing opportunity every day to stay faithful to the plan of God, the Scriptures, the teaching of the Church, our daily responsibilities, Mass and the Sacraments by sharing more fully in the life of Christ.
 
With tax season on the horizon, remember that now is the time to make an investment in the Angel Scholarship Fund to receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit off of your Ohio State income tax liability up to $750 for individual filers or $1,500 for married couples filing jointly. St. Mary's has been blessed to receive more than $400,000 in the past two years to use for tuition scholarships to make Catholic education an affordable reality for all families. Contribution forms are available in the back of church, and you can make your 2024 tax year contribution anytime before the April 15 tax day. The Catholic Community Foundation will recognize your contribution in a year-end tax letter to be distributed after January 31 or whenever you make your 2024 tax year investment. Thank you for supporting our families with tuition assistance scholarships!

Learn More Here
 
Our Jubilee Year, Pilgrims of Hope, is in full swing. St. Mary Parish in Chardon is one of 11 pilgrimage sites for the Jubilee Year throughout the Diocese of Cleveland. Please read more about the Jubilee Year, events, and plenary indulgences that can be obtained at our pilgrimage sites this year at https://stmarychardon.org/jubilee-year-of-hope or visit the Diocesan site at https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/pilgrims-of-hope/overview. "Hope does not disappoint," St. Paul writes in Romans 5:5, because hope is based on God's promises. God will offer us as a Universal Church so much this year the more we hope and trust in Him. This is a perfect opportunity to grow closer to the Lord through the virtue of hope in the year ahead!
 
Our first rectory update newsletter was posted at the end of December. Please visit the newsletter link at https://secure.smore.com/n/qmne1y for an update on rectory construction at St. Mary's. You can sign up to receive these monthly updates directly to your inbox the moment they are published at https://stmarychardon.org/new-rectory-project.
 
I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow