Letters from Bishop Noonan

Choosing God is not something that we do individually and keep it to ourselves. Choosing God is a commitment to bring God into the world; to make ourselves the sanctuary for God and from us into our homes, our workplaces, our leisure. Choosing God is delivering His family to Him no matter where we are.

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
Already the beginning of August! For parents or grandparents or guardians, the beginning of August starts a ‘new year’ as we prepare our children to return to school, whether Catholic or public. For those children who attend public school, we are also registering our children for Faith Formation classes.

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ: To whom did Christ send us to bring glad tidings to the poor? Our immediate family? Our extended family? Those who are without homes? Those who are hungry? Our business associates? Our parishioners? Those who are sick?

Bishop Noonan shares how St. Joseph’s YES to become the guardian of Jesus is an amazing example of great love!

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
For many months, we were starving. We were in ‘lockdown’ as we compassionately cared for our sisters and brothers—to protect them from a deadly disease. It was our proclamation of life in its fullest—a proclamation of the gift of the Eucharist—that we deprived ourselves of so great a gift that we might serve God extraordinarily. We were deprived of sacred food and drink for months at a time because of our unity through, with and in Christ.

Why are you standing there and looking at the sky? Jesus is not to be found looking up to there. His continued Presence lies within each one of you—through the Church. Jesus left us everything we need to bring His Presence known to one another. He left us His GPS to love one another as He loves us.

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
St. John reminds us that we are beloved. He tells us of the Father’s indelible love He offers us through His Son who came to live among us that we may be called His children. He proclaims to us that we are holy. God honors us as sacred, through, with and in Him. If we are in a relationship with God, then we cannot but show the face of God in everything we do. We bring His Son forever into this world by our love of God. He is truly risen.

“May our alleluias of this Easter season not be empty, but full of God’s love to declare the works of the Lord.” – Bishop Noonan⁠

Last year on Good Friday, our Holy Father greeted us in the darkness of the night. It was a profound encounter with Him as he stood alone – isolated – on the street, a solitary figure and then after prayer, he bowed and kissed the feet of Jesus on the Cross tenderly. The image of the Cross illuminated the evening and brought forth the light of Christ.

“Don’t pick at that scab,” said my mother. She said this to keep the wound which the scab covered protected and sterile from the outside world. The scab helped the physical wound to heal. Sometimes, when we are not reconciled with God, we have a tendency to ‘pick at the scab’, to continue to open the wound and bring up something for which we had already offered forgiveness; but didn’t mean.