Sunday, January 25th 2026

Dear faithful Parishioners of PSJXXIII parish Family,

We are in the Third Week of Ordinary Time. The liturgy of the Word today sheds light on Jesus beginning his public ministry, which is the exact fulfilment of the prophesy of Isaiah that we hear in the first reading. The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, which is Christ Himself. Jesus begins His ministry in a thickly populated region which is home of not just the Jews, but people from all over. Thus, the scene explicitly shows that Jesus came to save everyone, irrespective of any human barriers. He also tight away calls some to become his disciples.

As Jesus’ ministry is extended to all people ad cultures, we are blessed to witness it in our own parish, as we are multi-cultural, linguistic and ethnicity community professing the one faith in the Lord.  we celebrate our faith, inclusive of our culture and tradition. We welcome you to our parish’s events, especially understanding, preparing and celebrating the tradition of Vietnam community. The community prepares to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Horse. We had been very busy preparing for this event by gathering as a Faith Community to share the tradition and culture of the Vietnamese New Year. It is a special time for our parish family to pass on this beautiful tradition to the next generation by teaching our children how to make traditional New Year’s food, such as the sticky rice cake to eat with their families to celebrate this event. We also have groups within the parish practicing their traditional dance with drums and the traditional song to sing for the New Year’s celebration.

We warmly welcome new parishioners, new volunteers, congratulations on newly married couples, and newly baptized babies to our parish family! We sincerely thank all volunteers at every ministry across all campuses. Your humility and dedication behind the scenes—whether cleaning, gardening, cutting grass, counting donations, cooking for children, or supporting parish activities—help strengthen our parish community and build relationships while supporting fundraisers at each campus.

The Vietnamese Catholic Community at Pope Saint John XXIII are waiting for the sticky rice cake that we have made for their families to enjoy for this celebration. If, you want to buy this cake, you can order by contacting the Vietnamese core team who organize it. We thank our benefactors who are financially sponsoring this event, so we have the funds to pay for all the materials to make the sticky rice cakes and other supplies for the community to celebrate the Vietnamese New Year with great joy and happiness. We thank the core team members who organize this event for our parish. We also thank you for taking time to engage and to participate in it.

We thank you for taking the time to pray for those who are sick among us. Please call Sister Anna for urgent issues, such as anointing or confession. She will inform the priests when a parishioner wants to celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing. We will also pray for those who have requested our prayers. We congratulate those couples who come to the Church wishing for a blessing be it on their birthdays, wedding anniversaries or other special occasions.

This week we also celebrate Catholic School Week. The STEM Academy will join Masses at all campuses on Saturday and Sunday, January 24th & 25th. Parents will be present to share information about the school. Please give them a warm welcome, and feel free to listen, ask questions, and learn more. We are blessed to have both school and religious education students join in Mass together. Thank you for your continued support and prayers for our students and families.

This week, you will receive your tax statements from the parish office. Please contact the office if you have changed your home address, if you would like to receive the weekly newsletter, or if you need any forms for yourself or your family. All relevant information is also available in the parish bulletin and on our website.

You are encouraged to be a Good Stewardship of your time, talent, and treasure to support our parish. Wish you all a blessed day and week!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Tuan Nguyen, D. Min

Pastor