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What a beautiful way to open our 125th year last Sunday, by welcoming Bishop Sanchez who celebrated a Mass to begin our years of praise to almighty God for the blessing that our parish is to so many! I want to thank in a special way the 125th Anniversary committee for all the work that they are doing as we plan many events during this year.

Please know that at the beginning of February we are going to start to put information in the bulletin about our journal and info about purchasing tickets for our big dinner dance, Saturday October 19 at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston. Also, on Sunday, November 17 at 1:30pm we will celebrate the closing Mass for our 125th year.

Every month we will be inviting back a priest who served in our parish to celebrate Mass, followed by a small reception for him in the school auditorium. I am happy to let you know that Fr. Jim Cunningham, the favorite son of Woodside, will be here to celebrate the 10:30am Mass on Sunday, February 17th. There will be a reception for him and an opportunity to share memories over the years with him immediately after Mass in the school auditorium. Please come to this special Mass!

The theme for our 125th anniversary is come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. This scripture passage is the beginning of our parish’s mission statement. Certainly, St. Sebastian parish is a place where all who come are refreshed in the Lord!

A blessed year to come!

Today is the feast of our patron, St. Sebastian! Today, we also welcome Bishop Sanchez who will celebrate a special Mass at 1:30pm to open our 125th Year Celebration. I am so grateful to our 125th Anniversary Committee for all their work in making this very special year for all of us. We have lots, planned for the year which I will share with you in next week’s bulletin.

Our Patron, was very resilient in his faith! After standing up to the Emperor and being left for dead, he recovered and goes back to stand up for what he believes in and for our Lord!

My experience of all of you after coming back as pastor is the same! I truly admire and have the utmost respect and love for all of you! This is a very special place to be a part of and all of you are very special people. I can’t thank you enough for your faith and the wonderful support you give me, the priests and the staff in making our parish the very best! Lest continue to do great things for our Lord and this community!

Rev. Kevin Abels

Please Note: Due to the bad flu season the offering of the Precious Blood of Our Lord will be suspended until Holy Thursday. Thanks for your understanding.

Today we celebrate the beautiful feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It is also the conclusion of our Christmas season in which we celebrate the birth of our Savior. The feast of the Baptism of the Lord recalls the three-year public ministry of our Lord. Jesus comes to bring the good news to others. This feast of the Baptism of the Lord recalls our own baptism and how we are also called to be the Lord’s witnesses in the world today.

Next Sunday January 20th, Bishop Sanchez will celebrate the 1:30 pm Mass as we open the 125th Anniversary year of our Parish. It is also the feast of St. Sebastian, our patron. I hope you can attend this special Mass.

On Saturday January 26th, I will be celebrating a special Mass at 11:00am in the Chapel for Mr. James Dimicelli, who was our Funeral director at Kennedy Roth Funeral Home for many years! Jimmy was a blessing to so many of our families in the neighborhood who were grieving the loss of a loved one. His ministry allowed us to feel the comfort of Our Lord during these difficult moments in life. After this special Mass at 11:00AM, there will be a light reception in the school auditorium.