Christmas Message: A Heart That Beats With Us

Dear brothers and sisters of Sacred Heart Parish:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light!” (Isaiah 9:1). With these words of the prophet Isaiah, we prepare ourselves to celebrate the greatest mystery of our faith: that God does not remain in the heights, but becomes small, fragile, and close to us in the Child of Bethlehem.

This Christmas has a profoundly special meaning for me. Last September 15th, Father Vicente F. Adaikalasamy and I began our journey among you as your parish priest and vicar, and these months have been a time of grace, of getting to know one another and discovering the living Heart of Jesus in your faces, in your families and in the dedication of our groups parishioners. I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome you have given us; from that first day, you have made us feel at home.

Looking at the Nativity scene, I see our own community reflected: a meeting place where everyone has a place, from the humblest to those who come from afar. My prayer for this holy season is that the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be not only the name of our parish, but also the model for our lives. May we learn from Him to be humble, compassionate, and above all, to be a community with open doors and burning hearts.

May peace reign in your homes, may the sick feel comfort from the Savior and that our young people may find in Christ a reason to dream and build.

I ask you to pray for me as well, before the Child Jesus, that I may be the shepherd this community needs. For my part, I carry you all in my heart and in every Eucharist during this Christmas season. May God bless you. May God bless you abundantly and have a Holy Christmas!

With the affection of a spiritual father and friend,

Rev. Victor Manuel Patricio Silva, OMI