​Today’s Blessing Prayer: Saturday greetings and blessings to on this last day of 2022. I hope your day has started well and I hope and pray you are continuing to navigate through these winter days with faith and hopefulness for the future.
 
Once again, I offer you Pope Francis’ Prayer…
 
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, and the Health of the Sick.
At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain,
with steadfast faith.
You, Salvation of All People, know what we need.
We are certain that you will provide, so that,
as you did at Cana of Galilee,
joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the Father’s will
and to do what Jesus tells us:
He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us,
through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.
 
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
(Prayer Composed by Pope Francis)
 
I begin this day thankful for all the blessings of year that has passed, and I am excited to bring in a New Year. I pray all of you are where you need and want to be and that you will get a chance to celebrate in some way the passing of one year and the beginning of a new one, tonight. If you need to travel, please travel safe. If you are going to be out and about at, around or after midnight, please be safe!
 
I offer a simple blessing on this last day of 2022 - O Loving God, hear our prayers today as we pray in thanksgiving for the year that has just past and with hope for the year we are about to begin. Bless us with the strength, grace and wisdom that we have gathered over this last year and help us during the coming year to soften the hearts of all so that we may always know your friendship. Grant peace and prosperity to your people bless each of us today and always with your love. Amen! May all of us encounter God’s mercy, peace, hope and many new dreams in 2023. See you next year! Peace in Christ’s Passion...Fr. Paul

Today’s Prayer: I thought Thomas Merton’s prayer would be a good end of the year prayer for all of us today –
 
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. (Thomas Merton - Thoughts in Solitude)

​Today’s Blessing Prayer: Friday greetings and blessings to all and welcome to the Feast of the Holy Family. I hope and pray you are continuing to navigate through these Christmas Season days with faith and a hopefulness for the future.
 
Once again, I offer you Pope Francis’ Prayer…
 
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, and the Health of the Sick.
At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain,
with steadfast faith.
You, Salvation of All People, know what we need.
We are certain that you will provide, so that,
as you did at Cana of Galilee,
joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the Father’s will
and to do what Jesus tells us:
He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us,
through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.
 
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
(Prayer Composed by Pope Francis)
 
I hope you had a nice celebration of Christmas these last few days and perhaps that celebration is continuing today. As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family and I hope you are with family in some way today and will take the time to enjoy the gift of their presence. I ran across a Prayer of Thanksgiving a few years ago and it seems like a good prayer to use today for our Daily Blessing. So, for all families and for all of you I ask God’s blessing today as I pray…
 
God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace: We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that sustains life, for the food of this earth that nurtures life, for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life.
 
We thank you for the mystery of creation: for the beauty that the eye can see, for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves.
 
We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding, for children who lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future.
 
We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to love, for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace, for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation.
 
For these and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
 
Blessings upon all families today and may we all have a blessed and holy Friday and for you and your family may it be a special one. Peace in the Holy Family...Fr. Paul

​Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendor of true love, to you we turn with trust.
 
Holy Family of Nazareth grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel, and small domestic Churches.
 
Holy Family of Nazareth may families never again experience violence, rejection, and division: may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing.
 
Holy Family of Nazareth make us mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God’s plan.
 
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer. Amen.
(Prayer by Pope Francis to the Holy Family)

​Today’s Blessing Prayer: Thursday greetings and blessings to all. I hope and pray you are continuing to navigate through these December Christmas days with faith and hopefulness for the future.
 
Once again, I offer you Pope Francis’ Prayer…
 
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, and the Health of the Sick.
At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain,
with steadfast faith.
You, Salvation of All People, know what we need.
We are certain that you will provide, so that,
as you did at Cana of Galilee,
joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the Father’s will
and to do what Jesus tells us:
He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us,
through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.
 
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
(Prayer Composed by Pope Francis)
 
My blessing prayer today is that God will bless us all with a calm, peaceful and productive day as we prepare to bring in a New Year Saturday night. May God bless our encounters, our projects, our busyness, our living of this day. May God help us to enjoy these closing days of 2022 and look ahead with hope and joy to 2023. May God bless this day with a place of warmth with many smiles, the gift of laughter and people whom we love! Have a great Wednesday everyone! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Today’s Prayer: Grant, O Loving God, that we may never fall away in success or in failure; that we may not be prideful in prosperity nor dejected in adversity. Let us rejoice only in what unites us and be sorrowful only in what separates us. May we strive to please no one or fear to displease anyone except You. May we always see the things that are eternal and never those that are only temporal. May we shun any joy that is without You and never seek any that is beside You. O God, may we delight in any work we do for You and tire of any rest that is apart from You. Let us direct our hearts towards You, and in our failings, always repent with a purpose of amendment. – Amen! (Adapted from a prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas, O.P.)

Today’s Blessing Prayer: Wednesday greetings and blessings to all. I hope and pray you are continuing to navigate through these Christmas Season days with faith and hopefulness for the future.
 
Once again, I offer you Pope Francis’ Prayer…
 
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, and the Health of the Sick.
At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain,
with steadfast faith.
You, Salvation of All People, know what we need.
We are certain that you will provide, so that,
as you did at Cana of Galilee,
joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the Father’s will
and to do what Jesus tells us:
He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us,
through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.
 
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
(Prayer Composed by Pope Francis)
 
Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Innocents and so our focus is on children. May our blessings today not only be upon us but also upon all children especially those who are most vulnerable, those just conceived, those in their mother’s womb and those who have just come into the world…Loving Jesus, through the spirits of the Holy Innocents, we ask your blessing upon us and upon all your children especially those in most need of your blessing this day.
 
You once embraced the little children who came to you and said: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these!" Look now with loving eyes on the innocence of all your children and those who love them and bless us all this day that we may never forget the gift of life, the gift of children and their closeness to you.
 
Jesus in your grace and goodness let us live life continually, longing for you and loving you. Then we will surely come to our eternal home, through you, our Savior. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen! Blessings upon all children, upon all mothers and fathers and upon all of us today and always. Peace in Christ’s Passion as seen in the suffering of Children today and always…Fr. Paul

​Today’s Prayer: Loving Jesus, you once said unless we become like children, we cannot enter your Kingdom. So, we pause in prayer today to honor your most Holy Innocents and we call upon you through the intercession of these loving spirits to help us on our journey of life to the Kingdom and so we pray – Angels of God, our guardians so dear, to whom God's love entrusts us here; ever this day, be at our sides to light, to guard to rule and guide. Amen!

​Today’s Blessing Prayer: Tuesday greetings and blessings to all. I hope and pray you are continuing to navigate through these Christmas Season days with faith and hopefulness for the future.
 
Once again, I offer you Pope Francis’ Prayer…
 
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, and the Health of the Sick.
At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain,
with steadfast faith.
You, Salvation of All People, know what we need.
We are certain that you will provide, so that,
as you did at Cana of Galilee,
joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the Father’s will
and to do what Jesus tells us:
He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us,
through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.
 
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
(Prayer Composed by Pope Francis)
 
We find ourselves in the midst of the Octave of Christmas which means at least in a liturgical sense today is Christmas once again. So, in the spirit of Christmas I offer you my prayers and a blessing today – May the spirit of Christmas bring us peace – The joy and gladness of Christmas give us hope – May the warmth of Christmas grant us love. Christmas blessings to all today and in the spirit of St. John may our feet be swift today, so we can get through this day quickly and safely! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

​Today’s Prayer: Loving God, may your love make us what we have been called to be this day – your beloved. Amen!