Pastor’s Corner

Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, This week is a very special week for us Christians because it is Holy Week, a week we journey with Christ from the moment He entered Jerusalem; instituted the Last Supper; prayed at the Garden of Gethsemane; was arrested and placed on trial before the Sanhedrin and Pilate; condemned by…

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Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, This weekend marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most sacred week for Christians. Holy Week begins with Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday; and its highest point is the Holy Triduum—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday The word “passion” derives from the Latin word “passio” meaning “to suffer,” which…

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Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, Warmest greetings from the Lord Jesus to all of you. Last weekend, on the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time, our parish celebrated two events: The first was the commencement of the Jubilee Year and the second the Feast of Saint Polycarp—our Patron. With heartfelt gratitude to the Almighty God, I…

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Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, Each year, through a diocesan project called the Pastoral Services Appeal or simply PSA, Bishop Vann invites us to live out the two greatest commandments of loving God and loving others. The theme for this year’s PSA is “Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied,”…

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Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, As you come to church this weekend, the Christmas Season has already begun. In fact, we are in the Octave of Christmas, and are preparing for the arrival of the New Year of 2025. May I take this opportunity to wish you and your family a healthy, blessed, and joyful…

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Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a Savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2: 10-11). These are the words of the…

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Dear Family of Saint Polycarp, As we approach the end of 2024, it is appropriate that I write this letter to conclude the 2024 Pastoral Service Appeal (PSA) at our parish. With heartfelt humility and praise to the Almighty God, I echo words of joyful gratitude to you—these words are taken from the First Reading…

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Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, This weekend, the Church marks the end of Her liturgical year with the solemnity of Christ the King. The end of the liturgical year means that a new liturgical Season of Advent is approaching. It also means that the Gospel of Mark from Cycle B, which we are proclaiming this…

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Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, Each year, at the beginning of November, the Church celebrates two beautiful liturgies: (1) the Solemnity of All Saints on November 01, and (2) the Feast of All Souls on November 02. On the Solemnity of All Saints, Mother Church invites us to honor those who had lived an exemplary…

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Dear Family of St. Polycarp, Stewardship is a big theme in Bible. Beginning with the Book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, human beings are entrusted to care for God’s creation: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15).…

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Dear Family of St. Polycarp, Greetings and blessings in the Lord Jesus. This weekend’s Gospel presents us a beautiful, yet challenging message. A man approached Jesus and asked Him this question: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Of course, as a law abiding Jew, Jesus told him to observe all the…

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Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” was the discussion among the disciples of Jesus, as they left the region of Caesarea Philippi for Capernaum. Upon hearing their conversation, Jesus offered them a concrete and an important lesson about being greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Gospel…

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