Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp,
Happy New Year! This weekend of the Epiphany ushers us into the year 2026. Joining my brother priests, deacons, religious sisters, and parish staff, I wish you a joyful and blessed year.
The celebration of the Feast of Epiphany focuses on the revelation of Jesus Christ to the three magi, who have also been known in certain countries as the three kings. As scriptures indicated, the magi were people coming from the East; they followed the pattern of a special star which scriptures called the Star of Bethlehem. After having reached Jerusalem and been inquired of the place of the birth of the newborn King, they arrived at Bethlehem and found the Baby Jesus, along with His parents Mary and Joseph. To them, Jesus is the Star of Bethlehem or the newborn King. Many religious hymns and secular songs have been dedicated to Jesus as the Star of Bethlehem or the newborn King.
The revelation of Jesus to the magi speaks of a wider revelation by God to the whole universe. Jesus was born as a Jew, but He is given as gift and Savior to the universe. The magi represent us, who are given the grace of revelation to know and to accept Jesus as our Savior.
As indicated in my pastoral letter on the Third Week of Advent (December 14, 2025), our parish of Saint Polycarp is welcoming a new guest who will be staying with us until the end of May: His name is Deacon Francis Ang. Deacon Francis is a transitional deacon who, by the will of God, will be ordained to the priesthood on the first weekend of June. Please join me to welcome him. A brief biography of him is posted on the parish website. He will introduce himself to us at all Masses in the coming week.
Lastly, as we enter into a new year, I look back at past year and thank God for all of you; I thank God for your faith, fidelity to His Church, and love to this local church of Saint Polycarp. I look forward to this new year with joy and confidence that God is always with us and that He will continue to bestow His blessings on us all. May Mary, Joseph, and the patron Saint Polycarp guard you and your family in God’s love.
Father Viet Peter Ho
Pastor
Recent Pastor Letters
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October 18, 2026
Read more: October 18, 2026Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, The Gospel for this twenty-ninth Sunday presents us a controversial issue regarding duty toward religion and state. The Pharisees plotted this question to trap Jesus: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” A simple yes or no answer would have answered the question. Instead, Jesus…
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October 11, 2026
Read more: October 11, 2026Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp,We begin this second week of October with a Gospel reading from the 28th Sunday (Mt 21:33-43), which presents us different responses from the invited guests to the wedding of the king’s son. To explore the depth of the Gospel, we need to look first from the perspective of the king.…
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August 30, 2026
Read more: August 30, 2026Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, The Second Reading of this Twenty Second Sunday from Saint Paul brings to our attention an issue regarding respect for the human body. In this short scriptural passage to the Romans, Paul elaborates on this issue by saying: I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,to offer…
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August 2, 2026
Read more: August 2, 2026Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp, August is here. For Saint Polycarp, we have seen a month of priestly service from Fr. Francis; two weeks of our seminarian-intern, Eddie; and the arrival of Fr. Jaime. For me, I am grateful to the presence and support of Fr. Francis, who has been working so hard during his…