This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. With this celebration, the Church finishes the Christmas season and, at the same time, starts Ordinary Time.

The Baptism of the Lord is not only a celebration where we remember that John baptized Our Lord in the waters of the Jordan, but also makes us think and reflect on our own baptism. Many of us were baptized when we were children. Others were baptized when they decided to do it through RCIA (now called OCIA). Regardless of when our baptism was, it is very important that all of us reflect on the significance of this wonderful sacrament. Baptism is not just a sacrament where we receive water. Baptism is a marvelous sacrament where we entered into the life of the Church and became children of God by adoption. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans reminds us of the importance of this sacrament and the effects that it has in each of us. He says, “What then shall we say? Shall we persist in sin that grace may abound? Of course not! How can we who died to sin yet live in it? Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection” (Romans 6:1-5).

Baptism makes us new people. We are protected by God through this sacrament. We received for the first time the Holy Spirit in our baptism and then His fullness of it in the sacrament of Confirmation. Let us always live our own baptism with joy, knowing that God, our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit is always protecting each one of us.

Let us pray:

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramírez

There is a famous Christmas Carol in Colombia, and probably in other countries of Latin America, called Tutaina. If you wonder what Tutaina is, let me tell you that I wonder the same thing. I have been asking almost all my life the meaning of this song. I was checking on the internet, and apparently the meaning of this word is fiesta (party). One of the verses of this Christmas Carol says, Tres reyes vienen también, con incienso, mirra y oro, a ofrendar a Dios su bien, como el más grande tesoro (Three kings also come, with frankincense, myrrh, and gold, to offer their goods to God, like the greatest treasure). God is the greatest treasure of the three kings.

The three kings understood that their offerings of frankincense, myrrh, and gold are meaningless in comparison to Jesus Christ who is the great gift that God, our Father, gave us through the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar traveled from the East, following the star, and finding a baby laying in a manger. They offered their gifts to this baby, understanding that He is the king of kings. Today, we celebrate Christmas and this feast of the Epiphany of the Lord recognizing that the baby who was born in a manger in Bethlehem is our Lord, and He is bringing peace on Earth.

This weekend in Mass, we pray in the preface of the Epiphany of the Lord, “For today you have revealed the mystery of our salvation in Christ as a light for the nations, and, when He appeared in our mortal nature, you made us new by the glory of His immortal nature.” Tutaina, and therefore, the epiphany, invites us to rejoice in the Lord. This is a feast that invites us to celebrate with love that Jesus not only came to rescue the people of Israel, but the whole humanity. Therefore, let us allow that this great mystery of the salvation of humankind in the person of Christ comes to our hearts. Let us adore the king of kings not only with frankincense, myrrh, and gold, but also with our hearts and lives. Let us allow that this baby, who was found through a star by the three wise men, reigns in our hearts. Let us keep the spirit of Christmas always among us.

Let us pray:

O God, who by the guidance of a star did on this day manifest Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know You by faith may also attain the vision of Your glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Father Jorge Ramirez

We are finishing 2024. Probably, most of us are making resolutions for 2025. Some of us want to lose weight, work out more often, read more books, study, save money, and so on. All the resolutions that we keep in mind are good, because we are thinking about ourselves and other people in a positive way.

The Roman Catholic Church also is thinking about each one of us. Hence, in this time of Christmas, the Church introduces us to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on January 1st. You can wonder why Mary is called Mother of God if she was just another human being. The first thing that we need to know is that the theological term for this title for Mary is “Theotokos.” This is a term that Catholic and Orthodox Churches use for Mary and came from the early centuries of the Church. The Council of Ephesus, in 431 A.D., insisted “If anyone does not confess that God is truly Emmanuel, and that on this account the holy virgin is the “Theotokos” (for according to the flesh she gave birth to the word of God become flesh by birth) let him be anathema.” This council also emphasized the double nature of Jesus, human and Divine. If Mary is the Mother of Jesus, and Jesus is Divine (that means that He is God); therefore, Mary is the mother of God. In other words, the title Mary is the “Mother of God” refers not to the relationship between Mary and God, the Father, but to Mary and God, the Son, who is Jesus. “In the encyclical Marialis Cultus (1974) Pope Paul VI states: ‘This celebration, assigned to January 1 in conformity with the ancient liturgy of the city of Rome, is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation’” (ewtn).

Let us begin 2025 in the company of our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. As we make resolutions for the new year, let us make another important resolution: to be closer to God. The Mother of God will help us with this resolution. She always introduces us to our Lord, our God, and our Savior, and at the same time, she is leading us to see her Son. In this 2025, may all of us feel the love and blessings of God, and share this wonderful love with our brothers and sisters.

I want to wish you a Happy New Year!
¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Let us pray:

Almighty Father, I thank You graciously for the New Year 2025. I ask You, Lord, to bless my family, as we begin this blessed new year with a renewed hope in You. Lord, I thank You so much for all that You have done for my family and me. Your hand on our lives is so much more than we could ask for. Your blessings are so greatly appreciated. Amen!

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramírez

“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” (Lk. 2:11). This is the announcement of the angels when the Son of God finally was born through our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in a manger. Christmas means the joy of celebrating that Jesus is in our lives because God loves us very much. Because of this joy is that all of us have special decorations in our homes, we have delicious food such as cookies, chocolate, or ham.

The angels invite not only the shepherds to go and adore the newborn baby, but also to each one of us. We cannot forget that the main reason of Christmas is Christ. Look at that fragile boy. Look at him, his innocence, tenderness, and all of love that God made man has for all of us. Our mission is not only to feel the love of God who is given us through this child, but to transmit the same love in our society who is living in crisis because of violence in many places, such us Ukraine, Israel, South America, Africa, Asia, and of course, our country.

Pope Francis in his Message on Christmas 2023 called Urbi et Orbi (December 25, 2023) invites us to proclaim this message of joy. “What kind of joy? Not the passing happiness of this world, not the glee of entertainment but a joy that is “great” because it makes us great. For today, all of us, with all our shortcomings, embrace the sure promise of an unprecedented gift: the hope of being born for heaven. Yes, Jesus our brother has come to make his Father our Father; a small child, he reveals to us the tender love of God, and much more. He, the Only-Begotten Son of the Father, gives us “power to become children of God” (Jn 1:12). This is the joy that consoles hearts, renews hope and bestows peace. It is the joy of the Holy Spirit: the joy born of being God’s beloved sons and daughters” (Urbi et Orbi. You can read the complete message from Pope Francis).

Let us celebrate Christmas with love and joy. Let us eat delicious food with our family and friends, let us sing Christmas carols and enjoy the snow in company of our children. Let us rejoice because the Emmanuel is among us. Let us keep Christ in Christmas through an amazing action that we can do for our relatives, family, friends, and strangers. Let us live Christmas the whole year because the baby Jesus is always in our hearts and came to us in the wonderful sacrament of the Eucharist

I, as the Pastor of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity and on behalf of our staff, wish you Merry Christmas! ¡Feliz Navidad! May the Baby, who was born in Bethlehem, be born again this Christmas in your hearts and homes and be with you always. Feliz Navidad, Merry Christmas, my brothers and sisters. Enjoy these wonderful Holy Days in the company of your beloved ones and, of course, the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramírez

American people usually prepare themselves for the coming holidays doing different activities. Families go to find the right tree and put all the ornaments on it; moms prepare cookies and delicious food for the family and friends; dads put up all the Christmas lights, the Nativity scene, Santa, the snowman… people start to sing Christmas carols, and watch Christmas movies. This is something I have seen throughout the 15 years that I have been living in the United States. But, what do you know about other Christmas traditions?

Probably you can talk about “Las Posadas,” which is a novenario (an extended devotional prayer). It is celebrated chiefly in Latin America, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Spain, and by Hispanics in the United States. It is typically celebrated each year between December 16 and December 24. Latin American countries have continued to celebrate the holiday, with very few changes to the tradition. People gather together waiting for the coming of the Lord, and share as one family delicious food, just as “tamales,” “horchata,” chocolate, or other candies.

You can also talk about “Las Parrandas,” which are celebrated in Puerto Rico during Christmas season. “A parranda (English: party or spree) is a Puerto Rican music tradition that takes place in Puerto Rico during the Christmas holiday season. Parrandas are social events that feature traditional Puerto Rican music, food, and drinks. They are associated with pride for the customs of the traditional Puerto Rican jíbaro. The traditional events have been likened to Christmas caroling, but the contents of the songs are secular rather than religious. They are sometimes carried out in the evening, but most traditionally occur in the night, even into the wee hours of the morning. The songs sung are almost exclusively aguinaldos.

In my home country Colombia, we celebrate this beautiful season with music, food, and dancing as well. Also, we celebrate this season with faith, praying that baby Jesus comes to our hearts and transform each one of us. We start Christmas season on December 7th, the evening before the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. That day, Colombians light the candles in honor to our Mother. This night is called “La Noche de las Velitas” (The Night of the Little Candles). Also that night, we light the Christmas lights and eat the traditional Colombian Christmas Dessert: Natilla y Buñuelo. I have done the Night of the Little Candles and shared this dessert with you. On December 16th, Colombians start to pray the Christmas Novena. We pray during nine days, asking the Lord to come soon to our lives. We finish this novena on December 24th. That night Colombians make a huge party: music, drinks, food, and of course the gifts. At midnight on December 25th, all people start to look at what the baby Jesus brought. By the way, Santa does not go to Colombia, but Baby Jesus. Why? I guess Santa is very busy in America. The party continues all night long until the evening of December 25th. People continues to have fun even after Christmas day, because the New Year’s Eve celebration is very similar to Christmas Eve. More dancing, more food, more drinks, more fun is around to receive the New Year. People after the traditional “Feliz Año Nuevo” (Happy New Year) continue dancing and having the rest of the day, and sometimes until January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord.

I do not know how many of you knew my Colombian tradition, but I wanted to share with you. However, it does not matter how we celebrate Christmas. The most important thing is to celebrate Christmas with faith and prayer, and wishing that the Lord Jesus comes to our hearts.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. George

My brothers and sisters in Christ.

This Sunday, December 1st, is the first Sunday of Advent; therefore, we are starting a new liturgical year in the Catholic Church. We are starting to read the Gospel according to Luke. With this new year in the Church, Holy Trinity family is also starting to celebrate this wonderful season of Advent with different activities.

We start to light the Advent wreath every Sunday. “Advent candles readily demonstrate the strong contrast between darkness and light, which is an important biblical image. Jesus referred to himself as the “Light of the World” that dispels the darkness of sin: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12) (The Advent Wreath Tradition). When we light one of these candles, we are telling all people that Jesus Christ, the light of the world, is coming. We are very excited and preparing for His coming.

We are not only starting a new liturgical year, but our Jubilee 2025. This tradition dates back to 1300 AD, when Pope Boniface VIII declared a universal festival for the entire Church. Originally, the Church celebrates the Jubilee every 100 years, but now we celebrate it every 25 years in order that all faithful participates at least once in their life. I do remember the last Jubilee, which was in the year 2000, when I was a seminarian in Colombia.

The official day for the opening of the Holy Door and the Jubilee will be on Christmas Eve, when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. This will be at 7:00 p.m. Rome Time. In our Diocese of Rochester, there will be a special Mass on December 24th at 11:15 a.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral. All are welcome to join Bishop Matano and participate in this Eucharist at the Cathedral. In addition to the great tradition of opening this Holy Door, other holy doors will be open at the different basilicas in Rome. For pilgrims who cannot travel to Rome, the local bishops will designate the

cathedral as a place of pilgrimage for prayer, offering opportunities of reconciliation, indulgences, and other moments to strengthen our Catholic faith. The theme is “Pilgrims of Hope”, and it will be a year of hope for a world suffering the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of COVID-19 pandemic, and a climate crisis.

Let us start this new liturgical year in the company of the Lord, participating in this Holy Year of Jubilee. Let us renew our faith in the Lord, always feeling joy because the Lord God is always with us.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build. God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Each year Americans gather to celebrate one of the most traditional holidays they have. I am talking about Thanksgiving. According to The History Channel, “Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2024 occurs on Thursday, November 28. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.” (history.com)

However, Thanksgiving celebration is not celebrated only once a year, but every day of the year. Why? Because each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we are having a Thanksgiving celebration. The word “Eucharist” comes from the Greek word εὐχαριστία (eukharistía), which means “gratitude” or “giving of thanks”. Therefore, we come to the Eucharist not because it is an obligation and is part of the Ten Commandments, but because we want to have a personal encounter with the Lord. We want to say to God “thank you” for everything He has done for each one of us. The Lord God has given us many things, and our way to express our gratitude to Him is through the celebration of the Eucharist.

Let us celebrate the Eucharist always in attitude of Thanksgiving. What do you have to say ‘Thank you” to the Lord for?

— from The Catholic Prayer Book, compiled by Msgr. Michael Buckley

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build. God Bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always.

Fr. Jorge Ramírez

My dear brothers and sisters.

It is not a secret that I came from Colombia; therefore, my native language is Spanish. My priestly ministry is at Holy Trinity Church (it is my priority); however, I help sometimes with the migrant ministry, presiding the Eucharist and other sacraments in Spanish in different places of the twelve counties of the Diocese of Rochester. There is a great necessity to offer the sacraments in Spanish.

Few parishes of the Diocese of Rochester offer Spanish Mass. It is not enough to evangelize in this language. Those who speak Spanish and do not have the possibility to go to the parish in Rochester in Spanish, deserves to worship the Lord in their language.

I heard about Spanish speakers who live in Webster and wish to have a Spanish Mass here. Some of you have manifested the interest to have the Eucharist in this language at Holy Trinity. Therefore, being the pastor for over a year already, and answering the petitions of some parishioners, I decided to have a Spanish Mass at Holy Trinity Church once a month.

Since this new liturgical year, which starts on December 1st (the first Sunday of Advent), I will preside at the Spanish Mass at Holy Trinity Church the first Saturday of each month at 6:30 p.m. That means that our first Spanish Mass will be on December 7th.

If you speak Spanish or want to have the experience of a Spanish Mass, you are welcome to join us. Invite your family, relatives, and friends to participate in this Eucharist. Moreover, if you want to actively participate as a lector or usher, please let me know. You can contact me anytime.

Remember that I can preside other sacraments in Spanish, such as baptisms or confessions. I am here to serve all of you.

Never forget that God loves all of us regardless of our language.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build. God Bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always.

Fr. Jorge Ramírez

When we study the catechism, we learn that one of the spiritual works of mercy is to pray for the living and the dead. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), “Prayer is one of the most powerful ways we can support others. Joining together in prayer for the living and the dead entrusts us all into God’s care” (Spiritual Works of Mercy). God is always caring for us; it does not matter if the person is alive or dead. Usually, we pray for people who are sick, without a job, or in serious difficulties, and we pray for people who are gone, resting in the peace of Christ. Frequently, at Mass, people pray for their family and friends who have passed away. Because we do not know exactly if they are in heaven, purgatory, or hell, we pray for them so that God has mercy on them. We pray for them because we want them to enjoy the presence of the Lord in His Kingdom in the company of all the Angels and the Saints.

Purgatory is more like heaven than hell because all souls there are not in the hands of Satan, but they are waiting for the lovely hands of God. They have their sorrows, but also joys. They know that God is close. Because of this knowledge, they suffer because they cannot see God yet. But they also rejoice, because they also know that this suffering will end, and they can enjoy the presence of the Lord when they get to heaven. They have this hope. St. Catherine of Genoa wrote,

I believe no happiness can be found worthy to be compared with that of a soul in Purgatory except that of the saints in Paradise; and day by day this happiness grows as God flows into these souls, more and more as the hindrance to His entrance is consumed. Sin’s rust is the hindrance, and the fire burns the rust away so that more and more the soul opens itself up to the divine inflowing. A thing which is covered cannot respond to the sun’s rays, not because of any defect in the sun, which is shining all the time, but because the cover is an obstacle; if the cover be burnt away, this thing is open to the sun; more and more as the cover is consumed does it respond to the rays of the sun.

It is in this way that rust, which is sin, covers souls, and in Purgatory is burnt away by fire; the more it is consumed, the more do the souls respond to God, the true sun. As the rust lessens and the soul is opened up to the divine ray, happiness grows; until the time be accomplished the one wanes and the other waxes. Pain however does not lessen but only the time for which pain is endured. As for will: never can the souls say these pains are pains, so contented are they with God’s ordaining with which, in pure charity, their will is united. (Treatise on Purgatory)

Therefore, let us pray for the souls in purgatory. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who are waiting to enter the Presence of the Lord. Let us pray for them in the Eucharist, the Holy Rosary, or a Novena. Let us pray not only for our faithful departed, but also for those who no one ever prays for. They deserve also to be in the presence of the Lord.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

God Bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always.

Fr. Jorge Ramírez

My dear family of Holy Trinity Church.
I have very important news to communicate.

We will have a new schedule for daily Masses. From December 2nd (the first Monday of Advent), daily Mass will be at 8:30 a.m. instead of 9:00 a.m. Some months ago, I asked some parishioners about the idea to change the hour of daily Mass. They supported me in this idea, so I decided to change the hour. Why? First, the new hour helps other parishioners come to the Mass. Some people want to come to daily Mass, but they cannot come because of work. Second, that gives me extra time to prepare myself for a funeral.

Sometimes, I need to rush from morning Mass to funerals. Third, there will a consistency with Sunday Mass, which is at 8:30 a.m. as well. In that way, we will have everyday Masses at 8:30 a.m., except Saturday. We do not have Mass on Saturday morning.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is very important for us. This year, December 8th will fall on Sunday; therefore, the Roman Catholic Church will celebrate this day on the next day. For this reason, I invite you to come and participate in the wonderful celebration of La Noche de las Velitas (The Night of the Little Candles) on December 9th at 5:30 p.m. with the Solemn Mass, then the celebration of the Night of the Little Candles, followed with a reception where we can taste delicious Colombian food. Please, call the parish office if you want to attend this celebration to know how much food I need to prepare by November 22nd. Likewise, if you would like to help me cook our typical Colombian dessert for Christmas, let us know calling the parish. You can also bring something delicious to share with our great family of Holy Trinity.

As I told you, Advent is coming soon. With Advent, we will place our Family Christmas Tree in the Gathering Space. Last year we had our wonderful Christmas Tree, decorated by the members of our marvelous family of Holy Trinity Church. I invite you to place your family ornament on our Family Christmas Tree anytime between the first Sunday of Advent (December 1st) to Christmas Day (December 25th).

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez