Dear Parishioners,

As we reflect on this year that is soon coming to an end, let us thank God for all that we have achieved in serving Him and our community. He has been Good and Patient with us; and as we approach Christmas, the Feast of the birth of Jesus Christ his Son, let us thank Him for all the good deeds that He has done for us, for our community and for our country as a whole.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Parish Council of both the Shrine and Holy Trinity Kileleshwa for their selfless dedication and loyalty in their work towards the Parish, especially during this year. May God continue to shower blessings on them and their families. I especially would like to mention Mr. Stephen A. Ng'ang'a, the convenor of the Justice and Peace Committee, who has stepped down after serving the committee and our Parish with a lot of dedication and zeal. May the Lord bless him abundantly.

The Fundraising committee of Holy Trinity Kileleshwa that is responsible for the Harambee and the fund collection for the construction project for the Priests' house and parish hall project has also done a tremendous job this year. They have dedicated their time and efforts for this project and I thank them on behalf of the parishioners for the sincere dedication.

My heartfelt gratitude also goes to all the staff of both the Shrine and Holy Trinity for the commendable work that they have done throughout the year. May the Lord continue blessing them and their work.

I thank the residents of the three vijijis namely Deep Sea, Suswa and Masai. I thank them all for their support and harmony in living together and also for giving us a chance to make working with them easier. May the Lord bless them and always remember them.

Finally, my heartfelt appreciation goes out towards all the parishioners, both of the Shrine and Holy Trinity. I thank you for all your support as we worship Our Lord. May the Lord bless you all and keep you safe from all dangers.

As we are in the Christmas season, I urge you all to REJOICE ALWAYS IN THE LORD for he has kept us throughout the year. Our relationship with God needs to be our number one priority in life. If one is to make the decision to Rejoice in the Lord, then you need to be right with the Lord. In our Sunday bulletin during this season of Advent, there is an insert talking about the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation for Christmas. I kindly urge you all to read it carefully and to live your Christian lives as it recommends. It is not possible to rejoice in God if one is in the state of sin. St. Paul, after giving the command to rejoice, says, "Everyone should see how unselfish you are; or, as another translation puts it, "Your kindness should be known to all". He tells people to rejoice, and then he immediately reminds them of the importance of right conduct. John the Baptist has the same message for those who question him in this gospel scene from Luke 3.

St. Paul goes on to give us two other instructions in this text. He says, "Dismiss all anxiety from your minds", and "Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude". Here he is urging us take the concrete steps we need to take to deepen our relationship with the Lord. Paul realized that the stronger our bond with God is, the easier it will be for us to rejoice in him.

I'll close my letter this year with something I found on a Christmas card last year. This sums up my Christmas message beautifully as follows

When we honour Christ as the heart of our Christmas;
When we put him first in all we pursue;
When we hold him up as the season's true reason,
For who he really was and what he came to do . . .
When we set aside time for quiet contemplation,
Despite all the hurry, the noise and the fun,
When we remind others by gentle example,
That there's more to Christmas than "getting things done" . . .
When we let our spirits be called to renewal
In worship and peace at the good news he brings,
Then we will know the true joy of the season,
And we'll truly have life's most valuable things.

On behalf of Fr. Eugene Ferrari, Fr. Francis Viotto and I, we wish a Happy Christmas to you, your families and friends. May the Lord find us celebrating his Feast in the sharing of joy, happiness and love.

Rev. Fr. Marino Gemma, IMC
Parish Priest