Father Sebastian Writes

Dear friends,
On this Christmas day,I would like to thank you for your presence and for your variedcontributions to this community. I am happy to tell you that I am enjoying my 6th Christmas with you here in Blessed Robert Grissold. I have only good things to share with you.

Many people nowadays are asking the question "Why be a Catholic?" They ask this question when the liturgy in the church become intolerably boring, when they disagree with the Pope or bishops on social issues, when they divorce and remarry and are told that they can't receive Communion . Often the
question is "why remain a Catholic?" The answer is Catholicism' s rich 2,000- year tradition of living the gospel. And this tradition is a "wisdom tradition". Catholicism has maintained unity and diversity over the course of 20 centuries.

It embraces the wisdom of the ancient world, Middle Ages and modern times.Catholics see God shining through all of creation, and so they use the gift of creation in their most important rituals.

The Catholic Church still has a worldwide faith, and the church's vision is still universal. It is a true fact the Church has always been concerned for human betterment. The concern for the poor and underprivileged springs directly from the Catholic understanding of holistic growth and universal salvation. These and many other values represent not only a challenge but also a good reason for being Catholic. I wish you many graces of Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Fr. Sebastian Arikat.
Priest in Charge
Christmas 2009

To find out more about Father Sebastian, click here.