Pastor's letter for this week
January 2, 2026
Dear Parishioners of St. Andrew,
I hope you are all doing well and staying strong! Happy New Year! It has certainly been a soggy start to the new year here in Pasadena. For the first time in a very long time I did not attend the Rose Parade yesterday. I really wanted to, but I’ve been battling a heavy cold since last Sunday and did not want to make things worse by being out in the cold and rain. I watched it instead on TV and greatly enjoyed it. The other priests in the parish all went and they loved it. Hopefully next year things will be back to normal.
This has been a quiet week here as we cleaned up after Christmas and, since the school was closed and I was sick, activity was down to a minimum. Today I feel much better and ready for the weekend and the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord.
This coming week Fr. Sebastian will take his Christmas break, and I will follow after him. We are blessed to have Fr. Francis Ssengendo with us to fill in. Next week marks the first anniversary of the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires. So many of our families continue to be affected by that disaster. Over the last year many have come back to visit and I’ve discovered that they’re now living in far flung places. It is so sad to hear of their losses yet I continue to be inspired by their perseverance. We continue to pray for all of them.
This coming week we begin the next portion of our “Virtue and Tradition” series. This one will consider the 10 Commandments. Mr. Jose Pulido, a best-selling Catholic author and Yale MBA leads the series. The last one was a big hit and I am hopeful this one will be as well. It is vital that as Catholics we be well informed about our Faith. Please take advantage of this series. Mark your calendars:
Jan. 6, 13, & 27 and Feb. 3rd. – 6:30 p.m. in the School Auditorium.
Here is the rest of the news from the parish:
SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY – This Sunday we celebrate this beautiful feast of the “Three Kings” in which Our Lord is manifested as the Savior of all mankind. All nations are called to adore the Lord. This feast reminds us of the universality of God’s love for all of us. The following Sunday is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord which brings the Christmas season to a close.
THANK YOU! – Our beautiful church is made even more beautiful during the special holiday seasons of Christmas and Easter. This always requires a great deal of work for our liturgical ministers and our altar decorations group. But everyone worked together to make it all happen. The church still looks beautiful this week after Christmas since we are still in the Christmas season until next week’s Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. While the rest of the world put away their Christmas decorations on the "first day of Christmas," we do not. We continue to celebrate Christmas throughout these beautiful days of the season.
PLAN FOR THE FUTURE! – One of the chief sources of funding for major projects in most parishes comes from bequests which are left to it by faithful parishioners. In every parish I’ve been assigned, almost annually a large financial contribution is received from someone who has remembered the parish in their Last Will and Testament. It is usually not the full amount of the estate (although at times it is) but it is at least a portion. It is also common to name a parish as the beneficiary in a life insurance policy.
These types of bequests are vital to the long-term running of the parish as they are the means by which large construction and maintenance projects are funded. I encourage you to prayerfully consider the possibility of remembering the parish in your Will and/or naming it as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. This is a great way of ensuring that your legacy continues long into the future as the parish serves the many other generations. May God reward you for your generosity.
Two years ago our parish was blessed to be the recipient of two of these bequests and the funds have been deposited in a new Endowment Trust with the Catholic Community Foundation. This is a new way of ensuring your legacy for the future of our parish. For more information, please contact me at FrGonzalez@aol.com.
In Christ and St. Andrew,
Father Gonzalez
ETIQUETTE AND MANNERS IN CHURCH
CENTENNIAL ORGAN AT SAINT ANDREW CHURCH
HOW TO RECITE THE HOLY ROSARY
PROCEDURE FOR THE RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION