Thanksgiving is a day of family, confraternity, and unity, but it is also a day for prayers of thanksgiving and intercession to our almighty God and loving Father.
Most of us learned in school about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans sharing that first Thanksgiving. Recently, I learned that one of the Native Americans was Squanto, a Catholic baptized by Spanish Franciscans! Thanksgiving celebrations were celebrated locally and established by different States, but in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a National Holiday. After listing a great many blessings of harvest, industry, and life he wrote:

“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands,to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferersin the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposesto the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.” (emphasis added)

There is much to be thankful for during this year. I encourage you to take time to write down some of the many blessings and lessons learned from this year. I wish I were there to be of greater support during this transition back to greater restrictions on gatherings, but I am thankful for your prayers during my retreat and to God for the blessings received during it.

While access to the office is limited to phone calls and email for a bit, the church space will continue to be available for personal and family prayer. Mass (with limited numbers), Confessions, and Adoration will continue with physical distancing. Please, be diligent in sanitizing the spaces you use and touch to guarantee confidence that the church building continues to be a safe place to be and pray. If you know you have been exposed, please pray from home for your 2 weeks of self-quarantine.

During these days, I have found Psalm 46 to be a good prayer and have included it below.
Let us pray:
Lord, we thank you for all our many blessings. Thank you for being such a loving God. We pray for all the widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in our days and all those negatively affected by Covid19, and we fervently implore the interposition of your Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union by the power of the Holy Spirit, through Christ our Lord. Amen
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
Thus we do not fear, though earth be shaken
and mountains quake to the depths of the sea,
Though its waters rage and foam
and mountains totter at its surging.
Streams of the river gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be shaken;
God will help it at break of day.
Though nations rage and kingdoms totter,
he utters his voice and the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Come and see the works of the LORD,
who has done fearsome deeds on earth;
Who stops wars to the ends of the earth,
breaks the bow, splinters the spear,
and burns the shields with fire;
“Be still and know that I am God.
I am exalted among the nations,
exalted on the earth.”
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

In Christ,
Fr. Jaspers