Christmas Letter from the Desk of Fr. Camilo

Dear St. John's family, 

Recently, I received a card from my former seminary rector, with the inscription: “Where there is Faith, there is Love, where there is Love, there is Peace, where there is Peace, there is Blessing, where there is Blessing, there is God, and where God is, there is no want.” This has become my prayer during these days of Advent as we approach the Christmas season. 

During this Advent season, it has been my prayer that each of you would find opportunities to reflect on your own faith and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. Whatever it is that our hearts and souls desire, whether we realize it or not, our ultimate desire is Jesus Himself. For this reason, we are filled with joy and consolation at Christmas to know that all that we hoped for is fulfilled in the person of the Christ Child. 

For me, it is a source of consolation and joy to see the commitment of all our St. John's family to continue the mission of Christ in this portion of the Kingdom during this pandemic. I truly believe that the breath of the Spirit is moving here in downtown Newark in the workers, the volunteers, the donors, the priests, the religious sisters, all the people who make possible the work we accomplish here at St. John's.

As you all know, Newark has been the bearer of "gloomy” news for a long time. In the news, in the newspapers, in social circles, there is something that can be said about this community. However, at St. John's there is a blessing felt and, as the inscription above says, “where there is Blessing, there is God”, thanks to all of you. 

Perhaps we are the Bethlehem shepherds of today, to whom the heavens announced: "Glory to God in the highest and peace to people of good will." We are privileged to serve, to lend an ear, and even sometimes to be uncomfortable when we see and feel powerless in front of those who, on a daily basis, are on our line waiting for a hot meal, for a warm coat, or simply for some masks to be protected from the virus. The Soup Kitchen, the Clinic, and the Women & Children's Center are the result of the efforts of all those who for years have seen the reality of our brothers and sisters whom we serve. 

I think that our Christmas joy and the Christmas gift is precisely that, together, we build the civilization of Love. Even though we are going through turbulent times, there is hope and we can hear the voice of the Good Shepherd who says to us: "I will be with you until the end." Thank you for your concern and support for the disenfranchised people of Newark. I know that God always sees your generous heart. Please accept my humble blessings and prayers for a blessed Christmas season and a better and healthy 2021. We are in this together. “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.” 

Peace, 

Fr. Camilo Cruz