The Epiphany January 4, 2026

Today we celebrate the ‘Manifestation’ of the Son of God as man, and as Saviour of the Gentile peoples. The feast is centred on the Coming of the Magi. As we hear in the Gospel, they have followed the star as far as it can take them without the further necessary guidance of God’s revelation in the Scriptures.

     So guided, they find the Lord with His Mother and worship Him, offering their gifts. Note how God allows them not only to find His Son, by using their Reason and Faith, but also allows them to offer Him gifts.

     We, too, must remember that we must give God the gift of ourselves.

Together with Fr Rafal, Deacon George, Deacon Oliver and the parish staff, I wish you and yours a blessed Christmastide and every good wish in the year to come.  ~  Fr. Paul Dobson.

      FROM CARDINAL LEO’S MESSAGE FOR CHRISTMAS

     At every Mass, the same Divine Word that was made flesh in Our Lady’s heart and womb way back many years ago, becomes present to us again - but now sacramentally. The same Jesus whom Mother Mary held in her arms is now entrusted to us under the humble signs of bread and wine. The same divine humility that chose the manger to show himself to the world, chooses now and until his return the altar of sacrifice at Mass. The same mercy that came to shepherds and strangers comes to each and every one of us. In the Eucharist, the Incarnation is not just remembered but renewed, made present, and given to all. The God who once drew near to us, walked among us, and taught us, is now given to us to dwell within us in holy communion.

     The Eucharist is the living sign that God’s nearness endures. When we gather around the altar in our parishes and communities for Mass, we are drawn into the same mystery that gathered shepherds around the crib in Bethlehem. We, too, come in our poverty - carrying our fears, our failures, our hunger for meaning, our hopes, dreams and deepest desires - and we find that Christ is waiting for us, because he loves us personally and by name. For St. Francis of Assisi, the stable becomes the sanctuary, the feeding trough becomes the table of life, and the Eucharist is foreshadowed at the Nativity.

                                  ~ His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo, 25 December 2025