Only One Thing Is Necessary
This past month, Archbishop Bernard Hebda released a pastoral letter entitled Only One Thing Is Necessary: How Catholic Families Can Strive to Be United in This Life and the Next. In this beautiful letter, Archbishop Hebda reflects on Jesus' words to Martha in the Gospel of Luke: "Only one thing is necessary." In a world filled with distractions, anxiety, busyness, and competing priorities, the Archbishop reminds us that our relationship with Jesus Christ must remain at the center of our lives, our homes, and our parish.
The letter acknowledges many of the challenges facing families today. Parents struggle to balance work, school activities, sports, and countless other responsibilities. Many families experience loneliness, division, uncertainty, and a growing pressure to place success, achievement, and entertainment above faith. Yet Archbishop Hebda offers a message of hope: when Christ is placed at the center, families can discover the unity, purpose, and peace for which they were created.
As I read the Archbishop's letter, I was struck by how closely it aligns with the work we have already begun here at Guardian Angels. Our parish exists to help people encounter Jesus Christ, grow as His disciples, and journey together toward heaven. The Archbishop reminds us that this mission begins first in the family and is strengthened by the parish, which he describes as a "family of families."
Over the coming year, Guardian Angels Parish will use this pastoral letter as a guide for many of our ministries and initiatives. We will continue looking for ways to strengthen family life, support marriages, deepen prayer, encourage participation in the sacraments, and help parents embrace their role as the primary teachers of the faith. Whether through faith formation, youth ministry, adult discipleship opportunities, liturgical life, or parish events, we want everything we do to help families place Christ at the center of their lives.
The Archbishop also reminds us that no family should walk alone. The parish is called to accompany one another through life's joys and struggles. This means supporting young families, encouraging engaged and married couples, welcoming grandparents and widows, accompanying those who have drifted from the faith, and helping one another remain focused on our ultimate goal: eternal life with God.
In the months ahead, you will hear more about this pastoral letter and the ways it will shape our parish priorities. I encourage every parishioner to take the time to read it. Whether you are married, single, widowed, a parent, grandparent, or young person, the Archbishop's message speaks to all of us because each of us belongs to the family of God.
As Guardian Angels Parish continues to grow in faith, let us remember the simple but profound truth at the heart of the Archbishop's letter: amid all the demands of daily life, only one thing is truly necessary—to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ. When we keep Him at the center, everything else finds its proper place.
A copy of Archbishop Hebda's pastoral letter is available on our parish website. I encourage you to read it prayerfully and reflect on how the Lord is calling your family—and our parish family—to grow closer to Him in the year ahead.
In Christ,
Fr. Joe Connelly