Message from Bishop Paul R. Sanchez
Pastor, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs R.C. Church
We mourn with people throughout the world the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who died on December 31, 2022. The Pope Emeritus was a renowned figure in our Roman Catholic community of faith. He was gifted with a sharp mind, which served him well during his many years in the academic world. But he was also called to serve the Church as Holy Father from 2005 until 2013.
The Pope Emeritus has left us his extensive writings. In his apostolic exhortation “The Sacrament of Charity,” he reminds us, appropriately in a Eucharistic Year of Revival, that “the sacrament of charity, the Holy Eucharist is the gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself, thus revealing God’s infinite love for every man and woman.”
Pope Francis spoke these words as he recalled the life of the Pope Emeritus: “And we feel so much gratitude in our hearts: Gratitude to God for having given him to the Church and the world, and gratitude to him, for all the good he has done.”
As a way of commemorating Pope Emeritus Benedict, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs will offer the 1PM Mass on Sunday January 8, 2023, for the repose of his soul. Please join us on that day.
Eternal rest grant to him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Amen.