Letter from the Pastor
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February 16, 2025I am hoping to see you this Sunday afternoon at 3:00 PM for our Parish Concert, Sacred Choral Love Songs in honor of Saint Valentine. I heard the rehearsals and it is quite beautiful music that our choir will be singing. Then afterwards, in Toner Hall will be a wine and cheese reception, soft drinks as well.
It is uniquely human to be edified by beautiful things. Beauty is a way to experience God. When we hear beautiful music it makes us soar to another place and lead us to praise God. Come and hear love.
On another matter: some of our parishioners are getting emails from me asking for your help or gift cards to help others. Please Note: these emails are fraudulent. I would never ask for your help via email. And if I get myself in trouble in another country, well, depending on the country, let me stay there! Many parishes’ email addresses have been hacked over the years. The hackers are good at their job. Most of the pastors of our parishes have issued the same warning of not to pay attention to any of these appeals. If we really needed your help, we would pick up the phone and ask.
Every year, cybercriminals trick people into parting with their money; one in five consumers in 2024 were scammed, worldwide losses exceeded $9.5 trillion in 2024. Romance fraud, business emails hacked (like St. Margaret’s), investment accounts, sextortion, the list is virtually endless and constantly changing. The technology is getting much more sophisticated. AI (artificial intelligence) is upping the ante in hacking and scamming people. Through AI, they can now impersonate your voice or the voices of your family, pretending your children or grandchildren have been kidnapped etc. So dangerous is this, that the FBI issued a nationwide warning to all families this past December.
The FBI is recommending that every family create a secret word or phrase to verify their identity. Even banks have issued guidelines for families and their security. For instance, if you receive a message or call from your “son” or “daughter,” or “grandchild” urgently asking for money to get out of a jam, ask them to provide the pre-agreed passphrase or word. It can reveal whether it is really they.
Don’t make a passphrase the same as any of your passwords, or be things a scammer could easily find—such as street names, birthdays, pets, or other personal information that may be shared online. The FBI warns that anything that you or your family posts online as information is available to scammers.
A good family passphrase is anything that is unique, easy to remember, and can ideally be “shared with friends and family in person.” Most importantly: keep it private. A second method of identifying a family member is to say, “Yes I can help you. I just texted you a word, read it back to me.” Usually the scammers will then hang up. If you get scammed, please don’t feel embarrassed but do call the Police and report the incident.
If only the criminal mind would work for the good instead of evil…
We are three weeks from the beginning of Lent, which arrives on March 5th. In the Church calendar prior to 1969, there was a Pre-Lenten season for three weeks. It for the faithful to think about what their spiritual exercises would be during the Penitential Season of Lent. Don’t wait until Ash Wednesday to figure out what your Lenten fast or your extra prayers will be. Start thinking about it now, and help your children as well.
Christmas CollectionI wish to thank you for your generous contribution to our Christmas Collection.
As you know, the Christmas and Easter Collections are the most important,
for the daily operation of our parish life.This year’s Christmas collection was $81,146.51.God Bless Your Generosity!