October 20, 2002

I yield the Pastor’s space this week to the Pastor of Pastors. The following message of our Holy Father the Pope was sent to the young people of our parish who organized our “Celebration of the Papacy”, and indeed to all those attending last Tuesday’s celebrations here in the Church of Our Saviour. We should be grateful and honored for this blessing and for way the idea of this little festival spread internationally so quickly, from British Columbia to Eastern Europe and beyond, with a lot of good results.

APOSTOLIC NUNCIATURE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: On October 16th, as you gather together for various celebrations, organized by The Love & Responsibility Foundation, to mark the Twenty-fourth Anniversary of the Election of Pope John Paul II, it is my special privilege to convey to you the warm greetings, spiritual closeness and paternal blessing of the Holy Father. You may be assured of His Holiness’ sincere appreciation for your public expression of filial devotion to the Vicar of Christ and of solidarity with his Petrine mission. It is his earnest hope and desire that this occasion will likewise reawaken in you a renewed consciousness of your baptismal dignity as sons and daughters of God, inspiring you as members of the Catholic Church to commit yourselves to leading ever more authentic Christian lives, in accordance with the teachings of the Gospel. With these sentiments, the Holy Father commends all taking part in this day to the loving intercession and protection of Mary, our Mother. Offering my own prayerful best wishes, I remain, with cordial regards, Truly yours in Christ, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo Apostolic Nuncio