Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Praise the Lord!

With a heart full of gratitude, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your presence, prayers, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and for helping make our Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Patron of our community, such a beautiful, prayerful, and grace-filled celebration. From our children to our seniors, each one of you contributed with love and dedication, whether visibly or quietly behind the scenes.

Thank you to all who helped organize and lead the Novena, prepare the liturgy and coordinate the prayerful procession, arrange the dinner, decorate the parish hall and church, prepare the beautiful backdrops, flower arrangements, and Sacred Heart carrier, organize the flag hoisting, care for the vesting area for our Bishop and priests, coordinate the Offertory Procession, proclaim the readings, lead the Prayers of the Faithful, offer words of gratitude to our Bishop and priests, serve as MCs in the parish hall, purchase and prepare gifts, organize the Veduthal Ther intentions, and carry out countless other tasks.

A special word of appreciation goes to our wonderful children who danced so beautifully, our Arathi and Anjali teams, our dedicated altar servers, and all those who helped create such a prayerful and joyful celebration. Your participation brought beauty, reverence, and life to our feast.

Allow me, however, to offer special recognition to the groups and leaders who helped coordinate and guide these efforts. I thank our Leadership Team for their meticulous planning, collaboration, and dedication in ensuring that every aspect of the celebration was thoughtfully prepared. I thank our Stewardship Team for responsibly overseeing finances and expenses. I am grateful to our Liturgy group for beautifully organizing the liturgical celebrations and procession with the support of many volunteers.

I am equally grateful to our talented Audio, Video, and Technology Team, as well as those who managed our website, social media, and Mass presentation slides, for their innovative and tireless service. I thank our High School and College Youth, Faith Formation Team, Sacristans, Men’s Group, Women’s Group, Art and Environment Team, Children’s Choir, and every volunteer who generously shared their time, talents, and gifts for the success of our Novena and Feast celebrations. I am deeply grateful to the families who sponsored the dinner and to everyone who contributed financially toward the Novena and Feast celebrations.

Thank you for every minute you gave, every sacrifice you made, every talent you shared, and every act of service you offered for the glory of God and the good of the community.

Before I conclude, I invite each of you to take to heart the beautiful words Bishop Andy shared with our community during the Feast Mass:
“You are a blessing to the Diocese of San Jose. You are not guests in this Diocese; you are an important part of this Diocese.”

Those words are both an affirmation and a mission. They remind us that the Sacred Heart Tamil Catholic Community is a vibrant and important part of the Diocese of San Jose. Through your faith, prayer, service, family values, cultural heritage, and love for the Church, you contribute to the life and mission of the Diocese.

Let us continue to build upon the spirit we experienced during these days. May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus continue to unite our families, strengthen our community, deepen our faith, and make us instruments of His love in the Diocese of San Jose and beyond.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place our trust in You.

With gratitude and prayers,
Fr. Louis Lava (Leveil), SJ