Dear Friends
By now many of you know that I am the new pastor of St. Cecilia’s parish. My name is M. Leo Felix Monroe, SAC. I was born on January 22, 1953, I come from the southern part of India from the province of Tamilnadu. A land full of temples dedicated to numerous Hindu gods. I was brought up in a religious family. My sister Betcy Clara is a nun belonging to an Italian congregation known as Guanellian Sisters.
I studied in a Jesuit school. Finally I was destined to be a Pallottine, I was ordained as a priest in 1978, after serving in many parishes and Pallottine institutions in India. I am happy to be appointed to the parish of St. Cecilia and thank you for welcoming me in your midst.
God bless you Fr. Leo Felix
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What will it cost? Can we afford it? These questions surely prey on our minds in times of recession. So many people have been disappointed by their financial investments that it seems the words of the first reading were written for our age, “The reasoning of mortals is worthless, and our designs are likely to fail’………….. Today’s liturgy points us to another kind of economy. The economy of salvation which points out how God manages the divine household – the world and all that is in it.
Today’s gospel invites us clearly into this divine economy. What does it cost to enter God’s household? Everything, up to and including life itself. Know the cost, Jesus warns, or risk being very foolish, like the builder who doesn’t calculate the cost of a project, or a politician who leads a nation into war without first determining whether the nation can afford it. God sets the example, giving us the fullness of divine life in Jesus, who in turn gives his life completely.
No doubt we squirm at this kind of investment strategy. The opening and closing prayers point to its reward,
“God our Father, you redeem us and make us your children in Christ. Look upon us, give us true freedom and bring us to the inheritance you promised.” – Sharing God’s life for ever. Will we risk everything for this?.