Dear Parishioners and Supporters of the Immaculate Conception Church,

I would like to begin with some good news: effective April 12, Justin Berg will be joining our Parish Staff as Pastoral Associate for Music and Liturgy.  Justin used to attend Mass at Immaculate Conception some twenty years ago while studying at Duke.  After serving as Director of Music and Liturgy at a parish in Michigan, Mr. Berg moved to China.  There he served as musician, liturgist and catechist for two cathedrals in Ningbo, a city of some ten million people, south of Shanghai. 

​In 2018, Justin undertook a substantial service project, the relocation of a 1908 pipe organ from a parish in New Hampshire to the Cathedral of the Assumption in Ningbo, an endeavor that inspired the documentary Opus 839. Click here to watch.​

Justin is not only an excellent musician but also one who is highly attuned to the challenges and opportunities associated with ministry in the multicultural context with different linguistic and cultural background as well as musical styles.  That was eminently clear to me as I witnessed his interaction with some of the members of our English and Latino choirs during the interview process.  ​

We are less than two weeks ago from Holy Week.   Next Sunday, we will hear the Scripture reading about Jesus calling out his dead friend Lazarus to come out of a tomb.  It is a story that transcends a particular time and place.  You and I are to find ourselves in that story.  What spiritual darkness is Jesus calling me to come out of today?  In many ways, we are creatures of the habit.  We develop patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting.  Many of them are good and life-giving.  But other habits of the hearts that you and I have developed over time might be detrimental to our inner health, wellbeing.  They keep us stuck; in the tomb, so to speak. ​

A number of years ago, when I went to the Holy Land for the first time, I wondered through the streets of the East Jerusalem.  There, in what it used to be in biblical times a village of Bethany, I stumbled upon a tomb of Lazarus.  I descended deep down many steps into what felt to me like the bowels of the earth and of my soul.  There was a plaque on the wall of the chamber that read: 
“The glory of God can be seen by those who put their faith in Jesus in times of greatest distress and hopelessness, they are certain that He is greater than any distress, even greater than death itself.” What an inspirational message of faith that speaks to a Lazarus inside of me. ​

In the Gospel, Jesus after raising his dead friend Lazarus wrapped in burial bands, says to those around him: “Untie him and let him go.”  In a similar way, Jesus calls on you and me today: untie him or her from whatever stands in the way of an abundant life.  Offer a word of encouragement and support for one who is dealing with depression or some serious difficulty in life.  Christ’s call to shed the burial bands of those shackled by the systemic injustice and lack of opportunities is echoed in the Church’s commitment to justice, peace and care of God’s creation. Our collective response as a parish to Christ’s call – untie him and let him go – expressed in charity and justice is heartwarming.

As you walk on your Lenten journey of conversion, I invite you to consider new opportunities to grow in commitment to do good, to help untie the structure of systemic injustice, to be instrument of the liberating power of God.   Please click on the most recent newsletter from Ken Chiha, Director of Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation ministries of our parish.  Find out if there is something you may be able to help out in response to the call of the Gospel. ​

Peace and all good,
-Fr. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM