Letter from our Pastor

Dear St. William Parishioners,

May God’s blessings be upon you. As many of you may have noticed, we are
off to an incredible start to our 2022-2023 year. We have over 900 students
in our faith formation classes, over 80 adults in our healing series, and over 3500 in attendance at our weekend liturgies. We have many new staff and they are working hard to provide quality ministry that leads the People of God to an encounter with Jesus Christ. I am grateful to God for each of you who responded to the call to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and to those who have become (or started on the path to become) Extraordinary Ministersof Holy Communion (EMHC) to help facilitate and enhance our beautiful liturgies at St. William. Because of the community’s response, we were able to resume perpetual Eucharistic Adoration and will soon resume the distribution of the Precious Blood.

In fact, I have a few updates regarding our liturgies that I would like to share with you: On the weekend of October 29-30, 2022, we will resume the distribution of the Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ during the weekend liturgies. Because so many of you participated in the Liturgy Summit in September and expressed interest in serving, we are now in a position to distribute the Precious Blood during Mass. In the coming weeks, we will continue to welcome new and returning liturgical ministers, which
is wonderful. As we know, in the Eucharist we have the Lord present: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, so do not feel pressured to consume under both species if you are not ready to do so. We are striving to accommodate our Bishop’s requirement and those who would like to receive our Lord in the Eucharist under both species.

In addition, you may have noticed the song sheets in the hymnals that have the antiphon and music selections. These are to help us participate in song during the Mass. Also, it is preparation for when we will no longer announce the song number before each hymn. In the coming weeks, all Masses will begin with a simple bell tone that signifies the time for us to stand and begin the Sacred Liturgy. By doing so, we can better maintain the flow of the Mass, which allows us to remain in a state of reverence during our celebration.

Lastly, to accommodate those who would like to participate in our First Friday devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, but are unable, we will be adding an 6:30 am Mass (in English) and 7 am Confession (bilingual) to our Mass schedule on the First Friday of each month beginning on November 4, 2022. Our Eucharistic Procession and Adoration will remain the same, starting with 12:15 pm Mass.

You are a gift to me, and I pray you are as joyful and excited as I am, with the start of our new school year. May God bless you and lead you to an encounter with our Risen Lord Jesus Christ!


Ad Jesum per Mariam,


Fr.  Francisco Rodriguez III