Christmas 2011

 Dear Friends,

As we approach the celebration of our Savior’s birth, I write to you to express our sincerest gratitude for your ongoing support of our Priory Building Campaign. It’s awesome to see the progress that has been made over the past few months in the construction of the Dominican’s future home. Just this past week we placed a medal of St. Dominic in the concrete that will be under the altar. This medal was taken to Italy before the project even began and was touched to the tombs of St. Dominic, St. Catherine of Siena, Pope St. Pius V and Blessed Fra Angelico. This is a “concrete” way of connecting our current endeavor with the origin and history of the Dominican Order. This week we also attended a meeting with the planning commission for the city of Charlottesville. There, we petitioned for a Special Use Permit in order to have a crypt chapel under the friars chapel in the priory. This crypt would contain a columbarium to house the cremated ashes of parishioners and others who wish to be buried in our priory with the friars. The planning commission voted unanimously to recommend that City Council grant the Special Use Permit. They will be discussing this in early January. Please keep this in your prayers!

Christmas time is traditionally the time when many wonderful and beautiful gifts are presented and received. Of course, this is all a reflection of the great Gift that God gave to the world, His Son.   Your participation in the Priory Building Campaign also reflects the love and generosity that God shows to all of us. Your donation is gifting the Dominican Friars with a new center out of which they will work for “Preaching for the Salvation of Souls”. You are gifting future generations of friars who will carry on this extremely important and necessary work in the Church. You are gifting the people of St. Thomas Aquinas parish by providing a residence for the parochial staff here. You are gifting the people of Charlottesville and the surrounding areas by providing a base from which our ministry emanates and expands. Your kindness and generosity has such a far-reaching effect. And we thank you for that. You can’t imagine how grateful we Dominicans are to you for your kindness. We pray each day for you and your intentions. May God send you His richest blessings for the Christmas season and for the entire New Year.

God Bless,

Fr. Luke Clark, OP