Dear Parishioners,
My name is Fr. Jose A. Sequeira and I began my Administrator duty at Annunciata Parish this past July 1st., I was born and raised in Nicaragua, Central America. By God’s grace I was ordained priest on May 20, 2000 by the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the imposition of hands of the late Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago. Before coming to Annunciata I’ve had the opportunity of working in four other different parishes.
Every parish is different since people express their faith in ways according to their religious experiences. We are one body, but we are so diverse as well. Diversity can be a great gift, however it can also be a complex process difficult to be assimilated.
Annunciata is going through major transitions. The first one is that after 78years of faithful service the Friars Servants of Mary have returned the parish to the Archdiocese. It won’t be easy to replace the work of so many dedicated priests, brothers and nuns whom have left you a strong legacy of faith, love and commitment to Jesus and His church.
There are more changes coming due to Renew my Church and Turn Around Programs. These two programs are initiates of the Archdiocese aim to revitalize the life of the church in all the parishes of the Chicago area. Changes are necessary and unavoidable. They represent a myriad of opportunities to evaluate how are we doing in a personal and in a community level.
The challenges that lies ahead of us are daunting; however; God’s blessings will also accompany us during these necessary processes. Please pray for me and I will also pray for all of you. Without prayer nothing great can be achieved. Prayer is the foundation of a strong spiritual life. If we want to be rich in works of charity we need to be people that love prayer. You and I will be walking the same way. It will depend of all of us if we want that way to be bumpy by our lack of participation, our pride or our total indifference. I hope and pray that our journey together even though bumpy at times can be a fruitful religious and human experience in which we can grow as members of the body of Christ. I don’t have all the answers but I’m willing to work with you in finding them.
Annunciata is a vibrant community of faith centered on religious and family values. The parish and the school work together to prepare well the believers of today and tomorrow. In order to continue this crucial mission we need to improve our finances and increase our number of parishioners and students. Let’s begin with God’s help to build a solid community of faith by having a common goal and by working together in achieving it.
Respectfully in Christ,
Fr. Jose A. Sequeira
