January 8, 2025

By Father William Muench
NCC columnist

I do enjoy visitors, especially at Christmas time. My visitors remind me of the magi. You know, the Feast of the Epiphany, and the coming of the magi to find the newborn, Jesus – the King of the Jews. They were Gentiles, often called wise men, who had discovered the birth of a king through the stars and were led to Israel. The Epiphany reminds as that Jesus came to save all people – Jew and Gentile. Like the magi, we are all invited to visit the Lord Jesus now and for all times.

Today I want to tell you about my visitors this Christmas. On the Sunday afternoon before Christmas, I received a text message asking me if I was open to having visitors. It was a young family that I knew well. They were traveling through this city heading to Ticonderoga. What a terrific surprise! I love visitors; they were like a Christmas present for me.

So, they stopped, Meghan and Sudeep and their four children. Meghan is a Jebb from Ticonderoga. Her family are members of St. Mary’s Parish in Ticonderoga where I was pastor for a while. So, I have known Meghan since she was a child. I celebrated their marriage – Meghan and Sudeep. He is from India. They met at Notre Dame University as students. Their wedding was ten years ago. I have not seen them since then. Now, there are four children.

What a treat! They now live near Chicago. They were traveling from there to Ticonderoga for Christmas. Their children were a delight – full of life and glad to get out of the car for a while. It was so enjoyable to catch up with their lives for these past years. I had a great day with them.

Let me tell you about another visit the week before Christmas. The kindergarten class at our Holy Family School came calling. It was just a short walk across the street – there were 21 of them with their teachers. I knew them. I had visited them in their classroom. I must admit they brought lots of spirit and a welcome children’s chatter to this very quiet house. So, there was lots of activity and some singing. They had lots to discover.

We read a story. After a while we went into the chapel. First we took a moment so that each child could introduce themselves. Then we said a prayer together. I must tell you that their visit made it a great day for me. I have always said that spending a day with such bright, happy children is like looking upon the face of God.

And there were so many others, like Msgr. Dennis Duprey, from Peru, New York, up around Plattsburgh. He’s been a friend in ministry for many years. He had been visiting his sister in Rochester. Bishop Cunningham visited us for lunch on Christmas Eve; he brings a special blessing to the house by his presence. And, of course, I do want to include among the visitors, the many folks who came to all the Christmas Masses. Their presence indicated that their faith was very much alive here and all around the country.

I want to close today with a wish to all for a Happy and Blessed New Year. My prayer of Hope: “Loving and faithful God, as we stand on the threshold of this New Year, we place our trust in your unfailing love. You are the God of every new beginning, the One who makes all things new. Grant us the courage to face each day with hope and confidence.” Amen.