Thanksgiving and Blessings

My dear friends, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

As we celebrate another Thanksgiving, I want to bring to you my best wishes and blessings for a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving for you and your family. As we gather for time together, it is also an opportunity for us to reflect on our blessings.

We are all sadly well aware that our world is currently torn apart with so much violence and war and with so many people suffering. While we pray for peace and comfort for all those struggling, we should also make time to count our blessings—our health, our home, our families, and our freedom. Even though we may have our challenges to face every day, that is part of life; we can all find something to be grateful for. 

We can all find something to thank God for in our lives; it is our gratitude that makes us better people. When we recognize our blessings and are grateful for them and, most importantly, when we share these blessings with others, it helps us to strengthen our faith. With hearts filled with love, hope, peace, and strengthened faith, we can then continue building a better world.

Bishop’s Thanksgiving Video Message (English, Spanish, and Portuguese):

Giving at Thanksgiving

This morning, I was blessed to be the principal celebrant of an annual Mass at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, during which the school’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive came to its conclusion. During the Mass, students present overflowing Thanksgiving baskets (and multiple grocery gift cards to go with them) for me to bless, which are then distributed to those in need in the Attleboro area. I’ve always been so moved by the overwhelming generosity displayed by the sight of all the baskets being brought forward and presented by the students. 

I am grateful to all the parishes and organizations who, like the Bishop Feehan community, come together to provide Thanksgiving (as well as Christmas and Easter) meals in their communities. Food insecurity, especially now as prices continue to rise, is a very serious reality that many families face. I am thankful that our Diocese is filled with so many generous people who return the blessings in their lives by giving to others.

May God bless each one of you and your families with a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving! 

Yours in Christ,
Bishop da Cunha

Diocese of Fall River

Office of Communications