Rooted in Family, Strengthened by Faith

Rooted in Family, Strengthened by Faith

As many of you know, during the month of January, I take some time away to visit my family, spend time with them, and get some much-needed rest. I am currently in Brazil, enjoying beautiful, warm weather and quality time with my family. It is important that we all look for an opportunity during the year to take a break from our responsibilities and the busyness of our lives to rest and enjoy a change of pace; it’s a great way to be recharged for our duties upon our return.

It is also well known that I come from a very large family. We are 13 siblings, and I have many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews, as you can see in some of the photos. Even though my parents have gone before us to be with God, I love spending time with my brothers and sisters, and with my nieces and nephews—especially watching the little ones grow up so quickly and seeing how much they enjoy being together.

During this visit, I also had the privilege of celebrating the wedding of one of my nieces last week. It was such a joy to be together as a family, celebrating a beautiful event for a young couple as they begin their own family. It was especially moving to have so many of my siblings together—ten of us were present at the wedding—in addition to the many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews of all ages and sizes, the youngest being only two years old. (The photo in the lower left-hand corner is of my siblings and me.)

I am sure you would agree that, after God, family is the most important part of our lives. We are born into a family, raised in a family, and shaped by our family. We learned about our faith and acquired the values we hold close to our hearts from our family. For me, the experience of family is something I hold very dear. I am who I am today because of the family that brought me into the world and taught me the important things in life.

When I left my family and my country to join the Vocationist Mission in the United States 48 years ago, it was a very difficult and challenging decision. But with faith and trust in God, I was able to make it. After all these years, my family remains an important part of my life, and I am grateful for the gift of each one of them and for the opportunity to spend quality time together once a year.

May our loving God continue to bless all our families, and may He shower His grace and blessings upon our diocesan family of the Diocese of Fall River.

Sincerely, 

+Bishop da Cunha