THANKSGIVING LETTER FOR 2025
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| Thanksgiving Day, November 27th, AD 2025 |
To the beloved clergy, monastics, and faithful of our Diocese,
Grace and peace be with you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dearly Beloved in Christ,
On this national day of Thanksgiving, I write to you with a full heart, giving thanks to Almighty God for the manifold mercies He has poured upon our Church, our families, and our nation. Though our times are troubled and the world abounds in confusion, the steadfast love of the Lord endureth for ever, and His providence shelters His people in every generation.
Today we pause, as Christians and as citizens, to remember that every good and perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, who orders all things in wisdom and guides His Church by grace. Thanksgiving is not merely an American custom; it is a profoundly Christian act, rooted in the Eucharist itself. As I point out every year, the very word “Eucharistia” means “thanksgiving,” and at the Altar we learn how to receive all things from God with humble gratitude and joyful obedience.
I give thanks for you! Thanking God for our parishes, missions, clergy, lay leaders, families, children, and all who labour quietly and faithfully in the life of the Church. Your steadfastness, charity, and courage bear witness to the Gospel in a world hungry for truth and hope. In you I see the true seed of a renewed Western Orthodox witness: a people formed by Scripture, nourished by the Sacraments, shaped by the Fathers, and walking together in conciliar love.
On this day, let us recall the words of the Apostle: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” And again: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Gratitude is not merely a feeling… it is a spiritual weapon, a medicine for the soul, a guard against despair, pride, and fear.
As you gather at your family tables, the altars of our family hearth, may your hearts be lifted to the Lord who fed the multitudes, who ate with His disciples, who broke bread in Emmaus, and who continues to feed us with His own precious Body and Blood. May your homes be places of peace, your conversations seasoned with kindness, and your joys sanctified by prayer.
Let us also remember the poor, the lonely, the grieving, the stranger, the refugee, and all who suffer in body or spirit. In serving them, we serve Christ Himself; and in giving thanks for our blessings, let us resolve to become a blessing to others.
Beloved children in the Lord: I thank God upon every remembrance of you. May He grant you a holy Thanksgiving Day, a quiet heart, and a renewed strength to walk the path of love, humility, and holiness.
With great affection and every blessing,
Your co-laborer, brother and servant in Christ,
+ Joseph
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