Old Roman Catholic Church LATIN RITE PROVINCE OF EUROPE

Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ 1st January 2013 A.M.D.G. Carissimi, beloved in Christ, May God our Father, our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His most holy Name and the comfort, wisdom and strength of the Holy Ghost, be with you all this New Year, reckoned the two thousand and thirteenth since Emmanuel, God with us! It has become customary for many in our contemporary society to make New Year's resolutions i.e. personal goals and aspirations, promises to oneself to change or alter some aspect of one's personal way of life. On this feast of the Circumcision commemorating the fulfillment by Christ of the Old Covenant by the shedding of His blood as precursor to His ultimate atoning sacrifice of redemption on the Cross, sealing the New Covenant; let us consider our own covenant promises made with God at our Baptism/Confirmation. By the manner of our living, can we truly be said to have renounced Satan, his works and temptations? The beginning of a new year is just as good a time to rethink the pattern of our spiritual life and our daily pattern towards holiness as any other time. The Church's year began in Advent, during which season we considered the underlying theme of the End Times and the Gospel on the feast of St Sylvester [Missa Sacerdotes tui] on New Year's Eve, reminded us to be found waiting not wanting when the Lord returns. Should the Lord return in 2013... are we ready for Him? Today also marks the first anniversary of our election as Metropolitan and in 2012 we celebrated many events, not least of course our consecration, but also the incardination of bishops, priests and faithful and the ordinations of acolytes, a subdeacon, deacons, priests and two auxiliary bishops! It was a momentous year for us, with the signing of the Walsingham Declaration and the invitation to dialogue with Rome and the Orthodox, perhaps during 2013 we may yet realise something more of that Catholic unity for which Archbishop Mathew strove and Our Lord Himself prayed? Let us hope so and endeavour to realise that hope! Carissimi, there is yet so much for us to do! Many ideas to be realised and our divine commission to fulfil preaching the Gospel and bringing others to baptism in the Name of our Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. May it be so! Be assured of my continued prayers for us all.

++Jerome Lloyd OSJV Metropolitan Archbishop