Dolores Mottle was moved to tears when she saw the new Holy Family statue at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Homosassa. The five-foot fiberglass statue arrived on January 7th as a shipment from Italy. It was donated by Dolores as a gift to the parish in loving memory of her husband Edward who passed away five years ago.

“It just hit me when I first went to see it. It’s so beautiful.” recalled Dolores. “Ed dedicated his life to education and, of course, he loved the church, so it seemed fitting to give this statue in his memory.”

 The statue is one of the first things parishioners see when they enter the church. It is positioned at a height where parishioners can interact with the statue, reverently touching the feet of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, or light a nearby votive candle. Father J. Glenn Diaz, the parochial administrator, hopes that the those who see the statue will be inspired to courageous faith by reflecting on the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

 “The Holy Family manifests their faith by their openness to God’s will, even if it means facing hardships along the way, like fleeing to Egypt and living there as exiles,” said Father Diaz. “Our families today are facing a lot of hardships. We pray that in our efforts to live a truly Christian life, our parish may be brought closer to God and closer to one another, after the example of the Holy Family.”

Families that center their lives on Christ and rely on His strength and grace when faced with the challenges of life become a holy family too.

“Jesus was born into a human family. The first reality that Jesus has sanctified with his presence was the human family. The first place where we really come to know about love is in our own family,” said Father Glenn, “We pray that the present and future generations of our parishioners will continue to appreciate the statue and be inspired by the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth.”

Father Glenn also hopes that the parish community will see themselves as a family of faith and be welcoming and caring for each other.

“Our focus is not just on individual families, but on the whole parish viewed as a family, where Jesus is the center of our lives. The statue of the Holy Family will hopefully broaden our parishioners’ concept of family, to include the wider community, including those who are in need,” explained Father Glenn.

Dolores felt the love of her parish family after the death of her husband of fifty-three years. Now, she is pleased to be able to give something back to the parish, a tribute to her beloved husband and the place where they worshipped and served together.

“We’ve had so many comments on the beauty of it,” remarked Delores happily. “I am so thankful to Father Glenn and Father Joy for their support and help bringing the statue to the parish.”

Ed and Dolores began attending St. Thomas in 1989 after moving to the area from Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Ed was a member of the parish finance council, the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Knights of Columbus.  He was also the head usher of the Saturday vigil Mass until his death, a role now filled by his wife.

With the assistance of Rich Kopicki and Martin Faulmino, the statue was affixed to the wall of the church sanctuary and will be blessed by Bishop Gregory Parkes on his next visit to the parish.

Dolores Mottle was moved to tears when she saw the new Holy Family statue at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Homosassa. A long-time parishioner, Dolores donated the statue in loving memory of her husband Edward who passed away five years ago.

“It just hit me when I first went to see it. It’s so beautiful.” recalled Dolores. “Ed dedicated his life to education and, of course, he loved the church, so it seemed fitting to give this statue in his honor.”

 The statue is one of the first things people see when they enter the church. It is positioned at a height where parishioners can interact with the statue, reverently touching the feet of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, or light a nearby sanctuary candle. Father J. Glenn Diaz, pastor, hopes that the those who see the statue will be inspired to courageous faith by reflecting on the life of the Holy Family.

 “The Holy Family manifests their faith by their openness to God’s will, even if it means facing hardships along the way, like fleeing to Egypt and living there as exiles,” said Father Diaz. “Our families today are facing a lot of hardships. We pray that in our efforts to live a truly Christian life, our parish may be brought closer to God and closer to one another, after the example of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”

When families center their lives on Christ and rely on His strength and grace during the challenges of life, they can become a holy family too.

“Jesus was born into a human family. The first reality that Jesus has sanctified with his presence was the human family. The first place where we really come to know about love is in our own family,” said Father Glenn, “We pray that the present and future generations of our parishioners will continue to appreciate the statue and be inspired by the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth.”

Father Glenn also hopes that the parish community will see themselves as a family of faith and be welcoming and care for each other.

“Our focus is not just on individual families, but the whole parish viewed as a family, where Jesus is the center of our lives. The statue of the Holy Family will hopefully broaden our parishioners’ concept of family, to include the wider community, including those who are in need,” explained Father Diaz.

Dolores felt the love of her parish family after the death of her husband of fifty-three years. Now, she is pleased to be able to give something back to the parish, a tribute to her beloved husband and the place where they worshipped and served together.

“We’ve had so many comments on the beauty of it,” remarked Delores happily. “I am so thankful to Father Glenn and Father Joy for their support and help bringing the statue to the parish.”

Ed and Dolores began attending St. Thomas in 1989 after moving to the area from Union Town, Pennsylvania. Ed was a member of the parish finance council, the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Knights of Columbus.  He was also the head usher of the Saturday vigil Mass until his death, a role now filled by his wife. Dolores has been in charge of the money counters for the past 25 years and is also a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.