While the most recent terrorist attacks in Paris dampen our Thanksgiving season, we still can find reasons to give thanks this year.

We give thanks this year for the great gift of Pope Francis and his visit to the U.S. and New York in September. Certainly, it was a highlight among the news events of the past year.

His strong defense of the family and his presence at the World Meeting of Families gave a tangible presence to his teachings and instructions on family life and marriage.

On the local front, we also can give thanks to the strong response from the people of Brooklyn and Queens to the Generations of Faith campaign. The funds collected from this capital campaign will benefit the senior priests and the youth programs of the diocese as well as improve the material conditions of parishes.

As we gather around our family tables this week, we can take comfort in the presence of family members. We remember those who are missing from the table this year. We take consolation in the presence of those who were not with us last Thanksgiving.

We give thanks for the blessing that family members are to one another and we pray for a strengthening of family life in the year to come.