Christmas is this coming Friday. Merry Christmas to all! I hope and pray that you have a great Christmas, safe and sound. As I mentioned last week our Christmas schedule has changed due to the pandemic. At church we will have two Masses on Christmas Day, the same as on Sundays, 8:15 and 10:30 AM with masks and distancing. There will be no vigil Masses. There will be a Children's Service on line at 4 PM on the 24th thanks to Cheryl Ashe. This will just be on line. There will be nothing at church at 4 PM, so fire up your computers and cell phones.
I have put the new offertory envelopes in the foyer along with our parish calendar. If you can pick them up, please do. They are accessible during Soup Kitchen hours, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 AM - 12:30 PM and at Mass times. If you can't find your box, please leave your info on the sheet provided.
New Year's Day is the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord and the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. We will have one Mass at 10:30 AM to start off the New Year.
Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Today's Gospel gets us ready for Christmas with the story of the conception of Jesus. God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son to be one of us. God sent the angel Gabriel to visit the blessed virgin Mary. Gabriel said: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." Mary was probably about 15 years old and really didn't know what to expect, but she as she always did, said YES to God. "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Our first reading tells us that Jesus will be of David's line and receive his throne forever. Our second reading tells us that Jesus came for all peoples and all nations. God offers faith to all through his Church and we are his Church. Have a great last week of Advent. Come, Lord Jesus!