Entries for December 2022

WELCOME TO ALL!

To all visiting Families and Friends

To new Parishioners

To all Visitors

To all our Parish Family…

A warm and loving welcome to the Celebration of Christmas! We hope everyone will feel at home, as together, in song and praise, we thank God for all our many blessings!

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GO TO CONFESSION - LET YOURSELF BE CONSOLED

All people are called to remember that anyone who wants to experience the consolation and tenderness of God, simply needs to go to confession.

Our Holy Father made up this imaginary conversation:

“Father, I have so many sins, I have made so many mistakes in my life.”

“Let yourself be consoled.”

“But who will console me?”

“THE LORD!’

“Where must I go? “To ask pardon. Go. Be Bold. Open the door.”

“Jesus will welcome you. Do not be afraid!”

“I am confused, I have forgotten what to say and what to do.”

Open the door— "Jesus draws near to those in need of the tenderness of God the Father!”

“The Lord always consoles us as long as we let ourselves be consoled.”

“Of course, God the Father also corrects His children, but God does that, too, with tenderness.”

Often, Pope Francis said, “People look at their own limits and sins and start thinking that there is no way God can forgive them. It is then that the voice of Our Lord is heard saying, ‘I will console you. I am close to you. God tenderly reaches us——be not afraid, God loves You!”

CONFESSIONS WILL BE HEARD AFTER EACH SUNDAY MASS TODAY AND ON THIS MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 19th, FROM 5:00 P.M. UNTIL 7:00 P.M.

(Msgrs. Ramacciotti and Leykam will be available.)

PLEASE COME AND OPEN YOUR HEART TO JESUS AND BE FORGIVEN AND HEALED.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR P.S.R. SECOND GRADE

Special thanks to the Mothers and Fathers of our Second Grade students who helped their daughters and sons prepare to receive Christ’s forgiving love Tuesday evening. In their name, I thank our wonderful Teacher, Richard McIntosh, for assisting their parents in teaching and forming them in order to value and appreciate God’s Gift of this Sacrament of Divine Mercy and loving forgiveness. May I introduce you to our First Reconciliation Class: August Hager, V Evelyn Holton Ryann Jouris Caitlin Luby Harper Luby Evelyn Mandel Mary Mueller Trent Nardini Jameson Pienkos Katherine Roberts Quinn Stemmermann Ramona Stokes Liam Wilson

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ADVENT IS OPPORTUNITY TO GET OFF PEDESTAL OF SUPERIORITY

Pope Francis challenges all Christians to embrace the Season of Advent as a time of Grace to help believers stop being presumptuous and pretending to be self-sufficient. There is only one way to begin a new life: “the way of humility—to be purified from the sense of superiority, from formalism and hypocrisy.”

People need to see themselves “as sinners, and to see Jesus as the Savior who comes for us, not for the others, for us, just as we are, with our poverty, misery and failings, above all with our need to be raised up, forgiven and saved.”

St. John the Baptist gives a sharp rebuke to those who are known for their duplicity and presumption, and his urgent appeal to repent. John tells us to “produce good fruit as evidence of our repentance.” This is the cry of love, like the cry of a father who sees his son ruining himself and says to him, “Don’t throw your life away.”

If people presume they always are right, they will fail to welcome the loving invitation and miss an opportunity to begin a new life. In essence, hypocrisy is the greatest danger, because it can even ruin the most sacred realities. Hypocrisy is a serious danger!

It is important to welcome God with humility, not bravura: “We’re strong; we are great people.” Each of us needs to confess our own sins, our own failings, our own hypocrisy. It requires getting off the pedestal and being immersed in the water of repentance.

Advent is a moment of grace to take off our masks—every one of us has them—and line up with those who are humble, to be liberated from the presumption of the belief of being self-sufficient, to go to confess our sins, the hidden ones, and to welcome God’s pardon, to ask forgiveness from those whom we have offended. This is how to begin a new life!

CONFESSIONS DURING ADVENT

The Sacrament of God’s Great Love and Forgiveness is offered on:

Saturdays, December 10th, 17th, (not the 24th) from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.

Sundays, December 11th, 18th after all the Masses.

and

Monday, December 19th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

when Msgrs Ramacciotti and Leykam will be available.

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SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

ADVENT is not a miniature version of Lent. In fact, the two seasons are extremely different. Advent stresses hope and joy, Lent stresses penance and sorrow. Advent emphasizes what we need to add to our lives (e.g., grace, light, joy), while Lent emphasizes what we need to remove (sin). Advent stresses preparation with festivity! Advent features the Prophet Isaiah. In this season, read a chapter of Isaiah each day and be inspired!

THE HOLYDAY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

In the first chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, the angel Gabriel, speaking on God’s behalf, addresses Mary as “full of grace”. In that context this phrase means that Mary is receiving all the special divine help necessary for what lies before her. The Holy Spirit led the Church to the insight that Mary had to be the most perfect work of God next to the Incarnation. The People of God believe that Mary was full of grace and free of sin from the first moment of her existence. This great privilege of Mary is the highlight of all that God has done for us in Jesus!

MASSES ON THE HOLYDAY, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8th, are at 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.

CONFESSIONS IN PREPARATION FOR CHRISTMAS

The Sacrament of God’s Loving Mercy and Forgiveness is offered during this Season of Advent every Saturday from 3:30 to 4:45, Advent Sundays after Masses, and on Monday, Dec. 19th, from 5 p.m.to 7 p.m. (There will be two priests available on Dec. 19th)

CHRISTMAS MASSES

MASSES ON CHRISTMAS EVE — SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24th 5 P.M. and 10 P.M.

CHRISTMAS DAY, MASSES — SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25th 7A.M., 9A.M., and 11A.M.

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