November 6, 2011
After every Mass this weekend, you will find the parishioners who coordinate our Adopt-A-Family Christmas outreach program on the landing, calling out to you, will you help us bring a bit of Christmas joy to some families in need? This extraordinary program of Christian fellowship honors the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord by doing what He asked us to do…to love our neighbor…to define our discipleship by the way we reach out to our neighbor. Our Knights of Columbus Council 13204 is the proud sponsor of this program.
Just think of it: The beloved Men of Saint Brigid will again be in our parking lot, offering us a beautiful Christmas tree for the holy days of the Christmas season; and after you support our MOSB by purchasing your tree through their efforts, you then support the Knights of Columbus Adopt-A-Family program….so that another family (along with your family) might find a gift or two on Christmas morning. In a very real sense, we imitate the holy Bishop, Saint Nicholas when we seek to follow the teaching of the Lord Jesus…and give our neighbor a bit of what we have. Please stop by the landing this weekend, and hear how you might become another holy visitor…just like Saint Nicholas.
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At all the Masses this weekend, I will offer the first of a three part series on the blessings of holy Mass. The advent of the new Missal brings about many changes in the new way we English-speaking Catholics will celebrate the Lord’s liturgy of Word and Sacrament…the holy Mass…the Divine Liturgy…Eucharist.
At the Masses this weekend and for the next two weekends that follow, I will hope to offer us a small teaching on the beauty and joy and profundity of the Sunday Mass. We will begin to celebrate Mass with the new Missal on the first Sunday of the season of Advent.
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We have been using our new, matching vestments since the 22nd of October. I want to say again, how thankful I am for those parishioners who supported this initiative, to bring a bit more beauty to the service that our deacons and priests offer during the liturgy through the purchase of new matching vestments (for the priest and deacon who serve at each liturgy). We have received the matching vestments (chasubles and dalmatics) for the liturgical seasons of Ordinary time, Advent and Lent. The other vestments (the reds, the whites and the rose) will arrive in due course, as the artisans in Belgium complete their work for us.
AMDG