Around the Parish – December 8, 2024
This Sunday, our parish is hosting the annual Cookie Walk and Soup Sale in Gallagher Hall from 9:00 AM to 12:20 PM. It’s a wonderful opportunity to stock up on homemade cookies and delicious soups for the season. As part of the event, we’ll also be raffling off two lottery Christmas trees, with extra tickets available for purchase during the sale. Be sure to stop by and join in the festive fun!
I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone who participated in #iGiveCatholic this year. While we are unable to share the final totals due to the bulletin deadlines, please know how much I appreciate your generosity and support. Your kindness is a true blessing to our parish community.
As we continue through this season of Advent, please remember that this Monday, December 9, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a Holy Day of Obligation, and Masses will be offered at 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Let us come together to honor our Blessed Mother on her special day.
In preparation for Christmas, Oplatki Christmas Wafers are available by the St. Joseph statue. These wafers are a beautiful tradition of sharing Christ’s love at the family table. The suggested donation is $4 for a pack of four wafers, and they are available while supplies last.
Looking ahead to next Sunday, we will hold our Parish Penance Service at 5:00 PM. This is a wonderful opportunity to prepare your heart for the coming of Christ, with five priests available to hear confessions. If you’re unable to attend, Adoration and Confessions will also be available on the next two Fridays of Advent. I encourage everyone to take advantage of these opportunities to encounter God’s mercy and love.
We still have 19 gifts missing from the Nursing Home Gift Tree: 15 from QLS, 3 from Avalon, and 1 from Greystone. If you have one of these tags, please return it as soon as possible. If purchasing the gift is no longer possible, please bring the tag back so we can ensure every resident receives their gift. Your assistance in completing this effort is greatly appreciated.
Here are a few thoughts for the week ahead:
Let’s remember that happiness keeps us sweet; trials keep us strong; sorrows keep us human; failures keep us humble; and God’s grace keeps us going. Let God’s promises shine on your problems. Keep going. You might almost be where you want to go, and not even know it.
Pax et Bonum, Fr. Andy
The Power and Tradition of Mass Intentions
The Mass is considered the greatest prayer of intercession in the Church. This is because it is the perfect offering of Christ to the Father, making present the Paschal Mystery of His death and resurrection. Traditionally, a Priest may be requested to offer a Mass for a specific intention, even if the requester cannot be physically present.
Offering Masses for the Deceased:
Having a Mass offered for a deceased person is an ancient and commendable practice. A Mass is offered to pray for the departed, that they may find peace in heaven. Since each Mass holds infinite value, requesting one or several Masses is of tremendous benefit to the person prayed for, as well as their family, who can take comfort in knowing that their intention is united with the prayers of the Church.
The Mass: Center of Christian Life:
Every Mass is a precious gift from God. It is the center of the Church’s life, known as “the source and summit of the Christian life,” because in the celebration of the Mass, we are brought back to Jesus’ Last Supper, the first Mass. We consciously recall the love of God poured out for us through the life, death, and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ. At each Mass, all the intentions of God’s people, both living and deceased, are included. As Pope Paul VI noted in his motu proprio “Firma in Traditione,” the faithful, moved by an ecclesial and religious sense, join their own sacrifices to the Eucharistic sacrifice, participating more intensely and supporting the Church’s needs, especially its ministers.
Requesting a Mass Intention:
Anyone may request a Mass Intention for a living person, a deceased person, members of a family, or a special intention appropriate to the celebration of the Eucharist, such as World Peace, Vocations, or Respect for Life. The Church allows only one intention per Mass.
Offering a Mass Stipend:
The normal stipend offering for a Mass is $10. However, a Mass Offering can be more or less than the suggested amount, depending on the financial position of the person requesting the Mass. Envelopes for Mass intention requests are available at the entrances of the church. These envelopes can be placed in the collection basket or returned to the parish office. The requester may also ask for a card to be sent to notify someone that a Mass Intention has been requested (one card per intention). Please note that the name of the person(s) requesting the Mass is not announced.
