Priests Away from the Parish
I ask all the faithful to be mindful of the fact that we will be down a priest for the next six weeks or so, until Wed, Feb 18.
Epiphany Water Blessing
The Epiphany water blessing will be held on Mon, Jan 5, after the 6 pm Mass, in the church. Some notes, please read carefully:
- Water containers must be at least one gallon in size.
- Containers must be clearly labelled.
- Limit of two containers.
This blessed water should foster a real devotion to the mysteries of Epiphany, namely: the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Our Lord, and the first miracle of Our Lord – the changing of water into wine. Use it with devotion throughout the year to petition Our Lord’s presence and protection be made manifest. And do please make every effort to attend Mass on Epiphany!
Some Adjustments to Calendar Events
I am happy to announce a few adjustments to the parish schedule of events that I believe will benefit the lives of the faithful.
- Crowning of Mary. On the first Sunday of May, we are introducing a procession – before the High Mass – which will include the Little Flowers, Rosa Mystica, and the Sodality of the BVM. A flower crown for Our Lady will be carried in by one of the young ladies, and delivered at the altar rail to the clergy, who will bring it to Our Lady’s statue in the sanctuary. The young ladies will sit together in reserved pews at the front of the church for the Mass.
- Carols & Midnight Adoration. Last Thursday’s caroling proved to be very popular and restored a practice that used to be part of our parish life, but was displaced by the introduction of Christmas Matins. Next year we will expand on this to introduce another popular Catholic tradition: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at the turn of the New Year. The schedule on New Year’s Eve: 6 pm Mass, followed by Carols for about forty-five minutes. The parish hall will be available for those that wish to enjoy a potluck type dinner. After Carols, we will have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, with opportunity for Adoration until midnight, at which point one of the priests will return, lead the faithful in the Veni, Creator Spiritus, and then proceed with Benediction.
- Christmas Party. Next year we will shift the party earlier in the day. The festivities will begin with noon Mass on First Saturday of January, followed immediately by the normal schedule (i.e., meal, talent show, etc.) that had previously started at 5 pm. I believe these changes will encourage more of the faithful to assist at Holy Mass on that First Saturday, and should prove advantageous to families, getting them home much earlier. This change is being introduced ad experimentum, after consultation with volunteer leadership. We will evaluate the change after next year’s Christmas Party.
