Parish Schedule: Christmas and New Year's Weekends

 There can be some confusion when Christmas falls on a Saturday - the Mass schedule indicate which are for the Sunday and which are for the Solemnities.

Friday, December 24th -- 

Christmas Eve Mass (with incense), 5:30pm

Saturday, December 25th -- 

Christmas Midnight Mass (with incense), 12am midnight

Christmas morning Mass (no incesne), 9am

Confessions 4:30-5:30pm

Saturday evening vigil Mass for Sunday, 5:30pm

Sunday, December 26th --

Sunday Solemn Mass, 9am

Sunday Low Mass, 11:30am

Monday, December 27th --

Special Mass for St John the Evangelist, 5:30pm  (with wine blessing)

[weekday schedule as normal Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday]

Friday, December 31st -- 

*No 7am Mass

Confessions, 4:30-5:30pm

Daily Mass with prayers of thanksgiving for the year 2021, 5:30pm

(Note, the Solemnity of Mary is not a holy day of obligation this year)

Saturday, January 1st --

Morning Mass for Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, 7am

(Note, the Solemnity of Mary is not a holy day of obligation this year)

Confessions, 4:30-5:30pm

Saturday evening vigil Mass for Sunday, 5:30pm

Sunday, January 2nd --

Solemn Mass, 9am

Low Mass, 11:30am

Sunday Sermon, December 5th -- The Necessary Means of Salvation: Prayer and the Sacraments

 St John the Baptists tells us that every valley will be exalted and every hill and mountain made low. God rejects the proud but gives his grace to the humble.

To prepare the way of the Lord this Advent, we must have a profound distrust of ourselves (recognizing our own sinfulness and nothingness) but also a great confidence in God (who is a loving God).

The necessary means of salvation are 15 minutes a day of mental prayer - meditating upon the love shown us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (the Rosary is so good for this!). And also frequent participation in the sacraments of confession and communion!

Listen online [here]!

Sunday Sermon, November 28th -- Our Lady of Kibeho and the Call to Repentance

We celebrate a very important 40th Anniversary this Sunday: Our Lady of Kibeho! From 1981 to 1989, Our Lady appeared to at least three high school age girls in the city of Kibeho, Rwanda. She gave them a message of a call to repentance, to prayer, to penance - and especially of devotion to the Rosary and the Chaplet Rosary of the Seven Sorrows.

These apparitions and the visionaries were studied not only by theologians but also by modern scientists and doctors - and it is quite certain that they come from God. St John Paul II approved of the apparitions in 2001.

Color videos of the girls experiencing these visions is readily  available online, and an excellent documentary was made by EWTN. See this here ---  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEkY6vwZc3U 

Listen online [here]!

Adult Faith Formation, November 23rd -- Carmelite Spirituality, Session 6 -- Carmelite Saints, Devotions and Other Resources

 In this final session on Carmelite Spirituality, we discuss a number of other famous Carmelite Saints. Including Sr Lucia of Fatima, St Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St Simon Stock. We also discuss various Carmelite Devotions (the brown scapular and the Infant of Prague, etc), as well as some good modern resources for Carmelite Spirituality - especially "Divine Intimacy" by Fr Gabriel of St Mary Magdalen.

Sunday Sermon, November 21st - Why the Church Celebrates Christ the King

 Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King to assert that Jesus must be King over our hearts and homes. However, he is king not only of believers but of every nation and of all people (even of those who do not believe in him).

Listen online [here]!

Adult Faith Formation, November 16th -- Carmelite Spirituality, Session 5 -- St Therese and the Little Way

 In this session, we discuss the way of Spiritual Childhood as an example of the Unitive Way of the Perfect. We also give an overview of the life of St Therese of Lisieux as well as some points to consider when reading her autobiography, the Story of a Soul.

Sunday Sermon, November 14th -- The Book of Daniel and the Final Judgment

In the final weeks of the Liturgical Year, we read from the book of Daniel. One of the four major prophets, Daniel writes in the apocalyptic style.  We discuss the terrible trials which the Church will face in the last days, and give an overview of the book of Daniel as support and encouragement for the difficult times in which we find ourselves.

Listen online [here]!

Adult Faith Formation, November 9th -- Session 4 -- St John of the Cross and the Dark Nights

 In this session, we discuss the dark night of the sense and the dark night of the soul. We focus especially on the illuminate way of the proficients - the way of infused contemplation.  Additionally, we discuss the poetry of St John of the Cross.

December 8th -- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a holy day of obligation and the principle feast of the United States of America. 

Masses are:

Tuesday, December 7th -- 5:30 pm   (Simple Chant)

Wednesday, December 8th -- 7 am (Spoken Mass, by candlelight)

Wednesday, December 8th -- 5:30 pm  (Solemn Chant with Incense)

Additionally, we will have a special holy hour for the victory of the culture of life:  Wednesday, December 8th, 7 to 8 pm.