Three fewer people joined us inside our church this past weekend.  Some have gone to Florida.  Others are quarantining.  Some may be sick.  Most of these have been offset by new people coming to Mass.

4 PM        255             0

6 PM          85             1

8 AM        127

10 AM      249             3

12 PM      175             0

     We will have Masses on Tuesday, December 7th, at 6 PM and and Wednesday, December 8th, at 8 AM, 12 Noon, and 4 PM.  The Knights of Columbus will have their monthly meeting in the church hall on Tuesday after the 6 PM Mass.  I invite them to come to the 6 PM Mass and set-up for their meeting right afterwards.

     The icon by the canopy entrance is a copy of the famous Our Lady of Perpetual Help icon.  The Greek letters are abbreviations referring to the people in the image.

Click here for a description of the abbreviations and their meaning.  Below is a simplified movement from the Greek abbreviations to the Greek words to the English translations for each of the four persons in the icon.  Note that in the image the Α (alpha) and Ρ  (rho) are written on top of each other and look like one letter. 

ΜΡ ΘΥ

mu rho theta upsilon

MR ThU

Mητήρ Θεού

M̱ití̱r Theoú

Mother of God

ΙϹ ΧϹ 

iota sigma chi sigma

IS ChS

Ιησούς Χριστός

Ii̱soús Christós

Jesus Christ

Ο ΑΡ Μ

omicron alpha rho mu

O AR M

Ο Αρχάγγελος Μιχαήλ

O Archángelos Michaíl

The Archangel Michael

Ο ΑΡ Γ

omicron alpha rho gamma

O AR G

Ο Αρχάγγελος Γαβριήλ 

O Archángelos Gavriíl

The Archangel Gabriel

     Today's saint, St. Nicholas, spoke Greek and was bishop in Myra in the early 300s.  He is the patron saint for bakers, pawn shops, children, and brides & grooms.  I especially like two of the many stories about him.  Three times in the middle of the night, he secretly deposited gold in the home of a poor man for the dowry of each of his three daughters so that they could marry.  In the other, he defended the Incarnation of Jesus Christ at the Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325.  We could say that he's an unofficial patron saint for our celebration of Christmas.  May St. Nicholas intercede for us so that our Christmas celebration this year will be glorious and wonderful.

God love you,

Fr. Jim