Preparing Our Hearts & Homes
Pastor's Letter by Fr. Vincent Gilmore, Nov. 20, 2022
Dear Parishioners,
Advent starts this weekend. Advent Season is a very special time of year. The first day of Advent is the first day of a new Liturgical (or church) calendar and begins a four-week period of preparation in anticipation of the nativity of Jesus at Christmas.
The Advent Season is all about reflecting on how we can prepare our hearts and homes for Christ’s birth in the world as it is today. It is a time for our faith communities and families to remember, through prayer, reflections, special music, and good deeds what the true meaning of Jesus’ birth is. There are many different traditions associated with the four weeks of Advent.
The Advent season invites us to step away from what can be a frenzied time of parties and shopping to consider how we commemorate the birth of Jesus, one of the holiest times in Christian faith. It is also a time to reflect on the triumphant return of Jesus at the second coming.
The woman of the Advent Season is Mary. She was the first to receive Jesus in her heart and body. She is that reflective and prayerful presence that can guide us through this Advent Season and help us come closer to our Lord.
For the Faith Nights during Advent, leading up to Christmas, I will be giving presentations on Advent and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8 appropriately falls during Advent. It is a Holy Day of Obligation and we will be having a Vigil Mass on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 5 pm and Mass on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 8:30 am. On Sunday, Dec. 4 after the 10 am Mass, we will have a special event to prepare us for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception hosted by our Magnificat ministry, a group of parishioners that have committed to praying three Hail Marys daily for their children. I will give a brief reflection on the Immaculate Conception, then there will be lunch and a showing of the classic movie “The Song of Bernadette” with a discussion to follow. The movie is a 1943 American biographical drama that portrays the story of
Bernadette Soubirous who reportedly experienced
eighteen visions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary from February to July 1858 and was later
canonized in 1933.