Hello everyone! This 3^rd Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday which means “Rejoice” in Latin. The name comes from the Entrance Antiphon at Mass which says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians. If we weren’t singing a processional hymn, we would hear that antiphon sung or recited. Even in the midst of darkness (literally, in these winter days), we rejoice because we have the hope of a light that is coming; the darkness does not last (physically and spiritually). Jesus is the light and he is near. 

This Sunday puts us halfway through Advent. I hope this Advent has been helpful to slow down and wait in patience as we wait for the Lord’s coming, both at his birth and at the end of time. Life makes us busy, but we make ourselves busy, too. We don’t have to join this or that club, or be frenzied about with shopping for Christmas. If, during Advent, we aren’t deepening our relationship with the Lord, then we’re doing it all wrong. Take a lesson from Jesus who praises John the Baptist who was not a “reed swayed by the wind,” someone who just followed the ways of the world, nor “someone dressed in fine clothing.” John the Baptist was great because he pointed everyone to Jesus, saying, “Follow him.” In the darkness of prison (we literally hear that John is in prison), he has hope and waits with anticipation for the coming of the Messiah. He asks if Jesus is the one. Jesus replies that he is the one. He says, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me." (Interesting, that last line! Those who take offense at his message reject him. Food for thought: How often do we take offense at a correction or a challenge that might help us to be more humble or to change our ways? Could we be rejecting Jesus when we get offended?) Anyway, the good news is that Jesus has brought healing and salvation to the world. He has ushered in a new age of God’s kingdom. Are we paying attention? Our savior is both here and is coming. The Lord is near. So, rejoice!

Fr. Ferguson seems to be doing fairly well from his minor stroke, at least from the fact that he wrote a cat column. Here it is:

“Hi kids! My name is Jackie and as you know I am Father Ferguson’s cat! It’s been a tough week. Father has been away on retreat and I got news a few days ago that he suddenly got an illness called a stroke. That’s when your brain doesn’t get all the blood it needs to do all the amazing things that a brain does. For Father Ferguson, this means that his eyes are hurt and that he is seeing everything double.
 
 That’s not good. We cats are jealous and we don’t want people to see two of us. There’s only 1 real Jackie the Cat and not two! It must be tough on Father so I am going to spend the next few weeks helping Father by praying for him and also sitting on his lap all day when he comes home from the hospital until he gets better. So, don’t be sad if you don’t see me in the bulletin the next several weeks. Know that I am praying for all of you too! Have a good Season of Advent!”

At OLL, you might see an old pump organ that’s sitting in the back corner of the church. That organ was sitting up in the choir loft. I think it’s from the late 1800s. If anybody knows the history of it and its relation to the parish, please let me know. Otherwise, we’ll look to donate it to a museum. Someone donated to us a new “used” organ which we brought up into the choir loft. Thanks to Steve Johnson and crew of a dozen men who brought it up there with the help of a lift. The new “used” organ is much smaller than the old organ (not the pump organ) that was used decades ago, but no longer functions. Msgr. Stephan Moloney, brother of Michael Moloney, said he played that old organ back in the 1970s! Those pipes are still sitting in a room above the sanctuary. We’re hoping to get rid of those as well. The new “used” organ needs to have its pipes installed and we’ll get to that perhaps months down the road. The electric piano will stay and continue to be used. Even when the organ is ready to be used, we’ll still need somebody to play it, so please pray that the good Lord provides us with one or two organists to play it for us regularly.

December 8-15th, we’ll be inviting ONU students to use the OLL church hall for study space until 10 PM each night. We’d like to provide a welcoming space and to keep their energy levels high by providing snacks and beverages. If you’d like to help out by donating a food item, please sign up in the narthex or church hall to receive additional information on what items will be needed.

Parishioners are invited to adopt a prayer request by taking an ornament from the tree in the OLL church. Check back as more will be added throughout Advent as college students and others add their prayer intentions. 

I will celebrate a Spanish Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast day is December 12^th. The Mass will be on Sunday, December 11, at 7:00pm at ICC. That Mass will still be the Sunday Mass for the Third Sunday of Advent. The Hispanic community will lead the rosary at 6:15pm and it will be followed by a traditional Mexican dance in the church. After the Mass, traditional Hispanic food will be served in the St. Anthony Center. All parishioners are invited to attend the Mass and the reception. 

Please join in after Mass on Sunday, December 18 to help decorate the church for Christmas. Many hands make light work. All are welcome. Thank you in advance for your help!

Attached are the bulletins and Sunday readings.  

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!      

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us!   

God bless!       

Fr. Ed