Weekly Newsletter
For the Week of Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023
The Octave Day of Christmas
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Mother of God
Solemnity of Mary
Pastor's Letter by Fr. Vincent Gilmore
Dear Parishioners,
This Sunday we are celebrating the Solemnity of the Mother of God. The baby conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and born on Christmas Day will grow into a man and allow himself to be nailed to the cross and die. What should pass for a normal life and death story is made very unusual by the nature of this child. This child has both a human nature and a divine nature. To hold both of these concepts as absolutely true and distinct was the subject of much theological controversy in the early centuries of the Church. Some held that Jesus was indeed a human being, a great man and prophet, but not God. And some held he was indeed God but not fully human. God in a human shell or form. How to resolve this apparent contradiction? Mary. If Jesus is a human being he must have a human mother. The Council of Ephesus, in 431, settled the question with the doctrinal statement for all time that Mary is “Theotokos”, that is God bearer or Mother of God. So, Jesus carries in his person both and at the same time a divine nature and human nature. He received his human nature from Mary and his divine nature from the Holy Spirit. All of this is important and necessary if Jesus is going to be the Savior of the world. This has to be the work of God entering our human nature and making the sacrifice on the cross on our behalf.
This Solemnity of the Mother of God, protects and honors the role of the woman. Mary is not just used by God and then discarded when he was finished with her. No, she is truly the Mother of God the Redeemer and she will be honored as the Mother of God for all time. She is an integral part of God’s Plan of Salvation and continues in the role. She continues to bring the Redeemer to us.
Some say we as Catholics give too much honor to Mary. Indeed, Mary is not God, but she is the Mother of God and for that we need to give the woman the due and proper honor she deserves. And we believe a proper love and devotion to the Mother of God only brings us closer to Jesus her son. This is what the mother desires.
This Wednesday at Faith Night I will continue the sessions I could not give in Advent on Mary. Come and hear about Mary, so your love, understanding and devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, can grow.
The Solemnity of Mary is a Holy Day of Obligation. Since New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the weekend mass schedule will remain the same with Mass on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 4 pm at St. Mary's and 6 pm at Sacred Heart, and on Sunday, Jan 1, 2023, mass will be at 8 am at Holy Ghost and 10 am at St. Mary of the Rosary.
Joy to the World, The Lord Is Come
All 17 religious education students, Preschool through 6th grade, participated in the beautiful Christmas Pageant at St. Mary's last Wednesday. Macy as Mary, Easton as Joseph, Vanessa as the Arch Angel, Molly, Kenna and Eleanor as the angels, Peter as the shepherd, Joshua, Thomas and Everett as the three Wisemen, Monica as the Donkey, Matthew as the sheep and Elliot as the cow. Brian, Shane and Charlie read the Christmas story in between songs lead by Jessica Sety and her family. Travis helped as well. Doreen Kenney made the wonderful costumes and helped organize the program with help from the other Religious Ed volunteers. Thank you also to everyone who helped and joined us for the fantastic and fun Christmas potluck afterward. It was a great celebration!
Parish News
St. Mary's Parish Hall floods on Christmas Day, but quick catch allows for minimal damage
For the second time in less than a year, St. Mary's Parish Hall flooded after a frozen pipe burst due to extremely cold temperatures. Fortunately, the leak was caught quickly preventing serious damage and the hall is fine to use after taking a week to dry out. The initial leak was discovered by a volunteer during the afternoon on Christmas Day who notified Fr. Vincent immediately using our emergency call system (dial 3 on the office phone line to reach the emergency line). He was able to respond quickly and arrived to a stream of water shooting across the main room from a hole in the wall next to the washing machine. He quickly located the water shutoff valve and T&M Restoration arrived within an hour to start drying everything out. The flood soaked the entire floor but did not get past the hall doors into any other part of the building. The repairs that were made to the pipes that burst last year withheld through this freeze, but the damage was caused by another old pipe on the exterior wall behind the washing machine. Julian Taylor, the contractor working on the Rectory renovations, repaired the burst pipes and will repair the wall behind the washing machine, and take care of any other fixes that are necessary. Fr. Vincent plans to have a furnace vent installed in the storage room to keep it warmer as well. Thank you to those who quickly responded to help on Christmas Day!
Christmas Day after the burst pipe was discovered. The floor was completely covered but T&M Restoration arrived right away and removed the water (which didn't get past the hall).
This last week many driers have been working hard to dry out the room and it should be ready to use this weekend. Work is still ongoing in the storage room where the broken pipe was located.
Mardi Gras Dinner and Dessert Auction
Save the Date: January 28
Mark your calendars for Saturday, January 28 for the return of the Mardi Gras Dinner and Dessert Auction at St. Mary’s! Tickets will be $25 per person with the choice of Prime Rib or Salmon Dinner. Social starts at 5:15 pm with Dinner at 6 pm followed by the dessert auction. You are welcome to bring a beverage of our choice. We need desserts! Please contact the office if you would be able to provide a dessert for the auction. Tickets go on sale Sunday, Jan. 8 after 10 am mass or available at the church office. More info to come.
Upcoming this week:
St. Mary's Coffee & Donuts
Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, 11 am, St. Mary's
St. Mary's coffee and donuts will be served after 10 am mass on Jan. 1. and after mass on Jan. 8. Please join us!
All-Parish Faith Night
Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, 6 pm, St. Mary's
All-Parish Faith Night returns for a new year this Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 6 pm at St. Mary's. On the menu: Pizza Night! We will order pizza and serve salad as well. We are excited to get back to our regular schedule in all our classes. The Sacramental Preparation class will continue its focus on First Reconciliation and Confirmation sacraments to prepare for the spring Confirmation Mass. Students can join Religious Education classes anytime. Classes are available for grades Kindergarten through 6th grade and grouped by age. Contact the office if you are interested in joining us! In adult faith formation, Fr. Vincent will continue his sessions on Mary that were postponed last month. Adults meet in St. Mary's sanctuary. As always, Confessions are available at 5 pm with daily mass at 5:30 pm.
Ladies Auxiliary Meeting
Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, 10:30 am St. Mary's
St. Mary's Ladies Auxiliary will meet in St. Mary's Library next Friday, Jan. 6 at 10:30 am after Adoration. We'll continue to discuss ways in which we can support the parish. All women are invited!
Holy Ghost Breakfast Potluck
Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, 9 am, Holy Ghost
Holy Ghost hosts a breakfast potluck every Second Sunday of each month. Everyone is invited to bring something to share after 8 am mass on Sunday, Jan. 8.
St. Mary's PREPARES Ministry
Baby 101 and Baby Shower
Jan. 12, St. Mary's Parish Hall
Annual Catholic Calendars
The annual calendars from Catholic Extension have been delayed this year but should arrive within the next week. Once they are delivered, we will have them available at each parish.
Parish Member Records
After the new year, Kellie will be updating the church's digital member directory with current emails, addresses, phone numbers, etc. Watch for a survey to be available soon.
New Magnificat Available
Copies of the Magnificat Magazine for January 2023 are now available at each parish to those interested. The magazines are made available each month through subscriptions provided by the parishes.