Dear friends in Christ,

     This, That & the Other … Did you miss your TT&TO missive last week? My apologies but I was away from the office for a few days and have yet to master composing and sending a Flocknote on my phone. Mea cupla! But I’m working on it! We’re back this week, however, with all sorts of Advent goodness to share with you as we approach the 2nd Sunday of this holy season of waiting and longing … Our old friend John the Baptist appears this Sunday and next in the gospels reminding us to “prepare the way” of the Lord. Let’s use these weeks leading up to Christmas to heed his call.

     … A beautiful way to prepare the way is in our own hearts through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We’ll have our Advent Penance Service this coming Monday, Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the church. We’ll have many priests here for confession. If you haven’t celebrated the sacrament in a while, come and be reconciled to God. No need to be nervous. I’ve invited only kindhearted priests who will be more than happy to walk you through the steps if you’ve forgotten how. Just come!

     … Remember that this Saturday, Dec. 8, is a Holy Day of Obligation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Masses will be at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, and at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8. No scheduled confessions on Saturday morning because of the holy day Mass, but we’ve got the Penance Service just a few days later.

     … Have you noticed the beautiful Advent banners hanging in the church sanctuary? They are hand-made by Jessica Morgan, a CtR parishioner. Many of you have commented on how well they set the scene for this time of the year. Thank you, Jessica, as well as Patty Arnett, Cathy Oland, and all of our dedicated Art & Environment ministry team members. You help us pray by making our beautiful church look even more stunning every week. Thank you!
     
     … My sincere thanks to everyone who has already jumped on board to help our annual Advent traditions of the Giving Tree and our Toy Drive. If you’d like to participate, bring a gift card to a local merchant (H-E-B, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) to Mass over the next two weeks (or drop off in the office), and we’ll distribute them to families in need in our area through Cypress Assistance Ministries. The amount is up to you – $10-$25 seems to be the most common amount. We get them to CAM right away who in turn puts them in the hands of those families who need an extra hand at this time of the year.

     … Likewise our annual Toy Drive for our “twin” parish of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church is off to a great start with the bins in the church starting to fill quickly. Bring an unwrapped toy for a young boy or girl (again, it need not be too flashy or expensive) and drop them off in the narthex. We’ll collect them over the next two weeks and then distribute them at OMOM on Saturday, Dec. 22. It’s a great way to spread the joy of Christmas far and wide.

     … I know it is December, but some of our Italian ladies are already looking ahead to next March. What do I mean by that? They’re hosting a St. Joseph Altar bake sale at Coffee & Donuts this weekend. That means you can stock up on some of those delicious Italian cookies in time for Christmas. All proceeds go to fund the St. Joseph Altar luncheon next year and all proceeds from that go to CAM, so it’s a win-win all the way around.

     … Special shout-out to Fr. Ralph, who celebrates the 20th anniversary of his priesthood ordination next Wednesday, Dec. 12. That’s the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, too! May Our Lady wrap him in the mantle of her love and guide his vocation all the days of his life! … Lastly and mostly importantly, God loves you! … See ya’ at Mass!