From the Pastor’s Desk by Fr. Terry Kerner
With Thanksgiving behind us it is time for the RUSH toward Christmas. Or it is time to take another look at what is ahead. We don’t have to rush anywhere or do things that make the season burdensome. The Church offers us the season of Advent to prepare for Christmas and the mystery it brings into our world. So, let’s try to slow down and reflect on what lies ahead for us in the weeks ahead.
The Advent weeks prepare us for the start of a new year on the Church calendar. While the days get shorter and the darkness comes earlier, we can only hope that brighter days are ahead for us. Starting with the days before Christmas we will begin to see more sunlight. It should not be lost on us that the time leading up to the birth of Christ is a time of cold and discouraging darkness. With His birth we begin to see the hope that more daylight and warmth will come into our world. Advent is that journey to brighter days!
The First Sunday of Advent is December third and begins the candle-lighting on the wreath. The following weekend is of course the Second Sunday of the season. This year St. Kateri will be celebrating a “Polka Mass” on Saturday, December ninth. Following mass, we will have a polish dinner and a display of Christmas creches displayed by parishioners. Tickets for the dinner are now on sale at the parish office or the Gift Shop. Our Third Sunday of Advent we will celebrate our Communal Penance Service at 11:00 am on Saturday the sixteenth.
It is with the Fourth Sunday of Advent where it can get tricky and maybe even confusing. Because Advent ends on Christmas Eve, we will celebrate Advent’s last weekend with Saturday mass at 4:00 pm and Sunday at 10:00 am only. Christmas Eve masses are scheduled for 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Christmas will be at 10:00 am.
Hopefully this will help with your holiday planning. In the weekends ahead we will keep you posted with the rest of the schedule through Epiphany. (Looking at all that lies ahead it might just be a little hard to slow down this Advent!) Let’s give it a try.
