Last week I mentioned two people who are in our RCIA process, adults who are preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. There is now a third person, Erin Waite, who was also baptized Catholic but did not receive the sacraments of Eucharist or Confirmation. She will join with the other two in preparing to be fully initiated into the Catholic Faith. We also welcome her two children, Mady, who is 4, and Noah who is 6. They will both be baptized at the Easter Vigil as well. Please remember to pray for all of those preparing for the Easter Sacraments.
The entire Thanksgiving collection this year which totaled $727.57, will be used, as it was in the past, for the needs of our St. Vincent de Paul Organization. Thank you for your generosity to the poor throughout the year.
This Sunday, December 7th, Father Vesely will be the main celebrant for the Noon Mass as we celebrate his 60th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood. It will be another year & a half until I celebrate my 30th, and I already feel like I’ve given two lifetimes to this vocation! And I still have 21 years to go before retirement. But I know that he will attest, as I can, that the joy we receive from the opportunity to serve you is tremendous. Let us share in that joy together as we pray with Father Vesely and thank him for his many years of service to the Lord and the Church. Everyone is invited to Lux Hall afterward (whether you’re at the Noon Mass or not) for some hors d’oeuvres. You won’t go home hungry. The parish gave Fr. Vesely an anniversary gift a couple months ago: a power chair that lifts up so that it’s easier to get up out of the chair. I was tempted to set it 25mph, but that would catapult him into the church from his room! We hope that it does indeed lift his body as well as his spirit. Ad Multos Annos!
This Monday, December 8th, is the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation for us in the United States since our nation is under the patronage of Mary with this title. Mass will be at 7am, 8:30am (school Mass), and 7pm. We remember Mary’s openness to God’s will when it was revealed to her that she was to be the Mother of God.
I received a card at Thanksgiving that had a prayer which was perfect for my Thanksgiving Day: “I’m thankful for my family and friends…for this meal…and that I saw which part of the turkey the dog was licking…”