Though we are celebrating the fourth and final Sunday of Advent this weekend, this bulletin will also serve as our Christmas bulletin. So I begin by telling you how joyful I am, along with Deacon Pat and his wife Joan, to have you here with us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. We are joyful first, because God in His great mercy has looked upon each of us with such great love that He has given us the greatest gift He could possibly give: the person of His Son who has come to share his life with us, to teach us how to share our life with Him and with each other, and finally to offer His life for us on the cross so as to save us by His death and resurrection. How good it is then that we gather to give praise and thanks to God together, as His beloved children.
But we are also joyful because the presence and prayers and support of the parishioners throughout the year are such a welcome gift to us. In addition, we are joyful that many others who are visitors to our parish, or whom we may not see at other times of the year, are home with us, and we welcome each one of you and hope you feel our Christmas spirit. We are glad to have you here and hope that you will return to join us in prayer and to be supported in faith at other times of the year.
I was able to celebrate Fr. Vesely’s 65 Anniversary of Ordination last Monday at Mount Alverna. Bishop Perez presided at the Mass and gave a wonderful homily, thanking Fr. Vesely and his classmates for their service to the Church. Fr. Vesely offered his well-known Litany of Thanksgiving. On behalf of the parish, I gave him a large basket of many things he enjoys, from gift cards to his favorite candy. We look forward to having him here soon so you can congratulate him in person.
Thanks to John & Jeannie Sabol, we have a new poster board and some different pictures in the display case in the vestibule of the church which shows the parish celebrating Christmas in past years. One of the pictures even shows the church on December 24, 1969, the first day that Mass was celebrated in the “new” church. The inside of the church has seen some changes since then as the tabernacle has been moved from the center and the communion rails are no longer in place and the green carpet has been replaced with a beautiful marble floor. But the faith of the people of St. Leo’s has remained in place and we continue to give thanks for the beautiful church and for the beautiful people that make up our parish.
As we celebrate 50 years of worshiping God together, we will give you some chocolate and an ornament for your Christmas tree. The chocolate is for eating, the ornament is for hanging. Don’t get those mixed-up.