Dear Parishioners,

I want you to know how much I enjoy seeing you all on the weekends when you are here for Mass, and how much I enjoy meeting individually with those who make an appointment to see me. My ministry as a priest and pastor involves a lot of administrative responsibilities which I am happy to attend to as part of my work, but what really gives me joy is getting to know you and being available to help you in any way I can. I share this with you to let you that that I am always happy to meet with you in my office and to that end I have made it possible for you to schedule an appointment with me easily through our website, right on the home page (leothegreat.org). You can do the same with Deacon Pat and Joan Berigan as well. Just scroll down to where it says “Schedule an Appointment” and click the link. It’s so easy to do you can even use your phone. It will first ask how much time you’d like (15, 30 or 60 minutes) or give you the option of meeting over Zoom or FaceTime (this is for a video conference for those who don’t know what these are). After choosing one of these, it will then show you the days I am available and then the individual time slots. Then just type in your name, email address and 6 phone number (in case I need to cancel or reschedule due to an emergency). You can optionally let me know what the meeting concerns (e.g. confession, counseling, etc.) and any other information that I would find helpful before meeting. You can always cancel or reschedule afterward if something comes up. If such technology confuses or scares you, you can always just call the rectory office and ask the receptionist to schedule an appointment for you & she will be happy to do that. I have found this to be a real time saver as most of the time I will not be available to talk to you when you call & you’ll need to leave me a voicemail and then I’ll likely need to leave you a voicemail & we can go around like that in circles. Please feel free to ask me before or after Mass to make an appointment with you as well as I will have my phone on me and can schedule something with you right then. I just ask for your patience & understanding when I’m not available if you call or stop in the office or send me an email. It may take me a few days to get back to you when you email or leave a voicemail so allowing you the ability to make an appointment online is for your convenience. But know that I want to make myself available to you so please don’t hesitate to reach out if I can help in some way. I always enjoy meeting with people, even if only for a few minutes.

This 4th and final Sunday of Advent signals to us that Christmas is just one week away. With December 25th falling on a Sunday every 7 years as it does this year, it makes our Christmas schedule easy to remember. Mass next Saturday, Christmas Eve, will be at 4pm, and Mass on Christmas will be at 8am and 11am, as usual for a Sunday. We just don’t have the numbers anymore to warrant a Mass at 7pm or 10pm on Christmas Eve. Even our 4pm Mass on Christmas Eve no longer sees a full church as it did in pre-COVID years, but I keep hoping that people will choose to come to Mass in church and not simply watch it via livestream. We need to learn how to be present to one another again as COVID stole that from us. We need to know the importance of physical presence…being present to each other as God is physically present to us in Holy Communion. May God allow us to rejoice in each other as we rejoice in Him.

Today we welcome Jakob Vasquez into our Catholic Faith through the Sacrament of Baptism. May he know the constant presence of God in his life and be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.