Dear Parishioners:Advent moves quickly if you don’t stop to truly prepare the way of the Lord. The hectic pace of our world and the speed with which our culture celebrates Christmas can distract us from truly preparing with prayer and patience. So try this week to take a break from “the holiday” preparations like shopping, card writing and decorating and instead spend some time in prayer, coming to Daily Mass, praying the Rosary or reading the powerful scriptures of the Advent Season. It’s Advent catch the spirit while you still can!
Of course one of the hallmarks of this joyful season is giving to those less fortunate than ourselves. This weekend our OLM Youth Group is collecting toiletry items for McAuley House after all Masses. These simple items for personal care are greatly needed by those who can little afford them but have great need for them. I am grateful to the Youth Group for coordinating this great effort to reach out to the needy in this season.
Many people have commented on the new look of the bulletin. Yes, if you haven’t noticed it has changed in appearance and in size. It is now fully color and has more pages. I hope this change will enhance its use for the parish as not only a means of finding information but also as a catechetical tool. In this Year of Faith, I hope to use the bulletin as a resource to deepen our knowledge and enliven our understanding of the faith.
You will notice a new column called appropriately enough, “The Catechism Corner.” This will be a weekly column dedicated to a particular topic of our faith. Each column will offer some insight and understanding on some aspect of the Catholic Faith and provide a reference to the Catechism of the Catholic Church for further study. I hope every family and household owns a copy of the Catechism as it is a valuable reference tool and important way to learn more about our Catholic Faith. As the column reminds us each week, check it out in the Catechism!
I hope you like the new hymnals that arrived last week. I thank Brother Roger for his leadership in choosing the hymnal and coordinating the order. It isn’t easy to do as there are all kinds of hymnals to choose from and each offers something useful. The Worship Hymnal is the updated version of the one that has long been used at Our Lady of Mercy so it should prove to be an easy transition.
You will notice listed in the inside cover are the revised translation of the Mass parts. This will replace the use of the large cards that were placed in the pews last December. It also contains the Order of Mass and the readings of each Sunday. We are currently in Cycle C of the readings and you can find them located toward the back of the hymnal. While no hymnal is perfect nor does every hymnal contain all the desired hymns we might wish, this Fourth Edition of the Worship Hymnal provides what we need for our worship at OLM.
Speaking of hymns, please take note that next Sunday at 5:00pm our Adult and Children’s Choirs along with the Handbell Choir are having a Service of Advent Lessons and Carols. They have been practicing hard and it should be a delightful celebration of song and scripture. Lessons and Carols is a service of Scripture and song that dates to the late 19th century. In this service, we listen to Scripture lessons which recount the Fall, the promise of a Messiah, the Incarnation, and the Great Commission to preach the Good News. Each lesson is followed by a carol or other song that reflects on the lesson's message. Not only will the choirs be singing but there will also be congregational singing. It is a great way to rejoice in the Advent season. In the spirit of the season a free-will offering for Bishop Tobin’s Keep the Heat On Fund will be taken up.
So please mark your calendars and be sure to join us. Have you taken the time this Advent to stop, pause and pray? It’s never too late to patiently prepare for the Lord’s coming. Remember we are called to “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths!” God Bless. Have a great week. Go Pats!
Advent is also a time to prepare for the second coming of the Lord. We say in the Creed, He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. This truth flows directly from Scripture which teaches clearly two things on which we must reflect. First, He will come again in glory. Second we cannot know the day or the hour that he will return. In fact, though some signs will precede his coming, the emphasis of Scripture falls upon the suddenness of the event. Since this is to be the case we must live lives of readiness for that day. Advent is a time when we especially reflect of the necessity of our readiness.
A recent study by the Pew Research Center indicates that the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public - and a third of adults under 30 - are religiously unaffiliated today. Nearly 33 million people say they have no particular religious affiliation. While those Americans who are unaffiliated with any particular religion have seen the greatest growth in numbers as a result of changes in affiliation, the Catholic Faith has experienced the greatest net losses as a result of affiliation changes. While nearly one-in-three Americans (31%) were raised in the Catholic faith, today fewer than one-in-four (24%) describe themselves as Catholic. Very alarming statistics indeed!
There is no better way to give Almighty God proper thanks and praise than coming to Mass on Thanksgiving morning. Our Thanksgiving Day Mass is to be celebrated on Thursday morning at 9:00AM by Bishop Evans. I hope you join us as we give God thanks for the many blessings bestowed upon Our Lady of Mercy Parish. It is also a time to remember all those who find the holiday especially difficult due to grief, sadness, sickness, distance or financial hardship. As we give thanks for our own blessings may we also remember in prayer the burdens of others and ask our loving and merciful God to comfort the afflicted and help the needy.
no coat trembling in the cold and begging at the city gate. Martin, a pagan Roman solider, had nothing but his weapons and his clothes. He drew his sword, cut his cloak into two pieces, gave one to the beggar and wrapped himself in the other half. Later that night in his sleep Martin saw Christ dressed in the half of the garment he had given away, and heard him say, "Martin, still unbaptized, has covered me with his garment." Perhaps inspired the example of St. Martin you might consider giving an extra coat to someone in need.