Dear Parishioners,

Here are some things to be aware of this month. Monday December 8th is a holy day of obligation. Masses will be celebrated at 9 AM OLF, Noon and 6 PM at SJ. This day we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

Giving Tree items are due back to the church on Tuesday Dec. 9th. Please leave gifts for Care Center residents unwrapped. You may bring your gifts with the tag attached either to the office or place it in the box near the trees at the entrance of SJ.

The children’s choir is practicing for this month on Wednesdays 4:30 PM to get ready for Christmas. If you have a student between ages 5 and up, they can be a part of the choir that will sing at before the Christmas Vigil Mass on Dec. 24th.

Next Sunday, Dec. 14th after the 10:30 AM Mass, there will be a party for Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is a special day to honor our Lady and her appearance to Juandiego in Mexico. We will have a meal served and some other festive elements. 

We have our next Spanish Mass on Sat. Dec. 20th at 8 AM. If you want to work on your Spanish or just want to come to a Sat. Mass feel free to come. 

We have our Night of Beauty scheduled for Sunday Dec. 21st. The Night of Beauty will start with Vespers at 5:45 PM, followed by a penance service at 6 PM, adoration and music. This will be our communal penance service so we will have a number of other priests come for confession on this evening. If you aren’t able to make it to our penance service, here are some other penance services in the area: 

- Sunday Dec. 7th at St. Agnes in Hackensack 2 PM 

- Sunday Dec. 14th at Immaculate Heart in Crosslake 3 PM 

- Sunday Dec 21st at St. Francis Brainerd 3 PM or (SJ 6 PM) 

- Sunday Dec 23rd at St. Andrews Brainerd 7 PM 

It is a good Advent practice to make a good confession at some point during the season. I would encourage you to find a time and place to examine your conscience and make a good confession before Christmas. This is part of being prepared for Christ’s coming. 

As we move our way through Advent, I again want to remind you that the last two Sundays of Advent, the Masses at SJ will be celebrated ad orientem. This is in response that was expressed to experience this more, and also a response to do it together rather than just one Mass. The Saturday evening Masses at OLF will remain the same since either ad orientem or versus populum is always available there. 

I pray you are having a blessed Advent.

In Christ,

Fr. Eli