Hope is Born.
Dec. 11th Emil & Friends Sing – A – Long Christmas Concert, 7:30pm In-Church & Livestream
Dec. 16th Father Paul Advent Reflection Talk 7pm In-Church & Livestream
Dear Parishioners,
Whenever we feel overwhelmed by the chaos and difficulty of life, we can turn to God in prayer for acceptance, serenity and grace. In this time of uncertainty, fear, seclusion, and separation from what we term ‘normal,’ our human solution is to ‘handle it ourselves.’ But that is not what our Lord asks of us. Turning to Him should be our first response, not our last resort.
Let us look at the Christmas story, from Mary’s point of view. Imagine a teenage Mary and her prospects for the future as a poor, obscure Jewish girl. Suddenly, she is visited by an angel and endowed with a mission like no other in history!
How does Mary handle her “new normal”? Despite her questions and the magnanimity of the angel’s revelation, this young woman, in fear and uncertainty; still chooses to place her faith and trust in her God and His promise of sending a Messiah to her people. And so, with God’s grace, Mary was able to put aside the circumstance, and answer in total obedience.
“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Luke 1:30-31
With her acceptance, the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and she was infused with boldness in her purpose.
This Advent, as we prepare our hearts for our newborn King, I pray that you too, will accept God’s call to be another “Mary” in this world. In every situation, may we always ask, what would Mary do?
We love you. We miss you. If you are looking for answers, we are here to help. Call the Rectory at 201-262-1122 to set a time to talk with me or one of our Priests.
Wishing you the Blessings of Christmas,
Father Paul
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Advent Parish Mission 2020
Advent is the time when the world prepares to celebrate anew
the coming of Christ
NEW! Rejoice!
Advent Meditations with the Holy Family
Advent is a special season for the Church – it is the time when the world prepares to celebrate anew the coming of Christ. Often, we lose sight of the point of this season because we get caught up in our preparations for Christmas and arrive at Christmas no more transformed than we were at the start of Advent.
This Advent, join us for Rejoice! Advent Mission with the Holy Family to prepare for Jesus’ birth and experience true transformation. We will walk with Mary and Joseph as they prepare to welcome their son, the Savior of the World.
The Rejoice! program includes an inspirational journal and weekly videos to enrich our Advent. We will join author and presenter Fr. Mark Toups, Sr. Miriam Heidland, and Fr. Josh Johnson in these inspirational video presentations.
Each Day, you’ll walk with Joseph with...
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A Word - Focus on a single word each day to draw out the details, the specifics of who Joseph is.
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A Reflection - Learn more about Joseph, the culture in which he was raised, and the world in which he lived.
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A Psalm - Each day, you’re given a Psalm to pray (just as Joseph himself would have prayed) to help you enter into prayer.
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A Reading - In reading Scripture, you'll enter into the story of the first Advent, and walk beside Joseph.
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A Prompt - Space is provided each day to journal. Record how the Lord is speaking to you this Advent.
NEW! Rejoice LIVE
This year on Sundays in Advent join Fr. Mark Toups LIVE via Ascension’s YouTube page. We’ll be coming together to share in the beautiful tradition of the Advent wreath to pray, unpack the Sunday Scripture reading, and prepare our hearts for the coming week of Advent.
Each Sunday Father will begin by leading us together in lighting the Advent wreath and praying the prayers found on the backs of the Rejoice! Advent Prayer Cards. We look forward to seeing you there.
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November 29th 8PM ET – The Blessing of the Advent Wreath and Lighting of the First Candle
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December 6th 8PM ET – The Lighting of the Second Candle
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December 13th 8PM ET – The Lighting of the Third Candle
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December 20th 8PM ET – The Lighting of the Fourth Candle
Watch Sundays at 8pm at the Ascenion Press YouTube page.
Pick up our Parishes’ Advent Reflection Book – In-Church
We have Missals available free of charge - In-Church
Join Us for a Parish-Wide Tradition
A Bed of Love for Jesus Lesson
Pick up your families’ straw and instructions in church on Nov. 29th
Dec. 10th ,17th and 24th Receive God’s love and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The sacrament is offered individually and socially distant from 10:30am-11:45am.
Dec. 11th Emil & Friends Sing – A – Long Christmas Concert, 7:30pm In-Church
Dec. 16th Join us for an Advent Reflection with Father Paul In-Church and Livestream at 7pm
Dec. 19th Baby Jesus Bambolini’s Blessing, 5pm In-Church
