Posted on December 3, 2021 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear friends in Jesus Christ,
Happy second week of Advent! A week ago we began the season of Advent, a time of grace and preparation to receive Jesus in the manger of our hearts. For me it is one of the most beautiful times, because together with Christmas they make me enter an atmosphere of peace and meditation on the great mystery of the incarnation.
We have also started a new month, the last month of this year; a year that has been full of great challenges but at the same time, we have recovered and renewed hope. Many things have changed and others perhaps have remained the same. As Christians we must be grateful to God because we are still alive and in part healthy.
December is a month that brings many celebrations, including two great feast days dedicated to the Virgin Mary: The Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe. I want to ask you to celebrate them with much love and enthusiasm. The first is the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a day of obligation, which as you know, you must attend Mass as if it were Sunday. It is also the day to offer the rosary and ask for the intercession of our Mother Mary. The Mass times will be: 6:30 am, 9:00 am and 5:00 pm in English and 7:00 pm in Spanish.
I also want to remind you that in preparation for Christmas, we will have confessions on Wednesday, December 15: please put it on your calendar. We will be listening to confessions starting at 7:00 pm and will invite other priests to help us and thus be prepared to celebrate Christmas. I invite you to prepare for this day, please.
Finally, this Sunday the 5th of December, we will have our first Sunday Social after a long time, a day to share as a parish. I thank Richard and Clarissa Sacra, for all the effort and enthusiasm they put into preparing this activity. Also, on that same day after the 8:00 am mass, I am going to bless the renovations that have been made to Hannan Hall, everyone is invited to participate.
I hope you have a happy Advent season and that you enjoy this time of grace with all the opportunities that this month brings us to grow and improve ourselves as Christians. I have you in my prayers.
God bless you.
F. Alex