I hope that you and your family enjoyed a very special Thanksgiving Holiday. May the Lord fill you with the blessings of his peace, mercy, and grace as we begin this new Liturgical Year with our Advent Season. The Liturgical schedule for Advent and Christmas has been mailed to you. For your quick reference here is a snapshot.
Additional Confessions: Sundays at OLP > 12/7; 12/14; 12/21 -à 12:30pm – 1:15pm
Tuesdays at OLP > 12/2; 12/9 -à 9:00am – 9:30am
Sunday at ND > 12/21 -à 10:30am – 11:30am
Christmas Eve Masses: at OLP -à 5:15pm
at ND -à 4:00pm & 7:00pm
Christmas Day Masses: at OLP -à 7:30am & 11:30am
Blessing of the Advent Wreath:
Lord our God, we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us,
he is the Savior of every nation.
Lord God, let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O come desire of nations bind in one the hearts of humankind;
bid ev’ry sad division cease and be thyself our Prince of peace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offers an Advent calendar with Scripture references, reflections, ideas for the season, and weekly offerings from the writings of Pope Leo. The link to their site is below.
“Peace begins with each one of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others.” Pope Leo XIV, Speech, May 12, 2025
https://www.usccb.org/resources/Advent-Calendar-2025-%20English.pdf
An Advent Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We have so much to do, and we seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. We, who are anxious over many things, look forward to your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your Kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. To you we say, “Come, Lord Jesus!” Amen. -Henri J.M. Nouwen
Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Advent (Cycle A) – 30 November 2025
Isaiah 2:1-5 – Why is it necessary to climb a mountain to reach the house of the Lord? / What swords do you hold that need to be beaten into plowshares? / Where is the light of the Lord? What do you need to walk there?
Responsorial Psalm 122:1-2,3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 – Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. – What places make you rejoice? What are the places where you would like to set foot? / Who are the people for whom you are praying? Who is praying for you?
Romans 13:11-14 – Do you know the time? How advanced is your night? How close at hand is the day? / What does it mean to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”? How frequently do you do this?
Matthew 24:37-44 – Do you procrastinate? Is this your typical behavior or do you procrastinate over certain things? / How do you know that a spiritual flood is coming?