CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2019
For many, Christmas is a wonderful time of year! Homes are decorated, families gather, gifts are shared, the best meal of the year is served, and the music at Christmas Masses is always uplifting – to say nothing of the Christmas homily! Sadly, for others Christmas is a time to dread! The unemployed, those who are on the streets, those who are alone perhaps isolated from family, those who are in prison, those who are in hospitals or suffering from mental health or other serious illnesses, and those who are mourning the loss of a loved one, can find this time of year challenging and very difficult indeed! If we have been blessed, we must bless. Can we make the Christmas season a time of blessing for others? We bless when we recognize others to be sisters and brothers, and treat them with the dignity that is theirs, listening to them and speaking to them with respect and affirmation. We bless when we support the Good Shepherd Ministries of the Brothers of St. John of God, the DeMazenod Door at St. Patrick Parish, Hamilton, the Out of the Cold programs, hospice care and other similar programs in our Diocese, where people are respectfully cared for and lovingly nourished! At Christmas, we celebrate our belief that “God comes to us”! God comes to us as a baby, unthreatening, dependent, and in simplicity. All we have to do is open our hearts to welcome the Lord of life and love. We recognize and welcome Him in every person who comes to us in the same simplicity of spirit, seeking from us the same generous greeting of peace. May God bless you this Christmas and always! Let us pray for one another. Our Lady of the Annunciation, pray for us! Ex corde, + Douglas, OMI
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Unto us a Child is Born – Isaiah 9:6 Rush! … Rush! … Rush! Gifts to buy … Cards to mail … Food to buy … Dinners to plan … Visits to make … Calls to place … Lights to hang … Trees to decorate … Presents to wrap … Sleighs, Santas, Reindeer to pose … Cooking, baking, vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, tidying, washing, waxing … and Worrying!!! … And Then ……. It’s “Christmas Day”! But where is the Manger? Where is the little Shepherd and his crook? Where is the cow, the donkey, the sheep, and the cradle? Where is the smiling angel casting rays of gentle light from atop the manger? Maybe we forgot to display Joseph and his humble wife, our Mother Mary, and Little Baby Jesus, our Saviour. Dear Friends, let us remember what Christmas is truly about: the birth of a Child who would bring salvation to all humankind. Let the ‘glitter’ of lights and tinsel be the ‘glitter’ of the Star which rose quietly, but triumphantly, above Bethlehem; the Star which shone in that holy darkness as a Beacon of Hope, shining intensely from its starry blanket of Peace and Joy. Below you will find our Christmas and New Year's Schedule to celebrate this ' miraculous, momentous Event' Staff, Ministers, and Volunteers of Saint Joseph Parish Wish you, your families, and your loved ones a Very Merry Christmas and a Truly Happy and Blessed New Year in Christ. Peace and Joy. – Rev Father Chris Tracey
Sacrament of Penance-Confession Tuesday, December 17th St. Joseph Church 6:30 p.m. The Nativity of the Lord - Christmas Tuesday, December 24th St. Joseph Church 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 24th St. Patrick Church 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 25th St. Joseph Church 11:00 a.m. New Year -Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God
Tuesday, December 31st St. Patrick Church 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 1st St. Joseph Church 11:00 a.m. Advent has a twofold nature: It prepares for Christmas (Christ’s first coming 2000 years ago). It is a time when we look forward to his second coming at the end of the ages.
*The Old Testament readings are prophecies about the Messiah, taken from Isaiah * The second readings from the Apostles exhort and instruct us on different themes * Vestments are violet * Penance celebration: A well prepared confession will help people to welcome the Lord. * Advent Wreath meaning: The circle evergreen reminds us of the continues life God promises. The candles remind us of the coming light of Christ During this season, we honour Mary, the Mother of God, with two Feasts: 1) December 8: The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2)December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas |
Father's Blog
Rev. Fr. Christopher Tracey
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