Dec 12, 2019

Greetings,

Happy Gaudete Sunday! You will notice that our ever vigilant servers will have lit the rose colored candle today on our advent wreath this weekend leaving only one candle left for next Sunday before Christmas is upon us - and that is quick because Christmas comes right on the heels of that last Sunday of Advent.

There are still a couple of things in which to participate at your parish to help you make way for the coming of Christ at Christmas. There is still one more Advent Adoration and Organ Recital at noon on Tuesday, December 19th, with Mr. Mario Buchanan. Adoration continues all day, but at 7:40pm Compline is sung (the official night prayer of the Church) and benediction.

We are winding down on available confession times. Please consider getting your confession in earlier rather than later. Confessions are at 7:00pm on Tuesday evenings but they have a hard end time of 7:30pm because of compline. Fridays confessions are from 4:00 to 5:00pm and on Saturday morning from 9:30am to 10:00am.

Our choir with organ and other instruments will be having a candlelight concert on Saturday, December 21st, at 7:30pm in the church.

IN OTHER NEWS:

MULL AVENUE:  After reporting to you otherwise, there was an article in the newspaper two weeks ago that made it sound as though work on Mull Avenue might begin as early as this summer. We immediately contacted the City to find out if this was correct because then we would need to prepare ourselves and make plans for how to cope with accessibility and parking. As it turns out, the report was incorrect and the work on Mull Avenue is still about two years away.

ELECTRIFYING:  We have had electricians working on our church recently getting power to the south east doors and to the former baptistry/library. The work was a success and I am pleased to announce that another stage of our 90th anniversary restoration is on the verge of being completed! Automated doors will soon appear at the south east entrance near the handicap seating area and parking. We are just waiting for the workmen to come and install the doors.

The new prayer room as well as the new McDonough Resource Library are on the verge of being completed. I will write more fully on that when we are a bit closer.

CHRISTMAS NOTES:  Our brand new Children’s Choir and our band will be providing the music for the 4:00 Mass on Christmas Eve. There will be a second Mass beginning at 4:15 in the Julie Billiart Chapel on Mineola if Mass in the church is too crowded for you, or if you just want to attend that Mass.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck