Dear Friends of our Pastorate,
This weekend, we celebrate the 3rd Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday or Rejoice Sunday, as we are rapidly approaching the celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! Our readings speak to us about our need, or maybe more appropriately, our response to God’s gracious act of being born among us in Jesus Christ. We can’t but rejoice at this good news and be thankful for the gift of salvation being offered to us by Christ’s coming: first as an infant in Bethlehem and second as King of the Universe. As we continue on our Advent journey, may we join with John the Baptist in making straight the way of the Lord as well prepare to welcome Christ today and every day.
On Monday, December 18th at 7:00pm at Our Lady of the Chesapeake, we will be offering our second Pastorate Advent Reconciliation Service. This is another great way to prepare ourselves to welcome Christ into our lives by celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation and forgiveness. I invite you to make time to experience this wonderful gift of God’s love and mercy.
Next weekend is the 4th Sunday of Advent, but as you know, that Sunday is also Christmas Eve. It will be a busy day in the Church as we make the transition from Advent to Christmas. We will be offering our 4th Sunday of Advent Masses in the morning: 8:00am and 10:00am at St Jane Frances and 8:30am at Our Lady of the Chesapeake. The 10:45am and 11:30am Masses are cancelled on December 24th. Bishop Adam Parker will be celebrating the 10:00am Mass at St. Jane Frances that morning, so please welcome him to our pastorate!
Our Christmas Mass Eve schedule is as follows. At Our Lady of the Chesapeake, there will be Masses at 3:30pm (with Fr. Martin Burnham), 5:30pm, and 7:30pm (our Youth and Family Mass with Carols beginning at 7:00pm). At St. Jane Frances, Masses will be at 4:00pm and 6:00pm. Our Pastorate Christmas Eve Mass at Night will begin at 10:00pm at St. Jane Frances, with Carols starting at 9:30pm. This Mass will feature our combined music ministry choirs as well as the return of the Bell Choir, so please come and join Fr. Jim and myself as we celebrate together our Pastorate of the Visitation Christmas Mass. On Christmas morning, there will be a 9:30am Mass at St Jane Frances and 10:30am Mass at OLC.
As challenging as it may be, I invite you to be intentional this week in spending time to prepare yourself for next weekend’s celebrations. Find time to enter into prayer more deeply than usual. Try to block out some quiet time on your busy calendars. Jesus is waiting to welcome you into a deeper friendship, so make time to get together with your “old friend, Jesus.”
Thank you for keeping our Pastorate in your daily prayers!
God Bless,
Father Steve
