Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,
This weekend, we begin our new liturgical year with the celebration of the First Sunday of Advent. The season of Advent is meant to be a time for us to prepare ourselves for the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Themes that are associated with Advent include hope (week 1), peace (week 2), joy (week 3), and love (week 4). I invite you to spend some time in prayer this Advent season reflecting on the places in your life where you experience these themes and seeing how they are connected to the ultimate source of hope, peace, joy, and love—our Lord Jesus Christ.
The readings for the First Sunday of Advent continue to expand upon themes we hear at the end of the liturgical year last week when we celebrated Christ the King. The tone is one of being prepared for the coming of the Lord. Jesus’ second coming is one of the things we are praying for every time we pray the creed. We pray that Jesus will come again in glory… to judge the living and the dead. This is not meant to frighten us but instead, as the scriptures reference today, to awaken us from our slumber so that we are ready to welcome the Lord. If we feel any fear (which I would suggest we ought not feel), then it probably means we know we need to convert our hearts and minds, a little nudge to return to the Lord. It’s never too late to (re)turn to our compassionate and merciful Lord. Jesus is always ready to welcome us home as we are in the Church as well!
Our pastorate is offering us some great opportunities to make a return. This Sunday, we will have Eucharist Adoration following the 11:30am Mass until 5:30pm at St. Jane’s, including a Guided Children’s Adoration at 1pm and Stations of the Crib at 3pm. This Friday we will be offering 24 hour Eucharistic Adoration at St Jane’s. Exposition will be in the Church until 6pm, then in the Chapel until 8am on Saturday. Our Advent Confessions with Adoration is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 10th at 6:30pm at St. Jane. Lessons & Carols will be celebrated on Sunday, Dec. 14th at 6:30pm at OLC.
The Advent Giving Tree is set up and ready for you to support our parish and local charities including Mary’s Center, NCEON, and others. Please choose a tag (or three) from the tree to donate the item listed. All gifts should be unwrapped and have the tree tag attached.
Finally, mark your calendars for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of Obligation/“Opportunity,” on Monday, Dec. 8th. Masses will be offered at 8:30am (both Churches), 12:00pm (OLC), and 5:30pm (SJF). The Immaculate Conception is the patronal feast of the United States. Please join us as we honor our Blessed Mother, and the mother of our Savior.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us!
Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers!
God Bless,
Father Steve
