Advent arrives just in time!

My dear friends in Christ,

The time of year is upon us where the days become shorter and colder as the warmth of summer becomes a faded memory. Advent arrives just in time! We are invited to embrace the dark and quiet, steadfast in the knowledge that the light will surely come. Our readings for this Sunday are alive with joy and hope. We long for an end to hatred, violence, and fear. We feel hunger for moments of grace. We recognize that the advent of Jesus takes place daily, wherever we go, with whomever we meet. In being called to serve God’s people, we have an awesome responsibility to shape the prayer of our community. Our Liturgy reflects the lived reality of our lives — the agony and the glory. The desire of our hearts will be met with joy, light, mercy, and justice!

A big thank you to the Welcoming/Evangelization team for organizing and implementing the first of what we hope are many Sunday Morning Socials where we come together to meet and greet one another in shared discipleship. Many enjoyed the video and tasty treats and beverages provided by the committee. I apologize to the 7:30 AM faithful for no announcement. Rest assured that there will be inclusion moving forward.

We will provide the Annual Financial Report in next week’s bulletin. We finished 2017 operating at a deficit. The good news is that it is not an insurmountable deficit.
If we have a “STRONG” Christmas collection, we might slice the deficit considerably. Our Parish Finance Council and I are working on ways to combat future deficits and place our parish in a viable position under our Faith in Our Future initiative. More on that next week ...

May God bless you all!

Father John