Wednesday, November 28

Education Committee meeting in the rectory @ 7 p.m.

Thursday, November 29

Pilgrimage to LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro

A free bus will be provided. Leave at 6 p.m. and return at 9 p.m. Sign up sheet in the gathering area and at the side entrance

Tuesday, December 4

Parish Festival meeting at the rectory @ 7 p.m.

Sunday, December 16

Christmas Caroling to the parish shutins in the afternoon.

Kim Mc Cormack will speak at all the Masses this weekend. Tags with names of children from needy families will be available on the tree. Please take a name. Buy the suggested gift. Bring the gift back to the church by December 9. To see the gathering area fill up each week with gifts is a great joy for everyone to prepare for Christmas.

Season of Advent is a time of preparing for the Feast of Christmas. An Advent Wreath of four candles mark each of the four weeks that we joyfully await this special feast.

Advent is not a penitential season as the season of Lent is. The color of purple is used as a way of anticipating this great day. The Glory to God in the Highest is omitted during this time to give it more importance on the feast of Christmas. The first two lines of this prayer repeat the words that the angels sang to the shepherds announcing the birth of Christ. However, we continue to sing the Alleluia. We also decorate the church with flowers and wreaths.

The word "Advent" means coming. We prepare in Advent for the three comings of the Lord at Christmas. We celebrate his coming in Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago. We celebrate his coming in our lives each day. We celebrate his final coming at the end of time.

The Sacrament of Penance is a very important preparation for the Feast of Christmas. One of the Advent figures is John the Baptist. He comes in Advent proclaiming:
"Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight his paths."

We need to clear the path in our hearts so that the Lord may come. This wonderful Sacrament of Penance removes sin. It restores or strengthens our lives of Baptism. We are brought closer to one another in the Church. We are then very ready to greet the Lord when he comes at Christmas.

There will be two Penance Services in the city of New Bedford. One will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Church on Tarkiln Hill Road on Monday, December 17 @ 7 p.m. The second will be celebrated on Tuesday, December 18 at St, Mary’s Church in South Dartmouth @ 7 p.m.

A Penance Service provides us with an opportunity to celebrate with one another our preparation for the Sacrament of Penance.

During the celebration of the Sacrament we are able to pray for one another.

In the middle of Advent we celebrate the FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF MARY ON DECEMBER 8. Mary, under this title, is the patroness of the United States.

The Parish Pastoral Council decided that we have a special celebration because of what we are going through as a country. Parishioners are invited to participate in this Mass on Saturday, December 8 at 9 a.m. We are invited to pray to our patroness for our country and one another.

The children of our religious education program will be included in this celebration by some drawings of hands that will be part of the decorations at the altar.

The Education Committee will prepare a wreath of joined hands symbolizing how Mary joins us together and how we together are praying to Mary. The wreath will be placed at the altar of Mary. The Education Committee are cutting out letters for the words: "Mary, Mother of our country". The letters will be put at the altar with flowers displaying the colors of our flag.

The Hospitality Committee will provide refreshments after the Mass in the rectory.

The Parish Pastoral Council has prepared a special holy card to be given to those who come to this celebration.

The Liturgical Committee has also suggested that a small meditation be included in the bulletin for each day of Advent. It is hoped that this may help some keep focused on the true meaning of this season of waiting.