Did You Know?

This Wednesday evening we will celebrate 4 Masses for Christmas Eve – the Children’s Mass at 6:00PM – called the “Shepherds and Angels Mass” because families are invited to dress the little ones as either shepherds or angels for Mass. Whether they are actors or actresses in the Children’s Christmas Play or not – they can have their photo taken next to the Manger for Grandma and Grandpa back home! (Based on past experience, we do need to ask parents to ‘disarm’ the wooden staffs from the shepherds during Mass!)

At 6:30 PM we have Mass at our Good Shepherd Mission in Whetstone (a great option for those who would like a smaller setting for Mass) which is always so beautiful in its simplicity!

At 9:00PM our LifeTeens will give leadership and their musical ‘energy’ to the celebration of Christmas Eve!

At 11:00 we will celebrate the Midnight Mass, the most solemn and, second only to the Easter Vigil as the most beautiful “Catholic moment” of the year! The Mass setting for the Midnight Mass is taken from Masses composed for use in the Franciscan Missions in the early 19th century – truly ‘heavenly music’ sung in our part of the world for over two centuries!

On Wednesday, Christmas Day, we have the 3 Holy Day Masses – at 8:00AM, 10:00AM and 12 Noon (in Spanish)!

This is a great time to invite friends and family members who, for whatever reason, have been away from the Church – to “come Home for Christmas!”

The celebration of Christmas is, of course, 12 Days in length, and on the “4th Day of Christmas” – next Sunday, 28 December, we celebrate the “Feast of the Holy Family”!

It is important to “keep Christ in Christmas” – and it is even more important to keep Christ in the ‘every day’ of our lives!

And remember, one of the best preparations for Christmas is to pray the ANGELUS during this holy Season – at 6:00, Noon, and 6:00!

Don’t forget to join us this Sunday evening at 7:00 PM for the 17th annual performance of the Advent and Christmas portions of Handel’s MESSIAH here in our own Sanctuary! (Another wonderful preparation for Christmas!)