Some of you may feel that every week we are praying for someone in the parish who has recently died.  Of course, given the average age of many of our parishioners, we have our fair share of deaths (on average, around 25 every year).  We are also aware that, in any given year, there are family members of our parishioners who died in various cities around our country and maybe abroad.  Many of these are brothers and sisters of parishioners.  Some are related in other ways, and some we lose are close to us, whether we are related to them or not.

I hope if you are someone who has lost a loved one since our last Parish Memorial Mass, November 2013, that you will come to our annual Parish Memorial Mass on Thursday, December 4, at 10:00 a.m.  All the parish is invited and encouraged to come, as we lift up to the Lord those who have died (including, for me, my uncle, Paul) and pray for the family and friends of the deceased.  A reception with refreshments will follow in the Lower Hall.  This Mass is always meaningful and helpful, especially for those who have lost loved ones here or elsewhere.  Please join us.

This morning I was reading an editorial in the "Sentinel Record" newspaper which was encouraging people in Garland County to vote in the upcoming run-of election for sheriff.  I'm sure that whoever wrote the piece (which seemed to me to point out fairly the qualifications of each candidate) understood that their efforts to encourage the electorate to vote might be a cry in the wilderness since, in fact, so few people traditionally vote in a run-off election.  I must say, I feel the same as I promote the annual Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service sponsored by the Village Interfaith Council this coming Tuesday, November 25, at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church at 199 Barcelona (off Carmona).  I consider it a blessing to join with people of different faiths (mostly Christian) from the Village at a service that gives thanks to God for the many blessings we all enjoy in this great country of ours.  Unlike funerals in the Village which are often ecumenical in their attendance but produce mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, this service involves ministers of all denominations and beautiful singing and is completely upbeat in its purpose.  While I know we will be having a Mass of Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Day (at 10:00 a.m. this year) at Sacred Heart Church which I hope you will attend, I ask you to please consider also attending and participating in this ecumenical Thanksgiving service and pray that we will continue to be more and more united in our belief in God, and for us, as Christians, in acknowledging Jesus Christ as our Savior, Lord and King of heaven and earth.

All of us, who grew up in the Catholic faith, could surely identify two Christmas stories in our early years.  One was THE Christmas story of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  The other one was that of Santa Claus.  Over time we learn to let go, hopefully, of the Santa Claus story and focus our attention on accounts of Jesus's birth and early life as told by Matthew's and Luke's Gospel.  I wonder though, how much we have really focused on the infancy narratives throughout our lives.  Have we broadened our perspective beyond a baby in the manger or a child whose parents flee to Egypt, to appreciate "the message" of the infancy narratives.  If not, I invite you to participate in a four-week (four sessions) study of the Infancy narratives that will begin the week of November 24-26.

We will offer three times that you can choose from to join us each week.  The first one is on Mondays at 9:45 a.m. The second is on Tuesdays at 9:45 a.m., and the third is on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m.  Materials for the study are $13 and do not include a Bible, which you will need for the study.

Make this Advent truly a blessed time of preparation for Christmas by participating in this study.  Signs are on a table in the narthex, or you can call Deacon Larry at 922-3283.