This Third Sunday of Advent we light the candle of Joy, and many have expressed the joy they receive participating in the Reverse Advent Calendar. “It’s such fun grocery shopping and picking up the items listed on the calendar, knowing that it will help those in need!” As people were placing their bags at the entrances of the church many were commenting on how much food was brought in by others. Another commented, “It is so good to shop for people who are in need instead of buying things for people who have more that the need!” If you haven’t begun participating, it’s not too late to jump in.
The Confirmation I class decided to help St. Gerard’s Parish, our sister parish in Haiti by holding a bake sale last Sunday morning. How joy filled they were upon raising $275.00 from free-will offerings for the efforts!
Many have passed the church on weekdays to see the vehicles from the production crew filming in Mendon. They are here for 10 days of filming (excluding weekends) and paying $500.00 per day rental to the parish; so, $5,000.00 will greatly assist us in our ordinary expenses. This brings joy to my heart and to the finance team and should bring joy to us all!
The gifts are piling up under the giving trees. Someone who took a tag couldn’t remember ever buying disposable diapers; “We didn’t have them when I was raising kids, where do they go after they are used?” Just guess!
We are celebrating two Christmas Eve Masses at 4:00 P.M. and 9:00 P.M. Since there is such a gap between the two Masses, we are inviting anyone who would like to come and join us for a sharing of Christmas Eve Traditions in the Parish House from 6:00-8:00. If you would like to join us please call or e-mail Pam for more details.
Yes, this week we are focusing on joy and often joy comes not in decorating, or the commercialized holiday expectations, but the simple acts of kindness toward others we may not even know or see.