December 3, 2017

I.  Advent; A Time for Creating Silence. Is your life full of business, noise, and cacophony? Do you know anyone who is not busy? Are our lives like a pebble in a stream simply following the flow of our secular world?  Do you know silence?  Are we afraid of silence?  Have we lost the capacity to be quiet? It seems that our lives are so busy with gadgets and technology, that we have lost the capacity to sit with ourselves in solitude. I hear young people say they are “bored!”  Is there an expectation that we be entertained at all times, even at Mass?  Should we talk less and listen more to one another and to God? Let’s anchor our self in the real.  Let’s focus on the true meaning of life and faith. Let’s take time to reflect upon our experience. Silence is a deeply human need, more desperately needed today than ever before. To walk in silence and peace is the best thing we can do to be open and creative. Pause. Reflect. Be comfortable with the quiet. Silence can open up our world to the sacred, becoming more aware of the presence of the divine. Let our Advent wait be meaningful!

II.. Evangelization/Re-Evangelization Kick-Off the first Sunday of Advent. Bishop Medley has invited parishioners from all 78 parishes to an hour of prayer this Sunday, December 3rd at 2:00pm. This will be a quiet time with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; Bishop Medley will preside at his cathedral. Everyone is invited to this quiet time of prayer.

III. St. Nicholas Family Festival! You are invited to celebrate the Feast of Saint Nicholas this Sunday, December 3rd, from 3:00-5:00pm (after the hour of prayer) in the Vaughan Community Center. Bring a crockpot of soup to enjoy with the group. Thanks to Meghan Payne, 270-929-8391, for facilitating this annual event.

IV.  Retreat Day for Priests & Staffs: on Wednesday, December 6th, the Feast of Saint Nicholas, Bishop Medley has invited all priests along with their staff, to participate in a retreat day focused upon Evangelization/Re-Evangelization. As a Church, we could evangelize better. Not only that, but there is a need to re-evangelize many of our Baptized, Eucharisted, and Confirmed Catholics; many of us could use a “refresher” course on our Catholic faith. We are all in need of ongoing conversion.

V.  In Memory/Honor of: an intimate and spiritual way to remember a loved one is to make a donation toward our altar flowers for Christmas. This is also an appropriate way to honor someone living. You can sign up electronically on “WeShare,” or use the envelope in your tithing packet marked “Flowers for Christmas,” or you can simply drop an envelope in the collection basket (or mail), with the name of the person being “remem-bered” or “honored” and your name. These flowers—living memorials—will grace our sanctuary and church throughout the Christmas season.