Today we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. We are now so close to Christmas, but we must not grow weary. Instead we must continue to prepare for the Lord’s coming among us. Normally December 12th would be the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The 3rd Sunday of Advent outranks it, so it is not celebrated this year. Nevertheless, this feast remains important to our Spanish speaking members and should be important for all of us. After all, Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of the Americas.
Therefore, our new area of prayer behind the parish church will be blessed today. Here has been place a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She has been placed upon a rocky hill for it was upon a rocky mount that she appeared to Saint Juan Diego. This area is not completed, but will continue to be worked on until completion.
Lastly, I look forward to December 17th and our parish celebration of Bethlehem. The 17th day of December is important because it is this day which starts the “O Antiphons.” The “O Antiphons” are important because each day assigns a title to the Messiah and is made in reference to a prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah. This day will be a Marketplace of Bethlehem from 5pm-6:30pm, the lighting of the Bethlehem star with music from 6:30pm-7pm, and the Los Posadas (a Spanish tradition where the Holy Family attempts to find lodging for the birth of the Messiah) starting at 7pm.
In Christ,
Fr. Dustin Collins
