Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Advent season is in full swing. In a few weeks, Christmas will be here. In this weekend’s Gospel, John the Baptist tells us to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For those of you who came to our Advent Penance Service last Monday evening you responded to that message. For those who were unable to come, you still have a chance to respond to the words of John. You can come to confession after the 8:30 am Mass every day except Sunday.
Since the weather was very bad last Monday, we have scheduled a special time for confessions this Monday, December 9, from 8 pm to 9 pm, immediately following our 7 pm Mass.
There will also be penance service for children this coming Saturday, December 14,,at 2 pm in the afternoon.
Please make an extra effort to take care of your soul. It will be a joyous celebration of Christmas if we have clean heart. That will be the best gift you can give to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This past weekend, new altar servers were installed during our Noon Mass. I congratulate all ten boys and girls who happily and willingly expressed their desire to offer their service to God by being ministers of the altar. We pray that they will diligently fulfill their duties and be good examples to their peers and friends.
The “Simbang Gabi” or Christmas Novena Masses will start next Sunday, December 15. I encourage you to sign up as one of the sponsoring families. The sign-up boards or posters are in both entrances of the church.
Also, the Giving Tress are still on display. Please take a few tags from the trees and make our less fortunate brothers and sisters happy this Christmas Day through your generosity. We ask you not to wrap those items when you bring them back. We let their parents have the joy of wrapping them.
Lastly, the feast of the Immaculate Conception is moved to Monday, December 9, because it falls on a Sunday. Even though it is not a holy day of obligation, we added a Mass at 7 in the evening. So, please take note that we have 7 am, 8:30 am and 7 pm Masses on December 9. Our Blessed Virgin Mary is the Patroness of the United States of America and so we owe her due honor and praise.
God bless us all!
Love,
Father Marty