To My Spiritual Family of Holy Redeemer and St. Anthony, A Substantial Gift: You may remember that some months ago we received word that a longtime parishioner had bequeathed a substantial amount of money to our parish: $350,000. The finance council made the decision to invest that money in a new account, so that it would benefit our people for years to come. Now, we have received another gift from the estate of that same parishioner. This time the amount of the bequest is $195,000. We had no idea that the parish would be receiving this gift. Wow! Gratitude abounds! When I shared this news with the pastoral council at our last gathering, one member remarked that when we give, God gives even more. He was referring to our parish tithing program and the blessings that we, as a parish family, have been able to bestow upon those in need. Now for sure God has blessed us through this amazingly generous bequest. My recommendation to the finance council will be to use this money for parish operating needs and to defray the costs of our various ministries and initiatives. I also intend to make three purchases that we have been holding off on: (1) A matching set of celebrant chasubles for the parish; (2) An entrance bell for the Holy Redeemer sanctuary (recommended by a pastoral council member and used to signal the beginning of Mass); and (3) A new humeral veil for use in Eucharistic Adoration and benediction. I will keep you informed as we purchase and receive these new items. And please say a prayer for the soul of the deceased parishioner who has been so incredibly generous to our church family!
The Joy of Friendship, Music and Worship: Our Lady of Guadalupe is patroness of the Americas and a guiding light for peoples living from the northern reaches of Canada through the breadth of Mexico and beyond to the southern nations. We are going to celebrate her feast in style this year! On Monday, December 12, please join us at Holy Redeemer for a beautiful evening of friendship, music, and worship. Our friend, John Finch, will be here with his team to provide music. Mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe will begin at 6:30 pm and be followed by a time of refreshments and conversation. Then, around 7:30 pm or so, we will move back into the sanctuary for an advent time of prayer, Adoration, music, and song. When Vigil Project was here last December to provide a similar night of worship, the church was literally overflowing with joy. Many of you commented that we needed to “do this again.” Well, we are indeed going to do it again! Please join us. Be here as a family. Invite a friend. We are so excited to offer this gift of God’s presence to you and to yours!
Mercy from on High: You know how I love to be busy in the confessional, and busy for sure I have been! God is so merciful. He literally took on our flesh so as to save us from our sins. Make the angels in heaven rejoice by making a good confession this Advent. If we do so, our hearts will be well prepared to receive Christ at Christmas. Remember that the regular confession times are listed on the parish website. God bless you all as we continue through these prayerful days of Advent peace and preparation!
Mary, Mother of the Holy Redeemer, Pray for us! St. Anthony, Pray for us! St. Joseph, Pray for us! Fr. Steve