As we enter this fourth Sunday of Advent, our hearts naturally turn toward Christmas with anticipation and joy. In just days our parishes will welcome many visitors, family members, friends returning home, and those who may only step inside the church once or twice a year. This is a beautiful blessing for our community, but it also means that Christmas Masses will be fuller, noisier, and certainly more crowded than usual. When we return for Christmas, it is important to remember that things may not look or feel like a typical Sunday.

Because of this, both I and the parish staff ask you to PLAN AHEAD. Don’t come later and expect your usual seat – or even a seat at all. Arrive early, prepare your heart, and embrace the joyful energy of a parish filled with people seeking the light of Christ. Advent reminds us we wait not just for Jesus, but for the grace to respond with patience, kindness, and a welcoming spirit. These virtues help us to create the true joy of Christmas, not only for ourselves but for all who walk through our doors.

Here are two things I ask that you keep in mind.

First, your smile and hospitality may be the most powerful and cherished Christmas gift someone receives this year. Secondly, your willingness to be flexible about seating, parking, or noise, helps make our parish a place where Christ’s love is felt at once. Let’s welcome all with the warmth of the Savior whose birth we celebrate.

Please CLICK HERE for the times of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services.

Thanks to all who took part in our giving tree programs at all our parish sites. Your thoughtfulness and generosity will bring the “Merry” into many Christmas celebrations.

Have a blessed and safe week ahead and a Merry Blessed Christmas to all!

With you a Christian. For you, a priest.

Fr. Carl Morello
Pastor
Ascension and St. Edmund Parish
St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy and St. Giles Parish