“Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make straight his paths:
All people shall see the salvation of God”

Dear friends:

On Saturday some 21 Children of our parish celebrated  for the first time the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance. They made their First Confession as we used to say.
Confession is about conversion and repentance and confessing our sins before God and the Church and asking for forgiveness in order to be reconciled to God and to one another and to be renewed in God’s grace.  We accept e penance to shoe that we are truly sorry for our wrongdoing and evil actions, that we are willing to make up for the harm we have caused, that we have decided to do better in  the future by avoiding sin and staying close to Christ.
Jesus says, ”Whoever accepts my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. My Father will love whoever loves me. I too will love him and reveal myself to him.” (John 14:21)
Advent, although being a season of joyful anticipation, is also a season of penance because it is a time of preparation. Getting ready for the celebration of the first coming of the Lord, the Birth of Christ, we actually prepare for Jesus’ second coming at the end of time. We make straight his paths so that we will experience the salvation  which God offers us.  John the Baptist and his message of repentance are an essential part of Advent.
It is because of this we invite you to our communal penitential services with individual confession and absolution.

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On this Second Sunday in Advent, as John the Baptist shouts at us to repent, St. Nicholas makes a visit. December 6th is St. Nicholas day. The  story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas,  who was born during the third century in the  village of Patara. At the time the area was  Greek and is now on the southern coast of   of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an  epidemic while Nicholas was still young.   Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own    and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used   his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the   Sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made  while still a young man, a Bishop. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships. Today he is the patron saint of children and sailors

Fr. Chris