Dear Folks,

Merry, Merry Christmas!

May the Virgin Mary and St Joseph help us to live the Mystery of Christmas with renewed gratitude to the Lord. In the midst of the frenetic activity of our day, may this Season give us some calm and joy and enable us to feel tangibly the goodness of our God, who became a Child to save us and to give new encouragement and light on our journey. This is my wish for a Blessed and Merry Christmas. To each and every member of our parish family, to your relatives and to your friends, in particular to the sick and the suffering, as well those who have no one to celebrate this feast with.

Sometimes folks ask me, “How can we make practical changes that bring the faith more directly into our homes?” Christmas is probably the easiest time to do so!

In this bulletin, we offer you a Christmas tree blessing which can be one such way to keep the celebration focused on more than piles of presents. Pray it with your family today: maybe before dinner, or before dessert, or before gift exchanges. I believe in your creativity!

Alternatively, or additionally, will you remember to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus? Why not? Among the many Christmas carols that my family will sing tonight, we will include HBD as the last song before the youngest (great-grand)child blows out Jesus’ birthday candles.

Merry Christmas!