With both Fr. Bill, our senior assistant, and myself hospitalized recently for different reasons, we have had to re-examine our respective schedules and duties to arrive at a more reasonable activity level that will be more conducive to maintain our health and well-being going forward. Thankfully, Fr Bill is able to continue as our Weekend Assistant celebrating Sunday weekend Masses on a rotating basis with me.

Beginning on Christmas Eve, the Catholic Church throughout the world will celebrate a Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee Year. It is one of the great events of the Catholic Church, which is celebrated every 25 years. It calls pilgrims to Rome and invites Catholics everywhere to focus on the beauties of the faith, to strengthen our relationship with the Lord, and to practice more intently the virtues that make us Catholic Christians, especially the virtues of forgiveness, reconciliation, and charity.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a missionary? I don’t mean the kind that goes off to a foreign country. In Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), he writes about the Church’s missionary role and the need for both clergy and laity to make the proclamation of the Gospel a lived reality in all of what we say and do. He calls for each of us to be “Spirit-filled evangelizers” with a “renewed missionary impulse” marked by a “joy ever new, a joy which is shared.”

In this season of Advent, there are many feelings that arise from memories, present circumstances, and the rush of the season. For some, this may not seem to be “the most wonderful time of the year.” It may be because of the loss of a loved one, being out of work, or feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do. For others, it’s getting caught up in the joy of the season, picking out presents that hopefully will be “just right,” the heartwarming visits with friends and loved ones, or delighting in the colorful lights and decorations.

As we begin the season of Advent this weekend, I invite you to reflect upon what the Holy Family experienced in the time leading up to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and its significance in our present day – using this prayer.

Prayer for the Homeless

O God of endless mercy, in your divine place to save us, your only Son became a person like us in all things but sin.

What or who do you take for granted? I know, it’s hard to think about something you don’t think much about! But try… especially at this time of Thanksgiving. There are certainly people and things you and I depend upon that we just expect to be there for us. Maybe it’s the person who delivers the newspaper or provides emergency services. I have a friend who will occasionally pray for the person who invented air conditioning because she is so grateful for that cool refreshment in the summer heat!

I’m very grateful for the many prayers and get-well wishes I have received while I addressed issues related to coronary artery disease, a condition I’ve inherited. As symptoms increased, I had to be admitted to the hospital where I underwent a catheterization and implantation of a stent to increase blood flow to my heart. Fortunately, I was able to be discharged in time to welcome our new Archbishop Richard Henning to Holy Family this past Wednesday at a gathering of approximately 50 priests from the South Region of our Archdiocese.

A Note from Fr. Bill….

Dear Friends,

For three weekends I’ve been away getting a new knee and I suspect I’ll be away a week or two more so that I can walk with dignity and grace. It has been quite an experience. My first major visit to a hospital since my tonsils came out when I was seven. All the stories about what to look for – pain, more pain, and still more pain.

This week, November 3-9, is National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW). This annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States is dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life through prayer and education, and to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.

This Thursday, October 31, Most Reverend Richard G. Henning, STD will be installed as our new Archbishop of Boston. The Mass of Installation will take place at 2:00pm at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

You are invited to view the installation on CatholicTV (via cable) or at www.CatholicTV.org. For those who wish to be together with others while viewing the installation, there will be a watch party for those living in the South Region of our Archdiocese at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Braintree.

This weekend, we celebrate World Mission Sunday, a special day that unites Catholics worldwide in prayer, solidarity, and support for the Church’s mission efforts, which is crucial for sustaining the Church’s outreach in over 1,150 mission territories. World Mission Sunday reminds us that we belong to a worldwide Church, which is not often in the forefront of our minds.

Every session of the Second Vatican Council began with the prayer Adsumus Sancte Spiritus, the first word of the Latin original meaning, “We stand before You, Holy Spirit,” which has been historically used at Councils, Synods and other Church gatherings for hundreds of years, being attributed to Saint Isidore of Seville (c. 560 - 4 April 636).

This weekend we celebrate Respect Life Sunday, which begins Respect Life Month. The U.S. bishops have affirmed that, while it is important to address all the ways in which human life is threatened, “abortion remains our pre-eminent priority as it directly attacks our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, destroying more than a million lives each year in our country alone.”