Posted on December 1, 2025 View all news
December rarely asks for permission before sweeping us into its swirl of expectation. The Church, however, in her steady wisdom, gives us a map: Advent. These weeks call us to slow down, watch, and prepare our hearts for the coming of Our Lord—quietly, steadily, without the frenzy that so easily passes for “holiday spirit.” Advent is the season when silence speaks louder than noise, and grace waits patiently for us to notice it.
At the heart of this month stands the radiant feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, a Holy Day of Obligation. In honoring Our Lady’s conception without stain of sin, the Church reminds us that God wastes nothing—not even the first moment of a life. Mary is the dawn announcing the Sun of Justice, the chosen vessel through whom the Eternal Word would take flesh. Her purity is not a quaint ornament of piety but the blazing sign of God’s determination to save His people. Please be sure to attend Mass on this day.
In that spirit of expectant hope, we will hold our Annual Solemn Rorate Mass on Saturday, December 13 at 6:45 a.m. Celebrated by candlelight in honor of Our Lady, this Mass has a way of reaching the soul more quickly than the coffee pot. There is something about stepping into the dark church, the only light coming from flickering candles and the soft glow on the altar, that makes one understand Advent more than any sermon ever could.
The following week, on Tuesday, December 16 at 6:30 p.m., join us for our Musical Oratory of Advent. This evening of sacred music, prayer, and meditations is designed to steady the heart and lift it toward the mystery of the season. All focusing on the prophecies concerning Our Lord’s coming.
And speaking of the Nativity: the Incarnation stands at the center of everything we believe. God did not merely send instructions, or inspiration, or a distant blessing. He stepped into our world—our history, our weakness, our very flesh. The Word became one of us so that we might become gods, as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas remind us. Christmas is not sentimental decoration; it is the bold proclamation that heaven bent low to touch earth.
May this Advent calm your heart, strengthen your hope, and prepare you well for the coming of the Lord.
Have a blessed Advent and month ahead!
