There will be a SPECIAL SECOND COLLECTION taken up at all of the Masses this weekend for CHRISTMAS FLOWERS. Many people have expressed a desire to have their loved ones remembered in prayers during the Christmas season and we have decided to decorate the Church in memory of our deceased loved ones. If you wish to make a financial contribution towards this, please write the name of the deceased loved one on the outside of an envelope and place your offering in this week’s second collection. In the event that finances are somewhat problematic for you, please feel free to simply write the name of the person on the outside of the envelope and place it in the basket. We are happy to remember everyone in our prayers at the Altar during this holy season.

We will be holding our ADVENT PENANCE SERVICE on this Monday evening, December 17th at 7:30 PM in the Church. There will be an opportunity for individual confession and we have invited additional priests to be with us to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance. I want to encourage all to participate in this wonderful opportunity to receive the REAL Gift of Christmas: Christ’s forgiveness and peace.

I want to express my thanks to all who planned and prepared our parish Christmas party last week. The event was well attended and served to remind us of how blessed we are as a parish family to be able to spend time together, praising God and sharing our lives with each other. I hope that events such as this and last week’s Pancake breakfast will allow us to enter into the spirit of this holy season and keep us focused on the many joys that attend the birth of our Lord.

As we are fast approaching Christmas Day, I want to bring the CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE to your attention so that you can make your plans. We will celebrate Mass for Christmas at St. Patrick’s on Monday, December 24th at 4:00 PM, 6:00 PM and Midnight and on Tuesday December 25th at 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM.

Second Collection

Our St. Patrick Parish family donated $6,058.00 to the special collection for the Retired Religious last weekend. Thank you for your generosity!

Stewardship

“What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?” – Matthew 11:7

“Unlike a reed which is spineless and can be bruised easily, John stands as a pillar of truth which no demonic force can overtake because his heart is set on God and burns with the fire of God's truth and love.“

"Lord, stir my zeal for your righteousness and for your kingdom. Free me from complacency and from compromising with the ways of sin and worldliness that I may be wholeheartedly devoted to you and to your kingdom."

Electronic Offertory

In an effort to make it more convenient for parishioners to financially support Saint Patrick Parish, we now offer you the ability to make your offertory contributions electronically. Rather than placing cash or checks in the collection basket each week, you now have the option to simply have a predetermined monthly amount withdrawn from your checking or savings account that will be automatically deposited into the Parish Offertory. Transactions will be made on the 15th of each month. If you are interested in signing up for electronic offertory payments, or if you would like additional information, please contact Jean Lorrey in the Parish Office at 508-653-1093. Thank you.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul Thank you!

The Society of St. Vincent DePaul wishes to express our sincere thanks to the members of the Parish Pastoral Council for sponsoring the pancake breakfast last weekend. Because of the generous donations we received from those who attended the event, many more families will be able to receive assistance at Christmas and throughout the winter months. May God bless you all abundantly for your willingness to help those less fortunate.

Christmas Pageant

St. Patrick’s Annual Christmas Pageant will take place on Sunday, December 23 immediately following the 9am Family Mass in the Upper Church. An organizational meeting will be held TODAY, Sunday, December 16 at 1pm in the upper church. The children will be assigned parts (Mary, Joseph, shepherds, lambs, etc.) and introduced to the music. Rehearsal will be on Saturday, December 22 at 1pm.
Thanks to Carol Arnold & Linda Witherby for agreeing to coordinate this year’s pageant. More adult assistance is needed. Please contact Lisa Correia in the Religious Ed. Office at (508) 907-6220 if you can help. We welcome the generous help offered by the young men and women enrolled in our Parish Confirmation Program.

Respect Life Ministry

We would like to thank everyone who participated in our annual Jesse Tree. The response was overwhelming and we were able to touch many children and adults with your generosity. Again the Jesse Tree symbolizes the roots of kindness and love that branch our hearts and unify us as a family in Christ.

The Pine Street Inn Ministry is looking for volunteers to serve the evening meal on Saturday, January 5th and Saturday, February 2nd. Please call Ann Regan at 508-650-1902 if you are interested.

Let us pray for those who have died, especially

Joseph L. Kearns and Ralph F. Nichols

May they and all the faithful departed rest in peace

Men and women age 20-40 are invited to join the newly formed Young Adult Group at St. Bridget’s Parish in Framingham (832 Worcester Road). We meet every Friday evening from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Parish Renewal Center (except for the week of Christmas). Come and make new friends, discuss the faith, and plan future social events and service projects. After the meeting we “continue the conversation” at a local restaurant. For more information, contact seminarian Paul Sullivan at psullivan62@hotmail.com.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter

“Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand…” Receive strength to live a more Christ-centered sacrament by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend. For more information call Ray & Beth Ginepro at 1-800-710-WWME or visit our webpage at www.wwmeMA.org.

A Young Adult Advent Retreat

Prayer through Poetry: A Young Adult Advent Retreat will be held at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, Holliston on Saturday, December 22 from 6-9 pm. This special occasion of prayer in the later part of the Advent Season is a wonderful opportunity to gather some poetic masterpieces in order to bridge our experiences of the love and compassion of Christ that goes beyond words. Please reserve your place by December 21 by contacting Fr. Carl Chudy at 508-429-2144 or nobordersenews@gmail.com.

Parish Advent Penance Service

Our Parish Advent Penance Service will be held on Monday, December 17th, at 7:30 p.m. upstairs in the Church. This is a wonderful opportunity to receive the real gift of Christmas: Christ’s forgiveness and peace. Many priests will be available to hear individual confessions, and we invite you to please come and experience the healing presence of Christ through this powerful Sacrament of Reconciliation

Advent Penance Service
Monday, December 17th
at 7:30pm

Christmas
Mass Schedule
Christmas Eve
4:00pm, 6:00pm
& Midnight

Christmas Day
9:00am & 11:30am

Prayer for Advent

Dear God,
As an Advent candle is lit in joyous anticipation of your Son’s nativity, remind us always of the reason for our joy. As the purple of the candles stand for both penance and atonement for sin, give us the grace to do penance for our wrongs, and to love Christ, whose sacrifice atoned for the sins of the whole world. But just as the rose candle stands for joy in the midst of suffering and expectation, give us the joy of your Son, Jesus Christ, who came into a world that had so longed for its Savior, and made the angels themselves sing with joy at his birth. Amen