December 4, 2020
As We Get Closer to Christmas Dec 04 2020
(All information contained in this letter will be subject to the realities of the pandemic and the church’s safety protocol response direction by Bishop Weisenburger)
During this painful and extraordinary year, we have had to change a lot in order to protect each other and our community from Covid-19. Like you I had hoped we would be at a point that we could resume our regular holiday festivities and look forward to a brighter new year. However, there is good news. It looks like we will have a vaccine that will help to move us to better times. However, as I am writing this letter the numbers of cases are rising again which requires all of us to continue to be vigilant. Like you, I am tired of being vigilant, however, I understand we must be vigilant now more than ever. Because of this I want to talk to you about our Christmas season plans.
Next week we will celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on line as well as one mass at 3 pm on the 8th outside in the back of the church. We will offer at 12 noon that day communion for one hour for those who wish to receive the Eucharist on this beautiful feast day. We will also celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe at 5 pm on Friday the 11th as an anticipatory mass. This mass will be filmed live for all who wish to celebrate at home. Because of the social distancing needs we will not be offering treats and pastries after the Guadalupe mass as we have done in the past.
Christmas will be different but beautiful. We will be holding our liturgies outside in the front of a beautifully decorated church starting on Christmas Eve. The bishop has given each parish permission to celebrate Christmas masses beginning in the morning of Christmas Eve. Like we have had to do with Sunday liturgies we are giving ourselves extra time between liturgies.
The Christmas mass schedule will be as follows:
1 pm Christmas Eve – Choir
3 pm Christmas Eve - Choir
5 pm Christmas Eve - Mariachi
9 am Christmas Day
10:30 am till 12:30 pm we will offer communion for all who were not able to attend mass.
1 pm Christmas Day-Choir
Because of the weather that we traditionally have on Christmas we will not have a midnight mass as is our tradition. However, we hope to offer that mass next year when things are much better. The masses will be held in the front of the church instead of in the back. As with all our masses you will have to make reservations. Because the celebrations will be held outside in the front of the church we will be decorating in a different way. If you are interested in helping with decorating trees etc. Please contact Linda Moreland at llmknm@gmail.com. If you would like to make a donation to help with our decoration costs contact the office for more information.
It is also our plan to send out our cards to shut-ins along with food baskets and Christmas gifts to needy families. The needs for this these activities are more important than ever this year. If you come to mass you can get more information or you can call the office. You can also sponsor a family this Christmas as well.
These are our plans as we prepare for the Christmas season. This season is difficult to plan because we are not certain how the pandemic will play out in the next few weeks. The realities of the pandemic will affect everything we do as we enter the holiday season. Because of this I must be honest with you that if things get dramatically worse we could be forced to cancel masses again. We will be keeping in touch with the bishop as to the direction of the diocese. So please check in our website for updates. Hopefully if we continue to be disciplined, we will celebrate this special season in a unique and different way.
In writing to you I know this is an especially painful time. Usually we are with families and the children are excited that Santa will be arriving. But as one article recently stated we give thanks, and we show our love by staying away and protecting each other this year. We need to remind ourselves this is one year, not the rest of our lives. For those who are older we need to remind ourselves of the many decades of wonderful Christmases we have had and will have. While this will not reduce the pain of the moment it will put it in perspective as we move forward together and support each other during these hard times.
In our history as a country we have had many years of painful Christmases. Perhaps the most famous were the War II years where we as a nation suffered deeply over the loss and separation of loved ones not knowing who would return home. We were a terrified but determined nation at that time. If you want to appreciate the amazing optimism of that time just listen to the song “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”. Our most famous national carol written during this painful moment. It still touches my heart because It speaks of hope and a better tomorrow which I fervently believe will happen.
This year will be different, but I believe we will get through this with hope. I believe our Children will hear from Santa and we will begin a new year that will be better and brighter than ever before. Let us continue to pray for each other and support each other by our actions as we continue to move forward together.
Yours in the Savior,
Fr. Tom