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December 2, 2022By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press
As we prepare to celebrate the incarnation of Christ at Christmas, we can see his ongoing presence with us in the Eucharist, noted Father Thomas G. Landry, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Worcester. So, for Advent, in this first year of the National Eucharistic Revival, the parish is holding adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Tuesday.
This is one of many ways parishes and schools in the diocese are preparing for and celebrating the coming of Jesus among us.Adoration at Blessed Sacrament, 555 Pleasant St., begins at noon with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and includes the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 2 p.m., the rosary at 4 p.m. and Liturgy of the Word at 6 p.m., focusing on the mystery of the Eucharist. It concludes with solemn evening prayer with Benediction, with organ and cantor, at 7 p.m.Sign-up sheets are available to ensure there will be someone always present, Father Landry said.“The focus, of course, is the Eucharist – our Lord present and active in the Church,” he said. “And with the Blessed Sacrament being the source and summit of all that we are and all that we do, this is a way of being drawn into the mystery of the Incarnation. …
“If God chose for the Son to become the son of Mary, if God chose to make the Word become flesh, why is it so difficult to believe he would become present on the altar?” Father Landry explained that it’s difficult because we are tactile people, believing what we see and touch, and the Eucharist looks and feels like bread and wine. But, he said, that’s exactly how God reaches out to us – by being present in physical elements in the Eucharist.
PARISH MISSION
Attending a parish mission, prayer service or Mass can help people prepare for Christmas.
Our Lady Immaculate and St. Francis of Assisi parishes in Athol and St. Peter Parish in Petersham are offering an opportunity to reflect on seasonal themes at an Advent mission called “Our need for salvation: What it means to wait in joyful hope.”
Each Monday of Advent there is to be a Mass at 6 p.m. at Our Lady Immaculate, 244 School St., followed by a talk by Deacon David F. Vaillancourt, who serves at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Milford.
St. Anne Parish, 130 Boston Tpke., Shrewsbury, is bringing together the seasons of Advent and Christmas. At 2 p.m. on Dec. 11 there is to be an Advent prayer service with a Christmas pageant, followed by a Christmas party, said Tracy Flynn, religious education administrator.
“This is geared toward everybody – the whole congregation,” she said. The simple service is to include Scripture and prayers. For the pageant, students in grades 1-8 are to act out the story of Jesus’ birth.
“This is new; we haven’t done a pageant since prior to COVID,” Mrs. Flynn said. It’s her first year coordinating the whole religious education program and the parish has a new pastor, Father Walter J. Riley, “so we’re doing something a little different,” she said.
“We have almost 30 kids” in the pageant, she said. “They all volunteered! It’s wonderful! My hope is that it brings the parish together in this time of waiting, anticipation and
joy.” After the service and pageant, attendees can socialize over cookies, coffee and cocoa.
EARLY MORNING DEVOTION
Father Steven M. Labaire, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in West Boylston, is to celebrate a Rorate Caeli Mass in honor of Our Lady at 6:30 a.m. Dec. 17 in the church, with refreshments following in the church hall. He explained that this is an ancient Advent devotion in which a votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated by candlelight just before dawn. The light and darkness speak to the meaning of Advent and the coming of Christ, Light of the World.
“People feel that there is a lot of darkness in the world,” he said. “There is a war in Ukraine, people are still reeling from COVID, the economy is fragile, we are dealing with mass shootings. Our faith proclaims light in the midst of darkness, and Christians are called to embrace that light and also actively notice that light. The Rorate Caeli Mass is one way in which we express our Christian vision … It is an ancient tradition that has contemporary relevance for Christians.”
STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
At Trinity Catholic Academy in Southbridge, teachers are to perform a play for a penance service, to prepare students to go to confession, said Angela Symock, principal. For the service at 1 p.m. Dec. 13, teachers are to act out a story called “The Christmas Guest,” about Jesus coming to someone through other people. The idea is to help students understand the importance of Advent, Christmas, confession and the people in their lives, she said. The youngest children will then be dismissed, while the older ones stay for confession.
Students in the religious education program at Immaculate Conception Parish in Worcester prepared for Advent ahead of time. On Nov. 20 they made Advent prayer journals and played Advent Bingo with their families instead of attending regular classes, said Mary Sycks, administrator of religious education.
“Every year we’ve been doing an Advent family project,” she said. “All the families get together; we do a fun activity.” The bingo game involved questions about Advent and the craft was “so the kids can pray every day” at home and write in the journals.
With all these activities, and more, people in the diocese are preparing to welcome Jesus, who came among us that first Christmas, and continues to come among us in word, sacrament and community.
