Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,
This coming Thursday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - a holy day of Obligation. On Wednesday, we will have Vigil Mass at 6pm at St. Mary’s. On Thursday, we will have Mass at 8am at Sacred Heart, 9:15am at St. Mary’s, and 6pm at Sacred Heart. Following our 6pm Mass, that we will be welcoming two sisters of Mary, the Mother of the Eucharist, for our Advent night of Reflection. (This is the religious community that our own Amber Czeiszperger, now Sr. Francis de Sales, is a member of). Srs. Mary Ruth and Francis Rose will join us for Mass and then offer an Advent meditation. They will have some time following their meditation for Q & A.
This can be a very busy time of the year and thus more challenging to carve out time just for the Lord. This evening is a great way to do just that and help us prepare for Christmas. They have been praying for our parishes that the Holy Spirit would move in us in a special way this Advent. It is always a blessing when we can have Sisters visit. They offer an important witness of a life consecrated completely to God that is an encouragement in helping us live more fully for Him. In past generations religious sisters were a much more visible part of the Catholic landscape, including those who taught at Sacred Heart. It is exciting to see the numbers of women hearing and answering that call increasing. I hope you are able to join us for this special night.
At Sacred Heart we have been looking at options for an electronic organ. The Diocese recommended a dealer in Allen Organs, an American company with an excellent reputation. Through them we have found an organ that falls within the $50,000 dollar range we were looking at. Some of our musicians visited the store and had the chance to play it and learn some of its features. Through a large bequest in memory of Marybeth Cottington and several other donations we have $30,000 already earmarked for the project. The console would be placed by the piano in our current choir area. That console is moveable so we will work on the best placement for it. The organ will produce sound through speakers placed in the choir loft. There is a chance that we can have it by Christmas.
This past Thanksgiving, I found out on Thanksgiving Day that my 16th niece or nephew is due this coming June.
What a blessing!
God Bless,
Fr. Todd