Happy 4th Day of Christmas! I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make all of our Christmas celebrations so meaningful and beautiful. The December 23rd Lessons and Carols was a great success, and thank you to everyone who brought a dish to share at the reception. The choir sang beautifully, and the readers did a fine job. I am especially grateful to our choir for singing at Lessons and Carols, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, as well as on the morning of December 24 for the Fourth Sunday of Advent High Mass. Over the course of 48 hours we had four choral liturgies, and each one was well-attended with the Solemn High Mass of Christmas Day being the fullest. The Solemn Midnight Mass and Lessons and Carols were close seconds.

As I write this it is the morning of December 27, St. John's Day, and at noon we will have the traditional blessing of wine at the low mass of the day. I am not sure exactly how this tradition began, but in many places it is customary to bring wine to the mass on St. John's Day. After the mass there are always a few who have brought wine for the priest to bless for use in homes.

Christmas is a great twelve days of celebrations. Much of the world is already taking down their Christmas trees, but in the church we continue to celebrate the birth of Christ until January 6, the Epiphany. I hope you can join us for the Epiphany Procession and High Mass at 4:00 pm. After the mass we will have a potluck, and children are invited to dress as kings and participate in the processional. Last year's Epiphany celebration was great fun.

This coming Sunday we celebrate the First Sunday after Christmas Day. At high mass we will continue to sing carols, celebrating the nativity of our Lord. It is always a goal of ours to sing as many of the carols in the hymnal throughout these twelve days. O come, let us adore him!

With every blessing,
Father Paul Lillie