December 8, 2024

Dear Friends in Christ, 

In our Catholic Tradition, the most prominent character in the gospel of Jesus is his mother, Mary. She is the first disciple of the Lord who consents to the divine invitation to give her life completely to God’s plan to save us from sin and death and show us what it means to be fully alive. Mary is an important link to our belief in the incarnation, that God in Christ became a human like us in all things but sin. This was a gift given to Mary at the moment of her conception when she was blessed with the grace to live a life free of self-centeredness. The church celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary on December 8th, a Sunday, so our observance of the solemnity will be on Monday the 9th. As the Immaculate Conception is the patron of the Catholic Church in America, the U.S. Bishops have asked it to be a holy day of obligation to attend Mass. Please check the schedule of Masses in our family of parishes and plan to attend.

Mary and her beloved husband, Joseph, will become part of the Holy Family with the birth of Jesus. One of the things that fosters holiness in our family of parishes is the willingness to open our hearts and homes to families in need of special care. OLL has done this by supporting a family from Nicaragua, and recently Assumption Parish has opened their hearts in support of a family from Columbia. These remind us of the words of Jesus; we will hopefully hear on the day of our judgment. “When I was a stranger, you welcomed me.” (Mt. 25:35). Mary’s presence in our Christian lives reminds us that every day is judgment day. May she inspire us with her great Magnificat: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…who has lifted up the lowly. (Lk. 1:46-55).

Mary’s compassionate heart also inspires the mission of Catholic Community Services in Western Washington. We will have CCS speakers at our Masses for the next two weekends. Please open your hearts to their message, and their appeal to financially support the important work of CCS in our local church.

Advent blessings,

Assumption | St. Bridget | St. Catherine of Siena | Our Lady of the Lake