TODAY Friday December 8th is the Patronal Feast Day of the Catholic Church in the United States and the Diocese of Lansing. This is also a holy day of obligation. The Immaculate Conception is a reminder to us that God was planning to send His son to save us long before Mary became pregnant at the Annunciation.  God made Mary to be without sin precisely so that she might become the stainless vessel of devotion in which Jesus the Word Made Flesh could dwell.

WE HAVE ONE MASS LEFT HERE AT 5:30.  OR YOU CAN CHASE ME OUT TO CONCORD WHERE I WILL DO THE LAST MASS OF THE DAY AT 7PM.  

The Christian families from Bethlehem are once again caught in the middle of a desperate and existential struggle for survival.  They will be here at Queens THIS weekend, December 9th and 10th with their fine, hand crafted religious items made of olive wood from the Holy Land.  Please come and support them.  If you don’t want to shop, they also accept donations.  These items make beautiful gifts for Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries, baptism, 1st Communion, weddings, Confirmation and graduation.

The Parish Life Commission will sponsor Coffee and Donuts this Sunday morning to feed the kids while you browse their collection in Vincentian Hall.  They will continue serving after noon Mass to entice more people to come down and shop, though at that point they will switch from donuts to cookies!

We can’t begin to imagine the hardships these families experience just to get by.  Please help them.  They are the guardians of the holiest sites from the Bible and the numbers of Christians brave enough to live in an ever-hostile area continues to plummet.  

Join us for Mass this Advent as we set off on the path together, following the light of a star, that will lead us to the Christ child’s crib and to Christmas glory!

We use this time each year to prepare for the coming of Christmas.  Advent reminds us to prepare for the coming  of the Christ!  You can do that by making a Confession and attending one of our regional seasonal penance services.  Here is the schedule of services.  In each place multiple priests will be present:

ST RITA:  Tuesday 12/12, 7pm

FATIMA:  Thursday 12/14, 7pm

ST MARY:  Saturday 12/16, 10am 

ST CATHERINE:  Monday 12/18, 6pm

QUEENS:  Tuesday 12/19, 7pm

ST JOHN:  Wednesday 12/20, 7pm

Please take advantage of one of these opportunities to be cleansed of fault and failing before the coming of Jesus.  If you’re having trouble working up the courage to go, or can’t remember the last time you did, use the following examination of conscience to see whether or not you might benefit from a good soul cleanse.  This guide includes a great deal of helpful information about the sacrament of God’s Mercy.

Advent 2024 is one of the shortest Advents you will ever experience.  This is because the 4th Sunday of Advent IS Christmas Eve!  Yes, the Church expects us to attend Mass for BOTH the 4th Sunday of Advent and Christmas.  Being that I am the lone ranger at Queens, I need to streamline the number of Masses that will occur between the morning of the 24th and the afternoon of the 25th.  With that in mind, Queens will NOT have a regular Mass schedule for the 4th Sunday of Advent.  Here is what will be offered:

DECEMBER 23 – 25 QUEENS MASS SCHEDULE:

8am Daily Mass

4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

SATURDAY DECEMBER 23:  5PM MASS

SUNDAY DECEMBER 24:  9AM AND 11AM ONLY

CHRISTMAS 

SUNDAY DECEMBER 24:

4PM CHILDREN’S MASS

4:15PM OVERFLOW MASS IN THE GYM

6:30PM MASS

MONDAY DECEMBER 25

MIDNIGHT MASS

9:00AM

11:00AM

We will repeat this schedule often and in different formats to help everyone remember the change in the schedule.  The Boy Scouts have graciously agreed to help with parking in the lot on Christmas Eve.  It will be stadium parking to allow as many cars onto the property as possible.  

The Community Wide Christmas Dinner celebrates its 25th year in 2023.  Be a part of it!  Time is running out to sign up.

Help is needed December 23, 24, 25 and 26.  If you’re not available Christmas Eve or Christmas Day you can help with the set up before or clean up the day after.  

Christmas is the season of giving, and it especially blesses the Lord and others when we can make a merrier Christmas for those who are struggling.  This dinner brings together those who have no one to celebrate with and those who lack the resources to celebrate with food and gifts.  

Tickets will be on sale after all Masses this weekend for  The Great 50/50 Raffle to benefit Jackson Catholic Schools.  Cash, check, credit and debit card accepted.  Each ticket is $100 and enrolls you in 11 drawings in 2024.  There are two winners per month who each stand to walk away with more than $2,000!  Tickets will be available after all weekend Masses at Queens until the 1st drawing.  You can get them during the week from any local parish or Catholic school office. 

These make great stocking stuffers or a gift to send with a card to someone who lives far away.  

You can’t win if you don’t play!   

Tickets are still available for tomorrow’s Beer & Hymns at the Roadhouse on N. Lansing Ave at 7pm.  If you still want tickets, I recommend e-mailing Carol Hatch at

chatch@queenschurch.com 

If you see this before 4:30 today, tickets are available at the office.  After that, I would reach out to Carol directly for your $12.  Come early as tables fill up fast.  

Monday 2am.  We need someone willing to sacrifice some sleep every week and sign up to cover this.  Nothing we give up for God will ever come close to what we’ve been given by God!  Contact the parish office if you can fill this gap.  

‘PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM’ (Ps. 122:6).

Fr. Tim MacDonald

Pastor

Queen of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church

606 S. Wisner St.  Jackson, Michigan 49203

(517) 783-2748  www.queenschurch.com