Brothers and Sisters,

How much more can our Lord show He is with us? There is such evidence all around for those who are conscious of the Living God. As we begin another Year of Grace on the First Sunday of Advent on December 2^nd, we begin to prepare for the Coming of the Lord, we look forward to the many opportunities to deepen our relationship with him. The entire schedule of celebrations and services has been mailed to all the families of our parish so that no one misses an opportunity.

The highlight of Advent, in fact of the entire liturgical year, will be the consecration of our diocese to Our Lady of Guadalupe the Patroness of the Americas by Bishop Checchio. The act of Marian consecration will begin on Wednesday, December 12^th at 7:30 P.M. when our Bishop will lead Evening Prayer in our Cathedral. All the faithful of our diocese are invited. Our Lady of Guadalupe was also given the title, The Star of the New Evangelization, by St. John Paul II. The purpose of this consecration is to invoke her aid for our diocese so that we can be spiritually renewed and equipped to live out our call to evangelize more faithfully. For more information: www.LightingHeartsOnFire.com. Also, please watch the weekly parish bulletin for ongoing activities Saint Francis Cathedral Parish will have available during the liturgical year.

An important part of Advent preparation is to reignite our relationship with our Lord. We celebrate God’s mercy most richly in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We believe God forgives in many ways: in Baptism, when we reconcile with those we have offended, when we pray; sorrowfully in private, when we pray together for clemency, and when we share the Body and Blood of Christ at Communion. But we have one celebration that focusses mainly on God’s mercy: the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

We have purposely scheduled our Advent Communal Penance Service at the very beginning of Advent on Monday, December 2^nd at 7:00 P.M. so that we can start off on the right foot preparing for the Coming of the Lord. Every Saturday at 1:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. confession is available in the Cathedral. In addition, anyone can call the rectory office for an appointment to meet with a priest to celebrate the holy sacrament. Don’t miss the opportunity! Don’t procrastinate! Peace is right at hand!Bring your children! They are always welcome at Saint Francis Cathedral! The Lord be with you. Let us celebrate a happy Advent together.

In Christ’s service,

                                                              
Rev. Msgr. Robert J. Zamorski
Rector