Sunday, November 28
The First Sunday of Advent  
Advent is a season to prepare our hearts for the coming of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. One way to celebrate this is to keep an Advent wreath going for the four weeks of the Advent season. Each Sunday we light a candle of the wreath to keep our focus on Christ. Another way to prepare is to look ahead: St. Nicholas’ feast day is December 6 while the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is on December 8, Our Lady of Guadalupe is December 12, the feast of St. Lucy is December 13, and there are many more. Attending daily Mass on their feast days, and looking up activities and books about these feasts are both ways to keep them special. Another way to get ready for Christmas is to think of someone who might need to be invited to your Christmas feast. Someone you know may need help getting food and Christmas gifts this year. Give them a call and see how you can help. There are many ways to give a gift during this holiday season. Also, make sure you set up your Nativity set somewhere significant. Set it up together as a family and take time to pray with friends and family. Amen? Amen.

Amen? Amen!
Father Jamie

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Pastor's Ramblings

CONGRATULATIONS! Congratulations to David and Hannah Groene! They celebrated the sacrament of marriage on Saturday, Nov. 13. Hannah is a long-time parishioner of Saint Cecilia and member of the Donovan family.

WELCOME, CHILDREN OF GOD! Wel-come, Mia Michelle, daughter of James and Danielle Stewart. Welcome, Penelope Rose, daughter of Mi-chael and Lindsey Friedman. Welcome, Quincy John, son of Erik and Kari Dunki-Jacobs. Quincy joins his four older brothers!

FAMILY OF FAITH. Lively conversation was plentiful at our Family of Faith class last weekend as we discussed the Sacrament of Baptism. Our students also learned about this topic in their classes. Our preschool class learned the story of John the Baptist. Teachers Kathryn Miller and Jessica Cinefro instruct-ed them on making crafts and they learned about the symbols of baptism.
NOVEMBER SAINTS. Fr. Anthony dressed up as a North American martyr and visited the classrooms. Fr. Anthony was a great sport to dress up. This month the children will continue learning about saints and how to pray for the souls in purgatory.

OAKLEY KITCHEN. Our young adults gathered last Thursday at the Oakley Kitchen after the monthly candlelight Mass at Saint Cecilia. We had great turnout and are so thankful to the Oakley Kitchen for graciously accommo-dating us. We greatly enjoyed our time together.