St. Mary's on the Hill

2nd Week Of Advent.

All donations must be dropped off by this Sunday (December 13) to fill the sleigh in Church with toys or donate gift cards or non-perishable food to benefit area families in need. The majority of toys collected go to the Lancaster Youth Bureau for its annual holiday gift giveaway. These gifts should be placed in the sleigh unwrapped. Gift cards, which are helpful to give older children and teens, may be placed in the box near the sleigh. Other gifts and cards will remain he...re in the parish for our own families who can use help in making Christmas a little better for their children. This year, 17 children from 12 different families are included. In response to requests received this year, gift tags are available if you choose to buy for a particular child. On the front of each tag, the age of the child, sizes, and some gift ideas are listed. On the back are instructions on where and how to return these gifts to St. Mary's. Each child has a specific identity code. (Place tags in the red box in the Church vestibule.) Non-perishable food and monetary donations to purchase groceries are also being accepted. Thank you for your generosity in making Christmas special for families in need, especially during this challenging year.

Saint of the Day Thousands of people gathered in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe July 31, 2002, for the canonization of Juan Diego, to whom the Blessed Mother appeared in the 16th century. Pope John Paul II celebrated the ceremony at which the poor Indian peasant became the Church’s first saint indigenous to the Americas. The Holy Father called the new saint a simple, humble Indian who accepted Christianity without giving up his identity as an Indian. In praisi...ng the Indian Juan Diego, I want to express to all of you the closeness of the Church and the pope, embracing you with love and encouraging you to overcome with hope the difficult times you are going through, John Paul said. Among the thousands present for the event were members of Mexico’s 64 indigenous groups. First called Cuauhtlatohuac (The eagle who speaks), Juan Diego’s name is forever linked with Our Lady of Guadalupe because it was to him that she first appeared at Tepeyac hill on December 9, 1531. The most famous part of his story is told in connection with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. After the roses gathered in his tilma were transformed into the miraculous image of Our Lady, however, little more is said about Juan Diego. In time he lived near the shrine constructed at Tepeyac, revered as a holy, unselfish, and compassionate catechist, who taught by word and especially by example. During his 1990 pastoral visit to Mexico, Pope John Paul II confirmed the long-standing liturgical cult in honor of Juan Diego, beatifying him. Twelve years later the same pope proclaimed him a saint.

30 th Week in Ordinary Time

30th Week in Ordinary Time

In this session Fr Paul talks about All Saints' Day and we review the readings for this week, which includes: 1st Reading: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 2nd Reading: 1 John 3:1-3 Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12A

The Immaculate Conception, a solemnity celebrated on December 8, is the patronal feast of the United States. In 1854, Pope Pius IX's solemn declaration, Ineffabilis Deus, clarified with finality the long-held belief of the Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin. In proclaiming the Immaculate Conception of Mary as a dogma of the Church, the pope expressed precisely and clearly that Mary was conceived free from the stain of original sin. This privilege of Mary de...rives from God's having chosen her as Mother of the Savior; thus she received the benefits of salvation in Christ from the very moment of her conception. This great gift to Mary, an ordinary human being just like us, was fitting because she was destined to be Mother of God. The purity and holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a model for all Christians. O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin prepared a worthy dwelling for your Son, grant, we pray, that as you preserved her from very stain by virtue of the Death of your Son, which you foresaw so through her intercession, we, too, may be cleansed and admitted to your presence. through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The United States set a daily record for coronavirus cases on Friday, October 23 when, according to Johns Hopkins University, at least 83,757 cases were reported across the country. This broke the previous single-day record set on July 16 by more than 6,000 cases. There are nearly 8.5 million coronavirus infections in the U.S. and more than 224,000 victims have died. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics estimates that our country’s death toll from Covid-19 could surpass a half million by February 2021, unless masks are worn. Please be safe and pray for Covid-19 victims and their loved ones.

30 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

MEMORIAL MASS FOR MARGENA O. RACHO

29th Week in Ordinary Time.

In this weeks reflection, Fr Paul talks about the Gospel, the 1st and 2nd reading for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. These readings include: 1st Reading: Exodus 22:20-26 2nd Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:5C-10 Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40