Rejoice! Again I say rejoice!
The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday—the Church bids us to rejoice that Christ’s coming is near. In one of my devotionals for Advent, the author asked the question: for which coming are you preparing? It’s an important question because if we are only preparing and rejoicing about the first coming in Bethlehem, we are missing the hope promised to us. Even in the darkest days of the year or our life, Christ is coming. We know that the future is bright and filled with joy. We rejoice not only for what God has done, but for what He is doing and will do forevermore!
Our parish vision: Saint Pius is a home where our Catholic parish family is nourished to live to our mission.
Many of you speak very warmly and fondly of this parish family. Many weekends we have the great honor to welcome new members—babies through the Sacrament of Baptism, young men and women who have recently moved to Des Moines, families who have relocated here, folks who retire here. Over and over again, Father Daniel and I hear folks tell us how welcome they feel, how warm and inviting this community is. As one person said, “I feel at home here.”
When I think of home, I think both of people and of place. Home is always familiar and comforting. Home is where one feels loved and honored. Home is a place of encounter and relationship. Home is where you are noticed, called by name and known. Home is where you can take your shoes off, open the refrigerator and relax. Home is where we learn because we feel safe to fail. Home is a place where we gather around the table to share life together. Home is a foretaste of heaven.
Parish News
Please join Father Daniel and me for an evening where we can share with you in a more informal way what we have been up to in these past few months. We are gathering at 6:30 PM on Monday, December 16 in the Martha and Mary Fellowship Hall.
Please spend time with Jesus in Adoration this week. We have opportunities at different times of day on different days of the week. Monday mornings after Mass until 10 AM, Wednesday evenings after Mass until 7 PM, Thursdays over the lunch hour from 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM. We also have times in the Adoration Chapel on Mondays from 6 to 10 PM and Tuesdays from 6 AM to 12 Noon. This is a time for you to spend some quiet, quality time with the love of your life: JESUS!
Pastoral Council meets this coming Thursday at 6:00 PM. Our Council begins with prayer together before the Blessed Sacrament and then will move into discussing how we realize our parish vision based on what we are hearing in prayer.
If you would like to help make our church and Parish Center ready for Christmas, please come next Sunday, December 22 at 1:30 to help in church or Monday, December 23 at 12 Noon to set up the Parish Center. There are sign up sheets in the Gathering Space.
Please keep praying for our parish family!