Regina Laudis

As some parishioners will remember, 16 months ago one of our parishioners, Jen McLarin, joined the cloistered Benedictine community at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, CT. I had the pleasure and privilege to visit Jen on December 29 and 30 at the Abbey. To the left is a photo of yours truly with Jen, Mother Abbess David Serna and Mother Prioress Dolores Hart.

Jen is thriving as a postulant in the community of 37 nuns. Her days are filled with hard work which, for Jen, are presently being spent mainly in the kitchen, and with prayer. The nuns pray the Liturgy of the Hours throughout the day which are all chanted in Latin. For more information on the community go to: http://abbeyofreginalaudis.org

As you can see with the picture on the right, she has discovered the hidden talent of being able to attracted wild birds to eat out of her hand. St. Francis would be proud of this daughter of St. Benedict!

Pastor's Corner, December 28, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

On this feast of the Holy Family we recall the central place that the family plays in the salvation of souls. God chose to become man and saved mankind through a family and we turn today to the Holy Family to intercede for all human families.

A few weeks ago Pope Francis spoke at a conference on the complementarity of man and woman. He stated that “this complementarity is a root of marriage and family.” The Roman Pontiff went on to observe that “evidence is mounting that the decline of the marriage culture is associated with increased poverty and a host of other social ills, disproportionately affecting women, children and the elderly.”

With regard to the essential character of fruitfulness in marriage, the Pope said this: “Children have a right to grow up in a family with a father and a mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child’s development and emotional maturity.” He then spoke of another truth about marriage; “that permanent commitment to solidarity, fidelity and fruitful love responds to the deepest longings of the human heart.”

In several months (September) we will have the privilege to host Pope Francis in our country as he comes to conclude the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. We can begin now to pray for his visit and that it might reinvigorate so many marriages and families to be faithful to their nature and calling.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker

Christmas Mass schedule, 2014

CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE - 2014

Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena

December 24 (Christmas Eve): 
4:15 pm           Vigil Mass in Church
4:15 pm           Vigil Mass in Parish Activity Center (hall below Church)
6:00 pm           Vigil Mass in Church (Children's Liturgy)
6:00 pm           Vigil Mass in Parish Activity Center (hall below Church)
12 Midnight     Mass in Church, Bishop Barres (11:15 pm Christmas Hymns by Choir)

December 25 (Christmas Day)
7:30 am            Mass in Church
9:00 am            Mass in Church
10:30 am          Mass in Church

 "And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2: 9-12)

"O God, who have made this most sacred night radiant with the splendor of the true light, grant, we pray, that we, who have known the mysteries of his light on earth, may also delight in his gladness in heaven." (Collect, Christmas Mass)

Pastor's Corner, December 21, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

One of the most beautiful Christmas traditions is the manger scene or crèche. In the Church we will soon put out a beautiful crèche which Bishop McShea gave to the Cathedral and reminds us of the humility of our God who became man for the sake of our salvation.

The origin of the Christmas crèche comes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Three years before he died St. Francis wanted to celebrate Christmas is a special way. In the town of Grecio, Italy, Francis prepared a manger and brought hay, an ox and a donkey. He stood before the scene and chanted with Gospel “bathed in tears and radiant with joy,” as St. Bonaventure writes. St. Francis then preached to the people of the town and called Jesus the “Babe of Bethlehem.” An eye witness said he saw St. Francis embracing an infant who miraculously appeared in his arms.

Some people set up the crèche over a period of weeks as a way to live interiorly the unfolding events of our salvation. The animals are in the stable at the beginning and then the shepherds come. Mary and Joseph arriving on the scene near the time of Christmas Day and the Christ child put in the manger only then. The Magi arrive a few weeks later.

No matter how big or small your Christmas manger scene is, may it be a concrete sign of the great love God has for you and inspire you to keep Christ in Christmas as we prepare for the day of His birth.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker

Keep Christ in CHRISTmas

The general public seems to be more and more "allergic" to the idea that Christmas just might have something to do with Christ. The word "Christmas" comes from the Old English Cristes Maesse which literally means "the Mass of Christ" and it refers to the celebration of Mass on the birthday of Our Lord. One of the earliest celebrations of Christmas was around the year 200 AD in Egypt.  

Here are some of my suggestions to keep Christ in Christmas:

1. When someone says, "Happy Holidays," just politely respond, "And Merry Christmas to you too!"
2. Put an Advent wreath in your home and light the candles for each week as we get closer to Christmas.
3. With your family, read together the Infancy narratives found in the Gospels (Luke 2: 1-20; Matthew 1: 18 - 2: 12)
4. With your children, repeat over and over "Jesus is the reason for the season." Don't let them forget it!
5. Join a group to go Christmas caroling in a nursing home or hospital. Be sure to sing some religious carols. 
6. When buying stamps for your Christmas cards, avoid the snowman and reindeer and buy the religious stamp (By the way, I love Rudolph but Jesus is the reason for the season). 
7. Send Christmas cards that actually feature a religious theme like a picture of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the stable or the 3 Magi on their way to Bethlehem. 
8. Among your Christmas decorations, put the creche in a prominent place, including outside your home if possible. 
9. Do not be afraid to put a religious ornament on your Christmas tree. Remember, the star on top is already a religious ornament. 
10. Charitably insist on singing religious Christmas carols at office parties or other events. Some ideas would be: "Did you hear what I hear?", "It came upon a midnight clear", and "Away in the manger." 
11. Bake a Jesus birthday cake and sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus with your children. 
12. Purchase a "Keep Christmas in Christmas" magnet for the back of your car.
13. Have your children participate in the "Keep Christ in Christmas" poster contest organized by the Knights of Columbus. Details are at: http://www.kofc.org/un/en/service/church/christmas/index.html
14. Gift wrap the baby Jesus of your nativity set and let this be your first unwrapped gift on Christmas morning. 
15. If adult children, relatives or friends are coming for Christmas and staying at your house, make attending Christmas Mass with you a requirement for staying at your house. 

Pastor's Corner, December 14, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Many families are in the midst of purchasing and decorating their Christmas trees. The decoration of trees has had significance in various pagan as well as Christian cultures. There is a pious story based on an historic person – St. Boniface – and an historic event – the destruction of Odin’s oak – that form a part of the practice of decorating Christmas trees.

St. Boniface was bishop of Winfrid in England and he went to Germany in the 8^th Century to preach the Christian faith. After traveling to Rome to speak with Pope Gregory II, he returned to Germany for Christmas 723. He discovered to his great dismay that the newly converted Germans had returned to their former idolatry and were preparing to sacrifice a young man under Odin’s sacred oak tree. With great zeal St. Boniface cut down the tree with an axe.

The Germans then asked Boniface how they should celebrate Christmas and he told them to take home a fir tree as a symbol of peace and everlasting life. With the top of this evergreen plant pointing upward, it symbolizes eternal life and heaven, the dwelling of the One, True God.

The lights and the decorations are symbols of the joy and the light of Christ who is born on Christmas Day. Traditionally a star is placed on top of the tree which symbolizes the star seen by the Magi which led them to Christ in Bethlehem.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker

Demographic winter

The New York Times (December 4, 2014) reported some frightening statistics about the birthrate in the United States: 

 "The number of women in the United States who gave birth dropped last year, according to federal statistics released Thursday, extending the decline for a sixth year. The National Center for Health Statistics reported Thursday that there were 3.93 million births in the United States in 2013, down slightly from 3.95 million in 2012, but 9 percent below the high in 2007. According to the report, the general fertility rate in the United States — the average number of babies women from 15 to 44 bear over their lifetime — dropped to a record low last year, to 1.86 babies, well below the 2.1 needed for a stable population. "

Basically this means that the population will continue to increase but at a slower rate until such time that it will begin to implode. With a fertility rate of only 1.86 babies per couple (2.1 is need for the population just to remain stable), our population is slowly dying and we will not have enough children to replace us. This will have drastic economic and social effects on all of us. 

I think we should all consider the words of Blessed Pope Paul VI who wrote in Humanae Vitae: "Finally, this love (marital love) is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being. 'Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare.'" (HV, 9)

Pastor's Corner, December 7, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

One of the most cherished traditions in Catholic homes – and one that we keep in Church – is that of the Advent Wreath.

The origins of the Advent Wreath are a bit mysterious but we know that by the Middle Ages Christians were using the wreath as part of their preparation for Christmas. It fundamentally reminds us that Christ – whose first coming we celebrate at Christmas – is the “light of the world” (John 9: 5).

The symbolism of the Advent Wreath is somewhat obvious. The wreath itself is made of evergreen and is circular, symbolic of the immortality of the soul and the everlasting life we receive from Christ. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. The purple candles speak to us of the penitential character of Advent and how we all have to be doing penance in preparation for Christ’s Second Coming to judge the living and the dead. The rose candle, which is lit on the third Sunday of Advent, is a sign of joy. The Church calls that Sunday “Gaudete” (Latin for “rejoice”) because we are getting so close to the great celebration and joy of Jesus’ birth.

I would encourage everyone to have an Advent Wreath in their homes and light each candle as each week progresses. There are prayers that you can say which help us prepare spiritually for Christmas and it can be a wonderful way to teach children about the central mysteries of our faith which surround the birth of Christ.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker