Fourth Sunday of Advent
Candle Name: Angel's Candle
Candle Symbolizes: Peace
Reminds us: The message of the angels.
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will” ~ Luke 2.10-11
"The Annunciation" (Auguste Pichon, 1859)
Dear Friends in Christ,
Advent has flown by, and here we are already at Christmas. I know many of you will be travelling over the Christmas holiday, and many of you will be welcoming family and other guests into your home to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child and the joys of togetherness. Prayers for all of it. My hope is that the Prince of Peace can work miracles of reconciliation and strengthening in all of your relationships, and that the light of this season can bring you true joy.
Advent is my favourite season, but it is a preparation, an anticipation and a threshold into ChristMass. I love that old English word. It is a reminder that the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord recalls that Jesus was born in a manger, a feeding trough, where the new manna from heaven still comes to us today through the Bread of Angels that is the Eucharist. In 2008 at a General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI said words that have given me nourishment this season:
"Christmas is a privileged opportunity to meditate on the meaning and value of our existence. The approach of this solemnity helps us on the one hand to reflect on the drama of history in which people, injured by sin, are perennially in search of happiness and of a fulfilling sense of life and death; and on the other, it urges us to meditate on the merciful kindness of God who came to man to communicate to him directly the Truth that saves, and to enable him to partake in His friendship and His life. Therefore let us prepare ourselves for Christmas with humility and simplicity, making ourselves ready to receive as a gift the light, joy and peace that shine from this mystery."
The Incarnation shows us how much we are loved by God. That demands a response of love and falling down in worship at the Christmas crib. Fr. Price & I look forward to celebrating ChristMass with you in a few days!
If you have not already done so, now is the time to get in your one time sacrificial donation to Sacred Heart. It is always good to get in those donations before the end of the year for tax purposes. Thank you for your sacrificial gift for the future!
Fr. Justin
This weekend is your last chance to submit your Christmas Flower Memorial envelopes
Christmas Flower Memorials: SHJ & SHM parishioners are encouraged to participate in helping to decorate our churches for the Christmas liturgies. Each year we set up a Christmas Flower Fund for that purpose. If you wish to honour a loved one, living or deceased, please print your Name & Envelope # on the Christmas Flower Envelopes (which you will find in the pews or at the entrance of the church) On the back of the envelope, please PRINT CLEARLY the names of those whom you wish to honour. These names will be printed in the Christmas service leaflet on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The deadline for the Xmas flower envelopes is this Sun, Dec 21st. All of your loved ones will be remembered at our Christmas Masses. Thank you for your cooperation and support!
Alternatively, by using the white Flower Sponsor envelopes (located in the narthex), a one time donation of $40 will provide flowers for the sanctuary and shrines, and you'll also get a Mass intention included in that. So a great deal if you think about it! The churches are beautifully decorated in large part to your flower donations. And when you see in the Flocknotes Masses being offered "For the X Family Intentions" - usually those are from the Family flower sponsor. Thanks to Shirley Gauvreau, Brenda Poirier, Iris Doyle & Joanne Forestell for always doing such a splendid arrangement of the flowers! Thank you for your support!
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Weekly Schedule
"The Annunciation" (Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1898)
4th Sunday of Advent
Sat, Dec 20 @ 5pm
Pro Populo
"Contours of Mary’s Dream"
(Lauren Wright Pittman, 2020)
4th Sunday of Advent
Sun, Dec 21 @ 11am*
Charles O'Neill †
[req. Mary O'Neill]
*Jr. Liturgy
Lectors
5pm: Anne Marie McGregor
11am: Willie Kuttschrutter
Jr. Liturgy Leader: Colleen Shannon
Sun, Dec 21 @ 12pm
Children's Christmas Pageant Rehearsal
Mon, Dec 22 @ 9am
Our Family Intentions
[req. The Quinlan's ~ Flower Sponsor]
Mon, Dec 22 @ 9:30-10:30am
** Holy Hour! **
Tues, Dec 23 @ 9am
The Holy Souls in Purgatory †
[req. Tony & Patricia Brownson]
Sacred Heart of Mary
Weekly Schedule
"The Annunciation" (Paolo de Matteis, 1712)
4th Sunday of Advent
Sun, Dec 22 @ 9am*
Our 47th Wedding Anniversary
[req. Paul & Cathie Francis]
*Jr. Liturgy
Lector: Maureen Cassidy
Jr. Liturgy Leader: Cheryl Freeman
"The Annunciation" (Jan Van Eyck, 1434-1436)
By Theresa Civantos Barbor, 12/14/25 at Aleteia
Christmas Eve*
The Nativity of the Lord (S)
*holy day of obligation
Children's Pageant @ 4:30pm
Wed, Dec 24 @ 5pm
SHJ Marmora
Intentions of Fr. Price
[req. SHJ CWL]
Lector: Colleen Shannon
Wed, Dec 24 @ 7:30pm
SHM Madoc
Intentions of Fr. Justin
[req. SHM CWL]
Lector: Brad Freeman
Christmas Day*
The Nativity of the Lord (S)
*holy day of obligation
Thur, Dec 25 @ 10am
SHJ Marmora
Pro Populo
Lector: Cathy Mouck
No Holy Hour or Confessions on 24 December and 31 December
No Mass on Friday 26 December 2025
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Weekly Schedule
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph (F)
Sat, Dec 27 @ 5pm
Pro Populo
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph (F)
Sun, Dec 28 @ 11am*
Charles O'Neill †
[req.
*Jr. Liturgy
Lectors
5pm: Jesse Gordon
11am: Jeanna Black
Jr. Liturgy Leader: Patricia Brownson
Fifth Day within the Octave of Christmas
Mon, Dec 29 @ 9am
Mrs. Patricia Price †
[req. Fr. Brian Price]
Mon, Dec 29 @ 9:30-10:30am
** Holy Hour! **
Sixth Day within the Octave of Christmas
Tues, Dec 30@ 9am
Family Intentions
[req. Waz Leszek ~ Flower Sponsor]
Sacred Heart of Mary
Weekly Schedule
"The Nativity" (Sandro Botticelli, 1473-1475)
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph (F)
Sun, Dec 28 @ 9am*
Kevin Roy †
[req. Gloria Roy]
*Jr. Liturgy
Lector: Jason Reck
Jr. Liturgy Leader: Cheryl Freeman
The Octave of the Nativity
New Year's Eve*
Solemnity of Mary,
the Holy Mother of God
*holy day of obligation
Wed, Dec 31 @ 4:30pm SHM
Pro Populo
Lector: Maureen Cassidy
The Octave of the Nativity
New Year's Day*
Solemnity of Mary,
the Holy Mother of God
*holy day of obligation
Thur, Jan 1@ 10am SHJ
Mary Chard †
[req. Theresa Chard]
Lector: Dale Clemons
7-Day Votive Candle Offerings
SHJ CHURCH
OUR BLESSED MOTHER
Family Intentions
[req. Fr. Justin Pulikunnel]
SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Family Intentions
[req. Fr. Justin Pulikunnel]
ST. JOSEPH
Joseph Kerby
[req. Bob & Sharon Vesterfelt]
ST. ANNE & OUR LADY
Special Intentions
[req. The Clemens Family]
SHM CHURCH
SACRED HEART OF JESUS
[available]
OUR BLESSED MOTHER
For the Sick
[req. Denis & Debbie Wood]
You can put your $10 7-Day Votive Offering in the filled-in pink envelope.
Any questions? Contact Pauline at the parish office @ 613.472.2220 or sacredheart.mm@archkingston.ca
Links, Recommendations & Random Thoughts
- Parish Office Closure: Dec 23rd at Noon through Mon, Dec 29th and then Dec 31st & Jan 1st.
- Something we can all relate to!
- Some suggestions on how to stay recollected during this week
- Devote at least 10 minutes a day to mental prayer, where you just talk to our Lord
- Encourage your family and friends to think of things other than packages, boxes or bags. Perhaps write a letter to someone you love to tell them so.
- Volunteer to serve someone in need;
- Consider providing a Christmas basket to poor
- Go to Confession so that your Christmas Communion will truly be holy. As C.S. Lewis aptly put it, "We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin." But we know it doesn't. And a good confession prepares one's heart to receive abundant graces at Christmas.
- A reminder that if we are to bring all families to Jesus and Jesus to every family, it is essential that all of us adopt an intentional hospitality as we approach Christmas. Every year, the Holy Spirit draws all kinds of souls to the Christmas Masses and how we welcome them becomes either a bridge or a wall to those men, women and children. Everyone has a story. Everyone has a past. Everyone has flaws. Everyone has wounds. Everyone has a family, estranged from them or not. Everyone know pain of some sort and to some degree. Everyone coming to a church is a sinner, including yours truly. So please warmly greet visitors and guests when they come to SHJ & SHM this Christmas. Smile back, and smile all around you, even if they're sitting in your usual spot. I want to thank our terrific ushers for intentionally connecting and warmly welcoming those walking through our doors.
- No separate Christmas Flocknote per se, but there will indeed be a Christmas (paper) bulletin at all the Christmas Masses.
- Have you been thinking about getting more involved in the Parish? How about helping out with our littlest parishioners?The SHJ Junior Liturgy team is seeking volunteers to lead the Liturgy on Sundays at the 11am Mass. Sing some songs, read the Gospel, plant the seeds of faith. We help the children understand God’s message by explaining the stories, answering their questions, and showing how God’s love is for them, too. No experience is necessary, leadership is rotational, and you will receive support and guidance from the Team. Contact Colleen Shannon or Colleen MacAlister after mass, or email Colleen Shannon at colleens1230@gmail.com
- This Sunday after helping with confessions at St. Michael's in Belleville (3-5pm), I will do one of my favourite things to do during Advent: watch and listen to the wonder, the awe and the joy of Händel's classic musical oratorio "Messiah" in which he takes a beautiful tapestry of Old Testament readings that he keeps weaving together and weaving together. And then the great climax comes with Isaiah 7:14: “The virgin is with child and shall bear a son.”
- But right before he unleashes the presence of Christ in this prophecy of the Emmanuel – God with us – he gives us a reading from the Prophet Malachi chapter 3. And in Malachi 3, we’re given the question: “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand firm when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire.”
watch/listen from 4:29-6:31
- And so the question that Malachi puts forward is this: when the Lord comes, who can stand, who can withstand the Lord’s holy presence?
- And the next passage that Händel moves us to is Isaiah 7 (!) (which is our First Reading this Sunday) – that a Virgin, who's purified and ready, shall conceive and bear a son.
watch/listen from 2:45-3:16
- And Our Lady is the first embodiment of that, isn’t she? She is the one who is sinless; she is the one who is spotless; she is the one who desires nothing more than the Lord’s will. And so the Church is giving Our Lady as the example for us – that we too need to be like Mary, to purify our hearts in preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas.
- We too need to spend these last days of the Advent season in purification and preparation so that we can abide the day of the Lord’s coming, so that when Christmas comes on Thursday and we have that Christmas octave (those eight days of Christmas), we can receive that advent of Christ with joy and purity; we can receive Christ at Christmas Mass in our bodies and in our hearts with joy, because we’ve prepared a place for him… like our Lady.
- So Mary’s the model. Spend these last days of Advent preparing your heart to desire not the things of this world, but to desire the great gift – the one gift above all gifts – the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Consecration to our Holy Mother: Please join us in the annual consecration to our Holy Mother taking place on Wed, Dec 31st at the 4:30pm SHM Mass and Thu, Jan 1 at the 10am SHJ Mass. If you are interested in consecrating your heart to Mary’s Immaculate Heart for the first time or in renewing your Consecration from past years, please join us. Individuals, families, adults and children are all welcome to come to Mary. No preparation is required.
Here’s a story from Le Figaro in English, about a Christian film that has become a surprise sensation in France. The trailer is above, dubbed into English. The story goes on to say this is evidence that a religious revival in France is real, especially among the young. Glory to God!
Season of Giving: December is traditionally a very important month for charitable giving and this Christmas season we thank everyone who has supported SHJ & SHM this past year with their time, talent and financial contributions, and look forward to support from all of our parishioners in the year ahead. If you need a convenient way to make regular offerings or if you plan to make an additional gift before the end of the year, we encourage you to check out our e-transfer option. As the pace of life speeds up, especially around the holidays, you may find electronic giving a most welcome way to make contributions. Giving to the offertory is convenient and easy with e-transfers. As you know, supporting the work of the Church with one’s financial resources is an essential and intrinsic part of Christian discipleship and stewardship. Of course we gratefully accept donations by cash or cheque mailed or dropped off into our secure mailboxes, or in the plate during the offertory.
Thank you so much for your continued generosity in keeping SHM & SHJ a vibrant parish in the Archdiocese of Kingston.
shjpayments@gmail.com (SHJ)
shmpayments@gmail.com (SHM)
Food Bank: With Christmas so close, and the need of so many for food at this time, you are invited to bring your donations of food to the church this weekend and to place them at the entrance of the church in the respective box/basket. We are actively seeking cranberry sauce, chunky soup (ready to serve), tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey, flakes of ham (170g), peanut butter, stuffing. During these trying times, please remember those who are in need of our Christian charity. Thank you for your continued generosity.
- We sincerely thank all of our generous volunteers who have spent considerable time and energy decorating our churches for Christmas, filling them with festive joy this season. Thank you especially to the Knights of Columbus, Brenda & Gary P, Iris D, Shirley G, Joanne F. Cathy A.
- Also a special thanks to Mary Clarke for volunteering for the last two years to deliver weekly the non-perishable food items which parishioners generously donate to our food box at the entrance of SHJ.
- Fr. Justin & Fr. Price would like to thank everyone for their kindness and generosity to them this holiday season and throughout the past year. We are deeply grateful to all who have supported SHM & SHJ throughout the past year through your time, your talents, and your generous financial gifts. Your faithfulness makes a meaningful difference in the life of our parish, and we are truly thankful for each of you. As we look ahead, we are grateful to continue this journey together in the year to come.
Terrific to be at the Foundations Christmas lunch with the kids on Wednesday. A festive spirit. Below: Jason R., Diane S & Iris D serving.
It sounds like a bunch of our choir members will be attending this. Highly recommended it if you're in Kingston on the 3rd. A beautiful afternoon!
- We had a beautiful Rorate Caeli Mass last Saturday morning. Thank you to all who attended and helped setup and cleaned up!
October 2026 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
with Fr. Justin & Fr. Price
Have you ever longed to visit the Holy Land during your lifetime, to follow in the footsteps of Our Blessed Lord, to pray, kneel and kiss the soil where his sacred feet trod? Would you like the Sacred Scriptures to be opened up in new and exciting ways? Do you want to experience His Mercy? Do you want your family to be converted? Do you expect a healing for you or someone you love? Do you desire to make atonement for your past sins? Or simply to give thanks to God for all the blessings He's given you? Well, all these and more are good reasons to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and Fr. Justin & Fr. Price are leading one next Oct 5-15, 2026. It's been a long time since I've been and want to go back to my favourite place in all the world. Hope you will prayerfully consider joining in what will be a once in a lifetime spiritual journey.
This is no ordinary trip. It is a living encounter with the very places where the Word became flesh. We have carefully designed this itinerary with one goal above all: deepening your personal relationship with the Savior. That’s why we have built in generous time at each holy site – plenty of time for silent prayer, reflection, and lingering before and after Mass. No rushing from one place to the next. We want you to be able to sit, pray, and let the Lord speak to you in the very places where he once walked. You have no idea how many sites I cut because I wanted a slower, more relaxed and meditative pace. And beware: the terrain of the Holy Land is not easy, and if you thought the walking in Rome was a bit of a challenge, well...
Many of you have told me how much you missed the Holy Land during the pandemic years, and how the war has made returning seem uncertain. Now is the perfect time: the region is open, safe for pilgrims, and the spiritual hunger is stronger than ever. Come and see for yourself – walk where our Blessed Lord walked, touch the stones he touched, and let the Holy Spirit renew you in ways that words cannot describe. Many of you know that the Holy Land is my favourite place in the world, and I've been longing to get back there after the last 4 planned trips have been cancelled.
Only 40 spots are available, and 13 have already been reserved by past pilgrims who didn’t even wait for this official announcement. Demand is high, and availability is limited. Secure your place early so you don’t miss this life-changing journey.
The detailed day-by-day itinerary and registration form are attached. Please review them, share it with your friends and family, pray about it over Christmas, and let me or Edgar know as soon as possible if you’d like to join us. It will be an unforgettable grace-filled experience.
“How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it; if you could really look at other men with common curiosity and pleasure… You would break out of this tiny and tawdry theatre in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky, in a street full of splendid strangers”
