Let us start the New Year right by seeking the grace of God and the intercession of our Blessed Mother as we commemorate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Our New Year's Eve Mass on Friday, December 31st will be at 5:00pm and our New Year's Day Mass on Saturday, January 1st will be at 9:00am.

Note: Although NOT a Holy Day of Obligation this year, all are enjoined to commemorate together the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God as one parish community.

Our remembrance of Mary’s divine motherhood injects a further note of Christmas joy. It is a day of prayer for world peace: Mary is the mother of the Prince of Peace. It is the first day of a new year: Mary continues to bring new life to her children—who are also God’s children.

To her let us entrust our journey of faith, the desires of our heart, our needs and the needs of the whole world, especially of those who hunger and thirst for justice and peace, and for God.

In celebrating the Solemnity of Mary Most Holy, the Holy Mother of God, the Church reminds us that our Mother, more than anyone else, received this blessing. In her the blessing finds fulfillment, for no other creature has ever seen God’s face shine upon it as did Mary. She gave a human face to the eternal Word, so that all of us can contemplate him. www.franciscanmedia.org

Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a

close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and

dignity of being the Mother of the Son of God, by which account

she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the

Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace she far surpasses all

creatures, both in heaven and on earth. At the same time, however,

because she belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with

all those who are to be saved. 

(Lumen Gentium, no. 53)

 And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.  (Luke 2:19-20)