St. Edward Parish, Newark: December 2006 Archives

The parish has invested in a new Nativity scene. A closer look can be had at the parish website. That picture should remain there for the rest of the season.

One of my favorite rituals is the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens. It is a rite rich with purpose and meaning. It does what it says it does. The New Catechumen is signed with the cross of salvation and they have a feeling of real welcome, support and joy from the Congregation. Here toward the end of the first part of the rite, the Deacon assists as I place a small wooden cross over their neck. The crosses are Olive Wood and they come from the pruned olive trees in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The Homily was based on the text from the Gospel, "The word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the desert." At the end of the homily each new catechumen received a small bible inscribed with the date and their name.

This is one of the joys of parish life. We have a pretty vibrant Adult Faith Formation program, and this year five young people have asked for the sacraments. It is such a pleasure to accompany these individuals on their journey of faith.

Ok, I had not realized that it had been all that long since I blogged. I will try to get back to this for Advent. It is, after all, my favorite season.

Today is a bit daunting, three masses and three baptisms.

What has consumed a bit of time lately is the planning involved for a trip to Rome, Assisi, Giano del Umbria, Siena, San Gimignano, and San Giovanni Rotondo that will take place December 27th through January 13th. I will post the itinerary when it is complete. And yes, part of the trip will be a visit to Ristorante Rifugio San Gaspare.

The other thing that has consumed a lot of time and energy is the annual wrestling the budget to the ground. So how does one cut $91,000 from the budget and still keep smiles on the faces of the Parish Team?

Oops, I need to get my Christmas cards started.