The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on December 8. This is a Holy Day of Obligation. There will be an Anticipatory Mass at Christ the King on Friday, December 7 at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, December 8 Mass will be celebrated at Holy Trinity at 11:00 a.m. and Saint Patrick at 1:00 p.m. The 5:00 p.m. Mass at Holy Trinity on December 8 is the Anticipatory Mass for the Second Sunday of Advent and does not satisfy the Holy Day requirement.

This weekend there will be a second collection for the Retirement Fund for the Religious at all Masses. Aging religious need you help. Senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests ministered for years for little or no pay. Their sacrifices now leave their religious communities without adequate retirement savings. Your gift to today’s Second collection for the Retirement Fund for the Religious helps to provide medications, nursing care, and more for tens of thousands of elderly religious. PLEASE be generous.

Mark you calendars for our Reconciliation Services. There will be a Reconciliation Service on Tuesday, December 11 at Christ the King at 6:30 p.m. There will also be a Reconciliation Service on Wednesday, December 12 at Holy Trinity at 6:30 p.m. There will be three priests available at both services.

This is a good way to let Christ dwell in your heart and thus truly be ready for His birth.

Winter is upon us and thus the beginning of inclement weather. Please note that if there is snow on the ground, weekday masses are cancelled. However, weekend Masses will NOT  be cancelled.  Fr. Chapin does not like to drive in snow, so if anyone is interested in driving him to one or all of the weekend Masses, please call the office and leave your name and number.

If you would like to request a Mass Intention, you can fill out a Mass Intention envelope at the church or you can create an envelope with the following information: who the Mass Intention is for and whether the person is living or deceased, the date you are requesting, your name and a telephone number where you can be reached during the day, and the amount you are offering. You may drop your Mass Intention envelope in the collection basket or sent it to the office. If the date you request is unavailable, your intention will be scheduled for the next open date available unless you request otherwise.

In accordance with the guidelines from the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Mass stipends are deposited in a separate checking account. If you are writing a check, please make it payable to your respective church. The current suggested level of giving is $20 for a weekend Mass or $10 for a daily Mass. Any offering, however, is most welcome, and if you do not have funds to offer, you are encouraged to still request your Mass Intention.

As you know, we keep a list on the church bulletin of people who are sick and homebound. Please remember these people in your prayers and let us know if you have a special prayer request. Also, please let us know when we need to remove someone from the list.