St. Mary’s Church is having a fundraiser dinner. Save the Date: Saturday, Feb. 18th. A sign-up sheet is at the back of the church. More details to follow next week.

There will be a dinner party for Fr. Noel, next Friday night, January 27th, at 6pm. Come to St. Mary’s for a family pot luck dinner and a farewell gathering in honor of Fr. Noel Tria.

Fr. Noel's new assignment will be at St. Mark's in Newberry. His last Sunday Mass with us will be January 29.

Dear Parishioners,

Another calendar year has come to a close and 2012 awaits us with hope for the future. As I look back over 2011, I marvel at what the Lord has done for all of us. I feel a deep sense of gratitude to God for placing me here as your pastor. This past year has been exciting for me to see all the new growth in our parish as many new faces fill our pews.

We’ve spent most of the year strengthening the devotional life of our parish and community. This past year was one where I witnessed a more unified community, something so important to us all. I see wonderful opportunities ahead and pray for us to continue to unify our parish. If you have been disappointed or let down by something or someone here at St. Mary’s, let it go and seek the Lord’s peace and move on. Don’t let anything be a barrier to our family unity.

As we begin this New Year, I encourage you to reflect and pray about your unique talents and gifts. Please open your heart to faithfully respond to God’s call to use these talents for the service of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Thank you for helping make 2011 such a memorable year for me. Each of you will be in my prayers over the coming New Year!

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Noel P. Tria

This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, and we used the new English translation for the Mass.  If you want some background information, you can follow these links.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception will be celebrated on Thursday, December 8, with Mass at 7:00 p.m. This is a Holy Day of Obligation.

Christmas Eve Mass will be at 9 p.m. at St. Mary's. Christmas Day Mass will be at the usual time of 9 a.m.

St. William's in Ward will have a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. (The bulletin had the wrong time for St. WIlliam's.)