Dear St. Catherine's Parish Family
This Sunday we begin the season of Advent, which is a special time for us as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord at Christmas. This first Sunday of Advent actually marks the beginning of our liturgical year as Catholics. With the new liturgical year, we begin a new cycle of Mass readings, and you may have noticed that we replaced our pew missals with a new set which includes the new cycle of readings.
I want to draw your attention, as well, to the front inside cover of the new pew missal. Several people have asked me to provide a translation for the Latin chant parts of the Mass that we use, so I have inserted a label on the inside front cover with the Latin chant parts along with the English translation underneath. As a reminder, the Church encourages us to use these Latin chant parts and has expressed that all Catholics be familiar with them (see Second Vatican Council Document on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium 54). I find that they truly add to the sense of mystery and reverence that we ought to have for the Mass.