“Hail, full of grace! ” The Angel to Mary, Luke 1:28

Happy Fourth Sunday of Advent!
Full of grace! What kind of girl was Mary? Biblical scholars say she was quite young, maybe 14 or 15. She was promised in marriage to an older man, Joseph. According to St. Luke, her family was related to the priesthood in Jerusalem. So she is a devout Jew, keeping Torah the way it was meant to be kept. The Kingdom of God must have been already uniquely present in her. She was the perfect vessel for the Messiah.

Full of grace! An angel appears to her, tells her not to fear, and then tells her she will be with child by the Holy Spirit. Yep, nothing to fear there, other than total rejection by her betrothed, family and community. Yet, full of grace, she says “Yes,” to the most fearful challenge that could be given a young woman. The world is about to turn.!

We are nearing the end of the calendar year. The Christmas collections are vitally important for the financial health of every parish everywhere, and St. Therese is no exception. Of course, this year we won’t have the contributions of our extra Christmas visitors. Please be especially generous this year!

f you haven’t made a pledge for next year, please go online at st-therese.cc, click on GIVE on the banner, and then choose “Stewardship of Treasure Commitment Form.”

We need some help! 
Nicole needs someone to learn how to run the livestream at mass. Contact Nicole at nicoles@st-therese.cc. 
A parish gardener! Zach Mayer, who developed the garden as a school class, is moving out of the area. He has suggested that we continue the garden as a support for St Mary’s food bank. If you know something about growing vegetables and can lead a team, we can recruit more folks to help you. Contact me at jvrussell85@gmail.com.
Diane would like someone to sanitize the Parish Center mid-week. Contact paa@st-therese.cc if you’re interested.

Collections July 1 - December 16, 2020 $142,232
Where we need to be:                               $175,344
Last year at this time:                                 $153,482