Sunday Sports Today:

Boys and girls, men and women are all invited to play dodgeball at the YMCA after the High Mass today.

Parish-wide Consecration to Our Lady:

For those who are participating in this 33-day preparation, or signed up to receive daily emails with meditations, we encourage you to maintain these prayers and meditations daily in order to receive the full benefits of the Total Consecration to Our Lady on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, which is the patronal feast of the United States. Though this preparation will be done by individuals and families privately, we will recite this consecration publicly as a parish after the Masses on the Immaculate Conception.

Knights of Columbus Christmas Poster Contest:

We invite the children of the parish to participate in the “Keep Christ in Christmas” poster contest which is open to age groups: 5–7; 8–10; 11–14; and 15–18 (not yet a high school graduate). 1^st place winner will get a $50 gift card prize.

Competition rules:

• Each poster should be the original work (including concept, layout, slogan and any visual images) of a single person.
• Poster should be approximately 11x17 inches, though the Council will not disqualify based on poster size.
• If pastels, chalk or charcoal are used, the poster must be laminated or covered with clear plastic.

Judging: Posters will be given a 100-point system;

• Slogan=30 points; How clear is the theme?
• Visuals=30 points; Does the art convey this message beautifully?
• Overall Impact=40 points; Does it capture the viewer’s attention and reflection on the topic?

Once judged, all artwork will be on display in the Aula Magna at 112 State Street and winners will be announced at the Parish Christmas Party on Dec. 31 (time forthcoming). Posters must be submitted to the Parish Office no later than Friday, Dec. 16.

Rorate Mass in Honor of Our Lady—Saturday Dec. 10:

There will be a sung Mass which will begin at 6:30am.The Rorate Mass is held in darkness illuminated by candlelight before the sun rises and symbolizes the longing for the Light of the world, who is a gift to Our Lady. The church eventually gets brighter as the sun rises and after the conclusion of the Mass, the priest intones an antiphon three times, with each invocation at a higher tone just as he does for the Easter Vigil alleluia. The antiphon says: “Behold, the Lord comes and all his saints with him and on that day there will be a great light, alleluia."

FROM YOUR PASTOR—Sunday Coffee and Donuts Social—Survey Results:

The results of the survey regarding the coffee and doughnuts are definitive. A vast majority agrees that: 1. we should have it back (73% agree vs.13% disagree); 2. the families should rotate the duties (71% vs. 15%); and 3. we should use the parking behind 112 State Street for the volunteers (81% vs. 9%).  For me, the remaining question is how to organize volunteers. The parish spends a lot of money buying the doughnuts and coffee every week, it would seem wasteful and unnecessary also to pay someone to clean up. Since 71% of families seem willing to take turns on cleanup duty, it seems we should have enough volunteers. Yet, this past year, we could not find enough volunteers. I will continue to consult with anyone in the parish who would like to share an opinion on how to do this, so stay tuned as I hope to have news for you in a few weeks.

Fr. Smith

Fish Fry Event—Ember Saturday of Advent—Dec. 17:

The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a Fish Fry for the Ember Saturday of Advent. Food will be  available in the Church’s Social Hall, following the 9am Mass. $10 buys a plate of Fried Fish, Mac and Cheese, and Coleslaw.

Confraternity of Christian Mothers:

The Confraternity’s next meeting will be held this Saturday, Dec. 10, with 8am Adoration followed by the 9am Saturday Mass. The meeting will be held directly after Mass. For more information, please email: mothers@stlawrence.cc.

Charpentier Messe de Minuit Noel :

The 11am High Mass on Christmas Day will be accompanied by an orchestral setting by Charpentier making the fourth occasion of such an orchestral Mass at St. Lawrence. This music provides a unique opportunity to pray the Mass with the beauty of string instruments and careful consideration of faithful composers from centuries past. The Mass will also include compositions from Heinrich Isaac, Paul Esterhazy, and John Mason.

Seeking Volunteers to assist in the Parish Office:

We’re looking for volunteers to help out weekly in the Parish Office, for 2 hours; a minimum of once every other week, on Friday, from 11:30am to 1:30pm. If you are interested in volunteering, please email: contact@stlawrence.cc.

Inquiry Class Reminder:

If you are not Catholic and are interested in Catholicism, or if you know of anyone who is at all interested, we hold an Inquiry class every Monday at 6pm in the 2^nd floor conference room at our 112 State Street Parish Center. This is a no commitment class and all one needs to do is show up. If you have questions, you are welcome to email the office at: contact@stlawrence.cc.

2023 Basketball Tournament:

We plan to hold our first parish basketball tournament on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at the Harrisburg YMCA from 1pm to 6pm. The tournament is open to men 14 and older. If you would like to play, please sign up by Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022.

You can use this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2J7GCLW,

We will select team captains and hold a private “draft night” on Friday, Dec. 16, and during which time, the team captains will privately draft players for their teams. We are asking people to pitch in $10 to help offset gym rental costs and help pay for equipment (new basketballs and game clocks). Please remember that the deadline to sign up is Dec. 15, 2022, and there will be no “free agents” or “trades” after Dec. 16. We hope to have a competitive and fun Tournament, so please sign up.