Join us on Wednesday, December 20th at 7:00 p.m. for Lessons and Carols, a beautiful way to prepare for Christmas. Traditionally, it is nine short Bible readings (from Genesis, Isaiah, Luke, Matthew, and John) with a Christmas carol or hymn in between each reading. You may not be very familiar with Lessons and Carols. It isn’t common in Catholic circles, although we went once when it was offered before midnight Mass at the Cathedral. Our son re-introduced it to us as it has become one of his Christmas traditions (watching it on the internet from King’s College in London on Christmas Eve).

The first service of nine lessons and carols started in the Anglican Church of England in 1885. Before that, almost all Christmas carols were sung by carolers making visits to individual homes. Most of the music at that time was considered too secular to be used in church. By 1875, though, there were a few books with Christmas music designed to be used in church services. In 1878, the first Christmas Carol service was introduced in London. Other cathedrals soon followed. Bishop Edward Benson of Cornwall desired to draw people to church from the pubs in town, where he felt there was too much holiday frivolity (remember this was Victorian England). His music minister, Rev. George Walpole, suggested the format for lessons and carols, and it was adopted.

When Bishop Benson became the Archbishop of Canterbury and Rev. Walpole became bishop of Edinburgh, Lessons and Carols quickly spread throughout England. Soon, the Catholic Churches in England adopted the practice, too. And then it made its way to the United States and Canada, and now, we have it offered in our parish this year!

I highly encourage you to invite your family and friends, coworkers, neighbors, and other people you may know to come and participate in our first Lessons and Carols service. It is a perfect opportunity to welcome Catholics, practicing or non-practicing, non-Catholic Christians, or those you may know who do not go to church into our parish and experience the peace and beauty of Advent and Christmas. See you there!

-Deacon Mike

There are two remaining Children’s Choir rehearsals: Sunday mornings at 8:30am – 9:15am (Dec 10 & 17). We ask you to please come at 8:30 sharp, as we will have lots of fun songs to learn and not many rehearsals in which to learn them! Also, remember to meet at 3pm sharp on Sunday Dec 24.

We only have two rehearsals left! Wed, Dec 13 from 6:30–8:15pm and Thurs, Dec 21 from 6:30–8:30pm. Remember we will be singing for Christmas Eve Mass on December 24 (and the Carols concert beforehand) and on Christmas Day morning Mass on December 25. With any music questions, please contact our Director of Music, Donna, via text message at 408-406-6240 or by email at dstoering@gmail.com.

Advent Days of Prayer provide you with an opportunity to enter into a time of holy prayer, reflection, and action. Give yourself the gift of some reflective time during this holy Advent season. Participants need only bring any reading material that they would like to have with them. Lunch will be provided by the Retreat Center. There will be input by the presenter, a guided prayer experience, and ample free time for personal prayer and reflection. There will be an opportunity for Confession, as well as Stations of the Cross and the Liturgy of the Day. These day retreats are not sequential; one may attend all of these days or the day that best fits into one’s schedule. The remaining retreat day is December 13, from 9:00am - 2:30pm. For more information and to register, visit the link below.

Come to Pacem in Terris for a transformative Advent retreat. Allow God’s love to heal, nourish and transform your life. Find rest in body, mind and spirit in this hermitage sanctuary. No schedules or daily distractions. Pacem in Terris offers guests an environment of silence to pray and enter into an intimate union with God. Open year-round. Gift certificates available. Contact: 763.444.6408.

Coffee Sunday will be next Sunday, December 17! Be sure to stop by for coffee, donuts, and fellowship.

Next weekend, December 16 & 17, the 55 Club will be hosting their annual bake sale! After the 5:00pm Mass on Saturday, they’ll be selling goodies in the Kennard St entrance, and on Sunday, they’ll be set up in Kenney Hall along with Coffee Sunday.

Please consider baking some items for our 55 Club Bake Sale! Donated bake sale items can be brought to the Kennard St Entrance on Sat, Dec 16 after 3:30pm, or to Kenney Hall on Sun, Dec 17 after 8am.

Sign up for the next 55 Club Luncheon! It will take place Tuesday, December 19 at Blessed Sacrament at 12:30 pm. The meal will be Ham, cheesy Au gratin potatoes, vegetables, and a roll with butter. For dessert, we’ll have Christmas cookies. Our entertainment will be the 3M Mellow Fellow singers. Call Teri Garrity to register at 651-303-2145.

Invite your family, friends, and neighbors to join us on Wednesday, December 20 from 7-8pm in the Church for an inspiring candlelit service to prepare our hearts for the birth of the Christ Child. This simple and beautiful service, in which readings from sacred scripture alternate with sung meditations, illuminates a season of joyful expectation. This service will feature Donna Stoering, renowned concert pianist and our parish music director; concert violist, Erin Nolan; tenor Chidi Ohammah; and our Choir and lectors. A light reception will follow in the church Narthex. With questions, contact mail@presentationofmary.org.

The Giving Tree is a Presentation of Mary ministry designed to help make Christmas special for those in need. We are honored to be able to offer this assistance again this year. Gift suggestions are hung on our giving tree at the Kennard Street Entrance, along with instructions on how to return your gifts to the parish. With any questions about the Giving Tree, please contact Kay Mottaz at 651-842-6022 or kmottaz@presentationofmary.org.

The Respect Life Committee is sponsoring a baby drive for Options for Women East Life Care Center. From December 2 through January 7, we will collect baby items for moms in need and their infants newborn to size 2T. We prefer that all donations be new, but we do accept gently-used clothing. Items can be placed in the creche in the Kennard Street entrance. You may also call the office if you need to drop items off outside of church times.

Come and find your perfect Christmas tree. The St. Pascal’s Men’s Club is entering their 54th year selling Premium Christmas trees at reasonable prices. No Charlie Brown trees can be found on our lot. A wide selection of Christmas trees are available (Fraser, Canaan, and Balsam firs, Scotch and White pines). We’re located at the intersection of White Bear Avenue and Third Street in St. Paul. We open on Black Friday Nov 24, 2023. Hours are: Mon-Fri 4pm–8pm, and Sat-Sun 9am–8pm. Our trees go fast. Bring the whole family!

The boys' basketball season has begun! Check out the schedule here for the days to come cheer on our Panthers: https://stpaulcaa.org/basketball-boys.

The Presentation School Christmas Concert will be Friday, December 15th at 6:30pm in the church. All are welcome to hear our wonderful students perform!

Great Scott! The 2024 Presentation of Mary Catholic School Gala is coming back to Presentation on Saturday, April 13, 2024! We need you to take action now, so you don’t get left behind! 

April may feel a long way off, but the planning and preparations for our Panther Pride Gala are well underway already! Please make sure you've read all of the information on the Gala web page to understand all the ways you can Raise Your Hand to ensure the success of our biggest fundraiser! Donate a theme basket, wine, beer, or spirits, become a sponsor, get a Gala t-shirt, or even join the planning committee! If you have any questions, contact the school office at 651-777-5877.

Donate Items to the Panther Pride Gala! We are collecting items for our silent and live auctions. Put together a fun theme basket or donate tickets to a fun event. Do you have a special skill such as cooking or woodworking? Donate a cooking lesson or a few hours of carpentry assistance! Get together with some friends and donate a hosted dinner party! The options are limited only to your imagination! Questions? Contact Gala Chair, Linda Charnowski, at lprazak@presentationofmary.org.

Do you know someone in need of prayers? Contact Kay at the Parish Office at 651-842-6022 so they can be added to our Prayer Line.

You can also contact her if you are interested in joining the Prayer Line!

Protection of Youth: All employees, and volunteers who interact with minors, are required to complete and maintain safe environment credentials (E3) through the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. To ensure successful completion of these requirements or if you have any questions regarding our safe environment practices or would like more information on what is needed to volunteer, please contact our Safe Environment Coordinator: Kay Mottaz @ 651-842-6022 or email kmottaz@presentationofmary.org.

To learn more about reporting suspected abuse, please also visit: www.safe-environment.archspm.org/report-abuse/Report.