There were few changes at the construction site this week. A tarp or covering is in place near the Prince Arthur - Chruch Street corner and also noted were several new small piles of earth in the vicinity the entrance. No new pictures this week.

~ADVENT CHRISTMAS CONCERT~

With song, our Parish continues to prepare for Christmas with a special Christmas Concert in the church this Sunday afternoon beginning at 2:00. Very attractive posters have appeared in strategic places around town and Pius Burke is again giving the lead in this Parish Fundraiser. Come and hear the young and the adults sing the traditional and not-so-traditional Christmas carols and songs.

~ALL LIGHTS ENERGY EFFICIENT~

Through the cooperation of Clean Nova Scotia, all the lights in the church and hall have been replaced with energy efficient new ones. The obvious difference can be noticed as the lights, when first turned on, seem not as bright as usual. Within a very short time span, the bulbs give their proper wattage.

~WORDS FROM OUR ADVENT POSTER~

Bethlehem Candle
… to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem …Luke 2:4 Look what sparks of hope have brought to life! A lamp burns in the window of a stable. A humble place is being made ready to welcome God's wonderful surprise. Advent bids us enter that tiny town … to fetch straw for the manger … TO PREPARE

~STORM CANCELLATION POLICY~

Should a storm occur during the weekend, please listen to CKDH Radio for cancellation notices or visit their Web Site at CKDH.net

~RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS~

• Classes continue for Levels Primary to 5 at West Highlands School beginning at 10:00am. Levels 6 & up meet at their usual times & locations through the week.
• Classes for Levels Primary to Level 5 will conclude December 20th at West Highlands School and then break for the Christmas holidays. Classes will resume on January 10th. Catechists for children in Levels 6 to Confirmation will advise students of their schedules for the Christmas holidays.
• The next Adult Faith Formation with Peter Hoar will take place on Sunday, December 20th beginning at 10:00am at West Highlands School. His last session was informative and we hope aduls will continue to participate.

~PARISH PRAYER WALL~

Parishioners may continue to place prayer intentions on the Prayer Wall in the coming months and we are encouraged to visit the wall often to pray for the intentions placed there. From time to time, these intentions will be mentioned in our Prayers of the Faithful.

~BAPTISM PREPARATION~

Parents wanting children baptized should call the Parish Office for Baptism preparation. Please call Maria or Deacon Howard at 667-2523 to book an appointment.

~MOVIE NIGHT THANK YOU~

Our Movie Night held last Friday evening proved to be a fun night for children and parents. Special thanks to Mike LeBlanc from Mike’s Drive Thru and Convenience for donating the popcorn for our event. Also, thanks to the volunteers for lending a helping hand. Hopefully, we will be having another movie night in the New Year.

~2010 OFFERTORY ENVELOPES~

A number offertory envelopes for 2010 have been given out. Please take a moment to pick up your box if you did not receive them last weekend. If you have not used envelopes before, and would like to begin using them, there are unassigned boxes available on the table with 2010 marked on the top.

~KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS BREAKFAST~

The Knights breakfast will take place Saturday, December 12th from 8:00 – 11:00am at the Knights of Columbus Community Hall, Robie Street. They will be serving scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, jam and a beverage. Cost - $6.00

~CHRISTMAS/NO TURKEY/HAM!~

Let’s make sure no one in this community has this experience. Please donate a turkey/ham for our Christmas Food Boxes and ensure every family has a traditional Christmas dinner. The cost of a turkey is approximately $20.00. Place your donation in the collection and write Christmas Turkey/Ham Donation as well as your name, envelope number on the front of the envelope.

~CHRISTMAS CHEER BOXES~

We are collecting food items for the 90+ cheer boxes in preparation for the distribution of Christmas boxes for those in need. Over several weeks we will be asking for specific food items on a particular weekend. There is a schedule of the foods required to fill each box attached to this week's bulletin. For people who choose to make a donation rather than bringing food each week, please consider the following: 1) Cost of a box including the turkey-$95.00. 2) Cost of turkey-$20.00. Parishioners who choose to donate the cost of a box or a turkey would receive a charitable tax receipt. We ask that you place this schedule on your refrigerator for future reference. For the next weekend we ask you bring Christmas Candy or Chocolate Bars to assist in our Christmas Cheer effort.

~December PARISH EVENTS~

Dec 16th - Advent Penitential Service
Dec 24th - Christmas Eve Service 8:00pm – Trinity St. Stephen’s United
Dec 24th - Christmas Eve Service 11:00pm – Holy Family
Dec 25th - Christmas Day Service 10:00am – Holy Family
Dec 31th - New Year's Eve Service - 4:30pm– Holy Family
Jan 01st - New Year's Day Service - 10:00am – Holy Family

Yearly Novalis Missals

Yearly Novalis Missals are available at the Parish Office (front door of Furlong Jones funeral home) during office hours. Cost $5.00 per book.

CHRISTMAS OFFICE HOURS

The Parish Office will be closed from noon on December 24th to January 3rd. However, you can contact us anytime by phone at 667-2523.

~MEETINGS~

Meetings this week...

• Monday - No Meeting
• Tuesday - No Meeting
• Wednesday - No Meeting
• Thursday - Prayer Meeting, 6:30pm in the Renewal Center
• Thursday - Finance Council, 7:00pm in the Church Office
• Thursday - Knights of Columbus 3rd Degree Business, 7:00pm