Our identity is found in Christ. In this week’s Sunday Gospel, Johns identity is revealed as a messenger pointing to the Messiah. We are revealed as members of the Messiahs kingdom. Seeking our identity in Christ is a life long journey. Advent is a time for joyfully seeking the comings of the Messiah. Advent is a time to increase our own self-understanding as those who continue the mission of Jesus here on Earth. We reveal our identity by being the Christians that God has called us to be. Church Tradition lets us know that the third Sunday of Advent is “Gaudete,” “Rejoice,” Sunday, named after the entrance antiphon in the Roman Missal. The season of Advent encourages us to make time in our preparations to joyfully greet Jesus in the Christmas season. The Archdiocese annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious is this weekend. Cardinal DiNardo is encouraging all of the faithful to give what they can in support of the 34,000 senior sisters, brothers and religious order priests who have served throughout our Archdiocese and the United States. The retirement fund for Religious offers vital financial assistance to help meet the day to day needs for medications, nursing care and more. The U.S. bishops initiated the collection in 1988 to address the significant lack of retirement funding among U.S. religious communities. Proceeds are distributed to eligible communities to help underwrite retirement and health-care expenses. Thank you for your generosity With Christmas day 2016 on December 25th falling on a Sunday it’s going to be a busy time for us in the church as we transition from our Advent season environment to the Christmas season. Make Plans for your family to attend the 5th annual Deck the Halls to end the fourth week of Advent and purple and decorate the Church for Christmas. Deck the Halls will be held on Sunday December 18st starting at 1:30 pm. Festivities will be available for all ages. The liturgical Environment team along with various parish organizations, and a collection of families from the parish, could use a hand in decorating the church, Guyot Hall, the Religious Education building and the parish grounds. Call the parish office for details on how to help. Let’s take a look ahead to the Christmas schedule. Our Christmas Mass schedule is as follows: Saturday, December. 24th, Christmas Eve: 5:00 pm (with an overflow Mass in Guyot Hall), 8:00 pm and 12 midnight; Sunday, December. 25th, Christmas Day: 8:00 am and 10:00 am. With all those masses we will be stretched thin on ministers to help cover the many needs of the Christmas Liturgy. In particular I am asking our Eucharistic Ministers of Holy Communion to please sign up to assist at one (or two) masses if at all possible. Same goes for our Sacristans, Acolytes, Altar Servers, Ushers and Greeters. We will have a lot of visitors with us this Christmas season and we need your presence, please. We have some exciting news, beginning in early January 2017, We will have a new Coordinator of Youth Ministry. Please welcome Lauren Koath as the new Coordinator of Youth Ministry here at St. Hyacinth. Lauren is originally from North Texas, attended Franciscan University where she graduated in 2013 with degrees in Theology and Catechetics. According to her bio Lauren “has a heart for sharing the joy of the Gospel with the young Church” and has been involved in youth ministry for several years in both Texas and Ohio. Lauren is a hockey lover and coffee enthusiast. Lauren is excited for the opportunity to join and serve the St. Hyacinth community. Ms. Koath is part of the Adore ministry and missionary team who will be working in our parish to provide a coordinated youth ministry program. We are very excited to have Ms. Koath joining our team. I send out my sincere thanks to all who made a pledge for our Building Faith, Family and Future Capital Campaign. I truly appreciate your generosity and support. Please consider making an year end pledge. Envelopes are in the Narthex along with our collection box specifically designed for our Capital campaign or you can do so online through the parish website. When you complete your pledge envelope, drop it in the collection box, offertory basket, or mail it or bring it by the office at any time. Remember, we ask every family to consider an equal sacrifice, not an equal size gift. As we enter the Christmas season and the time for giving, we can all do our part, and every pledge, of every size, is most needed and welcomed. Thank you for doing your part to help us reach our goal.