A Blessed Advent season to all of you!

As we enter into the second Sunday of Advent, we begin to hear more about John the Baptist in the gospel for a couple of weeks. John was the cousin of Jesus and the infant that leapt for joy” inside his mother Elizabeth’s womb. He knew who was to come, who Mary was carrying inside of her womb. And as he said as he was in his ministry of preparing the way, one greater than him was to come. That someone was Jesus, the King of the Universe, the Savior of the world, the one whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.

John knew about preparation, in putting things in place for the one to come after him. While Advent is about preparation and waiting (for Christmas), the bigger picture is that we all need to prepare ourselves for the second coming of Jesus, at the end of time, where he will come to judge the living and the dead. Part of preparing for the heavenly kingdom is to begin preparing and doing our best to advance God’s kingdom here on earth.

We have begun a short but important parish offertory increase program-asking, inviting all of you to consider increase your weekly contribution. This is not only important as good stewards of our parish, but something that we can do here and now-preparing the parish-for those who came after us. Our parish is over 142 years old-one of the oldest in the diocese-thousands of people in that time helped prepare for us here and now to be able to celebrate the sacraments in our church buildings, be able to attend to those in need of sacraments or Mass intentions in a parish office, to be able to have heat and air conditioning during those great faith events. It may sound small and insignificant but when each of us uses our goods and resources, pooling them together, this is not a big strain on any one person or family. That’s why I ask you all to find a way to increase your weekly contribution to our parish, helping to prepare not only for this month, but for the months and years to come!

I give every week to the collection via on-line giving and I too will be increasing my weekly giving by at least 10%. Help me, help your parish, help advance, prepare, and make present the kingdom of God here on earth-at St. Stanislaus.

Thank you, and may this Advent season bring many more blessings upon you, as we all await and prepare the way for Christs’ coming! Happy Advent!

- Rev. Adrian Cisneros

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