Novena for The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Once again, this year a Novena (nine days) of Masses leading to the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception will be held at the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate in Guelph.  Novena Masses will be held at 7:30 each morning from November 30 to December 8, and will include the Novena Prayers, and a reflection on Our Lady in the life of Christ, and the life of the Church.  On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Monday, December 9 this year, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for Adoration at the Basilica following Morning Prayer at 8:30am, until Vespers and Benediction at 6:15pm.  The Solemn Mass of the Immaculate Conception will be celebrated at 7:00pm.  As the Diocese’s Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Plenary Indulgence is granted, under the usual conditions, for any of the faithful who make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

ADVENT HYMN FESTIVAL To begin the Advent season, the Diocesan Choir is pleased to announce an Advent Hymn Festival at St. Joseph Parish, 260 Herkimer Street, Hamilton, ON, on Sunday, December 1, 2024, at 7 p.m. Registration is not required, and there is no charge—however, a goodwill offering will go to St. Jospeh's Parish Neighbours in Need Program. Please see the Upcoming events on the Diocese of Hamilton web page.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE CHOSEN: December 12, 2024 (7:00-8:00pm) The Office for Evangelization and Catechesis invites you to a live virtual viewing party of “The Shepherd”, a special Christmas episode of “The Chosen,” reflecting on the birth of Christ through the eyes of a young shepherd.  This one hour gathering will include prayer, free streaming of the 20-minute episode, and well wishes for the Advent Season.  Gather your friends and family, make the popcorn, and join us for this wonderful opportunity to prepare for the coming of our Savior!  Registration is free and can be made here: https://bit.ly/ChristmaswiththeChosen2024

JUBILEE OF HOPE, 2025 The Diocese of Hamilton joins the celebration of the Global Church in this Ordinary Jubilee Year, 2025, as “Pilgrims of Hope!”  We are all invited to journey through this year drawing closer to God through prayer, service and experiences of renewal.  Six churches have been designated as pilgrimage sites across the Diocese, welcoming you as a visitor over the course of the Jubilee to come and pray.  Resources, information and locations of the pilgrimage sites are all made available on the Diocesan Website: www.hamiltondiocese.com. 

Pope Francis will open the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Peter’s in Rome on Christmas Eve, inaugurating the Jubilee Year.  In Cathedrals around the world and in our Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King, the Holy Year will be inaugurated on December 28-29, 2024, the Feast of the Holy Family.  The year will be officially launched in each Parish in the Diocese on this dame day.  The Jubilee Year of Hope will conclude n January 6, 2026.

“In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring… may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope.”

Pope Francis, Spes non confundit.

Christmas Young Adults Night During the Christmas Season, Fr. Mark Morley invites all young adults (ages 20s and 30s) of our diocese to attend an evening of prayer, fellowship and praise music in support of your vocations. The Young Adults Night includes a Holy Hour (6:30pm-7:30 pm), social with food (7:30pm-8:00pm), praise night with vocations testimony (8:00pm-9:00pm), and Compline (9:00pm) on Saturday, January 4th at Annunciation of Our Lord (280 Limeridge Road West, Hamilton, ON). Sponsored by the Vocations Office of the Diocese of Hamilton: https://hamiltondiocese.com/vocations/ For more information, please contact: vocations@hamiltondiocese.com

Young Adults Mass and Vox Talk  During the Advent Season, Fr. Mark Morley invites all young adults (ages 20s and 30s) of our diocese to attend Mass at 7:00pm and participate in the first of a series of Vox Talks at 8:00pm in preparation for the Jubilee Year 2025 entitled “Christian Hope in an Anxious World” on Gaudete Sunday, December 15th at the Sisters of St. John the Baptist Convent (329 Mohawk Road West, Hamilton, ON, parking in rear off of Lynbrook Drive). Doors open for prayer and confessions at 6:30pm. Social with snacks following the Mass. Co-sponsored by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist and the Vocations Office of the Diocese of Hamilton: https://hamiltondiocese.com/vocations/ For more information, please contact: vocations@hamiltondiocese.com

The Reel Justice Film Festival is excited to release our dates for the 2025 season. Our films this year focus on hope and the personal stories that give voice to those that often go unheard. Themes include women’s empowerment, refugees, youth, Indigenous justice, and environmental care.  We start the season on January 23, 2025 ,with She Rises Up, a revealing look at the power of women’s economic participation. The film follows radically different women from Sri Lanka, Peru, and Senegal who are fighting to build businesses, create job opportunities for women, and contribute to the reduction of poverty in their communities. Film Director, Maureen Castle Tusty and Executive Producer James Tusty will join us as guest speakers. In 2008, they founded Sky Films Inc. to produce documentary films that inform, uplift, and inspire. The Reel Justice Film Festival is a partnership between the Bishop Farrell Library & Archives and Development and Peace. Film screenings are shown online, once a month from January to May. You can view our full film lineup at:  https://hamiltondiocese.com/reel-justice-film-festival/ We hope you can join us!  

PARENTING TIP OF THE MONTH #164 December is an exciting month for children and families with the coming of Christmas. December is also the month we prepare for Christmas during Advent! Advent, by definition, means we are preparing for something important, which is the coming of Jesus Christ. Celebrating with an Advent wreath allows us to light a candle each week, offering a chance to discuss, on four occasions, what Christ’s coming to the world means to all of us. The candles (hope, faith, joy and peace) open up the opportunity to remind our children what each candle represents and, of course, the real meaning of the season. Santa comes one night per year, but Jesus is with us always and is a true gift in our lives. This Advent, remember to make Christ the reason for the season.  (From: Teresa Hartnett, Family Ministry Office; 905-528-7988 ext. 2250)

MARRIAGE TIP OF THE MONTH #144 December can be a stressful month with all the preparation and planning that goes on before Christmas. This stress can cause us to lash out in ways we often would not, especially towards our spouses. This year make a conscious decision to break the cycle. Get out your calendars and plan some quiet couple time: a shared coffee, a walk in your neighborhood, watching a shared movie, or a dinner out. At least once a week make the gift of the season time with each other because its impact will last much longer than any other material gift you might give. (From: Teresa Hartnett, Family Ministry Office; 905-528-7988 ext. 2250)

The Diocesan Wedding Anniversary Mass – Save the Date! Are you celebrating your 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 60+ Wedding Anniversary in the year 2025?  Then you are cordially invited to join Bishop Crosby and couples from across the Diocese of Hamilton for a Wedding Anniversary Mass on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at the Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King in Hamilton at 1:30 pm. (Space allows room for Anniversary couples only - those married 60 years or more may bring one guest if you require assistance). Registration will be available online in January at hamiltondiocese.com.

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