Catholic Charities’ Christmas concert is available for viewing. It features holiday favorites and jazz standards sung by Ulises and Coco accompanied by Sergio or Coco on the piano. You can watch it online at ccbq.org/christmas-concert/watch. It will also be shown on NetTV on December 15th, 7:30 PM; December 18th, 9:00 PM; December 19th, 2:00 PM; December 20th, 3:00 PM; and December 26th, 10:30 AM.
We invite you to join in for uplifting music and to support the vital work of Catholic Charities. This is also your chance if you have been waiting to hear Ulises belt out My Way.
Summary of Christmas Giving Appeals
We sponsor opportunities for us to give in different ways this Christmas season. It’s a busy time of year, so below is a brief summary of our Christmas giving appeals. More details about many of the programs are available below on the website.
- Toys for Individual Children
- If you would like to buy toys for a particular child, we will have the names of individual children and what they really want.
- Email [email protected] to obtain name of child and his/her wish list.
- Respond by December 8, 2020.
- Catholic Charities Toy Drive
- New toys and baby items will be collected will be brought together in a “toy store” for parents to choose which toys they think best for their children.
- Bring unwrapped toys in the rear of church (by Wed., Dec. 9), or bring to Custom House on Sat., Dec. 12
- Respond by December 12, 2020.
- Volunteer Your Time with Catholic Charities
- Two ways to participate: (1) Collect from churches and Investors Bank locations during the week of Dec 14; and/or
(2) Help distribute the toys on Dec. 17/18 (Queens) and Dec. 22 (Brooklyn) - (1) Email or call rectory to help with toy collection; (2) Sign up online to help with toy distribution
- Please respond as soon as possible.
- Two ways to participate: (1) Collect from churches and Investors Bank locations during the week of Dec 14; and/or
- Gift Cards for St. Vincent Scholars
- Gift cards for young people who are cycling out of foster care and likely not receiving any gifts for Christmas this year, and foster children who do not have access to school supplies and learning tools required for remote schooling.
- Donate online at https://stcharlesbklyn.weshareonline.org/ws/opportunities/StVincentsGiftCards or place a check in the collection box (see details below).
- Respond by December 13, 2020.
- Christmas Flower Memorials
- This Christmas season, we will decorate the church with joyousness and memorialize loved ones with flowers.
- Donate online at https://stcharlesbklyn.weshareonline.org/ChristmasFlowerMemorials or via envelope enclosed with the pastor’s Christmas letter.
- Respond by December 19, 2020.
- Christmas Gift to Parish
- We will ask for your support of our annual Christmas donation that goes to support the activities of St. Charles, and St. Charles only. A particular focus this year will be the increased costs due to the pandemic. The parish has been scrupulous in fulfilling our safety responsibilities during the pandemic, but this has been very costly and will continue longer than anticipated.
- Donate online at https://stcharlesbklyn.weshareonline.org/ParishChristmasGift or via envelope enclosed with the pastor’s Christmas letter.
- Respond by December 25, 2020.
- Christmas Gift to Catholic Charities
- Churches across our diocese take up a collection for Catholic Charities on Christmas Day. Catholic Charities has been vitally important for so many of our neighbors, particularly during the hardships of this year. We encourage you to contribute generously.
- Donate online at https://stcharlesbklyn.weshareonline.org/CatholicCharitiesChristmasGift or place a check in the collection box.
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Tuesday, December 8 is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. There will be two Masses said at St. Charles Borromeo:
- 8 AM – Online Mass – The priests will celebrate Mass in the rectory chapel. You cannot attend in person, but the Mass will be streamed via Zoom and YouTube and available on YouTube for later viewing.
- 12:10 PM – There will also be a 12:10 PM Public Mass in the church that is open to all.
You can watch the 8 AM Online Mass in the YouTube window below.
2nd Sunday of Advent – Fr. Smith Homily
When I first became interested in community organizing, I went to East New York to visit the
Nehemiah Houses. East New York was once described as the place where civilization went to die. All I knew about the
Nehemiah Houses was that they were designed not so much for the residents of the community as with them. I did not know what to expect but I found lovely one family bungalows with meticulously kept lawns. Modest and unassuming but they radiated pride of ownership. When I returned to my rectory in Bed-Sty I looked out my window to an apartment house financed by Jackie Robinson and designed by professional architects from the finest materials a few decades before the
Nehemiah Houses. They had by then deteriorated to the point that I had to ask for a guard to bring me in and out when I went on communion calls. I could not understand the difference but, as we see today, John the Baptist could have explained it to me.
Community Mass – 2nd Sunday of Advent
Please join us for Mass for the 2nd Sunday of Advent – Sunday, December 6.
- 9:00 AM EST Sunday Morning Mass celebrated at the Church – not streamed.
- 11:15 AM EST Community Mass celebrated at the Church and also streamed online and available for playback. Instructions to view the Mass are available here. You can also watch the video via YouTube Live in the window above.
Today’s readings and hymns are available to download here:
- Hymnals, bulletins, and other handouts will not be available at the church. Please download on your phone or tablet, or bring your own missal.
- Please follow the instructions of the ushers, and observe all of the health precautions so that we can continue to worship together safely.
- Support our Parish – Please contribute to our General Collection online here.
- Help us support Catholic Charities Food Pantries in Brooklyn and Queens online
- Support our Christmas Fundraisers
- Christmas Gifts and Gift Cards for St. Vincent’s Services Students and Scholars: Donate online here. If you would like to sponsor a particular student, write to [email protected]
- Catholic Charities Toy Drive: bring an unwrapped toy to the back of the church or to The Custom House at 139 Montague Street.
2nd Sunday of Advent – Wanting Nothing More Than to Know and Love Us
John the Baptist, Alexandre Cabanel, 1849, Musée Fabre (France – Montpellier)
Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the 1st Reading
Second Second of Advent
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
December 6, 2020
Today, we read the opening of what has come to be known as “Second Isaiah,” the writings of the second person to use the name Isaiah: Yahweh is salvation. The first as we have seen many times was an 8th century BC prophet, “Isaiah of Jerusalem”. Despite being a prophet, he was well connected to the king and his court. The Isaiah from whom we read today, “Isaiah of Babylon,” wrote from the community of exiled Jewish leaders in Babylon sometime after 539 BC. Despite the difference of time and place they share similar ideas. The first is the nature of the call itself.
Our passage opens with:
Continue reading “2nd Sunday of Advent – Wanting Nothing More Than to Know and Love Us”Comfort, give comfort to my people,
(Is 40:1–2b)
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
Evening Prayer Tomorrow at 5 PM
Please download the worship aid to participate in Friday’s evening prayer at 5 PM.
Instructions on how to join are available here.