Good morning, once again and Merry Christmas!

Like I said, so great to be with you today. And, you know, I’m sure I’m not the only person here, but when it comes to Christmas time, it’s pretty much impossible not to think about our childhood, to think about growing up with our childhood traditions.

I think Christmas and just the magic-ness of the whole time seems to be so reminiscent of our magical-ness of growing up, you know, where we were just caught up in wonder and mystery, caught up in just waiting to see what type of gifts we were going to receive on Christmas Day.

And of course, for me, I was kind of very much into setting things up.

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Events, Videos

Community Mass – Christmas Day

December 24, 2022 | St. Charles Borromeo

On Sunday, December 25, 2022, join us in person or online to celebrate Christmas.

Our current Sunday Mass times are:

9 AM EDT – Morning Mass
11:15 AM EDT – Community Mass
There will be no 7 PM mass on Christmas Day.

Watch the video live by clicking in the window above.
Automated closed captioning is available.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel stcharlesbklyn at this link to watch on your Internet enabled TV or viewing device.

Today’s readings will be from Cycle A.

Entrance: O Come, All Ye Faithful – 439

Readings/Responsorial Psalm: 1006

Offertory: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – 424

Communion: Angels We Have Heard on High – 430

Closing: Joy to the World – 437

The Gather 3rd Edition Hymnal/Missals are available for use in the church – pick one up as you enter and return it after Mass. Instructions on how to use the hymnal missal are available here: https://www.stcharlesbklyn.org/hymnal-missal/ .

Today’s readings are also available to read online at the USCCB website https://bible.usccb.org .

Make your Christmas Gift to St. Charles at stcharlesbklyn.org/christmasgift – everything received through this Christmas donation will be used for activities in St. Charles, and St. Charles only.
Memorialize a loved one with flowers for the Church at stcharlesbklyn.org/christmasflowers or use the enclosed envelope.
Donate to Catholic Charities Food Pantries in Brooklyn and Queens online here

Events, Videos

Christmas Eve – Mass During the Night and Children’s Pageant

December 24, 2022 | St. Charles Borromeo

On Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 5 pm, join us in person or online to await the coming of our Savior.

Watch the video live by clicking in the window above.
Automated closed captioning is available.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel stcharlesbklyn at this link to watch on your Internet enabled TV or viewing device.

Today’s readings will be from Cycle A.

Entrance: O Little Town of Bethlehem – 446

Readings/Responsorial Psalm: 1004

Offertory: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – 424

Communion: Angels We Have Heard on High – 430

Post communion: Happy Birthday Jesus

Closing: Joy to the World – 437

Today’s readings are also available to read online at the USCCB website https://bible.usccb.org .

Make your Christmas Gift to St. Charles at stcharlesbklyn.org/christmasgift – everything received through this Christmas donation will be used for activities in St. Charles, and St. Charles only.
Memorialize a loved one with flowers for the Church at stcharlesbklyn.org/christmasflowers or use the enclosed envelope.
Donate to Catholic Charities Food Pantries in Brooklyn and Queens online here

Bulletin

Thank You for Supporting the Christmas Toy Drive

December 24, 2022 | St. Charles Borromeo

Custom House was packed with donated toys on Saturday, December 10. These were donated to the Catholic Charities toy drive so that parents could select gifts and make sure their children had something under the tree.

We posted a recorded message of thanks from John O’Malley, the St. Charles parishioner who organized and has kept this toy drive running for the last eleven years; Fr. Bill, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo; and Red, the proprietor of the Custom House to our YouTube channel.

Thank you for bringing light to the Christmases of so many of our neighbors.

Scriptual Commentary

Christmas – Reborn in the Spirit

December 23, 2022 | Fr. William Smith

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
The Nativity of Our Lord
Titus 3:4–7
December 25, 2022

Christmas provides four Masses with many choices of readings. Most communities choose the readings for Midnight Mass for all the Masses to hear the story of the birth of Jesus in Luke. This is time honored and eagerly awaited but means that we do not hear this section from the “Letter to Titus,” which is read as the Second Reading during the Mass at Dawn. It is always powerful and particularly relevant this year.

This is one of the pastoral letters written in the name of St. Paul but most likely composed years after his death by a disciple. They reflect the situation of the church which the apostles left behind. The first generation of witnesses had died and the leaders who were left needed to establish not only how they would govern but why they could govern. This did not arise abstractly but in concrete situations. These letters addressed them and are thus “pastoral” in that the new leaders prove their worth by the wisdom of their responses. Their use of Paul’s name would not have been seen as dishonest; everyone knew he was dead. They allowed the readers to look at what Paul had said and done in other situations and see if what his successors wrote “fits.” Titus’ letter fits very well not in the original situation but also for our Christmas.

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Events