Christmas Season Liturgy Schedule

 
12.24.24  |  Christmas Eve
3:30 PM Concert & 4 PM Mass at St. James
4 PM Mass at St. Elizabeth Seton
9:30 PM Concert & 10 PM Mass at St. Elizabeth Seton

12.25.24  |  Christmas Day
9 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton
and livestreamed
11 AM at St. James

12.28.24  |  The Holy Family  
4 PM at St. James

12.29.24  |  The Holy Family  
9 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton
and livestreamed
11 AM at St. James

12.31.24  |  Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God 
4 PM at St. James

1.1.25  |  Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God 
9:00 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton
and livestreamed

1.4.25  |  Epiphany  
4 PM at St. James

1.5.25  |  Epiphany
9 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton
and livestreamed
11 AM at St. James

Evening Prayer

Monday — Friday
5:00 PM | streamed on Facebook

Rosary

Saturdays
3:20 PM | St. James
Tuesday & Thursday
8:30 AM | St. James

Adoration

First Thursdays
8:30 - 9:30 AM | St. James
Every Thursday
3:00 PM | St. James

Celebrate all 12 Days of Christmas

Christmas is more than just a day. In fact, it is an entire liturgical season. The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and last until the evening of the 5th January - also known as Twelfth Night. The 12 Days have been celebrated in Europe since before the middle ages and were always a time of great celebration. The 12 Days each traditionally celebrate a feast day for a saint and/or have different celebrations. Keep your holiday decorations up, your lights lit, and your focus on the gift of Jesus’ birth. To learn more about how to be intentional in marking all 12 days of Christmas, Click Here.

Bless Your Nativity Scene

The practice of setting up a nativity scene begins in Advent and continues through the Twelve Days of Christmas until the Celebration of the Epiphany on January 6. Saint Francis of Assisi began the custom of the nativity scenes when he celebrated Christmas with his brothers at Greccio in 1223 with a Bethlehem scene which included live animals. This tradition quickly spread and people began to construct their own nativity scenes in their homes, churches, schools and public spaces. You might set up your entire scene leaving the crib empty for the Christ Child to arrive on Christmas Eve. Or set up the scene slowly, placing the figures far from the scene and moving them closer day by day. The three kings arrive on Epiphany bearing gifts for the child Jesus. For a simple blessing of your nativity scene, Click Here.

Bless Your Christmas Tree

One of the best known customs for keeping the season of Christmas in our homes is the Christmas Tree. The tradition hearkens all the way back to St. Boniface (680–754), the Apostle to the Germans. Pointing to a great tree one Christmas eve, he implored his fellow citizens with this message: “This little tree, a young child of the forest, shall be your holy tree tonight. It is the wood of peace… It is the sign of an endless life, for its leaves are ever green. See how it points upward to heaven. Let this be called the tree of the Christ-child; gather about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes; there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and rites of kindness.” Prepare your own tree with this spirit and make a point of blessing it as a household this week. You can find a lovely blessing prayer, Click Here.