Parish Newsletter 12.27.2025

My dear brothers and sisters, Merry Christmas!

We continue our Christmas celebrations by focusing on the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Just as God had deemed it worthy and appropriate that He should come into this world through a virgin-woman, Mary, he also gifts to her a husband in Joseph, who would in turn become the stepfather and guardian to Jesus, the Son of Mary, the Son of God. This Holy Family is to be for us a model of what every family, every household, is called to be: filled with grace—abiding with Emmanuel… Jesus, God-with-us, Who saves.

Reflecting on this is a reminder to take a moment and cherish the wondrous gift God has given to us through the lives of our immediate family; but not just them, but to our extended families as well, which includes our parish family.

The beauty in which God chose to reveal His plan of salvation to the world is a reminder of how He desires for us to come together, as He had intended since the very beginning of time, to be a part of His family.

When we reflect on our Christmas tradition, whether it is at church or at someone’s home, it is a call to gather and celebrate the Gift of a Life: Jesus, Who IS God. A call to gather TOGETHER AROUND Jesus. At every celebration of the Mass, this Divine Liturgy, whenever and wherever it takes place, take a moment to look around and see how people have gathered together for This singular purpose. And this people who have gathered are called to be in COMMUNION with one another, with Jesus leading… together in Holy Communion… as a Holy Family.

Take a moment to thank God for the “family” that He has placed in your midst. Even when there are challenges that come with the relationships in our lives, how blessed we are to be part of a family.

Pray also, that each and every one of us, would allow ourselves to be led and guided by Jesus, the head of our family, our household, that our love would increase for Him and one another. He is the glue to the family bringing together those who we might not have thought could come together. In His perfection, He perfects our imperfections.

Christmas blessings to all!!!

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph, raise your hands and bless us! Pray for our families at home and in our parish!

Fr Peter

Thursday, January 1: Closed

Friday, January 2: Closed

Feast of the Holy Family

Dec. 27-28, 5:00pm (Sat), 9:00am & 11:45am (Sun)

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Holy Day of Obligation

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 5:00pm | Thursday, Jan. 1, 9:00am

The Epiphany of the Lord

Jan. 3-4, 5:00pm (Sat), 9:00am & 11:45am (Sun)

The Baptism of the Lord

Jan. 10-11, 5:00pm (Sat), 9:00am & 11:45am (Sun)

“If only souls would come to Me and would tarry in My presence, they would discover a love that fills their heart so completely that it dispels every loneliness and becomes wondrously fruitful in the lives of those who accept it” (In Sinu Jesu, Jan 10, 2012, Imprimatur).

There is a great need to cover open hours for 6:00 p.m. adoration hours for Thursdays and Fridays as well as open adoration hours as prayer partners with other adorers. Contact Barb Kleiter at 651-774-1172 for more information on open adoration hours or log on to https://presentation.weadorehim.com

Adult Faith Formation & OCIA: Join Us!

10:15-11:30am | Modesta Room, Lower Parish Center

No class today. Enjoy the holiday season!

Upcoming Topics:

January 4: The people of God, The Church

January 11: Liturgy and Sacraments

“We are excited to announce our series of FORMED Now! Christmas and New Year special episodes. In these episodes, professors from the Augustine Institute Graduate School will lead us in reflections throughout the season!”

If you’re interested in watching this video, head to https://formed.org/ and create a free account, then select our parish to get access to any content our parish can access.

Saturday, December 27th | 10:00am-3pm | Gym

Today is the day! Come for arts & crafts, food, and great entertainment!

Fun & free for the whole family!

Aside from what is contained in Rome, Vatican Unveiled holds the largest collection of Catholic artifacts in the world—and its coming here to the Twin Cities! See the flyer or head to https://www.archspm.org/vaticanunveiled/ at the link below to learn more and purchase your tickets.

Catholic Schools Week is coming up quick in January! We’ll kick off the festivities with a Pancake Breakfast hosted by the Knights of Columbus on January 25, 2026. Stay tuned for more updates to come!

Join us in the school for a Vikings vs Packers border battle watch party! We’ll gather in the school gym. The exact time is dependent on the game schedule, so keep an eye out on our socials for any updates!

Donors

Jeri Mahre

Joyce & Sandy

Karnowski

Kathy O'Grady & Family

Sue & Tom Dacko

Pete & Karen Simons

Liz Hintze Family

Emily Wenstad Family

Pete Boulay & Family

Mike & Nancy Langness

In remembrance of

Bill Mahre

Fraces Derdoski

Madeline Mahre

The Schneider &

Karnowski Families

Terry O'Grady

Tom Strobel

Lucille & Bud Wolszon

Bob & Lorraine Reistad

Lindsey Moen

Vivian & John Forsberg

Alfred Boulay

The John Gangl Family

The Harlan Wade Family

The Langness & Koren Families

If you wish to donate towards the cost of our Christmas flowers and plants, please place your contribution in the collection baskets or mail to the Parish Office. Mark your envelope “Christmas Environment” and include your name & the name of the person you would like to be remembered.

The Respect-Life Committee along with the Mother Terese Sewing Group are sponsoring a baby drive for Options for Women East life Care Center, Bundles of Love, Cradle of Hope, First Care and Catholic Charities Family Services. We will collect baby items for mons in need and their infant’s newborn to size 2T until January 4th.

We prefer all donations be new, but we do accept gently used clothing. Items can be placed in the creche in the Kennard Street entrance. You may also call the office if you need to drop items off outside of church times.

The Family Service Center is in Maplewood at 2001 Van Dyke St. near the Aldrich Arena, right behind the former Ramsey County Home. Catholic Charities housing stability programs provides shelter, meals and opportunities to find jobs, secure a stable home and medical care for those in need. The Family Service Center provides emergency shelter for 21 homeless Ramsey County families (65 beds) with access to meals, health services, transportation, housing and employment assistance.

Volunteers are needed to support staff with the lunch (11-1), and dinner (4-6) meals by setting up beverages, prepping food, dishing up the meal, putting away the food, washing trays, dishes and pots & pans while providing a warm greeting to guests. You will receive on the job training by staff and no special skills are required. There is plenty of free parking available in the front lot.

All participants must be at least 14 years old and anyone under the age of 18 must be supervised by an accompanying adult—no exceptions. All minors must have a waiver signed prior to arriving for their shift.

For more information on how to sign up, head to cctwincities.volunteerhub.com. You can register as a culunteer then go to the “Events” Box on the left for a drop-down menu and sign up for the Family Service Center breakfast, lunch or dinner, by date.

Call Judie Steenberg at 651-770-1554 with questions!

St. Odilia Catholic Church is hosting an educational series centered on Dementia. If you are interested in learning more about this condition or learning what you can do to help a family member or friend struggling with dementia, then you are welcome to attend this free series. No registration required. See the flyer below for more details.

On Sunday, January 4th, the Vikings and Packers will be facing off against each other, and we will be hosting a watch party and potluck in our school gym! Come join us to enjoy some friendly rivalry and cheer on your favorite team! Once the time of the game is announced we will have more details to share, so stay tuned!

Any children that will be entering kindergarten in the Fall of 2026 are invited to spend a morning with Ms. Bertini experiencing kindergarten life on Wednesday, January 21st at Presentation from 9-11am! Please register by visiting https://forms.gle/SkYoz26HBsKqjQy47 at the button below. Registration is due by January 16th. Any questions? Contact the school office at 651-777-5877.

The Kindergarten/Eighth Grade Buddy Program is a long-standing tradition at Presentation and has resulted in some beautiful friendships forming that often last far beyond the years the students spend at Presentation. It’s so wonderful to watch them grow together and get to know each other throughout the year. They recently enjoyed a Christmas party together making gingerbread houses and exchanging gifts. The gingerbread houses tuned out great and the kids had a blast! An extra special thanks to parishioner and parish employee Karen Simons for bringing her building expertise as well as the best icing around to keep the houses standing!

The Panther Pride Benefit is Presentation of Mary School’s biggest fundraiser of the year. This year’s theme is Rodeo Roundup, so saddle up and save the date for Saturday, April 18th. We are currently accepting donations for both our live and silent auctions to help ensure the event’s success! Good ideas include: theme baskets, gift cards, tickets to experiences, hosted meals/parties, etc. All donations can be brought to the school or parish office. Questions? Contact the school office at 651-777-5877 or mdavini@presentationofmary.org.

Follow along with school news: The latest Panther Post Newsletter can be found by visiting https://app.smore.com/n/ghuta

Park your car, come in the church and head to the Reconciliation Room with the lit candle.

Tues & Thurs: 5:00-5:45pm

Sat: 4:00-4:45pm

Or make an appointment: fr.ly@presentationofmary.org

Conversation, prayer requests, resources...? Please ask.

All information will remain confidential.

Contact the Parish Office at

651-777-8116 or Mail@PresentationOfMary.org

Do you know someone in need of prayers? Contact Kay at the Parish Office at 651-842-6022 so they can be added to our Prayer Line.

You can also contact her if you are interested in joining the Prayer Line!

If you are interested in enrolling in online giving, follow the instructions on our website, linked here!

Don't forget to switch over from our old online giving platform, Vanco, to ParishSoft Giving. If you have any questions about how to do it, please contact the Parish Center at 651.777.8116, or click on this following link: Online Giving

Protection of Youth: All employees, and volunteers who interact with minors, are required to complete and maintain safe environment credentials (E3) through the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. To ensure successful completion of these requirements or if you have any questions regarding our safe environment practices or would like more information on what is needed to volunteer, please contact our Safe Environment Coordinator: Kay Mottaz @ 651-842-6022 or email kmottaz@presentationofmary.org.

To learn more about reporting suspected abuse, please also visit: www.safe-environment.archspm.org/report-abuse/Report.