As we draw ever closer to this year’s celebration of Christmas, I’d like to reinforce that we are planning to have our Christmas Masses both as accessible and as safe as possible.
On one hand we are still planning to have all 6 Christmas Masses, 4 at St. Benedict and 2 at Sts. Peter & Paul, to ensure plenty of space for everyone who is comfortable attending in-person. It is difficult to estimate how many people will attend the 5:00 p.m. Mass at St. Benedict on Christmas Eve, so we will plan to have both overflow set-up with the large screen TV in the Social Hall in case we should get to our ~120 maximum capacity in the church itself and live streaming access to that Mass as well.
The choir is planning to have a simple musical program starting ~9:00 p.m. before the 9:30 p.m. “Mass at Night” at St. Benedict on Christmas Eve and we are planning to live stream that Mass as well. Then, we’ll plan to have the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Christmas Day available for live streaming viewing, like all of the Masses, through our parish Facebook page at “Christ Our Light Parish, Guernsey County, OH”.
The two Masses at Sts. Peter & Paul in Lore City are scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and 10:30 a.m. on Christmas Day.
In an online AP article of December 6, 2020, the following was noted and quoted about Pope Francis and this year’s Christmas.
“Pope Francis says the Christmas season provides reason for hope amid the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic.
“During his Sunday blessing [of Sunday, December 6, 2020, Pope] Francis noted that the Vatican’s Christmas tree had gone up last week in St. Peter’s Square, and that work is underway to build the life-size Nativity scene next to it.
“Pointing to the tree from his studio window over the square, Francis said such symbols of Christmas ‘are signs of hope, especially in this difficult period.’
“He urged the faithful to recall the true meaning of Christmas — the birth of Jesus — and [to] lend a hand to the neediest. He said: ‘There’s no pandemic, there’s no crisis that can extinguish this light.’”
May the Lord continue to bless us with joy and peace and His Christmas light as disciples of Jesus and to help us to be always ready for the gift of eternal life in Heaven!