Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Every year when we begin Advent we begin again a journey of faith. Advent is not Christmas. It is a time to look at our lives and our values, to see how we can better help one another on our journey of faith. Prepare the way of the Lord is the message. I remember waiting for my father to come home on Christmas Eve so that we could put up our Christmas Tree. My Father believed that the twelve days of Christmas between Christmas Day and the Epiphany on January 6th were the time to celebrate Christmas. We did celebrate as family by visiting and sharing with relatives and friends. It was a time when work was “forgotten” as we went from house to house. He made the time of preparation a lot of fun too but it was a time of preparation. We as Christians need to remember that, we can not celebrate if we do not prepare. Create memories for your children. Advent calendars the making of, or just opening a door everyday can be great teaching tool. We remember on this journey that as Christians they are called to be the arms and the feet of Jesus in our world. We are pilgrims together on a journey sharing a faith and a journey trying to live and strengthen our faith as we walk together. And the journey continues. It encourages us to pray for and with each other. Fr Karl