This year as the Masses begin on Christmas Eve, this Deacon will be assisting at my home parish for the first time since 2010. Soon after Christmas of that same year I was notified of my move to Most Holy Trinity Parish. So this Christmas will be new, yet familiar. It's hard to believe that I have spent part of every Christmas Eve and every Christmas Day since 2011 with the good folks at Most Holy Trinity Parish. I have wonderful memories of our beautiful celebrations of Christmas there and the beautifully decorated church, even a church that is a converted retail pet store. I am excited for all my friends at MHT because this is their last year in the old facility as Christmas 2016 will be in the new, larger and beautiful church that is rapidly nearing completion.
I remember the many chairs we would put out to accommodate the large overflow crowds at both the 4 and 6 vigil Masses on Christmas Eve. We would often get 700 + for the 4 and 500 for the 6. Not bad for a church that seats 400 normally. The Christmas morning masses would draw more normal sized crowds averaging about 350 attendees. One of the great things about Christmas at Most Holy Trinity was these amazing homemade pickles we would get as a gift from Father Dean.
I am going to miss not spending Christmas with the wonderful people of Most Holy Trinity this year. Of course I am spending Christmas in a pretty amazing place; my home parish at St. Jane de Chantal Church. Now this is a familiar setting as I spent every Christmas here from 1996 until 2010, including my first three as a Deacon. As much as I will miss my friends at Most Holy Trinity I will be anticipating with great joy returning to the altar and ambo at St. Jane's.
So tonight I want to wish a very Merry Christmas to all the faithful parishioners at Most Holy Trinity and at St. Jane de Chantal!
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