Happy Advent and also Happy Feast of St. Andrew!! When I first heard that I was becoming the Pastor of St. Andrew Parish, I was thrilled to have one of the Apostles, the brother of St. Peter as a new patron saint! We have an epic statue of St. Andrew right in front of our church, a beautiful stain glass window of him inside the church and a one-of-a-kind painting of him in our school. Having been ordained to the priesthood on June 29th, I have had a special devotion to Saints Peter and Paul for their martyrdom is celebrated on June 29th. It is a wonder too how the statue of St. Andrew in front of the church is flanked by St. Peter and St. Paul. We find this trio also in the Roman Canon, which is one of the oldest Eucharistic Prayers of the Mass. It was the only Eucharistic Prayer universally prayed for the Mass for over a thousand years. Part of the prayer includes in order: Peter, Paul and Andrew.

We have been praying as a parish the novena prayer to St. Andrew. A novena is a nine-day period of private or public prayer to obtain special graces, to implore special favors, or make special petitions. Novena is derived from the Latin novem, meaning nine. Many Novenas are set by the liturgical calendar and are tied to specific feast days. For example, The Divine Mercy Novena starts every year on Good Friday and the Novena to the Holy Spirit every year on Ascension Thursday leading to the Feast of Pentecost. This tradition can be traced back to the Sacred Scriptures. In Acts 1:12, 14 it is written, “After that they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet near Jerusalem — a mere Sabbath’s journey away. Together they devoted themselves to constant prayer." It was nine days after the Ascension that the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles.

I pray that you have felt the intercession of St. Andrew during this time, and know that often it is not until after the novena is prayed that we begin to experience the graces that our patron saint has asked for us from the Lord. May St. Andrew continue to intercede for us in our preparation for Christmas as we begin the Advent Season. Come Lord Jesus!

The season of Advent is upon us, a time of preparation of waiting in joyful hope. “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” These words from psalm 25 express our readiness to turn to God during this Advent Season because it is in Him and from Him that we have our being. We are called to refocus beyond ourselves to understand and long for what the prophets proclaimed: “the new days are coming.” 

Advent is the season of hope and awareness. To cultivate real hope, we have to admit what is wrong with ourselves and with our world. 

In his encyclical “Laudato Si” the late Pope Francis challenged us to recognize the desperation of our Earth. He called us to face the fact that we have compromised the intrinsic dignity of creation and have fallen into the mistaken belief that man/humanity are the masters of the world, accountable to no one. 

Jesus talked about paying attention to natural signs. Today, unprecedented signs in our earth prove that our situation has become desperate. For example the wildfires that hit certain part of our country, the typhoons and hurricanes, that hit the Caribbean. The effects of climate change causes severe flooding or droughts in parts of our world. Because of this untold destruction thousands are homeless and hungry duo to climate change. 

Pope Francis pleaded with us to change course. He said: “ Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years… [yet] we still lack the culture needed to confront this crisis.”

As we begin the season of Advent, we are invited to hear the Scriptures a new, in the light of the signs of our times. Francis wrote Laudato Si to help us to acknowledge the immensity and urgency of the challenge we face. The dual message of ecological catastrophe and divine promise invite us to lift our soul to the God who longs to lead us into salvation. Francis taught that “humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home.” Let us not be afraid to take up this  challenge as we begin the season of Advent.

Christmas Tree Lighting 

Please join us Saturday, November 29 at 5pm in the turf lot for our inaugural Christmas Tree Lighting. Bring the whole family to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas.

Discover the Difference with Saint Andrew School! 

Are you seeking a nurturing and enriching educational environment for your child? Look no further than Saint Andrew School, where Catholic Education comes to life through faith, excellence, and community. Our dedicated faculty inspires students to achieve their full potential academically, spiritually, and socially. At Saint Andrew, we blend rigorous academics with character-building values, fostering a sense of purpose and belonging. Experience our vibrant campus, where every student is known, loved, and challenged to grow. Choose Saint Andrew School today and invest in a brighter future for your child. Enroll now and join our family! We have an upcoming tour on October 14th at 9am. Sign up for a tour here: schedule a tour New student applications for the 25-26 can be found here: New Student Application