Bulletin: The Nativity of the Lord
What you need to know from this weekend’s bulletin:
Love Interrupts
December 25, 2025
Love interrupts… Christmas is the interruption of God’s love in our history when God became human in Jesus Christ. The angel tells Joseph that Mary will bear a son conceived through the Holy Spirit. Like most of our life’s interruptions, the purpose of God’s interruption into Joseph’s and Mary’s personal plans is for our benefit. God is coming into our lives through Jesus who, we believe, “will save His people from their sins”— He will save his people from themselves and from their alienation from God.
Today, we celebrate this greatest interruption in our human history. And we ask God to deepen our faith and trust in him so that we can appreciate our life with all its interruptions, including the collapse of our plans and the sense that we have been cast adrift on a stormy sea. As the Word takes flesh, we ask that we too can be born again into Christ’s presence in the world. We will realize that this rebirth is happening when we find ourselves extending a generous hand to someone in need, when we grow in understanding those who are different from us. Christmas is about welcoming those who interrupt our lives on behalf of Jesus who interrupts our experiences and invites us to be part of God’s plan in our own respective lives.
Born in straw poverty, he died in the most shameful death by crucifixion. It is an infinite process to lower himself from the divine level to the human level. Christ’s becoming human has made us share His divinity. As a Church, we share the God’s gift of love and forgiveness.
As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember that our life has been transformed by the great event of God becoming human in Jesus Christ. Let us celebrate his love and forgiveness in our relationships in the family and in the community. Let us share Christ with one another, by letting Him use of hands, our feet and everything we are and we have in His love and service.
May that “unspeakable power manifesting itself in a baby born in straw poverty” (Bono of U2), continue to inspire us to love and to forgive not only today but every day of our lives.
Healing Lines
Christmas is the birth of Christ the Healer… Christ’s healing reveals His divine compassion, power over sin and evil, and the inauguration of God’s kingdom, touching the whole person: body, soul and spirit. May God’s healing gift be with you this Christmas!
Announcements:
Please see this weekend’s bulletins for all announcements:
Donation Deadlines for 2025 Tax Receipts
To ensure you receive a tax receipt for the 2025 tax year… Mailed Donations must be postmarked by Canada Post on or before December 31. For Online Donations, Tax receipts should reflect the date and time of the donation. Donations made after 23:59 MT on December 31 will be considered donations for the 2026 tax year. Dropped-Off Donations: Must be received at the Diocese/Parish by the end of the workday on December 31. Please ensure that the envelope is date-stamped by the diocesan/parish office upon receipt and kept with the deposit in event of a CRA audit. Any donations received on or after January 1, 2026, will apply to the 2026 tax year.
Parish Finance Update
Our operations income is on track to exceed expenses, although we just wrote a cheque for $22k for the elevator upgrade. Our TIA contributions sit at $114k, still short of the target of $121k. We hope that our year-end donations will cover the deficit, otherwise we will cover the shortfall from the General fund which is assessed (taxed). We need to maintain our loan payments, which is scheduled at $420k per year. Our total parish goal for the Multiply the Hope matching fund is $510,569. Please consider contributing to the opportunity to double contributions. Last day for contributions for the year is December 31. God’s blessings on our community. God is never outdone in generosity!
2026 Donation Envelopes
Next year’s 2026 donation envelopes may be picked up from the tables by the main washrooms. Continue to use your 2025 envelopes until the new year. Donations made after midnight on December 31, will be considered donations for the 2026 tax year. Please note: you may use envelopes only for the current year, all previous year’s envelopes must be discarded.
Advent: A Season of Hope and Renewal
As we begin the holy season of Advent, the Church invites us into a time of watchfulness, reflection, and joyful expectation for the coming of Christ. In the spirit of the Jubilee Year proclaimed by Pope Francis last year and set to conclude this December, our Diocese is launching a matching financial campaign for parishes called, Multiply the Hope. Once our parish has fulfilled all of its financial obligations for the year, every dollar contributed to reduce our parish loan will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to our parish goal. Even after the Jubilee year concludes on December 28 this year, the Diocese has extended this campaign to the end of 2027, giving us additional time to reach our parish goal. Our goal for this matching program is $510,569. This means that every contribution toward this goal has twice the impact, allowing our parish to move forward with greater freedom in strengthening the renewal priorities. You can visit our website at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/33185
and make your contribution to the “Building Fund / Multiply the Hope Campaign”. As we enter this Advent season, we invite you to pray, to reflect, and to respond generously. Together, let us prepare a strong, welcoming parish home for all who seek Christ. May this season of expectation fill us with hope, and may God complete the good work He has begun in us. Find out more about this campaign at www.catholicyyc.ca/multiplythehope
Elevation Youth Group (Gr. 4-6)
Youths in Grade 4-6 are invited to join our youth group: ELEVATION youth! Join us on Fridays from 6:30-8:30pm in the St. Nicholas Room for devotions, snacks, games, faith, and fun! The next session is on January 9. Pre-registration is required and capacity is dependent on volunteer availability. Register by scanning the QR code or by emailing youth@saintmichael.ca. All are welcome! If you are able to volunteer, please contact Gladys Doh gdoh@saintmichael.ca or Abigail Lewis youth@saintmichael.ca.
Saturday Night Lights
Youths in grades 7-12 are invited to an evening of music, food, friendships, and talks hosted by Access 52. Dates for the evenings are January 10, February 14, and April 25. This is a free event. Click here to register.
Christmas Hamper 2025 Update
A big thank you to all who came out to support our efforts over these past few weeks. Whether you supplied or wrapped a gift, donated to enable us to purchase the food, or came out on Hamper Day to assist, know that your efforts made this work. We served 679 people and prepared 184 Hampers – a new record! This number included 337 children. Total volunteer slots filled in advance 385 of 417 (92%). This doesn’t include those who didn’t sign up, but showed to help on Hamper Day. The total costs of the annual effort would be more than $72,000. A final report will be provided later. We’re still doing the final counting, but are very grateful for all the volunteers, donors, and behind the scenes parish staff who supported us in this outreach. We are truly living out the parish mission of being a church of outreach and encounter. God is never outdone in generosity.
Grief Share Program
Grief Share is a special weekly seminar and support group designed to help you rebuild your life after losing a loved one. Our group is led by caring people who have experienced grief and want to help you through the difficult times. This program consists of a video seminar (Christian based with personal stories from Christian experts who have experienced grief), group support discussions with facilitators, and a personal workbook. This is an 8-week program and will run from January 13 – March 3, 2026, on Tuesdays from 7:00-9:00pm. Free will giving / $20 charge for the workbook. For registration, contact the Parish Office at 403-249-0423 or email: peggy.tan@shaw.ca
Together in Action (TIA)
This year’s goal is $121,243 and currently, we have reached 94% of this target amount. Thanks to your generosity, we reached this target amount last year. All surplus funds will go to our Building Fund to help pay our loan.
Cancellations
Coffee Wednesdays:
Cancelled Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 / Resumes Jan. 7, 2026.
Coffee Sundays:
Cancelled Dec. 28 and Jan. 4 / Resumes Jan. 11, 2026.
Children’s Liturgy:
Cancelled Dec. 14, Dec. 21, Dec. 28, Jan. 4 /
Resumes Jan. 11, 2026.
Moms & Tots:
Cancelled Dec. 18, Dec. 25, Jan. 1 / Resumes Jan. 8, 2026.
Knights of Columbus Meeting:
Cancelled Dec. 18 / Next one Jan. 15.
Christmas Mass Schedule
Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24:
Daily Mass 9:00am / Eve Mass: 4:00pm, 7:00pm (live-streamed), 10:00pm
Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25:
9:00am, 11:00am (with incense and live-streamed)
Boxing Day, Friday, December 26:
Daily Mass 9:00am
New Years Eve, Wednesday, December 31:
Daily Mass 9:00am / Eve Mass: 5:00 pm
New Years Day, Thursday, January 1:
9:00am, 11:00am (with incense and live-streamed)
Parish Office: The office will be closed from December 25 to January 1.
Week-at-a-Glance: (Wed. Dec. 24, 2025 – Sun. Jan. 11, 2026):
Wednesday, December 24:
Daily Mass: 9am, Christmas Eve Masses: 4pm, 7pm, 10pm
Cancellation: Coffee Wednesday
Thursday, December 25:
Christmas Day Mass: 9am and 11am
Christmas Day – Office Closed
Cancellations: Knitting Ministry, Moms & Tots
Friday, December 26:
Daily Mass: 9am
Boxing Day – Office Closed
Saturday, December 27:
No events.
Sunday, December 28:
Cancellations: Children’s Liturgy, Coffee Sunday
Monday, December 29:
Christmas Holiday – Office Closed
Tuesday, December 30:
Rosary Group: Day Chapel, 5:20pm
Christmas Holiday – Office Closed
Cancellations: Library Cataloging, RCIA
Wednesday, December 31:
New Year’s Eve – Office Closed
Daily Mass: 9am, New Year’s Eve Mass: 5pm
Thursday, January 1:
New Year’s Day Mass: 9am and 11am
New Year’s Day – Office Closed
Cancellations: Knitting Ministry, Moms & Tots
Friday, January 2:
Office re-opens.
No event.
Saturday, January 3:
No event.
Sunday, January 4:
Cancellations: Children’s Liturgy, Coffee Sunday
Potluck Sunday and Name Tag Sunday: Narthex, after 5pm Mass
Monday, January 5:
No event.
Tuesday, January 6:
Library Cataloging Committee Resumes
Rosary Group: Day Chapel, 5:20pm
RCIA: St. Nicholas & Theater, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Wednesday, January 7:
Coffee Wednesday Resumes: Narthex, after the 9am Mass
Thursday, January 8:
Moms & Tots Resumes: St. Nicholas’ Room, 9:30am – 11:30am
Knitting Ministry Resumes: Library, 10:00am
Friday, January 9:
Elevation Youth Group Gr. 4-6: St. Nicholas’ Room, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Saturday, January 10:
Saturday Night Lights Gr. 7-12: Sanctuary, 7:00pm
Sunday, January 11:
Children’s Liturgy Resumes: 8:30am and 10:30am
Coffee Sunday Resumes: Narthex, after 9:00am & 11:00am Mass
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The Nativity of the Lord, 24/12/2025, 564.95 KB