When I was a Junior in college, I had the incredible opportunity to study in Rome for a semester, and it changed my perception of the universal church in many important ways.

One of the unplanned experiences I had along   the way was a series of fascinating conversations I had with a group of architecture students from England that were staying at the same complex  as us. We didn’t have any classes together, but we spent quite a bit of time socializing and traversing the Eternal City, bonded together by muddling through restaurants and bars with our equally atrocious grasp of the Italian  language. We had an almost infinite amount of conversational material because of the notable similarities and differences between our cultures. Obviously, we share a history and a language  with England, but the past few centuries have brought about enough differences to give us things to debate. These connections remind us of both our history and our separate paths, and it forged a bond that has me still exchanging Christmas cards with a friend from Billericay  all these years later.  
 
As members of a Church that is both universal and domestic, we participate in an even greater shared bond as Catholics. I can’t tell you the  number of people I’ve spoken to over the years who have gone to Mass in a foreign country and said that they couldn’t understand a word of the language, but they still felt at home in the Mass because of our shared liturgical heritage.  We are bound together by something deeper  than national ties, and there is an immense  beauty in that. During this Advent season, there are two separate celebrations that I would invite you to participate in to deepen the sense of wonder in the gifts of the Church.  

First, we are blessed with a significant Latino population here in our Family of Parishes, and with that comes the joyous Our Lady of  Guadalupe celebrations. On Monday, December 12, we will celebrate both mañanitas and a Spanish Mass for Our Lady at OLR. At 5:00 am, the Latino community will gather at OLR to  pray and sing hymns together in honor of the Blessed Mother, specifically under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to whom they have a special devotion. Most Latin American nations have a particular title or apparition of the Blessed Mother that they hold near and dear  to their hearts. It is early, to be sure, but it’s a beautiful opportunity to see cultural devotion  in its purest form. Then, in the evening, there will be a Mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it’s a great chance to cross our cultural boundaries and see the traditions of Catholics from another part of the world.  
 
For an even more timeless tradition of the Church, we will also be gathering at OLR for a “Rorate Mass” at 6:30 am on December 17.  The Mass draws its name from the “Rorate Caeli” opening antiphon, which translates to “Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour.” The Mass begins in darkness, lit by a multitude of candles, and gradually grows lighter with the dawn as a symbol of the Church waiting for the Light of  the World to be born. As far as traditions go, it ranks up there with the Christmas Mass at night and the Easter vigil for my favorites every year. It’s another early rise time, but I encourage you to join us as an opportunity to draw closer to the Heart of Our Lord and the meaning of this Christmas season. 
 
Prayers always, 
Fr. McC