WEEKDAY ANNOUNCEMENTS
December 2, 2025
St. Alice Advent Penance Service
Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 6pm
Tomorrow is our Advent Penance Service starting at 6pm in the church. At least eight priests will be available for confessions — it’s a great opportunity to prepare your heart for Christmas.
If you can’t make it tomorrow, please click the link below for a schedule of Advent Penance Services in the vicariate.
Come receive the mercy of the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
One of the most popular Advent traditions is the Advent wreath.
There is much rich symbolism in this beautiful tradition. The Advent candles remind us that Jesus is the light of the world. Each Sunday of Advent we light another candle as we get closer and closer to Christmas - the moment Jesus brought light into our darkness.
Three of these candles are purple and one is pink (or rose). The dark purple also reminds us of darkness and marks a time for prayer and waiting. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent which is called Gaudete Sunday, meaning ‘Rejoice’ for the time of Christmas is near.
The circular shape of the wreath reminds us of our God, who has no beginning or end, as well as His endless love for us. The evergreen leaves that make up the wreath remind us that God gives us the gift of everlasting life through Jesus.
Download and print out the following coloring sheet to decorate your very own Advent Wreath as a family! As you color the leaves and candles, remember their deeper meaning.
Three of these candles are purple and one is pink (or rose). The dark purple also reminds us of darkness and marks a time for prayer and waiting. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent which is called Gaudete Sunday, meaning ‘Rejoice’ for the time of Christmas is near.
The circular shape of the wreath reminds us of our God, who has no beginning or end, as well as His endless love for us. The evergreen leaves that make up the wreath remind us that God gives us the gift of everlasting life through Jesus.
Download and print out the following coloring sheet to decorate your very own Advent Wreath as a family! As you color the leaves and candles, remember their deeper meaning.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR MUSIC DIRECTOR
Sarah Zielinksi
The Gloria
In this ancient hymn, we join the heavenly choirs in offering praise and adoration to the Father and Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Because the Gloria echoes the proclamation of the angels at Christ’s nativity, it is omitted from Sunday Mass during the season of Advent. Its rejoicing nature also means omission during the penitential season of Lent. However during this month, we will still hear the Gloria sung in December on the Marian Feasts on December 6th, 8th, and 11th and our patronal feast day December 16th, which is a solemnity for our parish.
Gregorian Chant is at the service of the text. Some chants are more melismatic in nature, meaning there are a lot of notes for one word or even one syllable. The Kyrie and Alleluias are great examples: lots of notes, few words. But when a chant has many words to get through, like the Gloria or the Credo, the text is sung efficiently and usually with one note per syllable, and 2 to 3 notes on stressed or accented syllables.