Advent 2025

Mary Magdalene Church

~Advent 2025~

Mary Magdalene Church is an inclusive church in the

Catholic tradition where people from all faiths and backgrounds are welcome to the Lord's Table. We strive to live the values that

Jesus taught, to honor and respect each individual

and to share the joy of God's unconditional love

in our community and beyond.

This bulletin will be available all season so that you know what to expect, how you can help, and when we will celebrate! Additional information will be added to our weekly bulletins as it becomes available, so you will find it there also!

Special Services This Season

Tuesday Evening Masses During Advent

Dec 2, Dec 9, & Dec 16, Dec 23 at 5:45 pm

During Advent, join us for Mass every Tuesday at 5:45 pm for services that will be less traditional than Sunday Mass, and in the spirit of Advent (and in honor of John Lewis), we will be exploring the playful parts of our waiting together.

Christmas Eve Service - December 24th at 4 pm

Candlight Service - December 24th at 7 pm

Christmas Day Mass - December 25th at 10 am

****Additional Parking is available at 1104 Main Street****

Join us in-person at 1008 Main St. in East Rochester, NY or join us virtually on Facebook Live or YouTube!

Waiting in Hope

Advent Concert and Sing-a-long!

Join us for an Advent Concert and Sing-Along following the Good Trouble Mass on December 2nd. Kathy Welch and friends will provide an hour of musical reflection and hope for our world beginning at 6:45 that night. Please join us! With deep regret, we are unable to stream this musical event due to licensing constraints.

Concert of Jazz & Christmas Music

Join us on December 14th from 2-4:00 PM for the fourth annual Christmas Jazz Concert at Mary Magdalene Church! The concert will feature The Indigo Breeze Sextet, performing both traditional and jazzy Christmas music to lift your hearts and move your feet. Refreshments will be served during intermission. Open to the public. All are welcome!

Suggested donation: $10/person. Proceeds from this event will support the mission and operations of Mary Magdalene Church.

This event is brought to you by the InReach-OutReach Team.

Angel Tree

The Social Justice Committee will once again collect Christmas gifts for migrant families served by the Oscar Romero Inclusive Catholic Church in Rochester. Requested items might include: children's toys, hats, mittens, games, books and more! A tree with gift tag requests will be placed at the church entrance. Please take a tag and return your gift to help brighten someone’s Christmas. Updates will follow in future bulletins.Thank you for your generous spirit!

Things to do in the Community!

East Rochester Advent Tree Lighting

The Advent Tree Lighting will take place again this year on the first Sunday of Advent. There is singing, hot chocolate, the story of Advent, and more. Join us at on Sunday, November 30th at 5:30pm at Edmund Lyons Park (If extreme weather is an issue the ceremony will be moved to the ER Community Senior Ctr.)

Holiday Gift Card Drive for Parkside/DePaul Residents

Our community continues to support the ER Resource Center program, which provides gift cards to Parkside/DePaul residents. This year, we are blessed to share holiday gifts with 15 of our friends at DePaul Parkside.

If you would like to participate, please bring a $25 gift card from Dollar General or Wegmans by Sunday, December 17th. Please note: Our friends at DePaul Parkside do not have transportation, so please purchase gift cards from locations within walking distance of the residence.

All cards will be delivered in time for Christmas, ensuring that each recipient experiences the joy and dignity of the season.

Thank you for your generosity and for helping us share hope and hospitality this holiday!

Photo by Hanna Lazar on Unsplash

Advent Reflection

The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before… .What is possible is to not see it, to miss it, to turn just as it brushes past you. And you begin to grasp what it was you missed, like Moses in the cleft of the rock, watching God’s [back] fade in the distance. So stay. Sit. Linger. Tarry. Ponder. Wait. Behold. Wonder. There will be time enough for running. For rushing. For worrying. For pushing. For now, stay. Wait. Something is on the horizon.”

– Jan L. Richardson, Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas