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THE WEEKLY MISSIVE
December 19, 2025
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With Deepest Appreciation
Friends,
I want to express my immense gratitude to all who contributed to this past weekend’s celebration of song, story, prayer, and reflection.
My heartfelt thanks go to all our musicians and readers; to Susan Rutkowski, Liz Framski, and our wonderful youth pageant participants, parents, and assistants; to the entire Paulist Center staff; to everyone who supported the logistics and receptions; and to those who offered generous donations and sponsorships. Your dedication, artistry, and spirit made this year’s celebration especially meaningful, and I am profoundly grateful.
Please see the full schedule for our Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Masses below. We hope you will join us as we continue our celebration of God’s coming among us, the one who has truly come to set us free!
On behalf of the Paulist Fathers and all the staff at the Center, we wish you and yours an abundance of grace and blessings this Christmas and in the New Year.
Norm, on behalf of the Paulist Center Staff
Alvaro, Barbara, Deb, Dorothy, Gus, Liz, Norm, Fr. Rick, Rob, Sal, Susan, and Timmy
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- Christmas Season Mass Schedule
- FREP - Winter Break
- Jesse Tree Giving - until 12/21
- Supper Club Gift Drive - until 12/21
- LGBTQ+ virtual Advent Prayer - 12/22
- Paulist Center Holiday Closed schedule
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- A Heartfelt Thank You
- Christmas Flower Donations
- Epiphany bulletin - early deadline
- RJAG Intergenerational Session - 1/11
- Calendar Year-End Gifts
- Stewardship/Community Gift
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Mass Schedule for Christmas Eve,
Christmas Day and
New Year's Eve for the
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Christmas Eve:
· 4pm Wed, Dec 24 (Livestream link)
· 8pm Wed, Dec 24
Christmas Day:
· 10am Thurs, Dec 25
New Year's Eve for Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God:
· 5pm Wed, Dec 31 (Livestream link)
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We are still accepting Jesse Tree gifts until Sunday, December 21.
If you feel so moved, please take a tag and bring the unwrapped gift/giftcard back to the Center and drop off at the Food Pantry (elevator lobby).
Or, mail it to Susan Rutkowski at the Center. Please do not leave any gifts under the tree or anywhere that is unsecured.
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
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Give the Gift of Warmth
The Wednesday Night Supper Club is collecting NEW hats, gloves, scarves, and socks of all sizes to prepare small gifts for our guests this holiday season.
Items can be dropped off at the Paulist Center until Sunday, December 21.
Contact supperclubfood@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer. Thank you!
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Religious Education and Sacramental Preparation - Winter Break
Our Religious Education Program is on Winter Break on Dec 21 and Dec 28.
Thank you to all the catechists and leaders who share their faith with the children of our community. You've earned a well-deserved break!
Classes resume Sunday, January 4, 2026!
First Communion Classes start up in January! The first meeting is on January 25 at 11:15am.
If you have not signed up and would like to register, the registration form is posted on our website, here is the link.
Please contact Susan Rutkowski at susan@paulistcenter.org with any questions.
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LGBTQ+ Ministry
Advent Virtual Prayer -
Monday, December 22
Please join us as the Paulist Center’s LGBTQ+ Ministry leads our virtual prayer session via Zoom. The last session of the Advent season is Mon, Dec 22 from 7:00 - 7:30pm.
The access link is https://tinyurl.com/ysccxudn.
All are welcome!
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A Heartfelt Thank You!
We can never fully express the depth of our gratitude for all the time and diverse talents
Norm Gouin brought to the spiritually moving
and artistically beautiful 2025 Come To Set Us Free Festival of Readings and Carols.
We are incredibly fortunate to have you as our community's Pastoral Minister of Liturgy and Music, Norm.
You have our deepest appreciation.
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Christmas Flowers
To Honor Your Loved Ones
Honor your loved ones, living or deceased, by making a donation towards the Christmas decorations with which we'll adorn the Chapel.
The suggested donation is $10.
Contributions can be made:
· at the front desk Mon - Fri from 10:30am - 4:30pm
· by going to Donate Online, and choose “Flower Donation” and
note who it is “in honor of", or, "in memory of”
· by using the envelopes in the pews
Please write legibly when notating your name and your loved ones’ names.
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WORSHIP MATTERS
December 21, 2025,
Issue #13
THE LITURGICAL YEAR: Beyond December 25:
Living the Season of Light
For us as Christians, experiencing Christmas as a season in its fullness can be a genuine challenge. Our secular world is consumed by the frenzy of buying and gifting, coordinating family visits, and navigating long-held traditions—all in a breathless rush toward a single day: December 25. That day arrives and departs almost as quickly as it comes. Anyone who has wandered into a HomeGoods store knows the truth of this well: no sooner has Christmas Day passed than Valentine’s décor fills the shelves, with scarcely a trace of Christmas left behind.
For those of us steeped in the spirituality of the liturgical year, however, Christmas is not a moment but a season— a sacred unfolding of feasts that stretches from the Vigil of Christmas on December 24 through the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord on January 11. As Joan Chittister reminds us, “The full scope of Christmas is only truly experienced in the feasts of the Holy Family, Mary the Mother of God, the Epiphany, and the Baptism of Jesus. It is to these other layers of the birth of Jesus that the Christmas season points us.”
Each feast of Christmastide becomes another star on the horizon of the soul, confirming what our hearts already know: God is with us. Again, Chittister writes, “The Radiant Dawn has swallowed up the darkness. It is, indeed, the season of Light.”
The Christmas season is not meant to simply leave us with a childlike image of the infant Jesus lying in a lowly manger. Rather, it invites us into spiritual maturity—into an encounter where the meaning of a stable is inseparable from the promise of an empty tomb. Christmas opens before us the possibility of seeing through the darkness of doubt and despair, especially in these wearied times. It calls us to lift our gaze beyond the night, to follow the stars still shining ahead, and to embody that light ourselves—becoming, in turn, signs for others that the gift of the Word made Flesh is real, present, and alive within each of us.
May the coming Christmas season be received as a gift of grace, hope, and peace— shaped by the steadfast faith of Mary and Joseph, the surrender of Stephen, the first martyr, the courage of foreign travelers, and the fierce conviction of John the Baptist, inspiring us to live more fully as people of the Light.
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Come Celebrate
4th Sunday of Advent, Christmas Eve,
the Feast of the Holy Family, and
the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
with us! We hope to see you at Mass in person, but if you can't make it through the big red doors,
we welcome you to join us online:
| | Remember: all of our live streams are available in real time on our YouTube channel & available there afterwards as recordings. | | Paulist Center Office Holiday Schedule | | |
Please note that the office is closed
Thur, Dec 25; Fri, Dec 26;
Thur, Jan 1; and Fri, Jan 2.
There is no 12:00pm Mass or Confession on those days.
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Solemnity of the Epiphany
Bulletin Schedule -
The bulletin for the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Jan 3 - 4, will have an early submission deadline.
Please email all announcements to your staff liaison,
and copy Dorothy at info@paulistcenter.org
by 5pm Fri, Dec 26.
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RJAG Intergenerational FREP Session
Please join us for our January FREP Intergenerational Session with our Racial Justice Advocacy Group, held on January 11 during our FREP hour at 11:15 am in the auditorium.
Please join us to learn about the Saintly Seven, the group of inspiring Black Catholics from the US on the path to sainthood. The hour will include a child-friendly approach to introducing these saints and writing a letter to the Pope advocating for them.
Please see bulletin for further details.
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Ongoing Opportunities/Needs & Notes
The most comprehensive listing of what's going on at the
Paulist Center is in the bulletin. Check it out!
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Encouragement to sustain our vibrant liturgies and our mission of healing, reconciliation, & justice through your financial investment in the Paulist Center. We prefer that you donate electronically through our website, but you can also use Apple Pay or Google Pay to donate via DonorBox if you do not require an annual tax donation statement. More info in the bulletin.
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The Community Gift recipient for the weekend of Dec 20 and 21 is Boston Rescue Mission which operates an emergency overnight shelter, offers meals, basic necessities, and helps homeless individuals achieve life skills necessary to become self-sufficient.
The weekend of Dec 27 and 28 we raise up Penelope's Place which operates as part of Health Imperatives. Penelope’s Place is an emergency domestic violence shelter - offering safety, security, and comfort to survivors and their children.
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- Young adults (ages 18-39), whether or not Catholic, are welcome to schedule a one-on-one conversation with our Young Adult Minister, Gus Kellerman. How can the Paulist Center Community accompany you on your faith journey?
| | | | Attentive to the Holy Spirit and nourished by vibrant liturgy, we are a Catholic community that welcomes all, fosters healing and reconciliation, and acts for justice. | | Follow us on social media, and please share our posts with others! | | | | |
