PASTOR'S CORNER
Welcome to St. Ann’s Parish Website!
I invite you to explore our website as a means of getting to know St. Ann’s and all that we do to serve Christ and one another. While we are well known in Charlotte for having a beautiful church and beautiful liturgy, what’s most beautiful about our parish is our parishioners! We are a family-oriented, thriving parish just south of Uptown Charlotte, filled with people committed to worshiping God through the fullness of our Catholic tradition and serving the poor and needy with charity and compassion. Come join us for Mass and help us as we seek to glorify God, bear witness to His Truth, and show forth His Love.
Father Timothy S. Reid
HOMILIES
WEEKLY LETTER
December 15, 2024
“Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, rejoice! Indeed, the Lord is near.” These are the words of the entrance antiphon for today’s Mass on this Third Sunday of Advent (also known as Gaudete Sunday), and they signal for us the tone of today’s liturgy. While the violet we wear on most days of Advent indicate that there’s penitential nature to this season, now that we are roughly halfway through Advent, we take a break from our penance and rejoice in joyful anticipation of our Lord’s coming, much like Laetare Sunday in Lent. The liturgy today reminds us that soon the great feast of Christmas will be upon us, and this is cause for rejoicing indeed. Symbolizing a lightening of our penance and our joyful anticipation for Christ’s coming, our liturgical color switches from violet to rose today. Our readings, too, take on a more joyful nature.
Tuesday, 17 December, our liturgies will begin to take on an even more eager and anticipatory nature as we move into a period of special preparaƟon during Advent known as the Octave before Christmas. During this time special antiphons (known as the “O” antiphons) are used at vespers and for the Alleluia verse before the Gospel at Mass. These antiphons have been around since at least the 8th century, and each antiphon recalls a particular scriptural title of Jesus, announcing his imminent arrival and recalling the Old Testament prophesies of Isaiah. Moreover, they tell us something about the person of Christ and about salvation history. The famous Advent song O Come, O Come, Emmanuel that is often used this Ɵme of year is based upon these antiphons.
Christmas will soon be upon us. While I know many of us are busy with the social obligations, shopping, and domestic chores this season brings, let’s not forget to make time for our Lord in prayer. Preparing our hearts for His arrival at Christmas is the most important part of Advent.
Looking ahead to Christmas, be aware that we will be cancelling Adoration on Dec 24-25 and Dec 31-Jan 1. Our Christmas Mass schedule will be the usual: 4:30pm and 6:30pm on Christmas Eve; Midnight Latin Mass, and 9am Mass on Christmas Day. Mass on Dec 26 will be at 9am rather than 7am, and there will be no confessions on Dec 26.
In hopeful expectation of our Lord’s coming
Fr. Reid