This week's Graham's Corner mentions an upcoming TV program called "Picturing Mary", which features art depicting the Virgin Mary from ancient times to the present in museums, chapels and cathedrals in eight countries. It will be shown on Sunday Dec. 17 from 2:00 to 3:00pm on WPBS-TV (channel 64 on Rogers Cable in Ottawa).

Down at the bottom of this homepage, Diane Naipaul gently reminds us about the Christmas Novena, then she. …..

The blog is up and running. Log-on, and have your say about the new movie The Nativity. I would like to thank Dan Gutoskie, Guy Dacquay & Marty Tate, for getting us started. Instructions are there for you to have your say! http://www.virtualministry.com/blog/

When were you last at our Upcoming Events page? Go back and see! Many of our events move from the homepage to keep you up-to-date.

Lighterside: Ginette Charron supplies the entry this week, but isn't providing the Kleenex.

Hello,
I just posted a blog for the first time. I'm going to use it to post audio files of my homilies. So far, I only have the homily I preached this last Sunday at the Catholic Charismatic Center here in Houston.

I'm doing this to see how many people might be interested in such a thing. If you delete this email I won't be offended - I won't even know it happened.

If my homilies interest you even a little go to http://apostles3mil.blogspot.com and leave me a comment.

I pray you are all well. May you have a most blessed Advent.

Fr. Sean.

Seeing as we are talking about blogs

http://www.holyfamily-ent-stefamille.com/

Maestro Uwe Leiflander - with his World youth day Choir, together with the Sinfonia Orchestra will be presenting Handel's Messiah from 7:30 - 9:30 on Dec 15. There will be 150 choir and 25 orchestra members all travelling from Toronto.

Handel wrote the Messiah as a great Testament to God and Jesus in the late 1700's. This music is meant to be played by Christians for Christians in a church setting. What better place than St. Patrick's Basilica? What a fantastic way to get our families in the Christmas spirit!

If you would like to purchase tickets please email me at my address listed below.

The details again:

Handel's Messiah
Date: Friday December 15 7:30 - 9:30 (doors open at 7:00 pm)
Place: St. Patrick's Basilica - 281 Nepean St - plenty of free parking
Tickets: adults $20 - students $10 - children 5 & under free - family rate $50

Sponsored by Maryvale Academy

God Bless! jim@apollomgt.com

A gentle reminder that the Christmas Novena begins on December 16th.

http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/christmas.htm

http://fisheaters.com/customsadvent8.html

In Christ, Diane

Please read the e-mail from Stephen... I tell you that it has disturbed me that this young girl can't see the "light" to have this baby but I can understand her desperate situation. Please pray for her and for the unborn baby as often as you can during the day. Stephen, maybe you can try to get some material on Friday that we have in the youth room on abortion - maybe that will help her once she reads it. Maybe you can coax her into speaking to her mom or anyone of her family members - I'm offering to speak to her too if she would let me. I had my best friend, when I was 23, came to me to tell me she was pregnant and I remember at the time that she was so scared of telling her parents and she wanted to have an abortion because she thought it would be the easiest thing to do. It was a very long ordeal of lots of nights talking but finally she made the right choice and that little girl is my "godchild" and was born on my wedding day.

Never give up hope...You have to keep trying.... pray lots... and we will also unite ourselves in prayer... This Prayer request has been sent to Our Lady of Fatima and I know that Junette will take this urgent request to Mother Mary..... There is a 9 day novena going on now at St. David's for the Immaculate Conception - December 8th - we can ask the Fathers to pray for this intention - Let's also remember to pray for her on Friday night and maybe all the Core Team can do a little bit of "sacrifice" or "fasting" on Friday for this very special intention - we have to save this baby.........

Hey Mara, I'm new to this but I was wondering if you could forward this to everyone else, asking them to pray for a friend of mine.

A few days ago my friend told me she found out she was pregnant, and that she's having an abortion done next week. This girl goes to work and is my age, and despite everything I've said to her to try to change her mind she is still planning on going through with it. It's something that really scared me... because I guess you never really think these kinds of things will happen to people you know and people you care about... and to be honest I haven't really been able to sleep since she told me. Hopefully she realizes what she is doing is wrong and changes her mind, but either way she is going through a very difficult time right now and could definitely use some prayers.

She is in a hard situation... she lives on her own working 5 days a week to pay for her own tuition, and on top of that she isn't on speaking terms with her mother... so I can understand why she feels she isn't equipped to take care of the baby herself, but what I've tried to tell her is that there are so many other options for her. She made a mistake, and she knows that, but the unborn fetus inside of her shouldn't have to be punished for her mistake. If there is anything you guys can think of that might make her change her mind please tell me. I'm getting desperate... I feel like I've tried everything, and ever since I found out I've been a nervous wreck and I would feel even worse if I just stood by and let her go through with this without trying as hard as I could to get her to change her mind. Thanks guys I really appreciate it.

Steve - stephen.pastore@sympatico.ca

Priests for Life Canada

Almighty God, protector of all families, guide all Canadian Members of Parliament and us in our efforts to defend the Holy Sacrament of Marriage as the Church has so wisely defined as a union between a man and a woman. We ask you this, in the Name of Our Lord and Savour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Do you know of one that should have been announced here?

December 8 - Hélène Dacquay.
December 10 - Dave & Viola Rochefort, celebrate their 29th anniversary.
December 11 - Happy 50th birthday to you, Fred Lane.
December 13 - Mia Mater … yes Latin. Happy birthday Mom!

Two years ago: Cyril Dowling had us voting for The Passion of the Christ, and John Pacheco was telling us about a couple of thieves. Go to: http://virtualministry.com/Archives/VMArchive2004/VM267/VM267.htm
Hmmm … I wonder if Joe Crowley ever did sell THAT guitar!

Also, Diane Naipaul told us about Blessed Salt in:
http://virtualministry.com/Archives/VMArchive2004/VM268/VM268.htm

And five years ago, http://virtualministry.com/Archives/VMArchive2001/VM111.htm was only accessed 22 times?