Friends in Christ, 

We hope this email finds you well! This weekend we will celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. As Catholics, we know that, before Jesus ascended to the Father's right hand in glory, that he was crowned with a crown of thorns, and raised to his throne on the Cross-- now he sits at God's right hand, enthroned as the ruler of all creation. May Jesus Christ be praised!

This Sunday marks the beginning of the last week of this Christian liturgical year. We will pass from Ordinary time into the season of Advent next week, in which we look back to Jesus' Incarnation as a humble baby, and ahead to his triumphal return in glory. 

Read on in this week's Flocknote for what is upcoming in the life of our parish! Blessings to you and your week.

Our list of masses for Holy Days in the Advent season is above. We look forward to joining together in this time of penance, awaiting and watching for the Lord, and celebrating Jesus' incarnation.

Thanksgiving Day, November 25:
9:00am Mass at Holy Cross

The church office and Adoration Chapel will be closed.

 

Friday, November 26:
3:00pm Mass at Holy Cross with Adoration until 6:00pm

6:00pm Confessions and 7:00pm Mass (Polish)

The church office and Adoration Chapel will be closed.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at Our Parish                                     We look forward to more opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration within our parish. We continue to offer a Holy Hour in Holy Cross church following the 6:45AM Mass on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 7:15-8:15AM. The weekly schedule beginning in Advent, in addition to the Monday, Tuesday and Friday Holy Hours will be:

We are looking to add more adorers. Please sign up for an hour at:              

PACIM would like to invite everyone to a traditional Wigilia dinner on Sunday, December 12th. The evening will start with Polish Christmas carols and activities at 4:30pm. At 6:00pm, our chef Marian Pierzchalski is planning a delicious meal that willl include herrings in oil, cod in tomato, red borsch with “uszka,” fried walleye, sauerkraut with mushrooms, pierogies with potatoes and prunes, kutia, poppyseed cake, and dry fruit compote.

Tickets are $40 for adult PACIM members ($50 non-member) or $15 for children under 15. 

PLEASE RESERVE YOUR SEAT BY DECEMBER 1ST online at www.pacim.org or send a check to PACIM 43 Main St. SE - Unit 228, Minneapolis, MN 55414. 

Proceeds from the event will go to the Polish Orphans fund.

Please join the Holy Cross Rosary Guild for festivities the first weekend of December, the 3rd to the 5th, in Kolbe Hall.

Delight in the Christmas Village Display, purchase Handmade Crafts, Jewelry “Through the Ages,” as well as Knights of Columbus Christmas Cards.   Enjoy a musical performance by Sam Backman.  Tickets are $15.00 per person which includes an assortment of light appetizers and desserts and two servings of wine or beer per person.  Limited tickets and reservations required.  Call or text Michelle Leba 763-360-1173 or leba5000@gmail.com

Purchase Handmade Crafts, Jewelry “Through the Ages,” as well as Knights of Columbus Christmas Cards and enjoy the Christmas Village Display.   Beverages and treats will be available.

Purchase Handmade Crafts, Jewelry “Through the Ages,” as well as Knights of Columbus Christmas Cards and enjoy the Christmas Village Display.  Coffee & rolls will be served.

Join us at St. Clement Church on Thursday, December 2nd for a question and answer priest panel featuring our very own Father Spencer Howe, along with Fathers Colin Jones and Cyril Farmer. Bring your questions and join us for a lively discussion about our Catholic faith and our world. Snacks and beverages will be provided!

All 6th-12th graders are welcome to join us for our upcoming Advent youth retreat, where we will delve into the monastic and religious life! We want to explore this vocation and embody what a life devoted to Christ is like.

Our time will be spent cooking (and eating!) together, praying, recreating, and learning about monastic and religious life. For part of our time together, the Franciscan Brothers of Peace will be joining us to share about their lives and vocation, and also join us for some games! We have other exciting speakers and guests that will be with us, as well. 

RSVP today at tinyurl.com/hcadventretreat. Feel free to reach out to Matt Lines, Youth Minister, with any questions!

Happy Holidays! The Sinfonia is back and it’s time to celebrate. After nearly two years, the Sinfonia will once again be performing our annual holiday concerts. Make plans now to attend for what will be a spectacular kickoff to the season. Music by Johann Strauss, Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival, Greensleeves, carols, Chanukah tunes, and for the kids, special arrangements of Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells are all part of the fun. Everyone will have a grand time, and like all Sinfonia concerts, these are free admission, and of course, children are welcome! The performances will be an hour with NO intermission, so parents you need not worry about nap time for the little ones. Bring your family and encourage your friends to join us. We promise a grand time to be had by all!

Saturday, November 20th at 2:00 PM
Church of Holy Cross
1621 University Ave NE
Minneapolis, 55413

Current COVID Protocols: Due to concerns for the continuing spread of the Delta variant, and to keep everyone safe, ALL audiences must wear face masks while attending Sinfonia events.  

Missed the Boat Theatre presents Moonshine Abbey, a new musical about monks making hooch during Prohibition. The show features a script by Fr. Kyle Kowalczyk (a priest of this Archdiocese) and Sam Backman (Director of Music at Holy Cross Church.) The show comically catalogues historical events from Stearns county. The show runs November 12- 21, and tickets are on sale at: moonshineabbey.com 

As part of our efforts to support local residents in their time of need, we will be collecting donations of nonperishable food, hygiene items, and pet supplies. These donations will be forwarded to "The Senior Place Food Shelf ", 1801 Central Avenue NE for distribution in NE Minneapolis. The Senior Place Food Shelf is part of Eastside Neighborhood Services. This Food Shelf is able to provide persons 55 and older with fresh and canned food (pull-top cans preferred.) hygiene items and pet supplies. Cash donations and checks made payable to the "Senior Place Food Shelf" will be gratefully accepted.

FOOD SHELF bins will be located in the vestibules of each church. Please use an envelope for cash / check donations and place it into the collection basket. Cash & check donations will be forwarded to the Food Shelf. This collection will be done Thanksgiving weekend and then on the 2nd weekend of the month. Feel free to drop items off on other weekends. Thank you for your support. 

Join the Northeast Minneapolis Holy Name Society for a Men's Game Night at 7:00PM at St. Clement Church on Tuesday, December 14th. There will be cribbage, 500, and chess available, but we encourage men to bring a game to share as well. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Please RSVP at (bit.ly/hnsgamenight2021) and mark in the comments if you plan to bring a game. Depending on interest, we might organize a tournament or two. All men are welcome to join; bring a friend! 

Our second Holy Hour, Happy Hour was another success! Join us at St. Clement Church at 7:00pm next month on Wednesday, December 22nd for a time of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, with silent prayer, music and singing, and Night Prayer. Following the hour is a time for fellowship and sharing life together in the church hall!

The mission of our great parish goes forward because of your involvement and generosity. As you prayerfully considering making an additional 2021 donation to Holy Cross Catholic Church, please note the following:

To properly reflect donations on your 2021 giving record, contributions mailed to Holy Cross must be postmarked no later than December 31st, 2021. For gifts made via online giving: checks or savings accounts must be completed by 3:00 pm on December 28th. Gifts made via credit card must be completed by 3:00 PM December 31st. The Parish office will be closed on New Year’s Eve.

Please contact Matt Springer, Director of Operations at 612-930-0865 or matt.springer@ourholycross.org if you have questions.

On behalf of our parish clergy, staff and leadership, I thank you for your consistent generosity and support of our parish. We wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

-Fr. Howe, Pastor

By Fr. Spencer Howe, Pastor

 -From the Preface of Christ, King of the Universe 

We often speak of Christ’s three-fold office as Priest, Prophet and King. The truth that Christ is the true Priest who reconciles us to the Father is intimately related to the truth that He is also the true King who unites us under His reign. If his prophetic role was especially on display during his public ministry of teaching, preaching, healing and confronting human hardheartedness and sin, when He approaches the Passion and Cross, his priestly and kingly roles take on a central focus. The Cross becomes at once an altar of sacrifice and a throne of servant-hearted dominion—the implications of which are very real! 

Over recent weeks our second readings have been taken from the Letter to the Hebrews which highlights the priestly identity of Christ. Jesus is able to identify with us, because He fully shares our humanity in all things but sin. He was able to offer a perfect and acceptable sacrifice of Himself to which we draw close at every Mass. His priesthood is also eternal, because of His eternal origin and His Resurrection from the dead. Today’s readings drive the point home by giving special focus to his kingly character which comes into stark contrast with Pontius Pilate’s flimsy earthly authority. Jesus’ kingdom “does not belong to this world” but we are nevertheless called to acknowledge that He is the true sovereign of every aspect of our lives. As we come to this final Sunday of the Church’s Liturgical Year we are called to understand gift of Jesus Christ in our lives as we seek to be obedient and faithful to Him. All praise to Him who is our Priest and King! 

A few miscellaneous notes: 

+ Thanksgiving is this coming week. I hope it is a blessed time for you to be with family and loved ones. Our parish Mass on Thanksgiving Day will be offered at 9:00 a.m. at Holy Cross. All are invited. 

+ There will be no 6:45 a.m. Mass on Thursday or Friday, November 25 and 26 and the parish office and adoration chapel will be closed both days. Mass on Friday after Thanksgiving will be offered at Holy Cross at 3:00 p.m., which happily gives an opportunity for me to sleep in! The Friday evening Polish Mass will be offered as usual at 7:00 p.m. preceded by confessions and adoration. 

+ Advent begins this coming weekend with the Saturday afternoon Masses on November 27. Let’s begin to prepare now by making ‘spiritual new year’s resolutions’. One suggestion is committing to weekly Mass, regular confession and some consistent form of daily prayer. We remember that the Lord can never be outdone in generosity. 

+ A word about Fr. Justus Musinguzi is in order. A few weeks ago we shared his introduction and bio in the parish bulletin. We had hoped he might be able to arrive before Christmas. Unfortunately, his meeting at the embassy in Rwanda was cancelled and rescheduled to February 1st. While we are all disappointed to hear this, we continue to trust that the Lord will make a way for him to come to serve here in NE Minneapolis. Unfortunately the number of available priests is quite limited as we await a new ordination class and continue to pray for more vocations. I am in touch with the Archdiocese about this development and ask for your continued prayers for Fr. Justus and for the priests who are generously assisting until he arrives. In all things God will provide! 

~Fr. Howe