Saturday and Sunday, December 11th-12th, at all Masses

Our parish is starting a new tradition!

We invite all families to bring to Mass the baby Jesus (Bambinelli, in Italian) from your nativity sets and Father Jim will bless them. This beautiful Advent tradition, sanctifies the home with the baby Jesus and makes his arrival in the manger scene an even more joyous event.

Background:

It was during the Angelus in December 1969 that St. Paul VI first blessed the statues of the Child Jesus brought by children to St. Peter's Square. That tradition has continued ever since on the Third Sunday of Advent, and is fondly known as “Bambinelli Sunday.”  Pope Francis has said, "The crib is like a living Gospel. Contemplating the Christmas story is like setting out on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman.” “So great is His love for us”, quoted the Pontiff, “that He became one of us, so that we in turn might become one with Him.”

This is a wonderful occasion to remind all of us that, amidst the garland and Christmas trees, the true meaning of Christmas celebration is the Birth of Jesus.   This beautiful Advent tradition, sanctifies the home with the baby Jesus and makes his arrival in the manger scene an even more joyous event.    Give your family a real gift - the blessing of the Bambinelli!