A Christmas 2020 message from Fr. Brian Hayes, Pastor

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2)

There was no room for them in the Inn. Therefore, the little couple about to have a child was displaced to a stable and put their child in a manger – a feeding trough for animals.

Due to the Pandemic, we have also been displaced: we are not allowed to use our own church for worship. But luckily we do have the plaza area in front of the church to use for our worship.

We gather outside the church now to adore the new-born king. We lay out the truth of the Gospel and offer Jesus as the bread of life to feed the world spiritually. The Second Reading for Christmas day says, “When the kindness and generous love of our God appeared, he saved us.” God’s kindness and love are what saves us from sin and hatred and negativity. Let us pay it forward by our kindness and love towards others. That’s the best gift we can give others, especially in this time of turmoil in our world, due to the post-election confusion and due to the tensions resulting from the Pandemic.

Advent and Christmas are seasons of hope. In this Pandemic era, we anxiously await the distribution of the vaccine and hope it begins to have a positive effect in counteracting the negative effects of the Coronavirus. As we wait for it to take effect, we still must be patient and keep our social distancing and mask-wearing, until enough people have been vaccinated to give us the so-called “herd immunity”. In the same way, our advent hope calls us to look for the final coming of Christ, when he will save us from sin, death, suffering and all negativity. In the meantime, we must do our part to protect ourselves and others from sin and spiritual decay. The practice of our faith: coming to Mass, prayer, charity towards others – helps us maintain this hope and love.

Christmas Mass Schedule 2020 (Navidad):

Christmas Eve (Vigilia de navidad) – Thursday, December 24

· 3:00 PM (also livestreamed on Facebook.live)

· 5:00 PM

Christmas Day (Navidad) – Friday, December 25

· 9:00 AM (also livestreamed on Facebook.live)

· 11:00 AM

· 1:00 PM in Spanish (Misa en español – (also livestreamed on Facebook.live)

Be sure to continue supporting our parish and our ministries, even if you are not currently attending Mass, as our expenses have not lessened. To make an electronic donation visit our donation page on the website.

Merry Christmas and a Healthier New Year to All!

Fr. Brian Hayes, pastor

A message from the Office of the Bishop:

As a public service, NBC San Diego and Telemundo20 will be broadcasting Mass on Christmas to households throughout the San Diego diocese. Bishop McElroy will preside at the English-language Mass and Bishop Bejarano will preside over the Spanish. Both Masses take place at The Immaculata. Mass can be seen in English starting at 5am on Channel 7/39 and at 6 am on Channel 20. In addition, on Christmas Day and throughout the weekend, both masses will be available on the diocesan website at www.sdcatholic.org and on the TV station websites at www.nbcsandiego.com and www.telemundo20.com.

A worship aid will also be available at www.sdcatholic.org to help parishioners follow along at home.