A Note From Father Eickhoff

November 26, 2023

Now that you have recovered from your Thanksgiving Dinner it is time to look ahead to the upcoming Season of Advent and the various upcoming activities that will be going on here at St. Anne Parish.

Next week will be a very busy week here at St. Anne Parish with what I like to think of as “Confession Week.”  There are numerous confession times scheduled this week for the children who will be going to reconciliation for the first time, children in Religious Education, and parishioners. For parishioners the following confession times are scheduled for the week of December 3:

  •      Sunday, December 3rd @ 4pm – General Parish Confessions
    A large number of priests will be coming to help with confessions beginning at 4pm in the church.
  •      Wednesday, December 6th @7pm – Regularly scheduled Wednesday Confessions.
  •      Saturday, December 9th @ 2.30pm to 4.30pm – Confessions during Adoration
    Confessions will be heard during the afternoon Eucharistic Adoration in the church.  There will         be two priests hearing confessions at all times.

Part of preparing for Christmas should be making a good confession.  It is more important than wrapping presents or decorating the house.  As you can see, there will be multiple opportunities to go to confession during the month of December.

Also coming up during the month of December is a special three-hour Eucharistic Adoration that will be held in the church on Saturday, December 9th from 2pm to 5pm.  During this time there will be periods of readings from the works of the saints, periods of music, and periods of sacred silence.  Another part of preparing for Christmas is giving to God the gift of your time in prayer.  I encourage you to come and pray before the Holy Eucharist for all or just a part of this time.  These three hours (or just an hour or maybe just the thirty minutes from 4.30pm to 5pm before Saturday Mass begins) are a great way of making the time to give thanks to God in prayer.

Finally, I want to draw your attention to the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Friday, December 8th.  This is a Holy Day of Obligation.  Masses will be held here at St. Anne at 7am, 12pm, and 7pm.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Stephen Eickhoff
Pastor