Merry Christmas to you! We celebrate today, after four weeks of Advent preparation, for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to reconcile us to God and to teach us to love Him through our neighbor. Our joyful hope is fulfilled as we commemorate the Good News of God becoming man, born of a virgin as the prophets foretold, so that all men can become Children of God.

The transept beams have been installed. The mason is working on the roof line of the transepts. They will be complete by December 29. The structural steel for the Nave will begin to be installed on January 9. The storm drain will be completed by December 27. The plumber will be out of the driveway in front of the Annex buildings at that time. The duct work will begin installation after the first of the year.

We are in the fourth week of waiting for the coming of Jesus into our lives. But do we really know what it means for Jesus to come into our lives? Are we aware that when Jesus is allowed into our lives, He is very likely to effect significant changes that will alter the course of our lives?

The building is taking its final shape and no longer looks like a box. It now has the beginning of the shape that we saw in the original video. We have been blessed to have a great general contractor who has been able to handle the challenges that we have faced.

The block work for the tower has been completed. The scaffolding was lowered Thursday and is being dismantled. All block work is scheduled to be completed in two weeks.

The theme of patience and joyous hope runs through the Readings of this year’s Third Sunday of Advent. We who await the arrival of our salvation are encouraged to do so joyfully, patiently and full of hope.

The new mechanical sub is onsite today to finalize the layout for the saw cuts through the block for the additional A/C ductwork.

The plumbing leak that was discovered last week has been located. It will be fixed when the plumbing team is onsite to install the main storm drain on the east side of the construction project. This will occur during St. John Bosco's Christmas break. We will be trenching down the center of the driveway which is between the new worship space and the Annex buildings.

For the ancient Jewish people, there were three boxes to be ticked in order to prove the authenticity of the expected Messiah. The Messiah would have to come from the royal household of King David, He would establish justice in the land, and He would cause the restoration of the incredible peace found in the original garden of Eden.

The tower is at 61 feet and the upper tower arches are beginning to form. The southside arches are complete along with the eastside arches. Significant work has been done on the westside of the building.

A leak was discovered in the new domestic water system. It is being tracked down and will be repaired.

Welcome to the Season of Advent, the Season that begins the Liturgical Year of the Church and invites us to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. During this Season, the Church invites us to prepare for the commemoration of the historical birth of Jesus Christ which is marked with the solemn celebration of Christmas, and for the second coming which will take place at the end of time. This is why the theme of preparation runs through the readings of the First Sunday of Advent.

With the celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe today, we shall bring to a close the Church’s Liturgical Year. When we come to Church next weekend, we will celebrate the First Sunday of Advent which serves the dual purpose of ushering us into the Advent Season and effectively begins a new Liturgical year, Year “A.” The Solemnity of Christ the King was instituted as a feast in the Liturgical calendar by Pope Pius XI in 1925, and in 1970 its observance was moved from October to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time and thus, the end of the Liturgical year.

Concrete was poured at the lower level of the Sanctuary which allowed the mason to begin their work in that area.

The mason continues to progress extremely well. The bell tower is 16 feet away from reaching the top of the tower. In addition, work continues on the south side arches and the north side entry. Also, the Sanctuary area is beginning to rise out of the ground.

It is the penultimate weekend of the Liturgical Year and we know the last few Sundays of every Liturgical year are dedicated to reflections on the four last things: Death, Resurrection, Judgement and Heaven/ Hell. Last weekend we were invited to reflect on the Resurrection and its implications. This weekend, the Readings suggest a solemn consideration of post-Resurrection Judgment.

Concrete has been poured for the elevated cry room and ramp, along with the floor of the Narthex where the footings have been installed. The floor of the choir loft and the stairs have been poured in preparation of the final flooring. Next week the lower Sanctuary is scheduled to be poured, including the ramp to the Sanctuary. The north transept is also scheduled to be poured.

The mason continues with the construction. The bell tower is at a current height of 40 feet, with 34 more feet to be added. The masonary work on the west end to enclose the building will continue as the concrete areas are poured.

We are gradually approaching the end of the Church’s Liturgical Year and so the Readings are beginning to tilt towards explaining the reality of the end of life on earth and what we should expect thereafter. This weekend we are expected to consider the concept of the Resurrection of the dead.

The mason is completing the north expansion for the elevator and the new north restrooms. The tower is scheduled to be topped-off by the end of next week. The west expansion began with the walls of the south transept.

Concrete is scheduled to be poured for the Sacristies, the north transept and the first step of the Sanctuary. When this is completed the mason will continue his work on the west end expansion The second pour will be the steps to the Sanctuary, followed by a third pour for the floor of the Sanctuary.