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The Southern Cross, Page 4
Thursday, December 21, 2000
A Jubilee Christmas prayer
W hat a year this has been!
With our fellow Catholics
throughout the world we have
observed the Great Jubilee of the
Year 2000, commemorating the
coming of the Son of God as the
Son of Mary 2000 years ago. When
our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II,
opened the Holy Door of Saint
Peter’s Basilica in Rome on
Christmas Eve, 1999, he ushered in
athe Jubilee Year of celebration for
the whole Church.
In our Diocese of Savannah, we
have celebrated the Jubilee together
with the 150th anniversary of the
establishment of our diocese by
Blessed Pius IX in 1859 and the
rededication of the Cathedral of
Saint John the Baptist in 1900,
after the disastrous fire of 1898.
Our celebrations included family
prayer in the home, parish and
deanery masses and gatherings and,
at the end of November, five days
of thankful rejoicing in Savannah.
These days featured a concert, a
multicultural
Mass and festival
in the park, a
youth day, com
plete with a play
and a special
Mass, an ecu
menical service
and, of course,
the dedication of
the magnificently
restored
Cathedral of Saint
John the Baptist
one century, one
month and one
day after its
rededication in
1900. Thousands joined in celebrat
ing the providential coincidence of
the Jubilee, the diocesan Sesqui-
centennial and the cathedral’s cen
tennial and restoration.
As we look back on this busy and
exciting year, the enthusiasm with
which the Catholic people of south
Georgia entered into the Jubilee
and sesquicen-
tennial celebra
tions stands out
in high relief. It
would be tempt
ing to look on
them as an end
and to rest on
our laurels. But
in the spirit of
the Great Jubilee,
intended to be a
moment of
renewal, we must
instead regard
them as a begin
ning.
Our celebration
of the Lord’s birth in this 2000th
year of grace is an occasion for the
greatest rejoicing and for a renewed
commitment to living out the
Gospel of Life proclaimed by the
Messiah as he walked this earth.
May the passing of this Jubilee
and Sesquicentennial year not lead
us to complacency, to a slackening
of our energy and evangelical zeal,
but may this special year be re
called as particularly filled with
grace, spurring us to continue our
efforts to bring the Good News of
Jesus, our Emmanuel, to all the
people of south Georgia, especially
to the unchurched.
May we remember that this spe
cial year has been but a moment on
our journey of faith towards the
kingdom of God, which Christ our
King came 2000 years ago to inau
gurate on earth and which he has
entrusted to us to foster and pro
claim, empowered by the grace of
the Holy Spirit, until he comes
again.
As we wait in joyful hope for the
coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ,
let us pray that the Lord will deliv
er us from every evil, grant us
peace in our day, keep us free from
sin and protect us from all anxiety
in this passing world.
—DKC
Savannah Deanery Parishes
Christmas Mass Schedule 2000
Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist
Saint Boniface Mission
222 E. Harris Street
Springfield
December 24—11:30 p.m. Music / Midnight Mass
December 24—7:00 p.m. Mass
December 25—8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Masses
December 25—10:30 a.m. Mass
Blessed Sacrament Church
Saint Frances Cabrini Church
1003 East Victory Drive
11500 Middleground Road
December 24—5:30 p.m. Children’s Mass
December 24—5:30 p.m. Children’s Mass
11:30 p.m. Music / Midnight Mass
11:15 p.m. Music / Midnight Mass
December 25—10:00 a.m. Mass
December 25—10:00 a.m. Mass
Our Lady of Lourdes Church
Saint James Church
Port Wentworth
8412 Whitfield Avenue
December 24-5:00 p.m.
December 24—5:30 p.m. Children’s Mass (Church)
11:30 p.m. Mass
(Overflow Mass in the Parish Center)
Resurrection of Our Lord Church
7:30 p.m. Mass
10:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Good Hope Chapel, Isle of Hope
112 Fell Street
11:30 p.m. Music / Midnight Mass
December 24—4:00 p.m. Mass (Children)
December 25—10:00 a.m. Mass
Midnight Mass
December 25—9:00 a.m. Mass
Saint Michael Church
Sacred Heart Church
Tybee Island
December 24—5:00 p.m. Children’s Mass
1707 Bull Street
9:00 p.m. Mass
December 24—5:00 p.m. Mass (English)
December 25—8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Masses
7:00 p.m. Mass (Spanish)
Midnight Mass (English)
Saint Peter the Apostle Church
December 25—10:00 a.m. Mass (English)
Wilmington Island
Saint Anne Church
December 24—5:00 p.m. (Special Children’s Liturgy)
5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass (Youth Choir)
Richmond Hill
7:00 p.m. Vigil Mass (Special Youth Choir)
December 24—5:30 p.m. Children’s Mass
Midnight Mass (Adult Choir)
Midnight Mass
December 25—9:00 a.m. Mass
December 25—9:00 a.m. Mass
Saint Benedict the Moor Church
Saints Peter & Paul Vietnamese Church
3115 East Victory Drive
556 East Gordon Street
December 24—5:30 p.m. Mass (English)
December 24—6:00 p.m. Children’s Mass
8:00 p.m. (Vietnamese)
11:30 p.m. Music / Midnight Mass
December 25—0:00 a.m. Mass (Bilingual)
December 25—10:00 a.m. Mass