Sts. Peter & Paul will celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent with more than a rose candle  this year. On the weekend of December 15, we are also adopting the Vatican tradition of blessing Nativity scene figures of the baby Jesus (“Bambinelli” in Italian). The tradition as started by Pope Paul VI in 1969 and since then, the Bambinelli blessing has been given by the pope during the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on the Third Sunday of Advent. It’s a teachable moment for families to refocus children on the true meaning of the Advent season.

Fr. Travis would like to invite every household in our parish, young and old, to unpack your creche and bring the baby Jesus from your family’s Nativity scene to church to be blessed at any Mass on the weekend of December 14–15, the Third Sunday of Advent. At Mass, we will gift a small baby Jesus to the children enrolled in PSR elementary classes so that they may bring up the baby Jesus to the altar for the blessing (along with the baby Jesus from their home Nativity scene if they have one). We would like all children to be able to participate in the blessing. Adults will raise their baby Jesus from the pews for the blessing.