The Catholic Parishes 

of Stoughton 

Envelopes are available at the doors of both churches for donations for Christmas Flowers in memory of a loved one. The envelopes may be placed in the collection basket or mailed to the parish office.
 
A reminder that while offerings are gratefully accepted and appreciated, there is no  monetary obligation for prayers to be  requested.
 
 Envelopes due Sunday December 15th!

Peace be with you! 
 

Welcome to the Catholic Parishes of Stoughton. We are a Roman Catholic community of faith, nourished by the Eucharist and committed to living out our faith in service to others. It’s our hope that no matter where you are on your life’s journey, you will find a home here. Please join us as we worship our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source of all our faith, hope, strength and joy.

              Peace and blessings!
              Fr. Joe Mazzone
              Pastor of St. James & Immaculate Conception 

Do you consider yourself a joyful person? A hopeful person? Advent is the season of hope and joy; joyful that we have a Savior, hopeful for His return. Do you feel this in your life? How many of us long for it, want it for us and our families, our children, and all of it seems so elusive in the world we live in; the world at large and our own little world, right in our own communities. How many of us want in our hearts to truly celebrate Advent and Christmas and there just doesn’t seem to be time? We’re trying to cram in everything, even good things – school pageants, gift buying, office parties, Christmas cards, getting the house in a state to receive guests – and then everything passes us by. We’re exhausted by the time Christmas rolls around. Never mind the state of the world; some might even question how you can be joyful when things look so dire or, at the very least, precarious. 
 
The people of Isaiah’s time would have something to say about that. When Isaiah is proclaiming the First Reading, his country could not have been in worse shape. The king, Ahaz, was presiding over a county, Judah, which was being besieged from without by countries which were trying to take it down (sound familiar?) and from within where there was great                    internal division (sound more familiar?) Isaiah told him, “If you remain faithful to God and keep your people faithful, then Judah will triumph.” But Ahaz let all the other worries take over. He forgot God. He gave into his fears and both he and his country were in tatters. He even sacrificed his own sons to pagan gods in desperation. His royal line, then, was cut short, cut down to the stump. And what does Isaiah say to the people who are living in the midst of all this? “On that day,” he says, “a shoot shall sprout from [that] stump of Jesse (Jesse was the father of King David,) and from his roots a bud shall blossom.  And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.” In other words, “I know things are crazy and bad. Keep faith in God. Don’t forget Him. Don’t worry, someone is coming to help you, to give you hope.” Was Isaiah naïve? No, he was right. God sent to the City of David, Bethlehem, someone to give us hope; Jesus. 
 
My friends, craziness is everywhere. It’s seeped into what is supposed to be a joyful season and all but pushed God out. But if Christmas isn’t about Christ, if He is not the center of it, it isn’t about anything, no matter what they tell you. My friends, let’s not let the craziness take over. Don’t forget God in these coming weeks, no matter what we have to do. Those things can wait. Really, they can. Let’s put Christ front and center. Even if our intentions are good – I love my family, I want this to get something for someone I love – stress, “obligations,” you-name-it will take over and we’ll miss all the joy and hope of the season . . . and it’s there. So Happy Advent, everyone. And let us never forget. Jesus is not only the reason for the Christmas season, He’s the reason for the Advent one, too. 
                                                                                             ~ Fr. Joe 
 

Each tag  hanging from the branches represents the Christmas wish of a needy child, teen or single parent in our Stoughton community. We ask that the gifts be brought to the church anytime on or before
Sunday, December 15th!
 
 Please attach the tag and leave the gift unwrapped in
a holiday gift bag under the tree. 
 
These bags are later used to distribute the gifts.
 
Monetary contributions are gratefully accepted.
 
Experience the beautiful gift of giving this year! 
Please make this project part of your family’s Advent celebration and let us watch as Christmas joy grows beneath our Parish Giving Tree.
 

Many thanks to everyone who has taken a Gift Card Tag from the Giving Tree. Please return the purchased gift card in an enclosed  envelope labeled Giving Tree either in the collection basket or to the Parish Office by
  Sunday December 15^th.
 
 
Let’s help our neighbors have a  Merry Christmas. For more information  regarding the Giving Tree please see the flyers at the entrances
at Immaculate Conception.