Love God, Love Others, Share the Good News!

    This Week's Letter From Father

First Sunday of Advent A

November 30, 2025 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

The liturgical calendar has a three-year cycle, repeating every three years. Each liturgical year is

made up of six seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent, the Sacred Paschal Triduum, Easter and 

Ordinary Time. 

The first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the new liturgical year. Thenceforth, our 

readings will be taken from Cycle A and the Gospel of Matthew will accompany us on our 

spiritual journey. The Gospel of John will supplement the Gospel of Matthew during Ordinary

Time, Good Friday, and the Easter Season. 

The color of this season is violet, a deep bluish red. On Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent)

rose-colored vestments can be used too. Also, a rose-colored candle is lit. 

The celebration of Advent has been known since the 5th century. However, the length of the

season has changed throughout time. Initially, in Jerusalem, only one Sunday of Advent was

celebrated. Pope Gregory the Great (590-604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great,

decided that Advent will consist of four Sundays. From the 9th century on, the celebration of

Advent became more significant outside Rome. The required four Sundays of Advent preceding

Christmas, were introduced for the entire Church by Pope Pius V (1566-1572), now venerated

as a saint. Nonetheless, there is one exception to the rule. In the Archdiocese of Milan, Italy,

the season of Advent lasts six weeks. 

In many homes the advent wreath adorns the center of the table. Circular in shape, it 

symbolizes the Earth and that there is no beginning and no end to God. God’s love for us and all

creation is forever. 

The four candles on the wreath represent the four weeks of Advent. The light from the candles,

which grows brighter every Sunday of Advent, reminds us that Christ is our light. As we look at

that light, we are thankful for Jesus’ presence in our midst and we ask the Lord to illuminate our

hearts with His love, joy, hope and peace so we can be the visible signs of His love, joy, hope

and peace to others. 

Advent is a joyful season of anticipating the coming of the Lord. Like the expecting mother who

joyfully anticipates the birth of her baby, we cheerfully await the arrival of Jesus. And like the

expecting mother, we are to give birth to Jesus in our daily life. At the same time, we pray that

those who are to be born in the near future, will be loved, cherished and not deprived of life. 

Many people experience doubts. We should not be afraid of them. They refine our faith and our

sense of God. Because of them, we see that God is much bigger, and much greater than what

we expect. As we wait for God, God waits for us more than we do for Him/Her. 

As we enter into Advent again, Paul exhorts us in the second reading (Romans 13:11-14), “to

put on the Lord Jesus” and “live honorably as in daylight”. And our Gospel reading (Matthew

3:1-12) reminds us to be always ready for the arrival of the Lord.   

Saint Ambrose of Milan encourages us: “Open wide your door to the one who comes. Open

your soul, throw open the depths of your heart to see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of

peace, the sweetness of grace. Open your heart and run to meet the Sun of eternal light that

illuminates all men.” 

Let us also keep in mind the words of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta: “Mark the season of 

Advent by loving and serving others with God’s own love and concern.” 

                                                                           ….. 

I am excited to welcome our new Altar Servers: Theodore Nguyen, Van Nguyen, Fraser Bouck,

and Sofia Windsor. Thank you for embracing this wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord. I look

forward to having you at the altar during our liturgies. 

A special thank you goes to Victoria Salas for dedicating her time and effort to training our new

altar servers. You embody the spirit of service at the altar, and we all are inspired by your 

commitment. 

I had a wonderful time attending the biennial diocesan meeting for Catholic school pastors and

principals with our outstanding Principal, Loredana Modafferi. The event was not only 

productive but also full of insightful presentations and an engaging panel discussion. 

What a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner the Knights of Columbus hosted. They generously 

provided the turkeys, while everyone brought side dishes and desserts to share. It was 

wonderful to see everyone there. A heartfelt thank you to our Brother Knights and all who joined

in the celebration. 

A heartfelt thank you to Martha and Jeff for the wonderful dinner. I enjoyed the delicious food,

wonderful company, and all the conversations and laughter we shared. What a great evening. 

Mark your calendars for December 7th. We warmly invite all parents of First Communion 

students to a special mandatory retreat, followed by a meaningful celebration of the Mass. I

am looking forward to seeing you there. 

Don’t miss our festive annual Parish Christmas Party on December 7th! Bring your favorite 

holiday dish to share, and let’s come together to celebrate this joyful season as one 

community. Looking forward to a wonderful time together! 

In Christ, 

Fr. Ryszard 

Welcome Message

Greetings in Christ Jesus!

Whether you are just visiting for a short while, have moved here and are joining our parish, or are returning to your Catholic Faith, on behalf of our parish community, we welcome you to St. Egbert Catholic Church and the beautiful Crystal Coast of North Carolina.

When Jesus was asked which of all the commandments was the greatest, he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the great, and first commandment. And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” These two Commandments form the foundation of our mission to Love God, Love Neighbor, and to Share the Good News.