Advent begins on November 29th and from that date forward you will see Christmas trees decorated with envelopes on them in the atrium and vestibule as part of our traditional Advent Giving Tree program.

How you can help:

As in years past, we will collect financial donations towards three programs:

(1) the Knights of Malta Mobil House of Care so that we can help the Knights provide medical care—diagnosis and treatment—to those who either have no health coverage or cannot even afford the Affordable Health Care program, single mothers caring for children, elderly couples who only have limited social security income , and working poor parents trying to care for their children. For many, the Catholic Knights of Malta are their only help;

(2)Neighbors in Need so that we are able to meet the needs of our neighbors right here in the Simsbury and the rest of the Farmington Valley. From families struggling with long-term or sudden unemployment, perhaps a child with a serious medical condition, fami-lies and elderly couples unable to make a monthly food budget last till the end of the month, help with a senior’s rent, an auto repair bill for a working parent or fuel in the midst of winter for someone on a fixed budget. The needs are ever present right here in the local area; and, finally our

(3)Parish Legacy Fund which seeks to help our existing parish ministries meet their missions when times are tight. The Catholic Church is one of the most generous institutions on the face of the earth—feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, reaching out to families in need—and she is one of the most efficient as nearly all her charities are offered by volunteer outreach, no big salaries to eat into donations. Our Advent Giving Program takes your generous donations and then goes out to meet the needs of neighbors in need of food, heat, light, medicine and more—making life a little easier by offering dignity through compassion.

I want to thank you in advance for your support and your Christ-like generosity. Blessings! And remember, no donation is too small.