Welcome to the Season of Advent, the Season that begins the Liturgical Year of the Church and invites us to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. During this Season, the Church invites us to prepare for the commemoration of the historical birth of Jesus Christ which is marked with the solemn celebration of Christmas, and for the second coming which will take place at the end of time. This is why the theme of preparation runs through the readings of the First Sunday of Advent.

With the celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe today, we shall bring to a close the Church’s Liturgical Year. When we come to Church next weekend, we will celebrate the First Sunday of Advent which serves the dual purpose of ushering us into the Advent Season and effectively begins a new Liturgical year, Year “A.” The Solemnity of Christ the King was instituted as a feast in the Liturgical calendar by Pope Pius XI in 1925, and in 1970 its observance was moved from October to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time and thus, the end of the Liturgical year.

Concrete was poured at the lower level of the Sanctuary which allowed the mason to begin their work in that area.

The mason continues to progress extremely well. The bell tower is 16 feet away from reaching the top of the tower. In addition, work continues on the south side arches and the north side entry. Also, the Sanctuary area is beginning to rise out of the ground.

It is the penultimate weekend of the Liturgical Year and we know the last few Sundays of every Liturgical year are dedicated to reflections on the four last things: Death, Resurrection, Judgement and Heaven/ Hell. Last weekend we were invited to reflect on the Resurrection and its implications. This weekend, the Readings suggest a solemn consideration of post-Resurrection Judgment.

Concrete has been poured for the elevated cry room and ramp, along with the floor of the Narthex where the footings have been installed. The floor of the choir loft and the stairs have been poured in preparation of the final flooring. Next week the lower Sanctuary is scheduled to be poured, including the ramp to the Sanctuary. The north transept is also scheduled to be poured.

The mason continues with the construction. The bell tower is at a current height of 40 feet, with 34 more feet to be added. The masonary work on the west end to enclose the building will continue as the concrete areas are poured.

We are gradually approaching the end of the Church’s Liturgical Year and so the Readings are beginning to tilt towards explaining the reality of the end of life on earth and what we should expect thereafter. This weekend we are expected to consider the concept of the Resurrection of the dead.

The mason is completing the north expansion for the elevator and the new north restrooms. The tower is scheduled to be topped-off by the end of next week. The west expansion began with the walls of the south transept.

Concrete is scheduled to be poured for the Sacristies, the north transept and the first step of the Sanctuary. When this is completed the mason will continue his work on the west end expansion The second pour will be the steps to the Sanctuary, followed by a third pour for the floor of the Sanctuary.

At the time when Jesus walked the earth, tax collectors were not the most loved people in Israel. They were considered social oppressors, collaborators with the oppressive and dictatorial foreign Roman Government and so they were despised by the rest of the chosen people because they perfectly fit into the group categorized as “public Sinners.”’

The masons continue moving forward on the bell tower, the elevator, north restroom areas and the east arches.

The concrete sub was scheduled to do a major pour on Wednesday, October 26, but has rescheduled us to November 4. This delay is due to a surge of concrete demand from the Intel and the Taiwan semiconductor facility construction projects. The General Contractor is analyzing the schedule to see how we can make up for the lost time.

There are many who believe that other than Christ, St. Paul had the most significant influence on the Theology, Liturgy and life of the early Church. His description of his personal encounter with faith in Christ and his reaction to that encounter amidst great persecution and hardship shows why many believers hold him in such high regard.

The masons continue with their great progress. The northside elevator shaft and the restroom area should be completed mid next week. The bell tower should be completed by the end of the following week. The tower block work will top out at 72 feet. The arches on the eastside of the building are being completed.

The choir loft iron work is complete with the metal decking completed by mid next week. At the end of next week we anticipate a concrete pour for the completion of the flooring of the choir loft. After the choir loft pour, the first concrete pour of the Sanctuary and the Sacristy should begin.

Ora et Labora, pray and work; this is the famous motto of St. Benedict, Patron Saint of our parish. This motto is providentially the theme of the Readings at the liturgy this weekend.

The masons continue the work on the elevator area, the arches and the bell tower. Every four (4) feet up on the elevator shaft and the bell tower requires a City inspection. This causes the team to rotate between the 2 areas to keep the areas moving.

The choir loft steelwork should be completed by early next week, then the area will be decked and the rebar will be installed for the concrete to be poured. Once the steel work is completed and the large equipment is removed from inside the building, the work on pouring the slab for the west end of the building will begin. This will require multiple pours as we create the height required for the Sanctuary.

The First Reading and the Gospel passage this weekend can be placed side by side for our reflection, not only because both tell the story of the healing of lepers, but also because both focus on gratitude for God’s salvation and how it should be expressed.

The masons are on their third lift for the tower and elevator construction. The north arch entry is in the process of being completed.

The south side sewer is in. The north side sewer is ready for inspection. The plumber will start on installing the new major fire line feeder pipe next week.

At 6:00am on Monday the final steel for the mezzanine will be delivered. By the end of next week we should have a mezzanine steel structure.

This weekend, the Readings from Holy Scripture invite us to reflect upon the theme of faith. We are presented with Israel’s faith experience at the time of the Prophet Habakkuk in the old covenant, and the faith to which we are called in the new dispensation.