My Brother's New Year has already begun!

It's 2009 in Thailand!!

Merry Christmas

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Newseum - Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

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Picture of my Brother in Taiwan

This scroll translates: "I am a stupid American pig-dog. I went to Taiwan, and all I got was this d*mn scroll."

Our Lady of Lourdes Schedule of Christmas and Holy Day Masses

Here is the schedule of Christmas and Holy Day Masses, for your reference and mine:

Solemnity of Christmas:
Wednesday, 12/24 - 4:00p OLL, 5:00p St. B, 10:30p St. B (Carol Singing begins at 10:00p)
Thursday, 12/25 - 12:00 midnight at OLL (Carol Singing begins at 11:30p), 11:00a OLL

Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God (New Year's Day):
Wednesday, 12/31 - 6:00p at St. B
Thursday, 1/1 - 11:00a at OLL

Pope Benedict XVI is now following you on Twitter!

I knew it was just a matter of time...

Received today via e-mail:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Twitter <twitter-follow-kieronbm=gmail.com@postmaster.twitter.com>
Date: Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 10:59 AM
Subject: Pope Benedict XVI is now following you on Twitter!
To: kieronbm@gmail.com


Hi, Kieron Mitchell.

Pope Benedict XVI (popebenedictxvi) is now following your updates on Twitter.

Check out Pope Benedict XVI's profile here:

http://twitter.com/popebenedictxvi


Best,
Twitter

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Turn off these emails at: http://twitter.com/account/notifications

Maddie's First Formal Dress

For the 7th and 8th grade dance coming up....

Holy Father's Prayer Intention for December 2008

That in the face of a spreading culture of violence and death, the Church, through her apostolic and missionary activities, may courageously promote a culture of life.