Christmas Lights … Clark Griswold Style:  Thanks to the great work of Dina Ciaffone, Paul Angst, Steve Angst, James Cornelius, Vern Dave, Greg Ruvolo, and Paul Csaszar, our campus is decked out with Christmas lights.  The team did an outstanding job of getting all the lights ordered, hung, and in good working order.  If you see any of the team, please thank them for their outstanding work in making our campus look so awesome for Christmas!
 
While the campus looks great, Father John and I think the two of us should engage in a “healthy competition” for seeing who can outdo the other with lights and other Christmas décor.  I wouldn’t go all out like the house on Edmunton, but believe me, they’ve given me some inspirations for what I could add to my house!  Just think if I went all-out … Clark Griswold style!
 
My part in the Christmas lighting project is pretty minimal, but the minimal part got pretty stressful and took on a life of its own.  Of course, I just couldn’t use normal timers that make the lights go on at specific times (that would be too easy).  This was all about the grand reveal at the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.  At the same time, this wouldn’t be a “Bugarin Project” unless it was all “tech’d out.”  Why use a simple timer when you can have a wi-fi timer than can be controlled by Alexa or some app.  This is what makes it a modern Clark Griswold style project.
 
Last year, I ran into some problems with the outdoor electrical outlets I used.  The app was quirky, and I was having difficulties getting all the timers to function correctly.  So, I bought some updated ones this year that supposedly would work better.  My one problem was that I needed to expand our outdoor wi-fi coverage.  So, with the help of the guys, we added a new outdoor antenna on the Sr. Carol Center.  I tested the unit on the ground, and things worked well.  I then braved a cold and very dark night on the roof of the Sr. Carol Center and installed the new access point (complete with my LED spotlights which I’m sure looked VERY suspicious to the Coast Guard Helicopter that made a few circles around me that night (I kid you not).  Imagine the radio call … “NO, ignore that guy on the roof at St. Joan.  We just got some reports it’s just that crazy Monsignor working on another one of his projects.”  You also need to know that on my way up to the roof, the new antenna dropped out of my coat pocket and took a 12-foot dive to the floor.  Paul Angst and I inspected the gadget, and since it looked okay we continued on our way.  Once I finally got it all connected and powered up, I couldn’t wait to run all my tests to see the blazing speeds I was convinced I would get.  Much to my dismay, the slowest dialup modem from eons ago would have produced better service.  At this point, I blamed it on the drop and decided I would order another unit to play it safe.  When the new unit arrived, I ran into the same problem.  Down at the office, the unit worked like a charm.  On the roof, the response was TERRIBLE.  So, I worked on things all Friday night and into Saturday morning.  I was determined to make this work.  At 5:40 p.m. on Saturday, I was still tinkering with the plugs and wi-fi antennas.  I then came up with a theory that maybe I was getting strong interference from the LED lights shining on the parking lots.  At this point, my sister Jackie saw me in front of Father John’s house after she parked for mass.  She approached me and asked what I was doing outside in the dark.  When she heard I was having “issues” with the plugs and the wi-fi, she made an about-face and went straight to Church.  I guess my body language made it clear I wasn’t in the mood to talk!!  It was now countdown time, and I only had 30 minutes before heading into Church for the start of the Nativity Program; the Tree Lighting ceremony followed the Nativity Program.  The Nativity Program was beautiful and prayerful.  The kids did a remarkable job re-telling and acting out the story of Christ’s birth.  Then the time had come.  People assembled in the Gathering Place.  Someone asked if I invited “Cousin Eddy” or if the “cat” from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation would make an appearance.  Were the neighbors ready for a possible power surge?  The countdown took place.  My phone was ready.  At the appointed time, I initiated the sequence on my phone to turn on all the lights.  Fourteen plugs were to turn on in their proper order.  By God’s grace, it all worked.  The campus was filled with a beautiful display of Christmas lights.  Halleluiah!  There was no power surge.  I could finally relax.  How it all worked, I’ll never know.  Did they turn off in the morning? NO!  But it didn’t matter at this point.  They all came on when it mattered the most.  So, if you see any Christmas lights on during the day or segments not on at night, know I’m still working on it.  Trust me, I’ll be tinkering with these things until the day we turn them off after the Baptism of the Lord in January!  This is, after all, a Bugarin Project … Clark Griswold style!
 
Advent Reconciliation Services:  On Tuesday, December 17, we will have our SERF Vicariate Advent Reconciliation Services.  The 1:00 p.m. service is at St. Pio Parish (13 Mile and Kelly Road), and the 7:00 p.m. service is at our parish.  Please take a moment out of your busy Christmas preparations and receive the Lord’s gracious forgiveness.  There is certainly no better way to prepare for the coming of the Lord than by celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation!  Both services will consist of a brief liturgy of the word followed by individual confession and absolution.
 
You would be amazed at how many times I welcome back people who haven’t celebrated the sacrament in years or even decades.  If you’re one of these people and/or are worried about how to go to confession, don’t be afraid.  Simply tell the confessor it’s been a while since you’ve gone to confession; he will walk you through the ritual.  Don’t worry if you can’t remember the Act of Contrition; we have cards in the confessionals with the prayers.  Your prayer could simply be: “Lord Jesus, Son of God have mercy on me, a sinner.”  Celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation is a great way to prepare your heart for the coming of the Lord.
 
Enjoy the week.  Know of my prayers.
 
In Christ,
 
gmb
gmb@sjascs.org