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Basilica of Saint Louis,King of FranceThe Old CathedralF IRST C ATHOLIC C ATHEDRAL W ESTFounded in 1770OF THEM ISSISSIPPI R IVERpresent Church dedicated in 1834T h e H o ly Fa m i ly o f J e s u s , M a r y a n d J o s e p hD e c e m b e r 2 6 , 2 0 21Archbishop of St. LouisThe Most ReverendMitchell T. RozanskiRectorFather Nicholas SmithDirector, Office of Sacred WorshipFaculty, Kenrick-Glennon SeminaryIn ResidenceFather Charles SamsonAssistant Professor, Kenrick-GlennonSeminarySunday Masses5:30 PM (Sunday Vigil)8:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:00 PM,and 5:00 PMDaily MassesMonday through Friday7:00 AM and 12:10 PMSaturday - 7:00 AMLive Stream Mass7:00 AM Weekdays & 10:30 AM SundayAccess the live streams at: oldcathedralstl.orgDevotionsPerpetual Help Devotions:Tuesdays - 12:00 PMConfessionsMonday through Friday,11:30 AM - 12:00 PMSaturday, 4:30 PM - 5:15 PMMarriagePlease arrange at least six months inadvance of the desired date.To reserve a date, or for moreinformation, please contactTracy Marklein at ys, following the12:00 PM MassPlease call 314-231-3250 to arrange

MASS INTENTIONSReadings for the week of December 26, 2021Sunday:Sunday, December 268:00 AM Parish Family10:30 AM Barbara Cataldo(Live Streamed)12:00 PM Celebrant’s Intention5:00 PM Celebrant’s IntentionMonday, December 277:00 AM Celebrant’s Intention12:10 PM Patty YurkoSir 3:2-6, 12-14/Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 [cf. 1]/Col 3:12-21 or3:12-17/Lk 2:41-52 or 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28/Ps 84:2-3,5-6, 9-10 [cf. 5a]/1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24/Lk 2:41-52Monday:1 Jn 1:1-4/Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12 [12]/Jn 20:1a, 2-8Tuesday:1 Jn 1:5—2:2/Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7b-8 [7]/Mt 2:13-18Wednesday: 1 Jn 2:3-11/Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 5b-6 [11a]/Lk 2:22-35Thursday:1 Jn 2:12-17/Ps 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10 [11a]/Lk 2:36-40Friday:1 Jn 2:18-21/Ps 96:1-2, 11-12, 13 [11a]/Jn 1:1-18Saturday:Nm 6:22-27/Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 [2a]/Gal 4:4-7/Lk 2:16-21Next Sunday: Is 60:1-6/Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13 [cf. 11]/Eph 3:2-3a,5-6/Mt 2:1-12Observances for the week of December 26, 2021Tuesday, December 287:00 AM Darl Klopmeier12:10 PM Celebrant’s IntentionWednesday, December 297:00 AM Celebrant’s Intention12:10 PM Carlita WalterThursday, December 307:00 AM Celebrant’s Intention12:10 PM Peter DaPratoFriday, December 317:00 AM Nicolina DeBoni12:10 PM Celebrant’s IntentionSaturday, January 17:00 AM Celebrant’s IntentionSunday, January 28:00 AM Parish Family10:30 AM Len Dino (NS)(Live Streamed)12:00 PM Celebrant’s Intention5:00 PM Celebrant’s Friday:Saturday:Next Sunday:The Holy FamilySt. John, Apostle and EvangelistThe Holy Innocents, MartyrsSt. Thomas Becket, Bishop and MartyrSixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the LordSt. Sylvester I, PopeMary, The Holy Mother of God; World Day of PeaceThe Epiphany of the LordNew Years Mass ScheduleSaturday, January 17:00 AM Solemnity of Mar y, Mother of God4:30 PM Confessions & 5:30 PM Mass are cancelledSunday, January 2 Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lor dBlessings and chalk distributed at all regularly scheduled MassesJoin Us First Friday To CelebrateThe Sodality of the Most Sacred HeartFriday, January 711:30am -Noon Adoration & Benediction12:10pm Celebration of the MassJoin us every first Friday ofeach month to celebratethe Sacred Heart of JesusWeekly GivingBasilica of Saint Louis,King of FranceThe Old Cathedral209 Walnut StreetSt. Louis, Missouri 63102314-231-3250Email: oldcathedral@att.netWebsite: oldcathedralstl.orgThe Old Cathedral has long beenrecognized as one of the most historic andbeautiful churches of its time.Our parish is proud of its more than240 year history as a self-supportingRoman Catholic Parish.Your presence, prayer, and generouskindness continue to make it so.Your weekly envelope donations canbe made by mail or in personor online at:www.oldcathedralstl.org/giveTHANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORTSCAN TOMAKE YOURYEAR END GIFT

FROM OURRECTORDear Old Cathedral Parishionersand Visitors:Each year, as this feast of the HolyFamily arises, we have theopportunity to reflect on their lives.What can we learn from these holypeople? How might we imitatethem? Perhaps the answer is clear.In an age when we are faced withrelentless messaging from socialmedia, television, and competingideologies, modern families need to be grounded in prayerand religious traditions.We know very little about Christ’s life between his birthand the beginning of his public ministry. We know that hewas born in Bethlehem in a humble stable. Soon, hisyoung life was threatened and his family escaped to Egypt.Eventually, they returned to Nazareth. We can onlyimagine Jesus growing up in a simple household withMary, his loving Mother, and Saint Joseph, his protectiveguardian. We picture him in Mary’s lap or learning acarpenter’s trade at Joseph’s workbench. The early yearsof Christ’s life are often identified by scholars as the“hidden life” of Jesus.The beginning of today’s Gospel states that Mary andJoseph went to Jerusalem annually for Passover accordingto festival custom. On one such occasion, when Christ was12, he remained at the temple; his parents found him there,discussing Scriptures with the rabbis. Significantly, thisstory of finding him in the temple “is the only event thatbreaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years ofJesus” (CCC 534).These visits to a house of worship are significant. Thetemple in Jerusalem was seen as God’s dwelling place.Even Jesus – God’s dwelling place among men – took thetime to go there (CCC 586). The temple was a house ofprayer, where sacrifices were offered and God’s praiseswere sung. At the temple, in the synagogues, and in hishome, a young Jesus would have learned the words andrhythms of his people’s prayers.Like Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, we are part of a holyfamily – we, too, are children of God. Just like Mary andJoseph, our family life is enriched when we go to churchto worship the One who created and loves us. Like Maryand Joseph, we must be attentive to the presence ofChrist in our lives, to hold all he did and said in ourhearts, and to willingly participate in God’s divine plan.By being attentive to God’s word and by keeping hiscommandments, we, too, will grow in wisdom and graceand favor.Blessings on your Christmas Season and best wishesfor a blessed 2022.-Father SmithSaint John, Apostleand Evangelist(December 27):Saint John, who died in c. 100 at Ephesus, wasthe son of Zebedee, brother of James, and the“disciple whom Jesus loved.” He authored three letters, the bookof Revelation, and the most spiritual of the gospels. In hisgospel, Saint John omitted a narrative of Jesus’s birth. Based onthis fact, it seems strange to include him during the Octave ofChristmas. Yet, his placement near Christmas Day wasintentional and has much symbolism. According to the St.Andrew Daily Missal, “It is God we adore at Bethlehem duringChristmas time. Thus it is natural that St. John the chiefevangelist of the divinity of Christ, should be found beside thecrib, to disclose the greatness of the Infant who reposes therein.The Infant God in the crib gathers around him pure souls: Maryis the Blessed Virgin, Joseph the chaste spouse, St. Stephen thefirst martyr who washes his robe in the blood of the Lamb. Nowbehold St. John, the virgin apostle.”Holy Innocents, martyrs(December 28): The Massacr e ofthe Innocents is the Biblicalnarrative of infanticide by Herod theGreat, the Roman-appointed Kingof the Jews. According to theGospel of Matthew, Herod ordered the execution of all youngmale children in the vicinity of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the lossof this throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth hadbeen announced to him by the Magi. This massacre isunderstood as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy:“Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah theprophet, saying, ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and greatweeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to becomforted, because her children are no more’” (Jeremiah 31:15).Saint Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr(December 29): Lived fr om 21 December c.1118 or 1120, to 29 December 1170, wasArchbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until hismurder in 1170. He engaged in conflict withKing Henry II of England over the rights andprivileges of the Church and was murdered byfollowers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral.Soon after his death, he was canonized byPope Alexander III. The story of Becket isperhaps best accessed through the 20th century play Murder in theCathedral, by T. S. Eliot.Saint Sylvester I, pope (December31): Saint Sylvester I who died onDecember 31, 335, was pope fromJanuary 31, 314, to his death. Hesucceeded Pope Miltiades. Hebecame Pope at an important era inthe history of the Catholic Church, yet very little is known ofhim. During his pontificate, the great churches founded at Romeby Constantine, e.g., the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, SantaCroce in Gerusalemme, Old Saint Peter’s Basilica, and severalcemeterial churches, were built over the graves of martyrs.Sylvester did not attend the First Council of Nicea in 325, but hewas represented by two legates, Vitus and Vincentius, and heapproved the council’s decisions.All you holy men and women, Saints of God,pray for us