Hanna Bersinger
Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins. (Matt. 1:18-21)

 And the Word was made flesh (John 1:14)

O God, who dost gladden us with the yearly expectation of our redemption, grant that we who now joyfully receive Thy only-begotten Son as our Redeemer, may also without fear behold Him coming as our Judge, our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who with Thee liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen.

(Christmas Vigil Mass Prayer)

May the blessings of the Infant Savior be yours at CHRISTMAS and through each day of the NEW YEAR.

As my gift to you and your loved ones, the traditional Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be offered at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Las Vegas for you during the Christmas Season.

Fr. Courtney Edward Krier

A Russian Black Sea city declared a state of emergency Thursday after a burst pipeline spewed oil into the landlocked water body, with stormy weather hampering cleanup efforts.

The pipeline near the city of Tuapse burst late Tuesday, according to Chernomor Transneft, a subsidiary of Russia’s main oil transport company Transneft. MORE

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Christians the world over a Merry Christmas on Thursday, lamenting the plight of Middle East Christians who he said are subject to persecution in every country of the region, except for Israel.

“I wish Christians in Israel and all over the world a very Merry Christmas,” Netanyahu said in the YouTube video. MORE

A strong correlation exists between religiosity and personal happiness, according to a new study by the Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture.

The study found that people who attend religious services on a weekly basis are nearly twice as likely to describe themselves as “very happy” (45%) than people who never attend (28%). Conversely, those who never worship are twice as likely to say they are “very unhappy” (4%) as those who attend services weekly (2%). MORE

Several tornadoes hit the Southeast on Tuesday afternoon, including one in Mississippi that left at least four dead, numerous others injured, and caused damage to structures.

Two people died in Marion County, Mississippi, and two more in Jones County, state Emergency Management Agency spokesman Brett Carr confirmed to the Huffington Post. VIDEO’S MORE

He invented a new easy style of communication at the Vatican, brought in fresh blood, and publicly lambasted power-hungry princes of the church – the cardinals and bishops who run the Catholic Church’s Rome headquarters; he also found time to play an active diplomatic role in helping the US and Cuba bring to an end 50 years of public enmity.

Following up on his predecessors Pope John Paul’s and Pope Benedict’s historic visits to Cuba and meetings with Fidel Castro in 1998 and 2012, he helped broker a political deal which made headlines around the world this month. MORE

PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against Islamisation of the West) has grown rapidly since its inception in October, a peaceful ‘strolling’ movement opposing the exceptional violence seen in street battles between Salafist Muslims and ethnic Kurds seen in many German cities this year and enormous immigration. Now on it’s tenth ‘evening stroll’, it has grown from a couple of hundred people, to 15,000 last week, to more than 17,500 last night. MORE

“It’s just wrong, when you remove baby Jesus two days before Christmas and put Satan in his place — that just can’t happen. I couldn’t allow it to happen,” said Hemeryck, who said she was wearing a shirt that said “Catholic Warrior” when she arrived at the Capitol. “I was there at the right time and the right moment and I needed to take a stand against Satan.” MORE

The story begins during the halcyon days of the Lower East Side where, as Jennifer 8. Lee, the producer of The Search for General Tso, said, “Jews and Chinese were the two largest non-Christian immigrant groups” at the turn of the century.

So while it’s true that Chinese restaurants were notably open on Sundays and during holidays when other restaurants would be closed, the two groups were linked not only by proximity, but by otherness. Jewish affinity for Chinese food “reveals a lot about immigration history and what it’s like to be outsiders,” she explained. MORE

Yes, there are a few countries that actually love Christmas and even the Australian News takes it very seriously. Life is very shore with so many ups and downs, this is one significant day that can make a child have sleepless nights and butterflies in their tummies. And for all to remember it’s CHRIST’S MASS. MORE

The fact of the matter is you simply can’t argue with Lord Xenu’s success rate. And for the more seriously intrigued, the Scientology Christmas Catalog is Totally out there but it could lead to insanity, especially the dictionary. VIDEO: MORE ~ CATALOG: MORE

Russia and four other ex-Soviet nations on Tuesday completed the creation of a new economic alliance intended to bolster their integration, but the ambitious grouping immediately showed signs of fracture as the leader of Belarus sharply criticized Moscow. MORE

Between January and September, 162 visas were given to Russian multimillionaires, an increase of 66 visas from the same period in 2013.

The Times notes a dramatic uptick in visa applications after March, when the first round of western sanctions were placed on Russia over its military action in Ukraine. The ruble’s slide and falling oil prices are also to blame for the flight out of Russia. MORE

Christmas is less than a week away. And a group of Marshfield residents want everyone to know that, despite recent holiday controversy in town, they’re in the spirit.

Supporters held homemade signs that said “Merry Christmas” to passing drivers, many who honked as they drove on Route 139 in Marshfield on Saturday morning. MORE