The holidays will soon be upon us! Thanksgiving is next week, and two weeks from now is the start of Advent and the rush to the Christmas season. Still, it’s always Christmas at St. Margaret, as we like to say! The murals in our sanctuary depict the Nativity of Jesus and are a constant reminder to us – in every season – that the Word was made flesh and lives among us. Our founding Pastor, Fr. John J. O’Brien, was born on Christmas, so it was a special day for him! The first Mass at this new parish of St. Margaret of Scotland happened on Christmas Day in 1899, and the first Mass in this new Church building (albeit in the basement) was on Christmas Day in 1906. As we celebrate our Quasquicentennial year, our celebrations will ramp up in the weeks to come as we celebrate the holidays.
Next Sunday, November 24, on the Feast of Christ the King, Fr. Ken Brown will celebrate our 10:00am
Mass. Fr. Brown was the 11th Pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland, serving here from 1994 until 2004. Fr.
Brown is currently the Vicar for Priests in the Archdiocese (which makes him one of my bosses!) and is in
residence at Mary, Queen of Peace Parish in Webster Groves, where I was previously pastor. Many remember Fr. Brown from those transformative years in our community, and with gratitude we remember
his dedication to this parish and neighborhood, and his green thumb!
On Sunday, December 8, the Second Sunday of Advent, Bishop Mark Rivituso will return to St. Margaret
to celebrate our 10:00am Mass. Bishop Rivituso was previously in residence here and has returned here
for daily Mass several times in the last years. Bishop Rivituso serves as an auxiliary bishop here in St.
Louis, assisting Archbishop Rozasnski in the pastoral governance of our local Church.
Since Christmas is our actual 125th anniversary, I am honored that Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski will be
with at St. Margaret of Scotland to celebrate the 10:00pm Mass on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24.
Usually the Archbishop would celebrate such a great feast at the Cathedral Basilica, so I am honored that
he accepted our invitation to spend Christmas here in Shaw! I know Christmas Eve will be a grand
celebration of the Nativity in our beautiful Church, with many musicians and a full choir, welcoming
parishioners and guests from all over. It will be crowded, so come early to get a seat and to hear
Christmas music from our Music Ministry beginning at 9:30pm.
Our final guest presider is Fr. Matthew O’Toole who will return to St. Margaret to celebrate the 10:00am
Mass on Epiphany Sunday, January 5, 2025. As most know, Fr. O’Toole was the 13th pastor of St.
Margaret, serving here from 2011 until 2021, so he baptized and gave First Communion to scores of our
young parishioners! Fr. O’Toole and I have been friends since we were in high school and I know he is always thrilled to return to St. Margaret, where he was instrumental in the spiritual and physical growth of our parish. Fr. O’Toole is presently the pastor of St. Peter Parish in Kirkwood.
That same Epiphany Sunday afternoon, a seasonal organ concert will be held in Church at 2:00pm, featuring David Sinden, an esteemed musician who is the organist at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Ladue. Plan now to join in all these celebrations as we continue to give thanks to God for all the blessings bestowed upon St. Margaret of Scotland Parish over these 125 years!
