Father Bob's announcement
Pastor's Notes
Good morning to all as we move into about 6 weeks of Ordinary time.
Just a heads up that this coming week the clergy will be away at our Study Days, so no daily masses Monday through Thursday.
Our Lady of the Snows School invites parishioners to attend Vintage Affair: A Night of Electric Elegance on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at the Reno Ballroom. This signature fundraising event supports Catholic education and benefits students, faculty, and families across our school community. Join us for an elegant evening of fellowship, fine dining, and purpose. Tickets and sponsorships are available for purchase. We hope to see you there! Click HERE for links and times.
In the coming weeks the OCIA rituals will be celebrated. OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) is the process by which Non Baptized persons become Catholic as well for as Non-Catholics. We have already celebrated the Rite of Entrance for a few and will be doing so again shortly. Lent will see us celebrating Rite of Sending and Rite of Election for those who will receive the Sacraments this Easter; as well as the Scrutiny Rites. In a couple of weeks too, we celebrate the reception into the Catholic Church several Baptized Non-Catholics who are ready to become one with us. Please keep all our Inquirers, Catechumens and Candidates, adults and children, in prayer.
The Christmas season officially comes to a close this weekend. We had nice amounts of people at the Christmas masses, great turn outs for helping to decorate; a little snow on Christmas eve too. Thanks to all who came to help, serve and make it a wonderful season. Thanks too for all the goodies in our kitchen here at the office. Really appreciated that.
FLU- it is once again hitting hard. So a reminder…if you are ill or feeling the flu come on, it is not a sin to miss Mass. Stay home, don’t share the virus.
Today (Saturday) at 11am there will be training for EM’s in the Church. We always can use people who feel that call.
The office will be closed on Weds. at lunch as staff goes to have a post Christmas lunch.
Reminder that the week of Jan 19, all the clergy will be in Gardnerville for our annual study days. So there will be no masses that week.
Happy 2026 to all! Off to a fast start it seems for 2026.
Fr. Boby will be celebrating a mass of thanksgiving for his anniversary this weekend. If anyone wants to make a small gift, we suggest it be a donation towards a home for the poor that he supports in his home diocese. Those donations can be sent to the parish and we can collect them altogether and send it as one.
Sat Jan 10, we will have EM training 11am in the Church. We need more ministers to help with communion. Must have celebrated Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and if married, married in the Church.
Next Sunday, Jan 11th, after the 5pm mass, I will need help to take down all the Christmas Decorations and transition to Ordinary Time. Please think about coming, many hands makes quick work.
We will be back to “normal” mass schedules for the next oouple of weeks. Then mid month all of the clergy will gather in Gardnerville for our annual study days. So that week there will not be any daily masses.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! I want to thank allllll the people that showed up on Tuesday to decorate, and especially the kids. They did a great work, especially with the lights out front.
Thanks to all for the nice words and compliments; and also the Christmas cheers.
This coming week the offices will be closed for the New Years Holidays, but we have mass at 9am on the 1st. It is Feast of Mary, Mother of God, a day of obligation.
Here we are at the final week (and days) of Advent…all the candles will be lit as we also come to the darkest day on the Calendar, winter! Life may appear dark, but with God there is alway light.
Please be sure to read the “Upcoming Week” section for the mass schedules for this week and Christmas.
The school has had its two Christmas programs. I was only able to attend the evening performance (I had a medical test scheduled for the morning one). We had a packed house and those kids sang their hearts out. We have these programs in our worship area simply because we have no other space to accommodate. However once the new center is built we will have that space.
Please come by on Tuesday to help decorate our Church and Chapel for the Christmas masses. The more people we have the more lights we can put up, and also be done more quickly.
Gaudete Sunday is here, the half way point through our Advent Season. We rejoice in this journey, we rejoice in what we anticipate to come by believing in Jesus Christ, following Jesus Christ and acting as his disciples.
I was asked about a reconciliation service here at OLS. We have not had an advent reconciliation service for several years. Our attendance did not support it. Other parishes in the area also have experienced the same. Click HERE to find a local parish that will have the a service. Reminder that normal confessions are each Saturday 2-3pm, or by appointment.
This Sunday is the annual Knights Pancake Breakfast with Santa. Come by after the Sunday Masses (FFE).
Seminarian News: Please NOTE the KoC Seminarian Fundraiser (Raffle) notice at the back of the Church (by the St. Francis window). Give a look and click and see how to help support Vocations.
Bp. Mueggenborg will celebrate the Call to Holy Orders for Jesus Gonzalez on Dec 17th 2pm at OLW. Jesus comes from Elko and had been a seminarian several years ago, but took some time off to discern. He will be a great addition to our diocese. Three seminarians have left the process: Peter, Chase and Ignacio, so we keep them in prayer as they move forward in their lives. The next anticipated Ordination to Priesthood would be in 2027.
What would be great…a seminarian from OLS!!!!!!! If any of us think a young man would make a good priest let him know (and me). I know the call is there, lets support them.
Upcoming Week
- Sat. 17th
- Confessions 2pm
- Mass 4pm & 6pm
- Sun. 18th
- Mass 8am, 10am, & 5pm
- Mon. 19th OFFICE CLOSED for MLK Day
- Mass cancelled
- Tues. 20th
- Mass cancelled
- Knit & Crochet 10am
- Food Distribution 2:30pm
- YA Potluck 7pm
- Weds. 21st
- Mass cancelled
- CRE 3:45pm
- Thurs. 22nd
- Mass cancelled
- Fri. 23rd
- Mass 8am
Coming to Mass
One of the perks of Ordinary time is that the Mass readings, especially the weekday ones, will follow a general sequence. They will not cover it all, but a story will be taken up and followed through. It provides an opportunity to be engaged in a story. Such as the First readings now during the weekdays are building up to the story of David. The weekend Gospels, starting next week, will begin a progression as well. It is always a good idea to read Scripture before coming to Mass so as to be more open to the message. Missals, Apps and websites can provide this. |
The Celebration of the Eucharist, the whole mass, is an encounter with the divine as a community. The Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is our preeminent prayer and celebration. Maybe as a New Year resolution, we strive to be more intentional about attending and being present at Mass. Making it a priority over sports, leisure, breakfast or dinner…adjusting our schedule to attend mass, not the other way around. |
Creche scene change… notice that the shepherd has disappeared and the magi have come. This is deliberate in that the two Gospels that write of Jesus’ birth, Luke and Matthew have two different groups of visitors. Luke has the shepherds, whereas Matthew has the Magi. So in keeping with the veracity of the Gospels we keep our creche scene concordant with those Gospels.
As an aside, as you walk down the center aisle, do you see the donkey and cow looking at you?
Reminder that we celebrate Christmas alllll the way to Jan 11th. So keep up that spirit. |
The Christmas Season begins on the evening of Dec 24th and ends on Jan. 11, with the Baptism of the Lord. We maintain Christmas songs and decorations throughout.
Our upcoming Christmas Season Mass Schedule:
- Monday Dec 22 8am
- Tuesday Dec 23 Mass cancelled
- Weds Dec 24 no 8:45am Mass
- Christmas Eve:
- 4pm Church & Chapel; 6pm & 8pm Church
- Christmas Day
- 9am & 11am Church
- Dec 27 & 28 Normal Mass Schedule
- Monday Dec 29 8am
- Tuesday Dec 30 6:30pm
- Weds Dec 31 8:45am
- Thurs. Jan 1 Holy Day of Obligation 9am only
- Friday Jan 2 8am
- Jan 3-4 Normal Mass Schedule
Fr. Bob Chorey was born and raised in Ohio and moved to Nevada to work as a geologist in the gold mines. He lived in Elko for a number of years before entering the seminary. He was ordained in 2002 and served as parochial vicar at St. Albert the Great and St. Teresa of Avila.
He was named Pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine in 2004. Fr. Bob was later appointed as part-time Moderator of the Curia in 2012 and moved full time into that position in 2013. He was also appointed Chancellor in 2014, and was also a Co-Director of Vocations. Then in 2018 Fr. Bob was appointed as Pastor at the Our Lady of the Snows, along with holding his Chancery positions. Fr. Bob asked to be relieved of the Chancery positions in 2022 so that he could be full time at the Parish.
CONTACT:
pastor@olsparish.com
775-323-6894 (510)