From the Desk of Father Nathan

St Gabriel Catholic Church | Pompano Beach

A Message from Father Nathan

My dearest people closest to my heart!

God bless you and your generous heart

Preparing for Advent

Make Ready For the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ

Advent is a period of special preparation in which many Christians make themselves ready for the coming, or birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

How to Celebrate Lent

Celebrating Advent typically involves a season of prayer, fasting, and repentance, combined with anticipation, hope, and joy. Many of us celebrate Advent not only by thanking God for Christ’s first coming to Earth as a baby, but also for his presence among us today through the Holy Spirit, and in preparation and anticipation of his final coming at the end of the age.

Understanding Advent

Let us try to understand and learn the meaning of Advent and this seasonal observance. The word Advent comes from the Latin term “adventus”, meaning arrival or coming, particularly the coming of something having great importance. Advent season, then, is both a time of joy-filled anticipatory celebration of the arrival of Jesus Christ and a preparatory period of repentance, mediation, and penance.

Advent Candles

The Advent candles and their colors are packed with rich meaning. Each represents a specific aspect of the spiritual preparations for Christmas. The three main colors are purple, pink, and white.

Purple symbolizes repentance and royalty. You will witness our church and all the Catholic churches adorned with purple during Advent because it is the liturgical color of the season.
Pink represents joy and rejoicing.
White stands for purity and light.

Each candle of the Advent Wreath carries a specific name as well.

The first (purple) candle is called the Prophecy Candle or Candle of Hope.
The second (purple) candle is the Bethlehem Candle or the Candle of Preparation.
The third (pink) candle is the Shepherd Candle or Candle of Joy.
The fourth (purple) candle is called the Angel Candle or the Candle of Love.
The last (white) candle is the Christ Candle.

Let us prepare ourselves worthily and inwardly for the coming of Christ.

Join the Daily Novenas | December 16 – Christmas

As usual, we will have daily novena liturgies at 4:00 p.m. from December 16th to Christmas.

With lots of love and blessings,

Ever wanting to be faithful to your service,

— Fr. Sahayanathan Nathan

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Past Messages from Father Nathan

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | August 2, 2026

A Tribute to my Mother
She loved God, the Church, and her priests.
“The greatest gift God can give to a family is a priestly or religious vocation. A vocation born in a family is God’s blessing to that family, a joy to the parish, and a grace to the whole community.” The quote above is often attributed to St. John Bosco, and I have always felt it speaks the truth about my own family.

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | July 26, 2026

The Gift of Time and Prayer.
If the secular world cannot come to Christ in prayer, why don’t we bring them to Christ through our prayers? They are weary and burdened, and they, too, need to find rest in Christ Jesus. Prayer honors God. It acknowledges His presence and His greatness. It exalts His power, trusts in His providence, seeks His help, and, above all, makes us humble.

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | July 19, 2026

The Eucharist: The Center of Our Lives. My dearest people, closest to my heart,
As a second and third grader, I would sometimes go to church at 3:00 a.m. and sleep on the church steps until it was time to open the doors. That was simply part of my routine. I wanted to be an altar server…