FIRST SUNDAY of ADVENT
DECEMBER 3, 2006
(M -
Memorial, A - Anniversary)
JOHN of DAMASCUS, priest, religious, doctor
9:00 CATHERINE
B. DONAHUE—M
Req. by the Robinson Family
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5
6:45 JOSEPH DORAN--M
req. by Mary & Donald
O’Connor
9:00 THE SAPORITO and LOIACONI FAMILIES
req. by Rose Saporito
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6
NICHOLAS,
bishop
6:45 FRANK and JULIA
SANTOLIQUIDO--M
req. by Ralph Santoliquido
9:00 JOSEPHINE
and CORNELIUS SHIELDS, PAUL V. SHIELDS, and AILEEN SHIELDS BRYAN--M
reg. by the Shields Family
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7
AMBROSE,
bishop, doctor
6:45 SPECIAL
INTENTION for the
LIVING
9:00 JOSEPH
VALLARIO--M
req. by the Vallario Family
7:30 JOHN
WYNNE--M
Req. by Kevin & Claire McIntyre
IMMACULTE CONCEPTION of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
6:45 SPECIAL
INTENTION for the LIVING:
MOTHER MARIA IMMACULATA
req. by Anthony D’Andrea
9:00 TIM DI PAOLA--M
req. by Frank Paonessa
12:00 BEA
FARNAN--M
req. by Alice & Henry Malgrande
7:30 MICHAEL PATRICK COORDS--A
req. by the Priests of the Parish
JUAN DIEGO, hermit
9:00 THOMAS F. REYNOLDS,
JR.--A
req. by Edwina Reynolds
5:30 HENRY LESLIE--M
req. by the Kryger Family
SUNDAY, DECEMBER
10
7:30 CHARLES
“CHUCK” ERNST--M
req. by Richard & Chris Pace & Family
9:00 HENRY
LESLIE--M
req. by the Liverzani Family
10:30 EDWARD
GARBA--M
req. by Martha Garba
12:00 AGNES
IAROCCI—M
req. by the Family
5:00 FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE PARISH
PRAYERFUL
REMEMBRANCES
Your prayers are requested for
the sick at home, and in the hospitals, especially: Caroline Weldon, Samuel
Etre, Brenda McWeeney, Lenny Cavalieri,
Jenna Mussolini, Teresa Cervera, Frank Maiola, Aileen O’Brien, Sister Margaret Coakley, Pat Bonner, Ed
Lenard, Pam Hissey, Tricia Eigo, Frank
Diaz-Balart, Alice Nasta, Mildred Traub, Catherine Ann Brennan, Mary & Tony
Fraioli, Hank Lawlor, Sarah Butler, Mimi Cosgrove, Kristen Long, Patrick
Lamont, Elizabeth Kim, Eloise Selby, Thomas M. Lamb, for our service men and
women at home and abroad; for the faithful departed, JACK CARROLL, JOSEPHINE
O’NEILL, KAREN SMILLIE, MARY NEALON and MARIE RUGGIERO, and those who have no
one to pray for them; and for the honored dead of the Armed Services.
SUNDAY COLLECTION
Last week’s collection (11—26—06)
$10,698
Attendance: 1,032
The parish of Saints John and Paul thanks you for
your support. We are grateful to our parishioners who use our envelope system.
If you wish to receive Church support envelopes, please call the Rectory at
834-5458.
DECEMBER 8th:
THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Friday, December 8th, is the feast of the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation. There will be
a Vigil Mass on Thursday, December 7th at 7:30 PM. The Masses on the
holy day are as follows: 6:45, 9:00 AM, 12 Noon and 7:30 PM.
CHRISTMAS
FLOWER MEMORIALS
Once again, in response to people’s requests for Christmas Flower
Memorials, we are making them available. Envelopes for this can be found in the
rear of the Church. We suggest a $15.00 donation for each memorial (In Memory
Of) or dedication (In Honor Of). This list will be published in the bulletins
throughout the Christmas season.
10:30 AM
MASS MUSIC NOTES
Just as Jesus said to His disciples in today’s Gospel Reading, “Be
vigilant at all times and pray”, a similar warning is given in today’s anthem, A Star Will soon Shine: “Watch and wait,
O people of God”, a fitting message for the first Sunday of Advent.
BAPTISM
PREPARATION for PARENTS of INFANTS
To arrange for a Baptism,
please call the rectory and you will be given an appointment with one of the
parish priests.
Water in
the Word
Baptismal
Preparation Session Schedule
All sessions are
offered on the following Saturday mornings from 10 AM – 11:30 AM. Please call
the rectory to attend. We will begin new sessions in 2006. The dates for the upcoming
classes are as follows: January 6th
and February 3rd, 2007
BANNS of
MARRIAGE
III – Martin
C. Torelli – Karen T. Schiele
GIFT
SUNDAY – DECEMBER 10th
It
has been a tradition here at Sts. John and Paul Parish to have a “Gift Mass” on
the second Sunday of Advent. This year we are doing something a little
different. Each Mass that weekend (December 9th and 10th)
will be considered a “Gift Mass”. Parishioners should bring wrapped gifts for
children (Please mark on the outside of the package whether it is for a girl or
boy and the age of the child). When you come to Mass that weekend you can place
your gift directly on the altar. The gifts will be distributed to needy
children. This year the gifts will be given to the Franciscan Handmaids of Mary
and Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Thank you in advance for your generosity for this
project.
CALENDAR of EVENTS for WEEK OF DECEMBER 3rd:
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3rd:
7:00 AM: Breakfast Run
9:00 AM CHURCH: Family Mass
10:10 AM SCH: Religious Education classes
12:00 GYM :
Basketball
2:00 & 6:00 PM CHURCH: Rehearsal for The
Living Rosary
MONDAY, DECEMBER 4th:
3:00 PM GYM & AUD: PSPA After school
activities
4:00 PM GYM: Basketball
7:00 PM SCH CONF. RM: Boy Scouts
7:30 PM RMR: Fr. Brian’s Bible class
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5th:
9:30 AM RMR: Catechetical Regional office Meeting
3:00 PM GYM & AUD: PSPA After school activities
4:00 PM GYM: Basketball
6:00 PM RMR: Cub Scouts
8:00 PM RMR: K of C Meeting
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6th:
11:00 AM SARAH NEUMAN: Mass
12:45 PM RMR: 2nd grade Brownies
12:45 PM GYM & AUD: PSPA After school activities
2:50 & 7:30 PM SCH: Religious Education classes
7:30 PM CHURCH: “The Living Rosary”
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7th:
9:30 AM RMR: Interfaith
11:30 AM RMR: Family Network
3:30 PM CHURCH: Altar Servers
6:30 PM RMR: Youth Lectors
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8th:
11:30 AM AUD: 5th grade Girl Scouts
4:00 PM GYM: Basketball
7:00 PM RMR: Youth Group Meeting
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10TH:
9:00 AM GYM: Basketball
FOOD BANK NEWS!!!
Thank you again for your very generous response to our annual Thanksgiving
collection of food baskets and money. Your support enabled us to buy turkeys
for our adopted parish, Sacred Heart in Mt. Vernon, chickens for Abraham House
in the South Bronx, hams and lots of food for Fr. Groeschel (at the Thanksgiving
liturgy he personally thanked us) and lots of food baskets for the Child
Development Center and CAP (Community Action Program on Center Avenue in
Mamaroneck) and of course our own needy parishioners.
We will be doing it all over again very soon – we need your money and
your assembling of actual food baskets. Charts go up December 5th –
baskets will be collected Sunday, December 17th from 4 - 5 PM and
Monday, December 18th from 8 – 9:30 AM.
Food can always be brought to Mass every week – it comes in and goes
right out again.
YOUTH GROUP NEWS…
The Youth Group is involved in many upcoming
projects and events. The Breakfast Run and The Living Rosary are both taking
place this week. The weekend of January 26 – 28, 2007, the group will
participate in a ski trip with three other youth groups from other parishes.
Following that special weekend, the group will present their annual play the
weekend of February 9 & 10, 2007. As you can see, the group has many varied
activities and all high school students of the parish are most welcome to join.
YOUTH
GROUP SKI TRIP
All Youth Group
members who have signed up for the Shawnee Ski Trip on the weekend of January
26 – 28, 2007 must contact Fr. Joseph A. Nahas ASAP – 914-834-5458. Anyone who
wants to go, signed up or not, must get the permission slip and deposit in
before December 8, 2006.
HOLY HOUR
EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT
The Knights of
Columbus are sponsoring a Holy Hour devoted to the Most Precious Blood of Our
Lord Jesus Christ. It will be held every Friday at 7:30 PM in the Church.
FR.
BRIAN’S BIBLE CLASS
Father Brian’s Bible
Class will be held on Monday evening, December 4th, at 7:30. The topic will be the Gospel of Matthew.
Come one and all even if you have not been previously attending. This program
takes place in the rectory meeting room.
A SPECIAL
TALK by FR. BRIAN
All are wanted to a series of talks on Medical Ethics on Tuesday
evenings December 5th and 12th at Our Lady of Fatima
Church in Scarsdale. Our Pastor will speak to the topic: “Whose Body is it
Anyway?” Various scientific and technological developments in the area of life
and death will be covered.
THE LIVING
ROSARY
On Wednesday, December
6th, the young people of the parish will present The Living Rosary
at 7:45 PM in the Church. They will dramatize the new Joyful Mysteries of the
Rosary, accompanied by song and narration. This is a wonderful way to enrich
the Advent season for your entire family and learn the Rosary at the same time!
Please come and show your support for the young people who devote their time to
this meaningful presentation.
CATHOLIC
FAMILY NETWORK
This group will hold a
luncheon and present a guest speaker on Thursday, December 7th, at
12 Noon in the RMR. The topic will be: Three “R”s of Discipline: Regroup,
Reclaim, Redirect. What is more
effective than ’Time Out’? Regroup, Reclaim, Redirect is a method
parents can use to teach a child to rethink an objectionable action and make a
decision to replace it with better behavior. To pre-register, please call
833-2310 or 833-3123 by Tuesday, December 5th. The cost is $10.00
(luncheon- babysitting). Please park on the street as the school children use
the parking lot for recess.
SALE of
CHRISTMAS WREATHS
The Youth Group from
Salesian High School will be selling Christmas wreaths this weekend, December 2nd
and 3rd.. Fr. Dominic would like to thank you for supporting his
youth ministry.
THE
PASTOR’S COLUMN
From late September, many commercial
establishments have promoted the approaching season of Christmas (some of them
even mention the word). Many organizations to which people belong and
businesses which employ substantial numbers of people have already had their
office parties or have slated them for the opening days of December. Such
festivities overwhelm any observance of the time of preparation which is
Advent.
Perhaps, if we examine the lives of the men
and women who are prominent in the Scripture readings in the weeks leading up
to the celebration of the Lord’s Nativity. Because of their familiarity with
Handel’s Messiah many people know the words of Isaiah the prophet. One,
however, can also learn much about him from the biographical snippets in his
book. He witnesses to the fact that he is aware of God’s providential care from
the time in his mother’s womb he was conceived. His consciousness of this
reality should be ours as we approach daily living. If we would recognize His
presence watching over us, we could not help but become aware of our obligation
to live in accord with the Divine will. It is when we distant ourselves from
the Lord that we begin to excuse our wrongdoing and even fail to distinguish
between right and wrong. By eliminating the Absolute One the philosophies of
self-interest and relativism gain ascendancy. Too many believers have de facto
become followers of such modes of thought.
The call of Isaiah introduces two important
elements for reflection. The role of being prophetic is not one which is
assumed by the individual because of his birth or familial connections. The
very time one thinks they have a right to be one they cease to be for God
appoints the man or woman who is to “stand in the breech” and bring forth the
wisdom of divine direction. In our contemporary society, we have been baptized
to be prophetic to a society which too often fails to support the dignity of
human life and principles of peace and justice. Our words and actions must
witness to the grace in our lives and the eternity God desires for all.
Unfortunately, like Isaiah, we find ourselves unwilling to proclaim what we
have heard. It costs too much. We might have to change our perspectives. Our
neighbors might not understand us. They might feel uncomfortable. We must
become convinced that at all times God’s Will must be our priority. Further, we
know that we will not be denied that which is required to fulfill whatever
mission given to us. Isaiah realized his unworthy life and is purified by the
angel of the Lord in the Temple. We can and should always utilize the Sacrament
of Reconciliation in our own process of conversion and the encouragement of
others.
Isaiah’s New Testament counterpart is John
the Baptizer. Though little is known of his life certain inferences can be made
about the cousin of Jesus. His conception is announced to his father as he
ministers in the Holy of Holies. As a member of the priestly class, it can be
said that Zechariah and his clan enjoyed a certain prominence in the community.
If he had so desired John could have enjoyed public adulation and taken his
place among those in service to the temple. Instead, we know he went to the
desert. Apparently joining a group called Essenes, he lived the life of an
ascetic. Far from comfortable existence of his home, John prepared for his
place in salvation history by learning Torah, fasting, praying, and purifying
himself ritually and actually. When required, he did not flinch when faced with
the hypocrisy of the Pharisees or the immoral behavior of the leaders of the occupying
government. Though his charismatic nature drew many to his side, he did not
hesitate to insist that when Jesus began His public ministry they should follow
Him. His ego did interfere with what he knew was the right thing to do.
Of course, everything we have said thus far
would come to naught were it not for Mary’s “yes.” It would be a mistake to
believe that is was a foregone conclusion that Mary would accept her
overwhelming task. The fact that she was conceived without original sin did not
inhibit her freewill. Nor can we dismiss the significance of the familial
influence. Anna and Joachim were observant Jews. They lived faithfully the
mandates of Deuteronomy and Leviticus. Anna gave her daughter not only lessons
in housekeeping but also taught her how to be attentive to God’s promptings.
Joachim was protective of his mystical rose. When Gabriel appeared to the young
woman her acceptance generously given even if its consequences were not clearly
seen came quickly. As time went on, she had to accept that though she was the
most faithful of servants she was not to be spared suffering. In fact, she was
to be visited by almost all types of emotional agony. Though not mentioned in
the Scriptures directly, her first difficulty had to be enduring the town
gossip. Matthew tells us in his gospel that Joseph was told he should rid
himself of his fiancé since she was pregnant. Because of an angelic vision and
his fidelity, he did not. Then both of them became homeless as they reported
per Roman edict to David’s city. As a mother, she suffered for her helpless
child. Why should He have been born in such humble circumstances I am sure she
reflected in her mind. Then they had to flee the murderous Herod only to be
uprooted and return to Nazareth. She would continue to ache for her son when he
would speak but be misunderstood, heal but be chastised for a supposed
violation of the Sabbath, and forgive the failings of others but be rejected
Himself. Her broken heart would be at the Cross when none of His friends were.
How she would have desired to take away at least some of His suffering! She
always thought of others. She aided Elizabeth, the young couple at Cana, and
the errant Apostles when Her Son preached and when they ultimately took up His
mission of bringing forth the Kingdom. She is with us this Advent and at all
times when we are in need of her motherly wisdom, energy, and charity.
Please make use of the readings from the
Advent book which is our gift to you. If you can, attend Mass daily. Though we
all get stressed this time of year, be charitable in word and deed.
Jesus vivat
Fr. Brian