From the December Newsletter
LOCAL NEWS

--Syracuse Area
On November 29, Bea and Mike Murphy were surprised! Their children planned
a surprise party for their 35th wedding anniversary. Some of the deaf group
from St Lucy's attended.  Congratulations to both of you, Bea and Mike!
On Dec 17, we will have a Mass and dinner at the Martin home in
Fayetteville.

--Oswego area
On November 16, we had Mass and a pot luck dinner at the home of Mike andJoJo Ford.
Dinner was followed by delicious desserts, and of course, chase K.
sadly, they accused Fr Pete of cheating by adding extra King cards to thedeck. The real story is that was an accident!
Everyone had a good time!
We will have a Mass and a  Christmas time party on Monday December 14. The
location? We will announce that information soon. Please save that day onyour calendar.

--Utica Area
We are serious! We have a lot of tickets to sell for the Beanie Baby Raffle.
Want a ticket? Hurry!! Contact local ICDA members.
The drawing is on December 16 at our ICDA dinner, at St Francis De Sales Parish Center.

Christmas Mass Times and places for 1998:

CHRISTMAS EVE
Oneida, St Joseph's church, 4PM -interpreted by Fr Pete
Johnson City, St James Church, 4PM -interpreted
                (this is a special children's Mass)
Syracuse, St Lucy's 5:15 PM interpreted by Marion Baratta
Rome, St Peter's Church  10PM -interpreted by Fr Pete

CHRISTMAS DAY
Liverpool/ Clay  St John's Church on Soule Road, 11 AM
        interpreted by Bea Murphy
Utica, St Francis de Sales, 9:30 AM  signed by Fr Pete
Johnson City, St James, 10 AM interpreted

CATHOLIC DEAF COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING REPORT

        We had a meeting at St Lucy's Gym on Wednesday, Nov 11. Areas represented:
Utica -Rome, Chenango County, Oswego County, and the Syracuse area.
        We began with a nice pot luck dinner, then began the meeting. About20 people attended.
        Topics included the reports of what is happening in each area. We will continue with the same officers: President Patrick Lynch, VP FrancisHarmon, recording secretary is Mary Margaret VanDamme, corresponding
secretary, Marion Baratta.
        Fr Pete shared the latest update about next year. He will be away on sabbatical. The diocese is interested in the plan to have two lay people continue the work of the Catholic Deaf Community Office. Our church will continue. The newsletter will continue. Church school class will continue. ICDA will continue. Interpreted Mass will continue. If we want separate
Deaf Mass, it can happen with a hearing priest and an interpreter. Everything can continue. Do Not worry.

In the future, Fr Pete will probably become pastor of a hearing church, and also visit different areas sometimes for Deaf Mass.
The council approved this plan, but also had some concerns and questions.It was a good discussion.

Catholic Deaf Community  Friendly Faces
Utica: Coffee and Donut Workers
ICDA #102 regular sells coffee and donuts after Mass at St Francis DeSales
as a fundraiser. In the photo above, we see some of the volunteers. Click on the photo to see a bigger one.
Front: Holly Cutler, Matt Cutler, Second Row: Jean Hebbard, Jeanette Romanowski, Mary Margaret Vandamme.
Binghamton Area: Golden Friendship
Pauline Lewis and Nettie fusco have been friends for many years.
Now it is harder for Pauline to get out, and Nettie is a resident at Sullivan Park healthcare facility in Endicott. It is hard for them to get together. Thanks to Pauline's grandaughter Val, she recently visited Nettie.
Pauline is on the left, Nettie on the right.

WAITING FOR JESUS
We are in the middle of Advent. The word means "arriving."
The season means that we are waiting for Jesus to come here.

We remember that Jesus ALREADY came to our earth long
 ago as a baby. We celebrate that holy birthday on December 25, ChristmasDay.
We also remember that Jesus will come here AGAIN, someday in the future.
Will you be ready?

We get ready for Christmas Day in many ways. We make our lives bright with
decorations. We buy or make nice gifts for other people. We remember to
help other people, especially lonely people and the poor.
Hmmm--- it seems that is how we should be everyday as we wait for Jesus.
We should decorate our lives with prayer-- to truly become joy-filled
people for Jesus! We should remember to give the gift of our love to other people everyday.
Let the special people in our lives know how important they really are to us.

Helping other people, doing things to make our community better-- these
things are good to do all year, not only near Christmas.

Let's have ADVENT  ALL YEAR!

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