2nd Sunday of Advent

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Jeffery Webster
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2 Dec 9, nd Sunday of Advent Holy Father s Prayer Intention for December: Christ, light for all humanity. That Christ may reveal himself to all humanity with the light that shines forth from Bethlehem and is reflected in the face of his Church. WEEKLY SERVICES & INTENTIONS St. Joseph Church 12/08 Sat 4:00 pm Int. Gerry Couer 12/09 Sun 8:00 am Mass for the People 12/10 Mon 7:30 am Eucharistic Service 12/11 Tue 7:30 am Eucharistic Service 12/12 Wed 7:30 am +Amato & Yolanda Pecchia 12/13 Thu 7:30 am Eucharistic Service 12/14 Fri 7:30 am +Asseuro & Pia Pera 12/15 Sat 4:00 pm +Louis Bonomini St. Joseph Hospital 12/11 Tue 11:30 +Gustavo Martinez 12/13 Thu 11:30 +Hope McNeill St. Bernard Church 12/09 Sun 10:00 am +Catalina Leija 12/10 Mon 12:15 pm Eucharistic Service 12/11 Tue 12:15 pm +Ron Powers 12/12 Wed 12:15 pm +Juliette Marie Kenny Bertain 12/13 Thu 12:15pm Eucharistic Service 12/14 Fri 12:15 pm +Rick Casanova This Week s Meeting & Events 12/11 Tue 5:30 pm ICF Potluck 12/13 Thu 7:00 pm RCIA/Rectory 12/15 Sat 10:00 am Choir Practice Fr. Eric s Wednesday Night Study Sessions Fr. Eric Freed's popular seminars are every Wednesday except the last Wednesday of the month. They will be held at the Newman Center just up the hill from Health Sport in Arcata at 700 Union Street, 7:30 pm. This session will be on the Historical Survey of Christianity. Call for questions. ICF Christmas Party for members, family & friends. Potluck dinner on Tuesday, December 11 th at 5:30 pm in the Parish Hall. Children welcome! No literature or posters may be placed in or on churches without prior (minimum 10 days) permission of office. Finance Corner Last weekend the plate collection was $3,208. Second Collection The second collection this weekend is Retired fund for Religious. Stewardship Corner Good stewards believe that God, who has begun this good work in them, will carry it through to completion. In words and deeds, they can sing with the psalmist, The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy! Leave a Legacy A relatively new way of making a planned charitable gift is for the donor to designate a charity or our parish as the recipient of a personal IRA account or other retirement account. Talk to your tax preparer or financial advisor about how you can leave a legacy through a retirement account. Adoration Honor and adore Our Lord Jesus, with a visit to the Eucharistic Lord at Adoration on Wednesdays, 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm at St. Bernard Church. And thank Him! Area Penance Service Penance service for Christ the King Church and St. Mary Church will be held together on Dec. 11th at 6:30 pm in St. Mary Church. Penance service for St. Bernard Church and Sacred Heart Church will be held together on Dec. 18th at 5:30 pm in St. Bernard Church. Christmas Bulk Mailing will be held this Wednesday November 12 th at 10:00 am in the Parish Office. Anyone who would like to help with this annual event is welcome. Check out our Website at:

3 Dec 9,, nd Sunday of Advent PRAYERS FOR THE SICK: Anderson family, Evelyn Avila, James Avila, Patricia Ayers, Teresa Blake, Dennis Cahill, Donna Clemons, Mary Davey, Tia Dimmick, Kathy Ferris, Tara Gadsby, Elsie Godinho, Erick Gonzalez, Therese & Paul Grella, Marian Griffin, Jackie Hill, Jim Hill, Joseph, Arcelia Martinez, Cathy McCormack, Riley Moran, Margaret Murdock, Donna Nunes, John G. Perrone, Dolores Ralls, Joanne Hebert Ray, Robert Resor, Donna Selsor, John Silva, George Smith, Nancy Smith, Francesco Stagnoli, Jan Sundquist, William Taylor, Greg Weigel, Jeff Wickizer, Seth Woolf, and all our brothers and sisters in need of prayer and healing. PRAYER LINE "In fervent prayer you will receive the light, strength and grace that you need to sustain you, and to share with others." ~ Sister Lucia dos Santos re: message of Our Lady of Fatima. Thank you for letting us join you in prayer. Your prayer intentions may be called in to Toni 24/7 at Advent Candles & Wreaths are available for purchase at St. Bernard s Office for $6.25 each. Workbooks for Lectors are available in the parish office. PAMPHET RACK Are you looking for good spiritual reading during this Advent? Please stop by our pamphlet racks. They may have just what you are looking for on your Advent journey. Christmas Eve Children's Mass Would you like to take part in telling the story of the birth of our Savior? Practice for the Christmas Eve children's mass will take place on Saturdays at 11:00 am at St. Bernard Church beginning on 12/8. Children of all ages are welcome. Parts include: Mary, Joseph, angels, wise men, shepherds, and an innkeeper. Questions? Contact Amanda All Are Welcome Join the choir. Rehearsals are at 10 am on Saturdays at St. Bernard's Church. Please contact with any questions. Catholic Detention Ministries This year Catholic Detention Ministries is requesting donations (before December to avoid a busy time in the churches) of small individually wrapped candies and unused Christmas cards with envelopes for the use of the inmates of the Humboldt County Correctional Facility. This is a combined effort of the local Catholic churches to put together 375 packages, one for each inmate. DO NOT INCLUDE STAMPS. Please leave donations at the office no later than Monday December 10th for pickup. For information or questions call Bob at Parishioners are saying the rosary every Sunday before mass. We will be starting promptly at 9:00 am. Anyone wishing to participate is welcome. St. Vincent de Paul announces they will open a Winter Shelter at the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Facility as extreme weather approaches to serve 15 men who can t find housing at the Rescue Mission due to overcrowding. Add a visit to Ferndale for a break in your holiday activities and enjoy a piping hot dinner from the oven our cook s delicious and healthy baked chicken dinner. It will be served on Sunday, Dec. 16 th from 4 to 7 pm at the Ferndale Community Center in Fireman s Park. Accompanying the baked chicken are mashed potatoes (from scratch), veggies, rolls, butter, milk, coffee and dessert. Tickets are $12 and children 10 and under $6, Take-out available. Reservations are recommended. Call Sylvia or mimib3@suddenlink.net. Proceeds go to Assumption Parish Building Fund. Tractor Parade follows. Come and enjoy, we look forward to seeing you. "By seeing Christ in each and every person, I live each day with greater gratitude and greater joy."

4 Discovering hope and joy in the Catholic faith. December 2012 Holiday advice The holiday season is an exciting time but it can also be a time when money worries, family worries, and every kind of worry intrudes. Instead, try to follow this advice from St. Paul, Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things, (Philippians 4:8). Make it last Since the Church s real Christmas season doesn t even start until Christmas Day, you can actually celebrate the whole season and make your Christmas joy last. Feast of the Holy Family, December 30th. Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, January 1st. The Epiphany, January 6th. And the last day is The Baptism of Our Lord, January 13th. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Awaken to the presence of God on Christmas morning And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). An amazing truth occurred at the first Christmas. God came and lived among us. Even more amazing is that he continues to live among us. Try these tips to sharpen your awareness of his presence. Begin each day in his presence. When you first wake up in the morning, but before you get out of bed, place yourself in his presence. Take a few minutes to focus on a sacred picture or an image that will help you to Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). Seek God s Word. Start your day with Scripture such as the daily mass readings A novena is a cycle of prayers offered for a particular purpose spanning nine days, usually one day a week for nine weeks. It consists of prescribed payers and devotions and usually includes reception of the Sacrament of Penance and (found on or another reading you choose. Ask God to teach you during the day from that selection. Speak to him throughout the day. Picture the Lord next to you throughout your day and talk with him as you experience the day together. Brother Lawrence, a 17th century monk, suggested prayer shouldn t be confined to formal times. Remove static. Unconfessed sin clouds our awareness of God s presence. Do an examination of conscience daily and visit the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least monthly. Pray. Tell Jesus everything and ask for help in every difficulty. Jesus promised that he will never leave us. Why do Catholics say novenas? Holy Communion. It can be made in common in church or in private. There are 36 novenas authorized by the Church. The nine days are in commemoration of the nine days the Apostles spent in prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost. Copyright 2012 Success Publishing & Media, LLC

5 December 2012 Page 2 Christmas isn t always pretty At Christmas time, our nativity sets usually show an idyllic scene of Mary and Joseph kneeling at Jesus crib with shepherds and kings worshipping in the background. But that s probably not how it was. Being a follower of Jesus isn t always that pretty. Remember, Mary and Joseph traveled in the last stages of her pregnancy from Nazareth to Bethlehem. On foot or donkey, it was a dirty and exhausting journey. Once there, they had to stay in a stable with animals. After a short time, they fled to Egypt with their newborn to escape danger, and stayed there for several years. There wasn t a lot of standing around gazing adoringly at the Baby. Refugees all over the world flee from violence like the Holy Family. Catholics have a special task to protect them and all the most vulnerable: the children, the elderly, and the poor. God has a special job for each of us in his mission of salvation. Ask God what he is calling you to do for him. The Feast of the Holy Family (Dec. 30) includes the story of finding Jesus in the Temple, a story of love and obedience. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover, as was the custom for Jews of that time. They traveled in a large group for protection against bandits who infested the hill country. So it wasn t surprising that his parents didn t miss Jesus as they started the return trip. Upon discovering him missing, they hurried back to Jerusalem. On the third day of searching, they found Jesus in the Temple. He was Dec. 14 St. John of the Cross (1591). St. John led a reform in the Carmelite order to encourage more prayer and simplicity. Because of a misunderstanding, he was jailed for nine months, but some of his beautiful spiritual and inspiring writing came from this experience. His mystical-poetical reflections showed his love of prayer. Dec. 21 St. Peter Canisius (1597). Born in Holland, he was ordained into the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and worked strenuously through his writings and teachings to safeguard the Luke 2:41-52; Jesus is found in the temple questioning the priests and amazing them with his understanding. However, Mary asked how he could have caused his parents so much worry and Jesus replied, Did you not know I must be in my Father s house? Though they were puzzled by his answer, Mary and Joseph took Jesus back to Nazareth. He remained there in obedience to his parents until it was time for his public ministry. We learn from this story to obey not only God but also those in authority over us. Catholic faith. His work, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, is still used today. Dec. 27 St. John (1st century). An apostle and friend of Jesus, St. John was known for his fiery temper. He and his brother, called Sons of Thunder, once asked Jesus if he could call down fire from heaven on an inhospitable town. Later in his life, he and St. Peter asked the Holy Spirit to come down on the Samaritans. Friendship with Jesus changes a person. What does the Holy Spirit do for us? Among the many offices the third member of the Holy Trinity performs, we receive gifts from the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation. Just like a tree can produce fruit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit produce fruits. The fruits are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The Church lists twelve of them: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1832) These fruits help us to live the two great commandments: Therefore you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your soul You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:30-31) As long as we are in a state of grace, the fruits will keep us in harmony with God and with each other. When we exercise the fruits, we follow Christ s example and model to those around us. They are the essence of living the Christian life. To provide practical ideas that promote faithful Catholic living. Success Publishing & Media, LLC Publishers of Growing in Faith and Partners in Faith (540) (540) fax (Unless noted Bible quotes and references are from the Revised Standard Version and the New American Bible) Copyright 2012 Success Publishing & Media, LLC

WEEKLY SERVICES & INTENTIONS

2 nd January 20, 2013 nd Sunday in Ordinary Time WEEKLY SERVICES & INTENTIONS St. Joseph Church 01/19 Sat 4:00 pm + Bannan Family 01/20 Sun 8:00 am Mass for the People 01/21 Mon 7:30 am Eucharistic Service