Fourth Sunday of Advent. The Holy Cross Church Parish Staff would like to wish all parishioners a Blessed Christmas.

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1 Page 1 #623 December 23, 2018 Fourth Sunday of Advent The Holy Cross Church Parish Staff would like to wish all parishioners a Blessed Christmas. Fourth Sunday of Advent Mary was given the blessedness of being the mother of the Son of God. That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross. Anselm, a great teacher and Archbishop of Canterbury, spoke these words in a homily: without God s Son nothing could exist; without Mary s son, nothing could be redeemed. To be chosen by God is an awesome privilege and responsibility. Mary received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. Her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises. When Elizabeth greeted Mary and recognized the Messiah in Mary s womb they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfillment of God s promise to give a Savior. What a marvelous wonder for God to fill not only Elizabeth's heart with his Holy Spirit but the child in her womb as well. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leaped for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born. Parish Office Hours Holy Cross Parish Office will be closed on Monday, December 24th. Our office will be open on Wednesday, December 26th. The Nativity Of The Lord John the Monk, an 8th century writer, in his Hymn of the Nativity, sings of the great exchange in the mystery and wonder of the Incarnation, God becoming man in order to bring man to heaven: Heaven and earth are united today, for Christ is born! Today God has come upon earth, and humankind gone up to heaven. Today, for the sake of humankind, the invisible one is seen in the flesh. Therefore let us glorify him and cry aloud: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace bestowed by your coming, Savior: glory to you! Today in Bethlehem, I hear the angels: glory to God in the highest! Glory to him whose good pleasure it was that there be peace on earth! The Virgin is now more spacious than the heavens. Light has shone on those in darkness, exalting the lowly who sing like the angels: Glory to God in the highest! Beholding him [Adam] who was in God s image and likeness fallen through transgression, Jesus bowed the heavens and came down, without change taking up his dwelling in a virgin womb, that he might refashion Adam fallen in corruption, and crying out: glory to your epiphany, my Savior and my God!

2 December 23, 2018 Page 2 #623 Remember Holy Cross Church At Christmas Please be as generous as your means allow in the Christmas collection this year. Your generosity is needed and appreciated. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament At Holy Cross The Eucharist is on the altar in Holy Cross Church between 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM for adoration every Wednesday. Feel free to come to church and pray before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. We will not have Adoration on Wednesday, December 26th. We will resume our regular schedule of Adoration on Wednesday, January 2nd. Holy Cross Mass Book We have opened our 2019 Mass Book and have begun taking Mass requests. Please come to the Parish Office during office hours Monday through Friday to arrange for a mass intention. Donations are $20. A Family Blessing We bless your name, O Lord, for sending your own incarnate Son to become part of a family, so that, as He lived His life, He would experience its worries and its joys. We ask you Lord, to protect and watch over this family, so that in the strength of your grace, its members may enjoy prosperity, possess the priceless gift of your peace, and as the church alive in the home, bear witness in this world to your glory. Amen. Holy Cross Rumson Educational Foundation Holy Cross School is pleased to announce the incorporation of the Holy Cross Rumson Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization to promote and support Catholic education in Rumson and surrounding areas. An informational/organizational meeting for parents, parishioners, and interested community members will be held in early We will share our preliminary vision for the organization, solicit ideas and questions, and present opportunities for involvement, including volunteering, committees, Board membership, in-kind assistance, and more. Details will be forthcoming in the bulletin. In the meantime, if you have any questions, we invite you to reach out to our Director of Development and Grants, Peter Lyden, at ext 1268 or plyden@holycrossrumson.org. Charismatic Healing Mass The next Charismatic Healing Mass is scheduled for Monday, January 28th at 8:00 PM in Holy Cross Church.

3 December 23, 2018 Page 3 #623 The Octave Before Christmas and the O Antiphons The octave before Christmas shifts Advent into a reflection on the coming celebration of the birth of our Savior. The prayers now recall the humanity and divinity of Jesus. Special verses called O Antiphons provide the most strikingly beautiful feature of these days before Christmas. Composed for Evening Prayer, they appear as the Gospel acclamation at daily Mass. Each antiphon calls for the coming of Christ by a different title, all echoing the Messianic prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures. December 23 O EMMANUEL Summing up the theme of Matthew s Gospel, Jesus appears by this title at the beginning and promises to be with us until the end of time. Feast of the Holy Innocents On Thursday, December 28th the Church celebrates the memory of the children of Bethlehem put to death by Herod. Sacrificed by a wicked monarch, these innocent lives bear witness to Christ who was persecuted from the time of his birth by a world which would not receive him. It is Christ Himself who is at stake in this persecution of children; already the choice, for or against him, is put clearly before men. But the persecutors are powerless, for Christ came to perform a work of salvation that nothing can prevent; when he fell into the hands of his enemies at the time chosen by God, it was to redeem the world by his own Blood. March For Life 2019 Join Holy Cross and the Diocese of Trenton at the March for Life on Friday, January 18th, in Washington D.C. Holy Cross will provide bus and metro transportation, food and drink on the bus. Tickets are; $25/adult and $10/student, Holy Cross School 7th and 8th grade students will be chaperoned by a faculty member. Bus departs Holy Cross parking lot at 6:15 AM and returns at 10:00 PM. Please fill out a registration form and return it to the Parish Office with a check by Friday, January 11. For more information, call the Parish Office. Thank You to Our Online Givers Thank you to the many parish families that have signed up for Online Giving! If you manage your bills online, we re sure you ll like the convenience of giving to our church online. It s safe and secure and allows you to decide when your gift is made and how much to each collection. You can view your giving history and pledge progress at any time. Please visit our parish website; and click the Online Giving link to get started. A Christmas Blessing O God, Whose Son was born in Bethlehem, lead us to that same place, where Mary laid her tiny child. As we look on in wonder and praise, make us welcome Him and all new life and care for His handiwork. Bless us in your great love. We pray this through Christ our Lord, Amen.

4 December 23, 2018 Page 4 #623 Memorial Votive Candle December 21 thru December 28 Donald Cuccia, MD (Family) Lynn Gonnello (Donna Hanlon) Mary Ann & Jim Gardella (Tony Gardella) John A. Ridgeway (Family) Oreste DeFerno (Ridgeway Family) Anthony DeBellas (Ridgeway Family) Tom Reagan (Family) Jim Reagan (Family) Deceased members Leo Family (Family) Memorial Votive Candles Holy Cross Memorial Candles burn from Friday to Friday in our Prayer Garden, in front of the Blessed Mother Statue. Your intention is announced at the Saturday 9:00 AM Mass. Candles and Cards are available at the Parish Office and on our Parish Website. A Memorial Candle donation is $20. Please Pray for the Sick of the Parish Out of respect for the privacy of the person who is ill and keeping in mind the HIPPA Laws, we can only publish prayer requests from the ill person or their guardian, with the permission of the ill person. We review the list every three months. Call with concerns! Catherine O Malley, Ann Connor, Eleanor Blass, Sophia Gonzales, Joey Weikel, John Wizeman, Marisa Murphy, Daniel Bonifacio, Jennifer Denis, Dawn Lloyd, Sandra Foster, Alessandra Giunta, Maria Incremona, Frank Reedy, Grace Fasullo, Maryann Allegra and John McCoy. Mass Intentions Saturday, December 22 9:00 AM Mary Hawke (M/M Paul Sperber & Family) 5:00 PM Kenneth Decker (Holy Cross Rosary Group) Sunday, December 23 8:00 AM Charles Henderson, III (Tony Gardella) 10:30 AM Charles Kovanic, Jr. (Ed Kovanic) 12:00 PM Robert G. Mattone (M/M Ray Viggiano) 5:00 PM Sinead Brody (M/M Robert Gray) Monday, December 24 9:00 AM Deceased members Loftus families (Family) 3:00 PM Regina & John Condzella (Stajik Family) And Peter & Mary Stajk (Stajik Family) And Dawn Garavente & Arline Palmieri (Family) 4:30 PM Sister Anthony Giunco (Tony Gardella) 6:00 PM McCue Family & Michael Haddad (Joan McCue) And Mya Fuentes (Buckley Family) And Jack Gallagher (Buckley Family) 11:00 PM Grace Murphy (Family) Tuesday, December 25 10:30 AM For Parishioners of Holy Cross Parish 12:00 PM Donald Burns (Family) Wednesday, December 26 9:00 AM For the Sick and Homebound of the Parish Thursday, December 27 9:00 AM Kenneth Decker (M/M Brett Flynn) Friday, December 28 9:00 AM Margaret Checton (M/M Tom Huthwaite) Saturday, December 29 9:00 AM Richard Zochowski (M/M Paul Sperber) 5:00 PM Frances T. Legge (Joanna Roberts) Sunday, December 30 8:00 AM Betty Geiger (M/M Brian George) 10:30 AM Deceased members of the Shea Family (Family) 12:00 PM Thomas Lynch (M/M Hank Shaheen) 5:00 PM For People with Disabilities Holy Cross Prayer Garden Memorial Bricks Donate a Memorial Brick in the Holy Cross Prayer Garden. Pavers can be ordered online from our Parish Website or at the Parish Office. Donations for Memorial Bricks are $400 each.

5 December 23, 2018 Page 5 #623 Calendar at a Glance Monday, December 24 Monday, December 31 Christmas Eve New Year s Eve Parish Office Closed Parish Office Closed Choir Call, 9:45 AM 5:00 PM Vigil Mass for Solemnity of Mary Youth Choir to sing at 4:30 PM Mass Tuesday, January 1 Christmas Eve Masses :3:00 PM, 4:30 PM, 6:00 PM New Year s Day and 11:00PM, Christmas Carols begin at 10:30 PM Solemnity of Mary, 9:00 AM Mass Tuesday, December 25 Wednesday, January 2 Christmas Day Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, 9:45 AM 4 PM Masses: 10:30 AM and 12:00 Noon AA Meeting, 8:00 PM (St. Joseph Room) Wednesday, December 26 Thursday, January 3 AA Meeting, 8:00 PM (St. Joseph Room) Exposition and Holy Hour, 6:00 7:00 PM Saturday, December 29 Saturday, January 5 Mass 9:00 AM, Confession and Novena after Mass Mass 9:00 AM, Confession and Novena after Mass Sunday, December 30 Sunday, January 6 Feast of the Holy Family Feast of the Epiphany Regular Sunday Mass Schedule SOR Classes Baptism Prep Class, 12 noon (St. Joseph Room) Holy Cross Poor Boxes Our brass colored Poor Boxes are built into the wall, on either side of the entrance, in the Narthex of the Church. Donations are needed and appreciated all year long. Please give to the poor. Holy Cross Pergola Column Donations Consider dedicating a Pergola column in gratitude or prayerful memory of someone. Contact the Parish Office for details. AA Meetings We are happy to announce that there is an AA Open Discussion Meeting every Wednesday evening at 8:00 PM, in the St. Joseph Room of Holy Cross Church. Downey Side Adoption Do you want to make a difference in the life of a foster care child? If so, apply to adopt through Downey Side and give foster care children a permanent home. Children are school age and up. Call Sister Elizabeth Engel, or send to: sister.engel@gmail.com. Sons Of Ireland Polar Bear Plunge This year s event will be held at the Convention Center in Asbury Park on January 1, 2019, benefiting local charities. To sign up go to Support Our Sponsors Please support the sponsors of our Church bulletin and patronize their establishments. Let them know you heard about them in the Holy Cross Church bulletin!