777 West Hollis Street Nashua, NH 03062

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1 ST. JOSEPH 4 th Sunday THE of Advent WORKER 777 West Hollis Street Nashua, NH Parish Office Hours Monday Friday 9:00 AM 5:00 PM Parish Contacts Phone: Fax: parishoffice@stjoenash.org Website: Facebook: Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, Nashua, NH Weekend Liturgies Saturday 4:00 PM Sunday 8:00 & 10:00 AM Weekday Masses Monday-Thursday 8:00 AM If Nashua schools are closed due to snow/ ice, daily Mass will be cancelled. Bishop Francis Christian Pastor Ext. 7 bpfrancischristian@stjoenash.org Deacon Raymond Wheeler Permanent Deacon Ext. 5 deaconray@charter.net Deacon Roland E. Leduc Permanent Deacon Ext. 5 RCIA Coordinator r-leduc@comcast.net Helen Dumont Business Manager Ext. 3 helendumont@stjoenash.org Janice Mercure Director of Faith Formation Ext. 4 janicemercure@stjoenash.org Kim Dupont Office Manager Ext. 2 kimdupont@stjoenash.org John Puliafico Facility Superintendent Ext. 6 facilities@stjoenash.org We strive to be a parish of Good Stewards, praising and thanking God for His gifts of life, faith, family and friends and our parish and civic communities. We ask for His grace to grow and develop these gifts abundantly for the sake of His kingdom among us. Sacrament of Penance (Confession) Saturday: 3:00-3:45 PM & upon request Baptism Please call the Parish Office. Marriages Please call Parish Office 6 months prior to wedding date. Program Coordinators Adoration Pat Hurd Adult Choir Barbara Puder Art & Environment Robert Gagne Bereavement Kim Dupont Contemp. Music Dave Therrien Cub/Boy Scouts John Puliafico CYO Joe Merrill Healing Prayer Ministry Pat Hurd Knights of Columbus Paul Rioux Outreach Helen Dumont Prayer Line stjoeprayerline@stjoenash.org , ext. 2 Safe Environment Paula O Connell Youth Choir Chris Wenrich Committee Chairpersons Pastoral Council Marc Richard Finance Paula Moran Liturgy John Martin Fundraising Ann Kelley Faith Formation Linda Pugliano Facility Thomas Moran Tithing Joanne Charpentier Family Ministry Lisa Simpson Good Steward Rick Donaruma Evangelization Lisa Richard Deanery Agencies New Hampshire Catholic Charities Corpus Christi Food Pantry

2 4 th Sunday of Advent Sunday, December 23, 2018 Healing Prayer Ministry (After 10am Mass), Chapel 100 Club Sales (After Masses), Center Monday, December 24, 2018 ~ Christmas Eve ~ Parish Office is closed. Tuesday, December ~ Christmas Day ~ Parish Office is closed. Wednesday, December 26, 2018 Parish Office is closed. Thursday, December 27, 2018 Rosary, Chapel, 6-7pm Boy Scout Troop Meeting, Center/Kitchen/Room 7/8, 6:30-8:30pm Friday, December 28, 2018 Saturday, December 29, Club Membership Sales (After 4pm Mass), Center Weekend Offertory Weekly Offertory needed to meet budget, FY $8,750 Weekly Offertory Collec on 12/15-12/16/18...$* On Line Giving W/E 12/16/ $* Total Weekly Collec ons 12/15-12/16/ $* Fiscal Year Offertory needed to date (25 wks.)..$218,750 Fiscal Year Offertory collected to date (25 wks.)...$* 2.5% of the Total Offertory goes to Tithing each week. Thank you for your support! *The offertory report for last weekend (12/15-16) will be listed in next week s bulle n. Due to the Christmas holiday, this week s bulle n was transmi ed on Friday, 12/14. ~ Christmas Gift ~ We prayerfully ask that as you plan out your Christmas gift list, you please consider a $50 gift to the parish. Doing this for your parish has made a tremendous difference and we deeply appreciate your efforts. Blessed season to all! Fund Raising Committee Club Membership Drive The committee began the ticket sales on the weekend of December 1 st and 2 nd. As in the past, the tickets are $100 for the year or $10 per month beginning in January through October. Two prizes are awarded per month. 1 st place: $100, 2 nd place: $50. Then, on the 1 st Sunday in November, the remaining prizes totaling $3,500 are drawn. As usual, it is first come, first serve regarding selecting the number you would like to purchase. Ticket sales are available after Masses in the parish hall. 1 st Drawing: January 27, 2019 after the 8:00am liturgy! Visit those who are shut-in... Outreach Committee Holiday Gift Program 2018 Thank you for taking gift tags as we reach out to agencies in need: Front Door Families (Pastoral Care), Meals On Wheels, and Keystone Shelter. Most of all we thank you for your support right here in our parish as well. Be sure to check next week s bulletin for a report on the details of your generous gift giving. Wishing you a very holy and joyful Christmas season! Bless you all for your spirit of generosity! ONLINE GIVING For those of you who might be interested in using online giving please go to our website: and check out our options under Online Giving or call Helen Dumont in the Finance Office for more details at , ext. 3.

3 4 th Sunday of Advent Parish & Community News God bless you and your loved ones during this holy season! Merry Christmas from Bishop Christian & the Parish Staff! The parish office will be closed from 12/24 through 12/ Parish Calendars Our 2019 parish calendars will be available next weekend after all the Masses on tables in the Gathering Space. A BIG THANK YOU to our Knights of Columbus Council and CYO for this generous donation! Give yourself a PRESENT for Christmas! Take your first course Christian Spirituality with Fr. Ray Dlugos, OSA, Ph.D. (Begins Tuesday, January 22 nd, 6:30-9:30 pm) This course could be your FIRST STEP in a Masters and/or a Certificate in Spirituality or Spiritual Direction. Merrimack ~ a Catholic, Augustinian College Conveniently located in the Merrimack Valley for those on the north shore of Boston and for those in southern New Hampshire. Financial assistance available. Information session Saturday, January 19 th at 12 noon and/or contact Jennifer Greenwood at: or greenwoodj@merrimack.edu. Christmas Blessings from Infant Jesus School The long, dark nights of winter are upon us as we await the arrival of the Light, the Messiah. The Faculty, Staff and Students of Infant Jesus School would like to wish all of you a cheerful and bright Christmas Season! Good Steward Weekend ~ A thank you to all! The Pastoral Council thanks everyone who made the Good Steward Weekend a wonderful success - from the ministry members who staffed the tables to the 77 (yes 77!) new volunteers who will be joining our ministries in the coming year. We hope everyone had an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how each committee endeavors to fulfill our mission of being Good Stewards. While this event was a one-time weekend, the parish always welcomes new volunteers. If you were unable to learn about our ministries and committees, you can read their mission statements on our website at: Have you checked out the St. Joseph the Worker Parish Facebook page lately? We are such a lively parish and we re really trying to showcase it every way we can with updates about parish activities, special Masses, thoughtful readings and much more. Make sure to Like and Follow the page to get reminders about all the great things happening at our parish! 2019 Mass Book To make a request you may call the parish office, place your Mass Intention in an envelope marked Mass Request and place it in the offertory basket or stop by the parish office during regular hours. The suggested donation is $ Christmas Vacation St. Andrew Dinner St. Andrew was the first of the Apostles to hear Jesus call to follow him. We would like to invite college students who are home for vacation and other men in our diocese who are considering a vocation to the priesthood or would simply like some help hearing the Lord s call for their life to an evening of prayer, conversation with the Vocations Team, and dinner. This dinner will be held at St. Patrick Parish in Pelham on Friday January 4 th from 6-8pm. Please RSVP to Becky Vinson at rvinson@rcbm.org or if you would like to attend.

4 4th Sunday of Advent Liturgy Gift Assignment Fourth Sunday of Advent ~ Dates to Remember ~ Middle School Faith Formation (Grades 6,7 & 8) Sunday, Jan. 13th, 5:30pm-8:30pm Assignments: Chapters 26 & 27 Confirmation II (Grades 9 & 10) Sunday, Jan. 6th, 6pm-9pm Grade 3 Confirmation Parent Meeting Parents with children in the third grade are asked to attend either of the two parents meetings on Sunday, January 27th at 11:15am or Tuesday, January 29th at 7pm in Room 5/6. Resources and more information will be given at this meeting. The celebration of the sacrament will be held on Saturday, March 30th at 10:00am. Thank You! Miss Janice would like to take this opportunity to thank the following people who assisted in hosting the meals for the Adult Advent Enrichment program: Bob Carbonneau, Pauline Carbonneau, Jack Collins, Kathy Collins, Keith O Donnell, Linda Pugliano and Ann Smith. A special thanks to Pauline Car bonneau who ran the errands to pick up the food. What so ever you do For the past year, members of the parish have joined the Middle School Faith Formation with a special outreach project helping the youth in Nashua that have aged out of the foster care system. Thank you to everyone who has continued to contribute to our efforts! *** Recent Requests: *** Gift cards to: Walmart, Shaws, Market Basket or fast food restaurants Pop Tarts and Macaroni & Cheese in microwavable cups Grey or black hats and mittens MASS SCHEDULE FOR THE HOLY DAYS Christmas Eve: Monday, December 24th at 4 & 10 p.m. Christmas Day: Tuesday, December 25th at 10 a.m. New Years Eve: Monday, December 31st at 5:30 p.m. New Years Day: Tuesday, J anuar y 1st at 9 a.m. All Are Welcome! ~ Please Join Us! Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Tuesday Evenings from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon (In the Chapel) There will not be Adoration on December 25th & 26th and January 1st & 2nd. We will resume the week of January 7th. Thursday Evening Rosary Thursday Evenings at 6:00 p.m. (In the Chapel) There will be recitation of the rosary on December 27th and January 3rd. SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday: Fourth Sunday of Advent Vigil of Christmas The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) St. Stephen; First Day of Kwanzaa St. John The Holy Innocents Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord; St. Thomas Becket

5 4 th Sunday of Advent REFLECTIONS By Bishop Christian How did Christmas come to be celebrated on December 25 th? Since Easter is the most important event of our salvation and was the primary focus of the first disciples who expected the Lord to return very quickly, the date of his birth was not important in the early church. It began to be discussed only in the 3 rd century. In St. Luke s account of the nativity, the shepherds were tending their flocks on the hillsides. This would not have been done during the winter but rather in the spring, so early church fathers like St. Clement of Alexandria and Hippolytus placed the birth in the month of April. In the 4 th century, St. John Chrysostom based himself on records of the Jewish Temple and calculated that the priest Zechariah (John the Baptist s father) would have been on duty there in the month of late October or November and Elizabeth would have conceived shortly thereafter. Since Mary visited her when Elizabeth was six months pregnant (according to St. Luke), that event would have occurred in March, which then would mean that Gabriel s visit to Mary and the Incarnation would have occurred in that same month. Mary s nine months of pregnancy would bring us to December as the likely time for Jesus birth by this calculation. Other scholars see a whole different rationale. The early Christians in Rome and elsewhere in Europe were constantly trying to counter pagan customs and religious festivals with the faith and often celebrated Christian feasts at the time when pagan feasts were going on. In Europe the winter solstice was celebrated in various ways. The Romans had religious celebrations to rejoice in the return of the sun back to the north and the increasing daylight. How fitting for Christians to proclaim the birth of Christ, the light of the world, at the same time. It is probably some combination of these reasons that resulted in the fixing of the date to December 25 th. ~ Peace ~ Monday, December 24 th ~ Christmas Eve 4:00 pm ~ For the intentions of our parishioners 10:00 pm ~ For the intentions of our parishioners Tuesday, December 25 th ~ Christmas Day 10:00 am ~ For the intentions of our parishioners Wednesday, December 26 th 8:00 am ~ Bertha Sprankle by her family 8:00 am ~ Lionel & Lauretta LeBlanc by the St. Joseph Outreach Committee Thursday, December 27 th 8:00 am ~ Gilberte Dupont by her family 8:00 am ~ Eric Davis by the St. Joseph Outreach Committee Friday, December 28 th No Daily Mass Saturday, December 29 th 4:00 pm ~ Eric Davis by his daughters Cora & Madeleine Davis 4:00 pm ~ Deceased members of the Casteel & Mattock Families by Mike & Diane Mattock Sunday, December 30 th 8:00 am ~ Herbert Spankle by his family 8:00 am ~ Frederick Harrington by Toni Auclair & Family 10:00 am ~ For all of our parishioners celebrating anniversaries this month READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29; Lk 1:67-79 Tuesday: Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 [18-25] Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20 Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14] Wednesday: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 8ab, 16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22 Thursday: 1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Jn 20:1a, 2-8 Friday: 1 Jn 1:5 2:2; Ps 124:2-5, 7b-8; Mt 2:13-18 Saturday: 1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96:1-3, 5b-6; Lk 2:22-35 Sunday: Sir 3:2-6, or 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28; Ps 128:1-5 or Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10; Col 3:12-21 [12-17] or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24; Lk 2:41-52

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