First Sunday of Advent ~ December 2, 2018 I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land.

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1 The Catholic Parish Family of Immaculate Conception Church 211 Summit Street, Norwood NJ First Sunday of Advent ~ December 2, 2018 I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land. Jeremiah 33:15 Masses Saturdays at 5:00pm Sunday 8:00am, 10:00am, 12:00noon, 5:00pm Weekdays: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday at 8:00am Holy Days: Masses will be announced in the bulletin as they are scheduled Served by Fr. Leo J. Butler, Pastor Fr. Timothy Graff, Weekend Assistant Deacon Bernard Deschler Sr. Elizabeth Holler, S.C., Pastoral Associate Charles LaLima, Director of Music Ministry Louise Lucivero, Parish Secretary; Coordinator Grades 1-5 Faith Formation. Christina Benaquista, Coordinator Jr. High Faith Formation Michael Rooney, Confirmation Coordinator Sarah Lucero, Youth Ministry Leader Canice Cristofoletti, Business Manager SAVE THE DATES FOR OUR ADVENT EVENTS! DECEMBER 1: ADVENT WREATH SOCIAL & CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING Following 5:00 PM Mass DECEMBER 1, 8, 15: ADVENT RECONCILIATION Saturdays of Advent, 3:00 4:00 PM DECEMBER 2 16: GIVING TREE DECEMBER 3, 10, 17 & JANUARY. 7, 14, 21: BISHOP BARRON S, THE MASS Choose 1:00-2:30 PM or 7:00-8:30 PM FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION DECEMBER 7 TH : VIGIL MASS- Friday, 7:00 PM; DE- CEMBER 8 TH : FEAST DAY: Saturday, 9:00 AM DECEMBER 11, 12, 13, 7:00-8:00 PM: ADVENT MISSION WITH DEACON ANTHONY LIGUORI & SON, CHRISTIAN DECEMBER 15: PAINT & SIP, 6:30-9:00 PM DECEMBER 16 th 11:30 AM: CHRISTMAS PAGEANT Family Social to Follow 12 noon Mass DECEMBER 21st, 7:00 PM: BLUE CHRISTMAS When the holidays are difficult due to recent deaths, life after divorce or separation, loss of job, or living with serious illness. BAPTISM: Parents wishing to have their child baptized must attend a Baptismal Prep Class. Please contact the Rectory at SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: First Saturday of the Month, 3-4 pm. Also by appointment MARRIAGES: Arrangements should be made one year in advance. Please phone the Rectory at to begin preparation. MINISTRY TO THE SICK: Anointing upon request. Communion at home upon request. Visitation kindly notify the parish office when a family member is hospitalized or confined. Rosary Recited Every Monday After 8:00 AM Mass EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR Tuesdays, 7:00 P.M.

2 MASS INTENTIONS Saturday December 1, :00pm Benedetto Ribaudo Sunday December 2, :00am Augustine & Cecilia Ciardiello Johanna & Family 10:00am The Parish Family 12:00pm Josephine C. Daniels Dee Prucnel 5:00pm Mary McConnell The Clifford Family Monday December 3, :00am Donald Jerie, Sr. The Faith Formation Family Tuesday December 4, :00am Donald Jerie, Sr. Charlotte O Sullivan & Family Wednesday December 5, :00am Special Intention Thursday December 6, :00am No Service Friday December 7, :00am Henry Finelli Anthony Prestifillippo & Diane Guarino 7:00pm The Parish Family Saturday December 8, :00am Liam Jerie (living) 5:00pm Lyda Figueredo Pat & Barry Foschino Sunday December 9, :00am Jim Ritchie Johanna Keating, Debora & Chuck 10:00am The Parish Family 12:00pm Josephine Manderano Frank Murphy & Grandchildren 5:00pm Special Intention To Everything there is a Season, and a Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:11 A Time To Be Healed Parish Sick: Lorraine Lupardi, Thomas Wendelken Jr., Stephanie DenBoer, Maria Ramirez, Ryan MacNaughton, Dick Musacchio, Louis Frola, Meghan Dolan, Otto & Amy Kraus, Joseph Mosca, Barbara Bryant, Rachel Knanishu Grossman, Jean-Marie Bongiovanni, Bruce Fernstrom, Kevin Mullane, Steven Connelly, Evelyn Dambra, Hernan Sierra, Emma Benvenuto, Sammy Schammas, Daniel Murphy, Ethan Rotante, Dawn Congiusti, Gerry Voorhis, Baby Cole Kindly notify the Rectory if a name can be removed from the Prayer List For Communion to the sick in hospitals and nursing homes please call the Rectory. A Time to Mourn May all the faithful departed rest in peace. TODAY S READINGS First Reading The days are coming when the LORD will fulfill the promise made to Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 33:14-16). Psalm To you, O Lord, I lift my soul (Psalm 25). Second Reading Abound in love for one another and for all (1 Thessalonians 3:12 4:2). Gospel Stand erect and raise your heads; your redemption is at hand (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36). The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: First Sunday of Advent; Hanukkah begins Monday: St. Francis Xavier Tuesday: St. John Damascene Thursday: St. Nicholas Friday: St. Ambrose; First Friday Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Saturday: The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary PARISH CALENDAR ~ DECEMBER 2018 Dec. 2 thru 16 Giving Tree Dec. 2, 16 Gr. 6-8 Faith Formation Dec. 2 HSYG meeting, gym, 6pm Dec. 3, 10, 17 Bishop Barron s The Mass, church hall, 1pm or 7pm Dec. 3 2nd Grade Parents 1st Reconciliation Meeting, church, 7pm Dec. 4, 11, 18 Gr. 1-5 Faith Formation Dec. 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec. 8, 15 Advent Reconciliation, church, 3-4pm Dec. 9 Children s Liturgy, church, 10am Dec. 11, 12, 13 Advent Mission, church, 7pm Dec. 16 YG Christmas Party, gym, 6pm Dec. 21 Blue Christmas, church, 7pm Dec. 25 Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Sundays Contemporary Family Mass, 5pm Sundays AA in Church Hall, 7:30pm Tuesdays Eucharistic Holy Hour, 7pm Fridays ICC Prayer Group, Church Hall, 7:30pm THE THREE COMINGS OF ADVENT There are three distinct comings of the Lord of which I know: His coming to humankind, His coming into humankind, and His coming against humankind. St. Bernard: Third Sermon for Advent

3 Dear Sisters and Brothers: * SUNDAY REFLECTIONS * Happy Advent!!!! When I wrote this Sunday s column I returned to an old Native American Prayer that I filed away some years ago without any recollection of where I found it. It is too long to place here, but the prayer beautifully sums up the theme of Advent, which is to watch and be ready. The prayer says: Oh Great Spirit, make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hid in every leaf and rock, make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes so that when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame. Is this not what Paul and Luke are speaking to us at the dawn of this new liturgical year? Every year as Advent arrives, and the days are darker and colder, we hear the theme of hope.we need to hear the theme of hope!!!!! Yet this hope is trumpeted in a world frightened and fractured by war, poverty, injustice, terrorism. So many people live without hope. It is difficult to believe that anything will change. But hope, as it is expressed in Scripture, is the belief that, at some time, what we desire now, deep down inside of us, will actually happen. Hope is different from dreams, which can be momentary and ethereal and forgotten. We do not build our lives on dreams; they are built on hopes. Most of the time, we cannot even remember our dreams. Hope gives us strength to continue even when our dreams are shattered. For many of the people of the earth, hope is their only food. Advent is a time to fix our minds on the important things of life so that we will remember the promises Jesus gives us for the next life. Advent s purpose is to make ready for Jesus. It s kind of like the Roman god, Janus, whose two faces look backward and forward, we put on two faces and look at our past to learn from it and resolve to do better in the future. We look to the past for its promises and forward to their fulfillment. We remember the past in order to recognize the faithfulness of God who says, I will fulfill the promises I have made. The past is not things over and done with. We remember in order to make the promises of the past come true now. The past is our teacher. The future is our hope. With hopeful faith, we continually prepare for the arrival of the Son of Man. Speaking of looking forward, I look forward to welcoming Deacon Anthony Liguori to our parish next weekend as he will be preaching at all the Masses next weekend as he prepares to lead our parish mission from Tuesday December 11 th to Thursday, December 13 th from 7-8pm each evening. What a beautiful opportunity for us to come together as we journey with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and renew once again the Birth of our Savior. Please set aside some time as a family, save the date, and let us Journey as a Family to the Bethlehem to welcome the Christ Child. Like the Mary and Joseph, we pray, again, the Native American prayer: Hear me, I am small and weak. I need your strength and your wisdom. In His Hope, Fr. Leo

4 * NEWS FROM IMMACULATE CONCEPTION * On Our Way to Bethlehem as a Parish Family Please join Deacon Anthony Liguori and his son Christian as they present a three evening Parish Mission in prayerful reflections and heartfelt songs as we journey together through Advent Deacon Anthony will be preaching at all the liturgies the weekend of December 8-9 to introduce the Parish Mission here at Immaculate Conception. 7:00pm-8:00pm. Tuesday December 11 Wednesday, December 12 Thursday, December 13 CHILDREN S LITURGY OF THE WORD at the 10 AM Mass Dates: Dec Dates: Jan. 27, Feb. 24, March 10, April 7, May 19 RETIREMENT FUND FOR RELIGIOUS This year our parish will conduct the annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious on the weekend of December 8-9, Traditionally, women and men religious served for small stipends that did not include retirement benefits. Today, many religious communities lack adequate retirement savings. At the same time, health-care costs have risen dramatically while the number of religious able to serve in compensated ministry has declined. These financial needs of the Religious continue to call upon the generosity of our people. Every year the National Collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious has a life-giving impact on religious by providing for them the financial assistance, education and service needed to continue the vital support of their aging religious and communities. Both religious men and women in our own archdiocese have been beneficiaries of this collection during the past year. Please remember to make your donation for the PARISH and not to the Retirement Office. Such a procedure will ensure that our parish will receive credit for all donations. On behalf of the women and men religious of our archdiocese, especially our own Sr. Elizabeth, I thank you for your cooperation and generosity. Please be assured of my continued gratitude and prayers for you and your loved ones. COMMUNITY NEWS Special Noon Mass and a support group meeting for all who are affected by the disease of alcoholism will take place at Church of St. Mary, 20 Legion Place, Closter, NJ on Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 12:00 noon. Our celebrant will be Cardinal Tobin. COMMUNITY NEWS St. Joseph Regional HS Performing Arts Department presents: Neil Berg s 50 Years of Rock and Roll. With a cast consisting of Broadway stars and incredible rock singers, Neil Berg shares stories and tributes to the 50 year history of the music that changed the world. Join us for an exciting night of nostalgic music from Chuck Berry to the Beatles to Bruce Springsteen and beyond! Friday, November 30, 2018, 7:30 PM, Inserra Theater at St. Joseph Regional HS, 40 Chestnut Ridge Road, Montvale, NJ. Pre-show reception with wine, beer and hors d oeuvres from 6:00-7:30PM. $60 tickets (includes reception and show) available now at sjr.booktix.com. Call for more info. Mass is offered for the support, healing and recovery of not only the man/woman directly affected with the abuse of alcohol and/or drugs, but also for anyone involved in the life of the alcoholic or drug addict. For information please call Join us at The Church of St. Mary, 20 Legion Place, Closter, December 3, 7:30-8:30 PM for Vespers (Evening Prayer), an evening of Prayer and Reflection, Inspired Preaching by Bishop John Flesey. All are welcome. Christmas Craft Show, Sunday, Dec. 2nd, St. Joseph Regional HS, Montvale. Show from 10 AM 4 PM showcasing the talents of over 120 juried crafts people and fine artists. Admission is $3.00. Children and senior citizens (65+) are free. No Strollers Permitted.

5 * MORE NEWS FROM IMMACULATE CONCEPTION * Help us make this a special Christmas for those less fortunate. Immaculate Conception is again sponsoring our Giving Tree for St. Paul of the Cross. The tree will be up December 2nd, the first Sunday of Advent. Besides clothing, gift certificates to ShopRite, Wal-Mart or Target are welcome. Please wrap gifts with the tag on the outside. We will also collect hats for Tomorrow s Children cancer patients. Hats should be sized for babies to young adults and placed unwrapped in the basket that will be in the vestibule. Gifts need to be returned by the last Mass on Sunday, December 16th. Can you find it in your heart to take one or two tags from the tree to bring joy to someone this Christmas? God Bless You for your generosity! KID S CORNER

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