St. John the Evangelist Parish

Transcription

1 St. John the Evangelist Parish 915 Route 212, Centerville, Saugerties, NY Phone: Fax: web: FATHER WILLIAM F. WOODRUFF, PASTOR MSGR. WILLIAM E. WILLIAMS, PASTOR EMERITUS DEACON ROBERT CRANSTON MASS SCHEDULE: Handicap Accessible Saturday- 5:00 PM, Sunday- 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM Daily: Monday-Thursday & Saturday - 8:30 AM, Morning Prayer 8:15 AM Holy Days: Please check bulletin CONFESSIONS: Saturday 3:30 to 4:30 PM ALTAR ROSARY: President: Donna Anderson ( ) Meets the first Wednesday of the month ALTAR SERVERS: Coordinator Joan Jensen ( ) BAPTISM: Baptism upon request. Preparation required. Leaders in preparation: Patricia & Gary Moore ( ) CATHOLIC SCHOOLS: Coleman Catholic High School ( ), Kingston Catholic School ( ) St. Joseph Catholic School ( ) COMMUNITY ACTION / FOOD PANTRY: Maria Granda ( ) COUNCIL OF CHURCHES: Marilyn Washer ( ), Maureen Rothe DEANERY: Frankie Cullen ( ) LAY TRUSTEES: Bill McKenna ( ), Bob Howe ( ) LITURGY COMMITTEE: Robert Howe ( ) MARRIAGES: By appointment. Please make arrangements at least six months prior to wedding. Preparation is mandatory. MINISTRY TO HOMEBOUND AND ELDERLY: Eileen Oswald ( ) MUSIC MINISTRY: Kelly Rea ( ) OPERATIONS: Robert Gauvreau ( ) SPIRIT OF LIFE PRAYER GROUP: Fr. Woodruff ( ) Meets Tuesdays 7:00 PM & first Sunday of each month at 12:00 to 1:00 PM (Instructional Prayer Meeting All are welcome!) PARISH COUNCIL: President Pat Fitzsimmons ( ) PARISH NURSE: Anne Grunbaum ( ) RCIA: Deacon Robert Cranston ( ) RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Coordinator Joan Corton ( ) RESPECT LIFE COMMITTEE: Joseph Defino Sr. ( ), Barbara O Reilly ( ) SECRETARIES: Joan Jensen ( ), Barbara Renner (8:30 AM 8:30 PM Only ) ST. JOHN S CHURCH STORE: Elaine Arvidson ( ), Angela Mastrachia ( ) VOCATIONS: Pat Fitzsimmons ( )

2 ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST PARISH Saturday 8:30 Madeline Dalton Req. by Mary O Donnell 5:00 For The Living and Deceased Members of The Howe Family Req. by Linda Rose Sunday 8:30 For All The People of The Parish 10:30 In Celebration of The Birthday of Bailey Defino Req. by Joe Defino Sr. Monday 8:30 Betty Decker Req. by The Community of God s Amazing Grace Tuesday 8:30 Viola DiMeo Req. by Eileen & George Oswald Wednesday 8:30 Karen Zambrella Req. by Maggie Myers and Family Thursday 8:30 Elizabeth Carey (Anniversary Remembrance) - Req. by Anne & Jim Carey 7:00 Maureen Armstrong (Birthday Remembrance) - Req. by Her Husband, Gary and Family Friday 8:30 All The People of The Parish 7:00 Dave & Bess Costello Req. by Sis Dunn and Family Saturday 8:30 Special Intention 5:00 Ralph Mayone Sr. (Birthday Remembrance) - Req. by His Wife, Mary Sunday 8:30 In Celebration of The 10th Birthday of Wyatt John Renner and the 1st Birthday of Everett John Renner Req. by Their Grandparents 10:30 All The People of The Parish SAINTS & SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Mon St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church Wed St. Nicholas, Bishop Thu St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of The Church Fri The Immaculate Conception of The Blessed Virgin Mary Sat St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY- There will be a 7:00 PM Holy Mass on Thursday, December 7 th and both an 8:30 AM and 7:00 PM on December 8 th. This is a Holy Day of Obligation. BRUNCH WITH SANTA- This year s event will be on December 2nd from 10 to 12 Noon. Proceeds will be donated to local families in need as well as the Down Syndrome Association of The Hudson Valley. If you are interested in volunteering, donating, or making a reservation, contact me at or Once again, this year s event will be dedicated in loving memory of my mom, Beverly Defino and the sweet prince, Giles Ma. Thank you and God Bless. Vanessa Loviza RECONCILIATION MONDAY- Is December 18th from 4 to 8 PM. Every parish in the Archdiocese of NY will have at least one priest hearing confessions during that time period. If that time period is not good for you, Fr. Woodruff is available at any time upon request. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will also take place on Saturday, December 23rd, from 3:00 until 4:30 P.M. in addition to every Saturday otherwise from 3:30 until 4:30 P.M. MEMORY TREE- The Altar Rosary Society will be sponsoring a Christmas Memorial Tree. Each week stars will be hung that have been purchased at $1 per name of those close to our hearts. The Memory Tree box and envelopes are located near the tree at the rear of the church. A blessed Advent to all. Proceeds to benefit St. John s Fuel Fund. COMMUNITY BAND AND CHORUS CONCERT Will take place at the Reformed Church of Saugerties on December 10th. ALTAR ROSARY CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON Will be held at Mirabella s Restaurant on December 10th at 1 PM. Prepaid reservations are due by December 6th with your choice of one of the following: Eggplant Rollatini with Angel Hair and Vegetable, Broiled Salmon with Wild Rice and Vegetable; or Sliced Garlic Steak with Potato and Vegetable. All meals come with choice of House, Caesar or Mixed Green Salad. Family style appetizers and dessert platter will be included. Please contact Donna Anderson at for reservations and make checks payable to the Altar Rosary Society in the amount of $18 (all inclusive). Guests welcome. Please refer to the bulletin board for further information. SCRATCH-OFF LOTTERY TICKETS- Altar Rosary will be selling chances to win $100 worth of Scratch-Off Lottery Tickets. Chances are $1 each or 6 for $5. The chances will be sold after each of the Holy Masses until December 9/10th. The winner will be drawn on December 10th at the Christmas luncheon. Thank you advance for your support. God Bless You! ADVENT PROGRAM Will take place at the Immaculate Conception School in Kingston. DVD Lectures Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Advent. Lecturer, Dr. Brant Pitre. This will take place December 5, 12, and 19th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. FMI, call Lorraine Krasinski at YOU DID IT FOR ME- If you know of someone who would enjoy a visit, call or card from their fellow parishioners, please call the church office ( ) to let us know. Ronald Smokey Woods Lou Honecker Ten Broeck Commons, Lake Katrine Judy Fiero The Pines 154 Jefferson Heights, Catskill Fr. Al Pizzuto The Cardinal Egan Pavilion 5655 Arlington Avenue, Bronx, NY Msgr. Williams 131 Rymrock Road #42, Kingston, NY

3 FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in the Expectant Infant Savior, I want to wish to all of you a Happy and Holy Church New Year with this First Sunday of the Advent Season. Advent is a word that means Coming and it refers to the Two Comings of Christ: the annual celebration of His Birth on Christmas Day and His return in glory at the end of time to judge the living and the dead called the Paousia or the General Judgment. From the First Sunday of Advent through December 16 th, the Church asks of all the Faithful (both clergy and laity) to focus on the Two Comings of Christ. Then, in the so-called Octave or eight days before Christmas Day (December 17 th through the 24 th ), the Church wants all the Faithful to prepare proximately for the celebration of the Birth of Our Lord. Advent is only 22 days this year; it is the shortest period possible because Christmas Eve starts on the late afternoon of the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Although the Fourth Week of Advent is extremely short, the season still carries the full meaning of the four weeks: they convey the four eras or epochs of Salvation History. Week one celebrates Adam, the first man down to Abraham, our father in the Faith. Week two celebrates Abraham down to Moses, the great deliverer of the People of Israel. Week three celebrates Moses down to King David, the model ruler of the People of Israel. The truncated week four celebrates King David down to the Christ, the fulfillment of the promise by God the Father to send a redeemer. It is a terrific time to partake in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Confession, Penance, or Conversion (the Sacrament is known by all four of those names). Therefore, there will be a Penance Service with several local priests of our cluster hearing Confessions at Saint Mary of the Snow Church on Wednesday evening, December 13 th, starting at 7:30 P.M. Also, every parish in the Archdiocese of New York will have Reconciliation Monday from 4:00 until 8:00 P.M. on December 18 th ; there will be at least one priest hearing Confessions in every one of our 293 parishes during that period of time. I myself will arrive a little before 4 P.M. and stay a little beyond 8 P.M. in the Confessional on that day. Finally, on Saturday, December 23 rd, I INSTRUCTIONAL PRAYER MEETING- Will take place on Sunday, Dec. 3rd at noon. The topic of discussion is Letters of St. John. Come learn about your Catholic Faith. This discussion will be led by Fr. Bill. Question and Answer period to follow. 20-WEEK CLUB The 7th winner of $100 in our 20-Week Club was Dave LaTourette. Just a reminder that 50% of your club money is now due! ADVENT PENANCE SERVICE Will take place at St. Mary of The Snow Church in Saugerties on Wednesday, December 13th at 7:30 PM. ADVENT PROGRAM Will take place at Sacred Heart Church in Esopus. DVD Lectures Forgiven (The Rite of Confession Explained). Produced by: Augustine Institute. This will take place on Dec. 7, 14 & 21 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Study Guide $6 or copy from formed.org. FMI, call Lorraine at HOLIDAY FAIR Will take place on December 8th & 9th from 9 to 3 PM at the Katsbaan Reformed Church. will have an expanded Confession time: 3:00 until 4:30 P.M. that afternoon. Of course, I am available upon request as well. THIS WEEKEND, DECEMBER 2 nd and 3 rd, IS RENEW AND REBUILD COMMITMENT WEEKEND IN OUR PARISH. After the Homily, you will be given the opportunity to pledge for this Capital Campaign that His Eminence has requested all of our 293 parishes to undertake between 2016 and As I mentioned in my previous letters, the first phase was for yours truly to meet privately with 65 families that were selected by the Renew and Rebuild Office; as of the date of the writing of this letter to you (November 21 st ), I have met with 58 of the 65 families since right after Labor Day. The results are: from 25 families (and I include myself as having pledged as well) 74% of the parish objective has been raised; so we are almost threefourths of the way to the pledge goal of $228,521. I HAVE OF COURSE SAID TO THE FOLKS WHO COULDN T PLEDGE FOR WHATEVER REASON THAT I WILL CARE JUST AS MUCH FOR THEIR SOULS AS IF THEY HAD PLEDGE A HUNDRED TRILLION DOLLARS. Once again, you are the most generous folks I have ever had the honor to serve; I am most grateful to all of you. THIS THURSDAY EVENING AND FRIDAY IS THE HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGEN MARY, THE PATRONESS OF THE AMERICAS. Holy Masses here will be Thursday evening, December 7 th, at 7:00 P.M., Friday morning, December 8 th, at 8:30 A.M., and Friday evening, December 8 th, at 7:00 P.M. Please try your best to attend Holy Mass at a Catholic parish that timeframe. The Instructional Meeting will be this Sunday, December 3 rd, from Noon to 1 P.M. on the Letters of St. John. The Altar Rosary Christmas Dinner is next Sunday, December 10 th, at 1 P.M. The Religious Ed. Advent Program is Monday, December 11 th, at 6:05 P.M. Retired Religious Collection is next weekend. Prayerfully, Fr. Bill Woodruff SECOND COLLECTION There will be a second collection next weekend for the Annual Appeal for our Retired Religious. Our retired men and women religious have dedicated their lives to serving others; nurturing the young, comforting those in need, and sharing their faith and love with all to whom they ministered. Thank the Lord, many religious continue to serve the Archdiocese; yet, our older sisters and brothers are in need of our assistance in providing for their well-deserved and well-earned retirement years. We thank you for your support. ALL ARE INVITED Wreaths Across America Saugerties VFW Post 5034 is sponsoring a bus trip to Saratoga National Cemetery to remember the fallen honor those who serve Teach our children the value of freedom by placing wreaths on the gravesites. This will take place on Saturday, December 16th. Leave from Greco Sr. Center at 8:30 AM and return approximately 4:30 PM. We will have a cash lunch stop. The cost is $15 per person. To purchase more wreaths, the cost is $15 each. Checks made payable to Saugerties VFW Post 5034, P.O. Box 152, Saugerties. Contact Bob Howe at

4 DECEMBER 3, 2017 OUR GUARDIAN ANGEL By Bob Perks "The Angel talks to me, Daddy," she said so sincerely. And with that made a believer out of her father. It was time for my holiday haircut. I go to an old fashioned barber shop that fits my needs just fine these days. Linda, the owner and only barber there is around my age. You can open your soul to Linda and expect some strong opinions and good conversation. She was particularly busy this day. I am normally flexible that if I see more than two people waiting, I'll come back another time. But today I felt like being there. I'm glad I did. I met Ben today. He appeared to be in his early thirties, well dressed and gave me the impression he was a salesman. He loved to talk and of course I love to listen. "The most incredible thing happened the other night. I found my 8- year-old daughter talking to the Christmas tree," he said. "When I asked her what she was doing she told me that the Angel on top of the tree speaks to her. Of course I just said "That's nice honey," and let it go. But then she said something to me that really grabbed my attention. She said, "The angel said not to worry about Mommy she will be okay." "What did that mean?" I asked. "I began to worry. Why would she say something like that. My wife wasn't at home at the time and I began to think something happened to her. But she was talking to the Angel on our tree. How silly could I be?" He turned away for a few minutes. Off in the distance Linda was chatting away with another customer, unaware of this conversation. I know she would find it fascinating. She believes in Angels. "The funny thing about this is that Angel on top of our tree came from my wife's tree when she was a child. It has been handed down a few generations and actually came from her great-great-grandmother, as far as we can tell." "It must be valuable," I said. "It is," he replied. "You have no idea. You see, I didn't know this, but I thought my wife was out shopping. She was in fact at her doctor's office. She had found a lump in her breast. She..." he stopped for a moment and looking visibly upset, turned away. He continued, "She didn't say a word about it to us because she didn't want to alarm the family. Her Mom had died a few months ago from cancer. Finding this lump would have sent us all in a spin." "I could certainly understand that. "But my daughter was right, by the way. My wife came home later that day after the check up and the doctor said that she would be okay. It was nothing to worry about." Then Linda yelled "Who's next?" and Ben headed her way. He stopped and turned and said, "Oh, by the way. I told my wife what our daughter said. She swears no one knew about the doctor visit. Before we went to bed that night, we gathered around the tree, held hands, and listened to her say thanks to the Angel. " Now I know the meaning of "Angels we have heard on high." "Angel on my Tree" by Bob Perks High atop our Christmas tree, my guardian angel sees all the things we might have missed. While we were on our knees saying thanks to God above for fortune and good cheer. This special angel sees the things we get from year to year. She knows that things are better now then they were before. But we forget we're fortunate She's hears us ask for more. Then one day she spoke to me and reminded me what's true. We don't need more of anything God's love will get us through. So if upon your Christmas Tree You have an angel there. Know that she is watching you And you are in her care. And when you ask for presents underneath your tree. Say, "Thank you God the love you give, is more than enough for me."

5 DECEMBER 3, 2017 "Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping." - Mk 13:35-36 Please Pray For All Bishops, Priests, Deacons & Religious! STEWARDSHIP CORNER THE LORD HAS BLESSED US IN SO MANY WAYS Let us return to Him a fair share of THE MANY GIFTS He has already given us. October Attendance: October ,011 Attendance: October ,255 Current Month Year to Date Collections: $ 11, $ 21, Other Income: $ 8, $ 25, Total Income: $ 20, $ 46, Expenses: $ 14, $ 32, Total: $ 6, $ 14, PARISHIONERS COMMENT Tithing has been my salvation. Returning to God part of my income made me realize that I must return more of my time to those around me. Doing this has been rewarding here and hopefully hereafter. PASTOR S COMMENT Thanks to all who are trying God s plan. Remember St. John s in Your Will! FOOD PANTRY ITEM FOR NEXT WEEK: SOAP YOUR PRAYERS ARE REQUESTED FOR: Vincent Saturn, Judy Fiero, Grace Yund, Gene Woodruff, Jane Fiore, Peter Kandora, Jimmy Paes, Joan O Leary, John Lynch, Nancy Dwyer, Claire Miller, Marion Benz, Joe Dengler, Bernadette Verpent, Jack Lawler, Tara Ryan, Isabel Martinez, Smokey Woods, Zac Swart, Walt Hackett, Maurice Hinchey, Ken Snyder, Chris Wood, Hilda McDermott, Ann Deacon, Charlie Gambino, Andrea Oswald, and Frankie Cullen.