St. Nicholas Parish. CLERGY Rev. George P. Blais

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1 St. Nicholas Parish El Toro Road, Laguna Woods, CA (949) ; FAX (949) ; School of Religious Education: (949) Our Parish Mission Statement St. Nicholas Parish is a Catholic community, celebrating our faith through the Sacraments, Liturgy, Prayer and Service. We strive to nurture family life and to create one body out of many in the Lord. We share the Good News with people of all ages, cultures and faith backgrounds. Pastor Parochial Vicar Deacon Deacon Deacon CLERGY Rev. George P. Blais Rev. Quyen Truong Rev. Msgr. John Campbell Rev. Gerald Walker Rev. Brendan Hankins Rev. Jack Sewell Rev. Chin Dang Wayne Thompson Chau Tran Gerardo De Santos MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil: 4:00PM, 7:00PM in Spanish Sunday: 7:30AM, 9:00AM, 10:45AM, 12:30PM, and 5:00PM in Vietnamese. Monday through Friday: 7:00AM and 9:00AM Saturday: 9AM Filipino Mass: 5:30PM, First Saturdays, October-June. Holy Days: 4PM Vigil, 7AM, 9AM, 12PM, 6PM and 7:30PM in Vietnamese RECONCILIATION (Confession) Saturday: 9:45AM to 10:15AM and 3:00PM to 3:45PM or by appointment. BAPTISM Fourth Sunday of the month at 2:00PM. Arrangements must be made a month in advance. Parents must attend two preparation sessions. MARRIAGE Arrangements must begin at least six months in advance with a priest of the parish. ANOINTING OF THE SICK Call Parish Office in an emergency. Special Service celebrated in fall/spring as announced. FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS At the death of a family member, please call the Parish Office at your earliest convenience to plan for the Mass of Christian Burial. EUCHARISTIC ADORATION DAY 24-hour adoration begins the second Wednesday of the month at the 9:00AM Mass. DEVOTIONS & BENEDICTION Wednesday evenings at 7:00PM; Vietnamese 2nd Wednesday of the month at 8PM. Recitation of the Holy Rosary and Benediction. Parish Office Hours: Sunday: 8:30 AM 1:30 PM Monday through Friday: 9 AM 12 Noon; 1 PM 7:00 PM; Saturday: 9 AM 12 Noon

2 The Knights of Columbus are hosting a pancake and sausage breakfast next Sunday, February 4th, in the Parish Center, after the 7:30am, 9am and 10:45am Masses. This is a major fund-raising event for the Knights of Columbus and your patronage is appreciated. Bring your family to a delicious breakfast! Attention Parishioners This is cold/flu season, so please do not be offended if other parishioners do not offer their hand during the Sign of Peace or at the Our Father. Additionally, a firm handshake can be a painful experience for someone with arthritis! Thank you for your compassion! Spanish Book Study Deacon Gerry and Socorro de Santos are hosting a Book Study on Tuesdays starting Tuesday, February 6 through March 13, from 9:45am 11:30am, in Room 201 of the Parish Center. We will be studying Perfectly You, by Matthew Kelly and all discussion will be in Spanish. Books will be provided to book study participants. Come join us! Communion During the Cold and Flu Season We will temporarily discontinue the distribution of the cup during this cold and flu season. We are receiving the full reality of the Body and Blood in the Host. I do wish to encourage anyone who is gluten free to contact the office so that I can explore offering gluten free hosts in the future. Please contact Karen in the office, , as soon as possible. Once I have received permission from the diocese to begin distribution of gluten free hosts, I will have a meeting with those impacted to discuss how this distribution of gluten free host will take place at Mass. Thank you for your understanding and for helping me to explore the option of offering gluten free hosts for communion. Fr. George We are very grateful for the food donations that Parishioners make each week in the South County Outreach bins outside the Church on weekends. Just a reminder that we ONLY accept non-perishable items in the food bins. (E.g., canned goods--tuna, vegetables, soups, and packaged foods such as rice, boxed cereal, pastas.) Please DO NOT put milk, eggs, cheese, meats, or other perishable items in the donation bins. Since South County Outreach doesn't pick up the donated items until sometime during the week, these items spoil and contaminate our food bins. Also, we have found trash in our food donation bins, and ask that you please use the trash receptacles and not our food bins! THANK YOU!! Blessing of Candles on Friday, February 2nd at the 9am Mass Candlemas is the popular name given to the liturgical celebration on February 2nd, now designated Presentation of the Lord, but previously the Purification of our Lady. It comes exactly 40 days after Christmas and is called Candlemas for the traditional blessing of candles on that day. The Priest will be blessing the Church candles at the 9AM Mass on Friday, February 2nd. Parishioners are encouraged to bring candles from home, which the priest will also bless at that 9am Mass. Stewardship of Treasure Blessing of Throats Saturday February 3rd On Saturday, February 3rd, we celebrate the feast day of St. Blase, Patron Saint of Throat Diseases. We will have the blessing of throats at the 9AM Mass Weekly Required Budget January 21 $18, $22, $25,856.00

3 Monday: 7AM Vincent Duc D. Tran (d) 9AM Deceased Relatives of Parents Tuesday: 7AM Joyce Camera (d) 9AM Evelyn Adeva (d) Wednesday: 7AM Mary Donovan (d) 9AM Lou Polkadowski (d) Thursday: 7AM Maria Mau Pham (d) 9AM Rita Keller Friday: 7AM Joseph and Peggy Emilio (d) 9AM George Molloy (d) Saturday: 9AM Frank Hernandez (d) 4PM Leonor Cabrera (d) 7PM Pedro Uribe (d) Sunday: 7:30AM For the Parish 9:00AM Angela Sierra (d) 10:45AM Nancy Palazzolo (d) 12:30PM Teresita and Aurelia Villas (d) We Remember All of Our Recently Deceased Loved Ones who entered their new and eternal lives in Christ. Grant to all our dearly departed, eternal rest, O Lord, and may your light shine on them forever. Parish Calendar This Week MONDAY Sewing Group, Small Hall, 8AM Religious Education for Elementary, Parish Center, 4:15PM Spanish Rosary, Church, 6:30PM Adult Bible Study, Rooms 203, 7PM TUESDAY Religious Education for Elementary, Parish Center, 4:15PM SRE Confirmation II, Parish Center-upstairs, 7PM 7 & 8 Grade SRE, Parish Center downstairs, 7PM St. Nicholas Chorale, Small Hall, 7:15PM WEDNESDAY Charismatic Prayer Group, Room A, 9:45AM Religious Education for Elementary, Parish Center, 4:15PM Devotions & Benediction, Church, 7PM Ministry Spirituality Retreat, Parish Center, 7PM Hispanic Choir, Room C, 7PM Filipino Choir, Small Hall, 8PM THURSDAY Faith Alive-Faith Sharing, Room A, 10AM Adult Bible Study, Parish Center-Rooms , 10AM Spanish RCIA, Room C, 5:30PM Alpha Program, Parish Center, 6:15PM Hispanic Council, Room C, 6:30PM RCIA, Parish Center-Room 201, 7PM St. Nicholas Choir, Small Hall, 7:15PM FRIDAY Council of Catholic Women Meeting, Parish Center, 9:30AM Divine Mercy-St. Faustina Study, Room C, 9:45AM Hispanic Bible Study, Small Hall, 7PM SATURDAY First Saturday Devotions, Room C, 9:30AM Ministry Spirituality Retreat, Parish Center, 9:30AM Hispanic Choir, Room C, 4PM SUNDAY Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast, Parish Center, after the 7:30AM, 9AM and 10:45AM Masses. Library is open 8:45AM to 12:45PM. TODAY S READINGS First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Moses spoke to all the people, saying: A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you. Psalm 95: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Brothers and sisters: I should like you to be free of anxieties. Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 The people were astonished at Jesus teaching. 40 Days for Life is a peaceful, prayerful campaign held during Lent. Through prayer, fasting and constant vigil, we hope to bring awareness to the evils of abortion, and to ultimately put an end to abortion. This Lent, from February 14 through March 25, we invite you to join our peaceful prayer vigils in front of the Planned Parenthood in Mission Viejo on the corner of La Paz and Chrisanta Dr., in front of the Taco Bell restaurant located at La Paz Rd., Mission Viejo. Vigils will be lead by Respect Life leaders from local parishes in the South Orange County area. You are welcome to join any of the vigils, anytime, from 8am to 8pm. Monday through Saturday. You can come for 20 minutes, an hour or longer it s up to you! For information or to volunteer: Tami from St. Edwards Respect Life Ministry: or invoge@msn.com.

4 School of Religious Education Check us out on Facebook! SRE Elementary: Meet Monday through Wednesday, January from 4:15pm to 5:30pm. Junior High & Confirmation II: Meet Tuesday, January 30 at 7PM in assigned classrooms. Congratulations to our School of Religious Education Students who celebrated their First Reconciliation on Saturday, January 27. GOOD EXAMPLE A good example is the tallest kind of preaching. African saying Pilgrimage to Italy... Bologna, Florence, Assisi, Rome with Fr. Claude Williams and Fr. Brendan Hankins leaving March 5th and returning March 16th. Pilgrimage Package includes: Roundtrip airfare from LAX, Motorcoach transportation, daily breakfast/dinner, 3 & 4 star hotel accommodations, wine with some dinners, sightseeing/admission fees, daily Mass, tips for hotel staff/restaurants, Canterbury Tour Manager/local guides. For more information/reservations contact: Canterbury Pilgrimages at or canterburypilgrimages.com/frwilliamstoitaly Bible Study on Tuesdays, January 30, and February 6, 13, 20, 27. at 6pm in the Youth Ministry room. Leaders: Confirmation II Class on Tuesday, January 30 at 7pm please join us! FEBRUARY: Teen Choir Rehearsals: Thursdays, Feb 8 & 22. Teen/Family Mass: Saturday, February 25 at 4pm in Church. Mardi Gras for Leaders, Friday, February 9th at 6pm in the Youth Ministry Room. MARCH SAVE THE DATE: Youth Day at Anaheim Convention Center on Thursday, March 15th from 6am to 4pm. More information coming soon! We are serving dinner at Laguna Beach Shelter on Monday, March 19th details to follow. Combined 1/2 day Retreat for Confirmation I and II students on Saturday, March 24th from 11am to 5pm. Rite of Acceptance for Confirmation Candidates will be at the 4pm Mass on March 24th. THANK YOU! On behalf of all members of our community suffering with any form of intellectual disabilities, the Knights of Columbus wish to thank those who generously donated to our Columbian Foundation ID Drive (aka, our Tootsie Roll Drive!), which has been providing care and activities for people with intellectual disabilities for over 25 years. THANKS SO MUCH! St. Nicholas parishioners participated in the Walk for Life in LA this past Saturday, January 20th. Thanks to the Knights of Columbus for arranging the transportation.

5 The St. Nicholas Library... The Library is open the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month, 8:45am 12:45pm. We are no longer open on Wednesday afternoons. We are located in Room C, behind the Parish Office. We have a cart of free items: rosaries, prayer cards, etc. Come visit the Parish Library! TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION This is the year of St. Paul, and so one of the most visited churches of Rome is also one of the most beautiful: the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Like so many other churches, it was founded by the master-builder (or financier) Emperor Constantine about the year 315. Paul was martyred outside the walls of the City of Rome at a place called Tre Fontaine, probably on June 29, in the year 65, perhaps the first anniversary of St. Peter s crucifixion. Christians buried him in a quiet place about two miles away, and visited to pray. Constantine was running low on bricks, apparently, because the first church was tiny. In 386 it was demolished and today s basilica begun. This vast and towering space looks much the same today as it did in the fourth century. The centuries have not been kind to ancient Rome, but until the early 1800s St. Paul Outside the Walls survived beautifully, perhaps because it has been assigned for nearly a thousand years to Benedictine monks. It was therefore a vibrant place of daily prayer even through the centuries when Rome was a poor and nearly abandoned city. In 1823 a great fire resulted from a botched repair job to lead on the roof, and St. Paul s was destroyed. It is said that the whole world contributed to its restoration. Even the Russian czar and the viceroy of Egypt gave alabaster, malachite, and lapis lazuli for the pillars and the tabernacle. Several of the precious mosaics were able to be restored, bringing the ancient basilica back to life. One of the great treasures of the basilica is a set of prison chains, said to have been worn by the Apostle in the last days before his martyrdom. Unlike other Roman churches, St. Paul s stands in a gardenlike suburban neighborhood, surrounded by stately palm trees, gardens, and parks. Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. HELP WANTED! More volunteers are needed to help in the cleaning of the Church. We meet the first Tuesday of each month after the 9AM Mass. If you can contribute an hour or two of your time, it would be appreciated! Our next church cleaning is Tuesday, February 6th. Call Phoebe at or just show up! Could you be a Knight? Since 1882, the Knights of Columbus have been leaders in charity and Catholic fraternity. If you are just learning about the Knights of Columbus, you may have a few questions. We re excited to talk to you about your membership opportunity. Becoming a Knight will change your life and the life of your family. Members will be waiting outside after Mass next weekend, February 3-4, to answer your questions. Are you ready to join the world s leading Catholic fraternity and charitable organization? Coming in February!! On Fridays, starting on February 16th, two parishioners, Beth Perak and Mary Anderson will lead discussion on the book, In His Spirit, written by Richard J. Hauser, S.J. Parishioners are invited to join in the discussions starting at 9:45am in Room 201 of the Parish Center. Books will be provided to book study participants. Love does such things Lenten Retreat for Adults at the Heart of Jesus Retreat Center. Tuesday, February 20th, 5:30pm-9pm Note: English Only. Please call or for more details. Space is limited; RSVP by February 12th. Call or RetreatCenter@sacredheartsisters.com 2927 So. Greenville St., Santa Ana. Wordnet Productions presents The Word in the World week of January 28th: Sacred Art Joseph Aspell, Church Artist talks about Sculpture, metal work, stained glass, furnishings all to glorify God and reveal God to people.. TCT (Direct TV-377) - now on Sundays, 4am -record it!! (TCT is on Channel 205 in Laguna Woods Village.) Or go to Program Archives, or YouTube: Wordnet Productions Channel.

6 ALL ARE INVITED to the 4 th Annual Community of Faith CHORALFEST TODAY, Sunday, January 28 th, at 2:30pm, HERE at St. Nicholas Church. This musical event began here at St. Nicholas the year we, and our neighboring churches and temple, celebrated our collective 50 th anniversaries. Both choirs from St. Nicholas Parish, Cantors from Temple Judea, and choirs from Lutheran Church of the Cross, Geneva Presbyterian Church, Laguna Country Methodist Church, and the Korean Choir from the same Methodist Church, will present an afternoon of sacred music. This year, we will be joined by the Plaza String Quartet. Admission is free. A reception will follow in the St. Nicholas Parish Center. We re expecting a large crowd. The best seats are located in the main body of the church, so plan to arrive a bit early to claim yours. We look forward to an afternoon of outstanding sacred music from six traditions of musical praise! "Advance Planning Program" THIS WEEKEND, representatives from Catholic Cemeteries will be visiting our parish to explain the Advance Planning Program to us. All interested families who would like to receive information on the benefits of Advance Planning and a "Catholic Emergency Record File Booklet may sign up outside after Mass with a representative. This Booklet is an important tool for making good decisions before a time when grief and concern throw the mind into turmoil. There is no obligation in receiving the information. If you have any questions or would like more information regarding the Advance Planning Program, please call: (888) St. Nicholas Parish Presents Two Catholic Bible Studies Thursday mornings from 10am to 11:30am, in Rooms in the Parish Center, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, a Bible study class, meeting once a week, in the Parish Center, includes live classroom teaching, study of the Biblical texts, and learning about the scriptural roots of the Catholic Mass. Learn the origins and reasons for the prayers, hymns and rituals of the liturgies with emphasis on the Eucharist. Monday evenings from 7pm to 8:30pm, in Rooms in the Parish Center, The Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke, a Bible study class, meeting once a week in the Parish Center, includes live classroom teaching and study of the Biblical texts. All teaching is in accordance with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. For more information: Al Guevara at PARISH OFFICE STAFF Parish Liturgical Secretary: Cate Wolski Business Manager: Irma Contreras Receptionist/Records: Karen Falagrady Ministry to Sick & Homebound: Barbara Price Director, Youth Ministry: Gwen Wieser Director, Religious Education: Gwen Wieser SRE Secretary/Admin Assistant: Alfonso Lopez Music Ministry: Emett Loera Plant Supervisor: Steve Burton SCHOOL OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: (949) VIETNAMESE MINISTRIES: (949) , Ext. 116 Sr. ThuHuong Nguyen, LHC (949) , Ext. 137 Spirituality of Ministers Retreat is Wednesday, January 31st at 7pm or Saturday, February 3rd at 9:30am. This is a reminder to all Parish Ministers to attend this important event on either date in the Parish Center! Whatever we do, let it be for the service and love of God. If you have not made your reservation for one of the dates, please contact Peggy O Donnell at or send to peggyopeace@gmail.com. Council of Catholic Women General Meeting on Friday, February 2nd Our speaker will be Peggy O Donnell, Parishioner, who will present on Charisms: Gifts to us from God. Social time starts at 9:30am and the meeting begins at 10:10am in the Parish Center. Please bring your donations of pennies for Water for Life, can tabs for Ronald McDonald House and pasta/sauce for Catarina s Club. Questions: Call Lynn at