Holy Spirit Church. Deacon Joseph J. Carlo Deacon Kurt C. Landeck Pastoral Ministry. Mr. Armand Lamberti School Principal

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1 Holy Spirit Church 984 Suburban Road Union, New Jersey Rev. Armand Mantia Pastor Msgr. Vincent J. Doyle Pastor Emeritus Rev. Jose Robinson Valencia Parochial Vicar Rev. William Morris Weekend Assistant Deacon Joseph J. Carlo Deacon Kurt C. Landeck Pastoral Ministry Mr. Armand Lamberti School Principal Ms. Catherine Drake Director of Religious Education and RCIA Mr. Philip Matrale Youth Minister Mr. John Ondrey, The Spirit Singers The Ministry of Music Mr. James Sondey Parish Pastoral Council Coordinator Mrs. Patricia Wiggins Mr. David Schardien Trustees Parish Office (908) Fax (908) School (908) Religious Education Office (908)

2 Page 2 THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 17, 2017 We Gather to Celebrate Saturday: 8:30am, 5:30pm Sunday: 7:30am, 9:00am, 10:30am & 12:00 Noon (July 1st to Labor Day: 8:00am, 10:00am & 12:00 Noon) Weekdays: Monday thru Friday: 7:30am and 8:30am Holy Days: As announced Reconciliation Saturday 11:30-12 Noon and 4:30 to 5:00pm. Baptism The Sacrament of Baptism is normally celebrated on the second Sunday of each month. A Preparation Program is required for first time parents. New parents should register for the Baptism as soon as possible after the child s birth by contacting the Parish Office. Matrimony According to the policy of the Archdiocese of Newark arrangements for weddings should be made at least one year in advance. Please contact the priest whom you wish to officiate at your wedding, by calling the Parish Office. Novena In honor of Our Lady and St. Jude: Monday (September June) immediately after 8:30 Mass. Parish Membership Our parish family invites all of its members to participate fully in our spiritual and social life. Every family moving into the parish is requested to register at the Parish Office. If you move, please let us know. Certificates of Eligibility (Godparent/ Sponsor certificate) will only be given to registered parishioners. Leo Krahel Mike Scholz Robert Lask Camille Capone James Masucci Camille Glasser Joann Melillo Christopher Gruno Bruce Gaeta Thomas Ronan Columbina Merkle Maxwell Alexander Stephanie Barrett Christine Domenick Mary Lynn Lou Slinsky A Message from Father Armand: My dear parishioners, Welcome to the Third Sunday of Advent! Today, things are a little different than the other days of the season. Traditionally called Gaudete, or, rejoice Sunday, it is the day when the rose colored candle is lit on the Advent wreath, and the priest is permitted to use a rose colored vestment for Mass. The purpose of Gaudete Sunday is to offer a brief glimpse of the joy to come as we get nearer to the celebration of our Savior s birthday. Many people are very confused about next weekend. This is one of those very rare years when the 4th Sunday of Advent coincides with Christmas Eve. Quite simply, Saturday night and Sunday morning we will celebrate our normal schedule for the 4th Sunday of Advent. Following the 12:00 Mass, the church will be closed so that it can be decorated properly. We will reopen about 3:30 pm and begin our Christmas Eve celebrations with the 4:30 and 10:00pm Masses. These count for Monday, not Sunday. Unfortunately, you cannot double dip and fulfill two obligations with one Mass, sorry. On Monday, Christmas Day, will again celebrate a full schedule of Masses. More details about this are found on page 6. Fr. Armand Nativity Pageanty We will again hold our traditional Nativity Pageant before the 4:30 Mass on Christmas Eve. All young people, grade 6 and younger, who wish to participate must register by having a parent either Joann Liuzzo (liuzzo9@aol.com) or call her at (908) The deadline for registration is TODAY. The rehearsal is on Wednesday, December 20th from 4 5 pm in the church. For further information, please call Joann at the above number. Thank you. Sunday Collection: $9, Holy Day: $2,348 Donations for the Week Poor: $30.00 Helping Hands: $5.00

3 Page 3 THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 17, 2017 Holy Spirit School Where All God s Children Come Together Breakfast with Santa was held in the Parish Hall immediately after the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday, December 10 th. All who attended had a funfilled morning. My thanks to the committee who organized and ran this everpopular event. Congratulations and thanks also to our schools music teacher Mr. Allen Jarvis who prepared and produced our annual Winter Concert. The concert will was held in Holy Spirit Church on Tuesday, December 12 th. All our young people did a magnificent job and truly inspired us with the real meaning of this blessed season. Holy Spirit School congratulates all students who received high honors and honors for the first trimester of the school year. 8th Grade High Honors: Marie Cajoux, Kenneth Macalos; 8th Grade Honors: Isabella Pastore, Rassell Santa Cruz; 7th Grade High Honors: Annemarie Dauz, Rafael Palete, Chryssa Santos; 7th Grade Honors: Kayla Hao Cuenco, Christelle Philemon; 6th Grade High Honors: Laura Molina; 6th Grade Honors: Aiden Cajoux, Joselyn De Salguero, Abigail Liong, Isaac Silvestre, Cole Tatham; 5 th Grade High Honors: Ian Cajoux, Olivia Ellis, Natalia Fazio, Yarema Folk, Chloe Pope; 5th Grade Honors: Gianna Fazio, Jacob Witek; 4th Grade High Honors: Darian Cancel, Sydney Faulk, Rianna Guillian, Kaitlin Hao Cuenco, Emma Pereira, Glennard Santos; 4th Grade Honors: John Bettinger, Violet Kelly, Isabella Marciante, Cristina Moreira,Luc Reyes Holy Spirit School offers a faithbased education bolstered by a robust curriculum of core subject areas and specials. We offer extracurricular sports, clubs and a before/aftercare program. It is an exceptional school for exceptional students. If you are interested in or contemplating the Catholic School Advantage for your child, please contact Betty Speronza Administrative Assistant at (908) , or me Armand Lamberti, Principal at alamberti@holyspiritunionnj.org. God bless! An Exceptional School for Exceptional Students Armand Lamberti, Principal CYO/Youth Ministry News cyounion@aol.com A special thank you to all who participated in our Advent Festival of Lights. A special mention to our members who brought the Christmas Characters to life and read at our presentation. Festival of Lights Characters Mary... Alexandra Anton Joseph...Andrew Kelley Angel Gabriel...Max Cuenca Angels....Julia Nobre-Portela Fernanda Ordas Elizabeth...Gabriella Valente Inn-Keeper...Matthew Fazendeiro Servant Girl...Paige Scheidemann King Herod...Joseph Fox Wise Men Tiago Almedia Miguel Almosa Shepherds Rhyan Alamancy Meghan Gelcius Tiago Lima Lenard Andres Jake Randolph Readers Jon Krienberg Bethany Tamayo Jerik Brual Jessica Caggiano John Matos Grace Enderle Kathleen Roug Angelica DeStefano Marc Pereira Angelina DePonte Tyler Moreira Christina Moran Isabella Uschak Amaya Rivera God Bless them all for touching our hearts at Christmas! Holiday Bulletin Deadlines Due to publishers deadlines, please note the following: Notices for December 31 must be submitted by December 18 Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

4 Page 4 THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 17, 2017 SATURDAY DECEMBER 16th 8:30 William Sokiera req. by Eleanor and George Kovach MONDAY 7th and 8th Religious Education 5:30 Msgr. William Hatcher req. by 7:00 pmschool Marianne and Donna TUESDAY Religious Education 3:45School SUNDAY DECEMBER 17th RCIA 7pmDrexler Hall 7:30 Hugh Gleason req. by Megan and Family 9:00 Donald Dravis req. by Family WEDNESDAY Religious Education 3:45School 10:30 Alejandro and Nenete Dizon req. by Simbang GabiFilippino Event The Agaton Family 8:00pm Church and Hall 12:00 The Canarelli Family req. by The Family THURSDAY Religious Education 3:45School Boy Scouts 7:00School MONDAY DECEMBER 18th FINAL Confession before 7:30 The People of the Parish Christmas 7:00 Church 8:30 In Honor of Jonathan Uschak req. FRIDAY by The Family TUESDAY DECEMBER 19th SATURDAY 7:30 Theresa Carvalho req. by Juliana and Aleixo SUNDAY AA Spirit of Recovery 8:30 Irene Uschak req. by The Uschak Drexler Hall 7:15 pm Family WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 20th 7:30 James Caulfield req. by The Ghuzzi and Silva Families 8:30 Mary Nelson req. by George and Eleanor Kovach THURSDAY DECEMBER 21st 7:30 Joan Wagner req. by Anthony Russo 8:30 Joseph and Margaret Rafferty req. by Angela FRIDAY DECEMBER 22nd 7:30 Rosina DiPaola req. by Husband and Children 8:30 The Souls in Purgatory req. by Teresa Raucci SATURDAY DECEMBER 23rd 8:30 Mark Wagner req. by Mom 5:30 Calvin DeLuca req. by Family SUNDAY DECEMBER 24th 7:30 Donald Faughnan req. by Family 9:00 Theresa Garthwaite req. by Ed and Joan Garthwaite 10:30 Carl Stampfl req. by Family 12:00 Jerry and Maria Melillo req. by Family PARISH ACTIVITIES SUNDAY AA Spirit of Recovery Drexler Hall 7:15 pm Memorials The Altar Bread, Wine and Sanctuary Lamp are offered this week in memory of The Rafferty and Jordan Families at the request of Angela Rafferty. Planning Ahead.. An Important Change! Due to its overwhelming success last year, we will continue to celebrate the early Mass on Christmas Eve at 4:30pm, preceded as usual by the Childrens Pageant and Christmas Carols. There will be no Mass at 5:30pm. The later Mass will still continue to be celebrated at 10:00 pm Please begin marking your calendars now, and please let others know this, especially if they normally come to this liturgy.

5 Page 5 THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 17, 2017 The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a gradual process that takes place within the community of the faithful. The length of time of the process varies according to individual need, experience, readiness and commitment. If you, or someone you know is interested in more information, please call Cathy Drake at the Office of Religious Education at (908) ~~~also~~~ If you are not a Catholic, but attracted to the Catholic Church, or a Catholic needing to complete your Sacraments of Initiation (Eucharist or Confirmation), this is a time set aside for asking questions and exploring God s call in an informal setting. There are no commitments or obligations required, only questions answered and information shared. Again, call Cathy Drake at (908) The annual Holy Spirit Blood Drive will be held in the Parish Hall on January 7, 2018 from 8:00am to 2:00pm. Please reserve the date and consider making a blood donation. Volunteers are needed to assist with the program. If you volunteered in the past your help would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Dan or cell # or Al or cell # Respect Life: The Respect Life Ministry Section ( has been updated to include information for dealing with many life issues healing from abortion, dealing with infertility, dealing with terminal illness, adoption, crisis pregnancy, ethics, and end of life issues. Information is also available on the Respect Life Table in the entrance to the church. Crisis Pregnancy Help: Any woman who is pregnant and in need of assistance should never feel that abortion is her only option. Personal and confidential assistance is available at the following numbers. Archdiocesan Respect Life Office: Catholic Community Services: Several Sources Foundation: Birthright: Post Abortion Healing for men and women. If interested, call the Archdiocesan Respect Life Office All calls are strictly confidential. Information of Rachel s Vineyard Retreat can be found at: Bambino Blessing! The past few years have been such a success we are going to repeat it again this year! On the 4th Sunday of Advent, December 24, everyone is invited to bring the Baby Jesus from their own home Nativity Set to be blessed after all of the Masses. This is a wonderful way to make final preparations in your homes for our Lord s Birthday, as well as to teach your children that the Nativity Set is not just another toy. All Baby Jesus statues are welcome, the blessing will take place just prior to the final hymn at Mass. Oplatek: Many parishioners of Holy Spirit are of Polish ancestry and keep the tradition of sharing the oplatek, the most ancient and beloved of all Polish traditions. Oplatek is a thin wafer made of flour and water, similar in taste to the hosts that are used for communion during Mass. The Christmas wafer is shared before Wigilia, the Christmas Eve supper. If you are interested in purchasing oplatek for your family we do have a limited supply available in the parish office. When they are gone we will be unable to order more for this year. The cost is $5.00 per pack.

6 Page 6 THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 17, 2017 Remaining Time for Advent Confession Thursday, December 21-7:00pm THERE WILL BE NO CONFESSION ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 Christmas Mass Schedule Sunday, December 24, :30pm 10:00pm Both preceded by Carols and Special Music Monday, December 25, :30, 9:00, 10:30 am, 12:00 noon

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