December 30 - December 31, 2017

Transcription

1 St. Alice Catholic Church Santa Alicia Iglesia Católica 1520 E Street Springfield OR, Office: / FAX Website: Office dweinhold@archdpdx.org Bulletin Editor: dmeile@archdpdx.org Christmas Eve - December 24th, 2017 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph December 31st, 2017 LITURGY SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil Mass 5:00pm English Sunday Mass 9:30am English 12:15pm Español Weekday Liturgy (Ed. Center Chapel) Monday: 8:30am Liturgy of the Word with Holy Communion Tuesday: 6:00pm Español (Church) Wednesday: 8:30am English Mass Thursday: 8:30am English Mass Friday: 11:00am English Mass Sacrament of Reconciliation Tuesday: 5:00-5:45pm Saturday: 3:30-4:30pm Or by appointment The Rosary (El Rosario) (Ed. Center Chapel) Wednesday and Thursday: 8:00am English Adoration of the Holy Eucharist 1st Friday in Ed. Center Chapel 12:00pm - 7:00pm Office Hours Monday: 9:00am - 4:00pm Tuesday: 1:00pm - 4:00pm Wednesday - Friday: 9:00am - 4:00pm Office Closed 12:00pm - 1:00pm Parish Staff Father Mark Bentz: Ext: 204 Administrator Kathy Weinhold: Ext: 200 Administrative Assistant Danielle Plantz: Ext: 203 Pastoral Associate Christine Beldner Ext. 210 Business Manager Norma Ouellette: Ext: 206 Director of Religious Education & Coordinator of Hispanic Ministries Jason Roebuck: Ext: 202 Office of Youth and Family Life David Meile: N/A Bulletin & Website Editor Marriage Preparation: Please contact Fr. Mark nine months prior to wedding to ensure adequate time for these preparations. Baptism for Children Age 3 Months through Age 6 If your child was not baptized as a newborn infant, you are encouraged to bring him or her for baptism on one of our regularly scheduled baptism dates. Scheduled baptism dates for 2018 will be celebrated on February 10th & 11th, May 26th & 27th, August 11th & 12th, November 18th & 19th. Readiness to have your child baptized involves registering at the parish, attending mass faithfully for at least four months and participating in baptism preparation classes. Registration for the classes and attendance at two sessions by parents and godparents is required. To make arrangements for baptism, please call Norma at (541) x206. December 30 - December 31, 2017 Sat. 5:00 PM - Reader 1: J. Ross Extraordinary Minister 1: Jeanne Bohlae Head Cup: Susanne Graf Extraordinary Minister 2: Carol Sirois Sun. 9:30 AM - Reader: J. Antone Extraordinary Minister 1: Don Lister Head Cup: Fay Lister Extraordinary Ministers 2: Milly Pungercar, Jeanette Shibler, Trudi Glander, Kay Whitney Sun. 12:15 PM - Reader 1: Elba Solano Reader 2: Adela Murillo Extraordinary Minister 1: Maria Vargas Head Cup: Claudia Torres Extraordinary Ministers 2: Erica Sanchez, Alejandra Bautista, Norma, Miguel Rivas, Delfina Wright Altar Servers Sat.5:00pm Sun.9:30am Sun.12:15pm Cross Darrel William Marco Book Dawn Daniel Juan DeDios Candle Daniel W. Mary Jesus Candle Micah John Melinda January 6 - January 7, 2018 Sat. 5:00 PM - Reader 1: J. Waters Extraordinary Minister 1: Barbara Ross Head Cup: Jeanne Bohlae Extraordinary Minister 2: Ellen Chapman Sun. 9:30 AM - Reader: D. Nau Extraordinary Minister 1: Frank Wikle Head Cup: Whitney Salgado Extraordinary Ministers 2: Matt Cornwell, Blanca Berguin, Trudi Glander, Lavonne Hamlin Sun. 12:15 PM - Reader 1: Please See Schedule Reader 2: Please See Schedule Extraordinary Minister 1: Please See Schedule Head Cup: Please See Schedule Extraordinary Ministers 2: Please See Schedule Altar Servers Sat.5:00pm Sun.9:30am Sun.12:15pm Cross Please See Schedule Book Please See Schedule Candle Please See Schedule Candle Please See Schedule

2 Pastor s Corner Merry Christmas to one and all! While the rest of the country returns to business as usual, the Church is just beginning the Christmas season! Be sure to keep playing Christmas music and celebrating until at least the Epiphany! The joy of Christmas can t be contained to 1 day so, like Easter, we celebrate on octave (8 days) of Christmas and then an extended Christmas season - rejoice for God is with us! The Good News is that God loves us so much that he came to earth to not only tell us the way to heaven, but to show us how to get there. Our God doesn t ask anything of us that He wouldn t do himself - how tremendous is the humility of God! How great is his compassion for us in giving hope to frail humanity! Christ paves the way and gives us his Spirit so that we might follow where He has trod without fear. All of us will have crosses to carry, but if we embrace them in faith we will one day share our Lord s eternal joy. This bulletin is our Good News edition, where I want to share with you the amazing accomplishments of the last year. I ve also asked other ministry groups to share how the Lord has blessed them this year. I hope reading about the blessings and progress in our parish reinvigorates you and gives you confidence to continue supporting St. Alice and partnering with us in the work of evangelization. Everything we do is only possible because of your generosity: in time, talent, and treasure. Without prayer, we are lost; without your participation and service we can t serve our members or community. Accomplishments in 2017 Classes: Bible Basics: Old and New Testament, Days of Recollection on Prayer and Discernment of Spirits, Jesus the Bride Groom, Training for EMHC with Msgr. O Conner, Wild Goose Holy Spirit Small groups, Altar Server Training, Advent Be Healed Groups Outreach: 3,120 Homebound visits with holy communion with 34 active ministers, Launched Welcoming Committee, Homeless Shelter, Giving Tree, St. Vincent Food Boxes, Rebooted Spaghetti Dinners, Ruth s Closet, Safety and Security Presentation for the Vicariate, Immigration Q and A with lawyers for Latino members Campus improvements: Ed Center Storage cleaning, Ed Center Painting, Upgrade of Network Began, New Floor Mats, Installed Alarm Systems and Cameras, Fixed Parking Lot Lights, New Tables & Chairs, Countless Maintenance Work Managed Staff/Organizational: Created Volunteers Coordinator position, Healed Accounting Records and provided greater Transparency to the parish, created a balanced budget, empowered staff to participate in ongoing budget decisions, merged Latino leadership and pastoral council, established safety and security committee, launched Interactio service for translation/interpretation at classes and mass Events: Hispanic Lenten Retreat, Passion Play for Palm Sunday, St. Alice Summer Picnic, Christ the King celebration and procession, Visit of John Paul II relic, 100th anniversary of Fatima, Stewardship campaign, Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend, Youth Synod, Bazaar, Staff/ Council/ Ministries Retreat, Admin Council Town Halls, Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day and Mañanitas live translated for the first time! Camp St. Alice- 50 kids, 27 middle/ high school and 20 adult volunteers, 70th Anniversary Celebration New Groups: Mom s club, Men s group, American Heritage Girls Troop, Bereavement support group, 1st Saturday mass in the Extraordinary Form and 1st Saturday devotion. Sacraments: 37 baptisms, 51 first communions, 13 confirmation, 8 weddings, 11 funerals Grants received: Flocknote, Safety/Security, CRS, Springfield Utility Board Wow! Look at what we can accomplish when two or more come together in His honor! You are a phenomenal group of dedicated servants! Merry Christmas and continue to spread the Good News! POPE FRANCIS PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR DECEMBER Universal: For the elderly That the elderly, sustained by families and Christian communities, may apply their wisdom and experience to spreading the faith and forming the new generations.

3 St. Alice Events for the Week of December 24 through December Sunday - Christmas Eve 10:00am - Mass (All Community) (Church) 5:00pm - Christmas Vigil Mass 11:30pm - Christmas Vigil Mass 25. Monday - Office Closed 10:00am - Holy Day Mass: Christmas 26. Tuesday - Office Closed 27. Wednesday - Office Closed 28. Thursday - Office Closed 29. Friday - Office Closed 30. Saturday 3:30pm - 4:30pm - Confessions (Church) 5:00pm - Mass English (Church) 31. Sunday 9:30am - Mass English (Church) 10:30am - Coffee & Donuts (Parish Center) 12:15pm - Mass Español (Church) 1:15pm - Coffee & Donuts (Parish Center) 5:00pm - KC New Years Celebration *The Chapel is in the Education Center. ** See the calendar on for the most current happenings. Please See stalice.org for daily reading Schedule Intentions for the weeks of December 24 through January 7 Dec 24-11:30pm Community of St. Alice Dec 30-5:00pm Isabell Elliott/David & Theresa Elliott Dec 31-9:30am Community of St. Alice Jan 2-6:00pm Eva Acuna/Silvia Solorzano Jan 4-8:30am Delbert Schaumburg/Dorothy Schaumburg Jan 5-11:00am Veronica Correa De Rosas/ Arelis Romero Jan 6-5:00pm Community of St. Alice Jan 7-9:30am Dean Hermance/Volanda Hermance St. Alice Events for the Week of December 31 through January Sunday 9:30am - Mass English (Church) 10:30am - Coffee & Donuts (Parish Center) 12:15pm - Mass Español (Church) 1:15pm - Coffee & Donuts (Parish Center) 5:00pm - KC New Years Celebration 1. Monday - Office Closed 9:00 - Morning Prayer 10:00am - Holy Day Mass: Solemnity of Mary Mass 6:30pm - Choir, Spanish (Church) 2. Tuesday 5:00pm - Confessions (Church) 6:00pm - Mass (Church) 8:00pm - Luz de Vida (Church) 3. Wednesday 8:00am - Rosary (Chapel) 8:30am - Mass (Chapel) 9:00am - Morning Prayer (Chapel) 5:00pm - Spaghetti Dinner 4. Thursday 8:00am - Rosary (Chapel) 8:30am - Mass (Chapel) 9:00am - Morning Prayer (Chapel) 5:00pm - Choir Practice 5. Friday 11:00am - Mass (Chapel) 11:30am - Mom s Group 12:00pm - 7:00pm - Eucharistic Adoration 5:00pm - Renacer con Jesus 6. Saturday 7:00am - 1st Saturday Confessions 8:00am - 1st Saturday Mass 8:30am - 1st Saturday Rosery 3:30pm - 4:30pm - Confessions (Church) 5:00pm - Holy Day Mass: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord 7. Sunday 9:30am - Holy Day Mass: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord 10:30am - Coffee & Donuts (Parish Center) 11:00pm - Religious Ed 12:15pm - Holy Day Mass: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord 1:15pm - Coffee & Donuts (Parish Center) 3:00pm - Middle School Youth Group 4:00pm - American Heritage Girls 5:00pm - High School Youth Group *The Chapel is in the Education Center. ** See the calendar on for the most current happenings. Baptism Classes Classes have been scheduled for January: please stop by the office to register. Latest date to register is January 19th. These classes are for parents & God Parents who have children from newborn to 6 years old. Go out to meet Jesus, spend time with Him in prayer, and entrust your whole life to His merciful love. *Pope Francis Tweets* Pope Francis 4:30am - 19 Dec 2017

4 FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP Offertory Budget Over/Under DECEMBER 4/5 Envelopes & egiving $10, $10, $ Maintenance Fund $ $ $ Ruth's Closet Fund $16.00 N/A N/A Retirement Fund for Religious $45.00 N/A N/A Poor Fund $0.00 $ $ DECEMBER 8 (IMMACULATE CONCEPTION) Envelopes & egiving $1, N/A N/A DECEMBER 11/12 Envelopes & egiving $9, $10, $1, Maintenance Fund $1, $ $ Religious Retirement Fund $1, N/A N/A SUB Grant $2, N/A N/A Poor Fund $ $ $72.55 DECEMBER 8 (OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE) Envelopes & egiving $ N/A N/A DECEMBER 18/19 Envelopes & egiving $8, $10, $2, Religious Retirement Fund $60.00 N/A N/A Peter's Pence Fund Donation $3.00 N/A N/A Home Missions Fund Donation $5.00 N/A N/A Catholic Charities Donation $5.00 N/A N/A Catholic Relief Donation $3.00 N/A N/A Catholic Communication Campaign Donation $5.00 N/A N/A World Mission Sunday Donation $3.00 N/A N/A Maintenance Fund $ $ $64.16 Poor Fund $0.00 $ $ Thank you for your stewardship (and thank you for using your envelopes & egiving)! YEAR-END GIVING Have you thought about how you can give a tax-deductible gift to St. Alice? Have you thought about how to maximize your charitable giving and reduce your tax liability? We would ask those of you who are in a position to consider giving a year-end gift of cash or stock to do so no later than Friday, December 29th. If you have any questions or need assistance to make a year-end donation, please feel free to call the parish office at (541) Thank you for your continued generosity! St. Alice Prayer Chain If you know anyone who is in need of prayer, or if you would like to volunteer to be a member of the prayer wheel, we welcome you. Please contact Shirley by text or phone at , or sliberante@gmail.com David Dailey David & Barbara Hays Mike Dworshak Julie Bolkan Viola Smith Kelly Kordon Kristin Drury Margo Shay Todd Langdon Ron Graves Norma Perez THANK YOU! Matthew 10:45 For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. St. Alice would like to recognize the following people and groups: All those that helped with the Mañanitas, the Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass, and the decorating team. The church and parish hall looked beautiful! 70th Anniversary Celebration & St. Alice Feast Day Dinner Helpers: Knights of Columbus for providing and hosting dinner, the Mom s Group for their set-up and decorations, Mary Rios-Janes for the beautiful cake, all the volunteers that stayed for cleanup, and for all those that helped in any other way! It was a special night and we are so grateful for all that you did! We are very blessed! Prayers for the Faithful Brian Bowman Don Waggoner Francis Holmes Susan Mashak Dorothy Schaumburg Kent Mills Mike Deminio Sandy Schmidt Jesse Aguilar Kenn Kordon OFFICE HOURS REMINDER As a reminder, the office does not open until 1:00pm on Tuesday s. This will be more strictly enforced in the new year. Tuesday morning is set aside for staff to catch up administrative tasks. Even though the staff is present in the office, please be mindful that the office is closed. Thanks for your support and consideration.

5 Good News Report: Cleaning Ministry Over the course of the last 5 years we have been blessed with the task of deep cleaning our church with the help of all the other ministries and volunteers from our parish. We have had a workforce from as little as 2 other people to as many as 10 or more. No matter how large or how small the workforce we have always been able to complete the necessary work at hand. Through this labor of love we have met and developed great friendships with the community of St. Alice. As an example of how God always provides, especially during this Advent season we were recently vacuuming the church and wishing we had a new vacuum. The one we were using was spitting out more debris than it was picking up. When I asked Cheryl to get another vacuum cleaner in the Ed Center, Kathy happened to be there and said that Father Bentz had seen a vacuum cleaner out in the bushes on campus. To our delight our prayers were answered as it turns out the vacuum cleaner in the bush was in excellent shape and way better than what we were using. Ask and you shall receive! Thank you God for your support. Thanks also, to all of you who help us complete this simple but valuable work. Merry Christmas, Brian and Cheryl Gesik Winter/Spring Lecture Series "The New Testament" is the theme for the Winter/ Spring Lecture Series of the Christian in the World Program beginning January 13, 2018, in the Mount Angel Abbey Library at 9 a.m. Doctor Mark Nussberger, a Scripture scholar and an instructor in Sacred Scripture at Mount Angel Seminary, will discuss The Synoptic Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Doctor Nussberger holds a B.A. degree in Religious Studies, a Master's Degree in Theology, and a PhD in Scripture from the Harvard Divinity School. Other sessions on the New Testament will follow in February, March, and April. The cost is $50 for the four Winter/Spring sessions or $15 for a single session. For students it's $20 for four sessions or $5 for a single session. For more information, please call Cecile Beckerman at ST. ALICE MOM S GROUP St. Alice is proud to announce the addition of a Mom s group. The group will meet every Tuesday at 10:00am (except the 1st Tuesday of every month) in the education center. For more information contact: Katie Haggard (509) St. Alice s Christmas Wish List 1. Brass Advent Wreath Stand $ Brass Censer Stand $ Censer Boat with Spoon $20 4. Brass Altar Crucifix $1, Brass Matching Altar Candlesticks $2, Cruet Tray with Water/Wine Cruets $ Server Cassocks & Surplices (15) $1, Communion Paten with Handle (2) $80 9. Ciborium with Lid for Hosts (2) $ Large Volume Ciborium with Lid for Tabernacle $ Processional Torches with Stand $1,625 If you wish to sponsor a wish list item, please place your donation in regular offertory or coordinate with Christine in the Parish Office. Items will be ordered together in January to save on shipping costs. Thanks so much for making our Christmas Wishes come true! Merry Christmas to all!

6 Good News Report: GIVING TREE WOW! We did it. We got all the gifts wrapped and to the schools before December 15th. This year we had 202 tags on the tree, the most we've ever had. We had 82 tags from Maple, 32 from Riverbend, 30 from Centennial, 48 from our Parish family and 10 from Rawlin Assisted Living. Thanks to the generosity of our St. Alice Parishioners we were able to fill the tags beyond expectations. For those of us who saw the amount of gifts that were brought in, it was amazing. The children have been blessed. We couldn't have done this without the help from Parishioners who entered the information on the computer for the spread sheets, did shopping for those who weren't able to shop, but wanted to contribute, wrapped gifts, delivered them to the schools, put up the tree, donated supplies of paper, ribbon, and gift bags. A special thank you to the Heritage Girls who wrapped gifts on a Sunday afternoon. Thank you All for making Christmas special for the needy children from the Springfield Community. St. Alice Parishioners are amazing. God bless you all. Good News Report: THE WOMEN'S CLUB - FUNERAL RECEPTIONS We live out our Catholic Faith by reaching out and supporting families that have lost a loved one. Providing a luncheon after the funeral relieves the family of that worry. It also allows us to comfort those who are grieving by a kind word or a hug. We can always use help preparing the luncheon. If you would like to help, call Milly, Good News Report: OUR LADIES OF THE AMERICAS Our group has two goals, first to bring the English and Hispanic communities together and second to increase devotion to Our Blessed Lady. At every meeting we pray the Rosary together in both English and Spanish and we make Rosaries for our First Communicants and those joining our Catholic Faith through the RCIA program. It is a joy to welcome new members to our group both new and old parishioners. We enjoy meeting new folks and getting to know them. We meet the second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 1:30 to 3:30PM in the Parish Center. If you've never made Rosaries before, we are always happy to teach you. All ladies of the Parish are welcome to join us. Hope to see you on January 9th Good News Report: Safety & Security Committee The Safety and Security Committee at St Alice has been in existence for a little over one year. In 2017 we put together a plan for protection of parishioners during Masses. We held a training session for Greeters and Emergency Assistants in April with over 60 in attendance. We are blessed at St Alice to have so many volunteers. We were also blessed to have the assistance of the Springfield Police in drafting our plan and in our training. SPD is now referring other churches in Springfield to St Alice for help in their planning and we are happy to help. We had a problem with people camping out next to our buildings,leaving needles, starting fires, and putting graffiti on at least one building. That problem has been solved by security cameras, eliminating shrubbery, placing signage, and regular patrols at night by SPD. Security cameras are mostly installed inside and outside our buildings. We have offered 1st Aid/CPR classes at the parish. It should be noted that our plan and training included medical emergencies. We will continue our training in Mike Whitney Good News Report: RUTH'S CLOSET This year has been a very busy year for Ruth's Closet. We have had more requests for help than ever before. Thanks to your generosity we've provided jackets, shoes, boots, pants, shirts, socks and underwear to many of elementary school children in the Springfield community. Thanks to your financial help, St. Vincent de Paul, a grant from Catholic Charities and help from a Hispanic community fundraiser we were able to purchase the needed items. This calendar year we spent just under $5,000. St. Alice Parishioners are amazing. Thank you for your generosity. MARRIED COUPLES The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me;... Let your spirits be augmented by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) weekend with your spouse. The next weekend is February 23rd - 25th, 2018 at Mt. Angel Abbey. For more information call or apply on-line at Additional dates and locations are listed on-line.

7 DAY OF EQUIPPING February 22-24, 2018 Thursday: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Check-in 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Retreat Friday: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Lunch provided St. Alice Catholic Church 1520 E Street Springfield, OR In a world full of brokenness, Christ has come to offer us new life. The central mission of the Gospel is to pave the way for us to reclaim our whole human identity. Join us on this journey, as we enter into the heart, face the pains and wounds within, and allow Christ s divine love to bring the healing we ardently desire. Talks include: Introduction to Healing the Whole Person Encountering the Father s Love Prayer for Inner Healing Living in Freedom Register at: Local Questions: Danielle Plantz dplantz@archdpdx.org Additional Info: info@jpiihealingcenter.org On-line registration is $145 per person and closes on February 12, Walk-up registration on the opening day of the retreat (space-permitting) is $165 Partial scholarships are available and can be requested by ing Kristen at kblake@jpiihealingcenter.org. St. Alice Catholic Church Friday, February 23 rd, :15 a.m. to 2 p.m. DO YOU DESIRE TO BE EQUIPPED TO LIVE IN THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST? Then this Day of Equipping led by Bart Schuchts of the John Paul II Healing Center is for you! This one-day training is designed to equip and prepare you to do the works Jesus did throughout His ministry on earth. During this special day of training you will learn the foundations of abiding in Christ, hearing His voice, and becoming empowered to pray for others. Teaching will be augmented by prayer demonstration, listening to God exercises, and praying for one another. Answer the Call of St. John Paul II: Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire. Learn more and register at Online registration is $49 per person and closes on February 12, Walk-up registration the day of the event is $59. Partial scholarships are available and can be requested by ing Kristen at kblake@jpiihealingcenter.org. COME BE EQUIPPED SO THAT HIS WILL BE DONE...ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. STEWARDSHIP FORMS PAST DUE We are still striving for 100% participation in Stewardship Pledge form responses. Responding is critical for successful Parish planning and budgeting. Phone calls have begun to households that haven t responded.

8 Dear St. Alice Family, The Saint Alice Council of the Knights of Columbus has been struggling for over a year to stay open and fulfill our mission. Although we have committed members who work hard on numerous events here at St. Alice, things have been getting more difficult for the council as obstacles have been forming. The biggest obstacle is that we currently do not have a Financial Secretary. The State Council for Oregon has stated that without a Financial Secretary, a Council cannot exist. If we do not fill this position, we will be forced to close the Council this January. The Financial Secretary is a paid position. It involves working alongside the Treasurer in matters relating to the Councils finances. The responsibilities also include such things as maintaining records, processing assessment and membership cards, tracking the Councils finances, filing the groups taxes, and filling out occasional paperwork. Another obstacle is that we are not having much luck in recruiting new and active members. Many of the current council members have been committed to the Knights for a long time, and some members are getting older. Two devoted members, David Zecha and David Denton, have passed away this year. Other members have moved out of town. We do have the minimum thirty members needed to keep a council, but many members are essentially retired. We need more active members who can attend monthly meetings and take on responsibilities. Responsibility does not mean excessive work. A Knight s involvement varies based on availability and other responsibilities. Involvement can include taking on small roles from time to time in accommodation with people s busy lives, and helping with events based on one s talents. It s necessary to have a variety of volunteers, so the same person is not responsible for the same task month after month. The St. Alice Council of the Knights organizes different events that have become traditional here at St. Alice. We have such events as the annual Valentine s Day Dance, the Mother s Day Brunch, Oktoberfest, the monthly breakfasts, as well as having a BBQ for our guests during the Night Shelter, and cooking some BBQ for our fellow parishioners during the St. Alice Feast Day Celebration every summer. We also donate money to help with the activities of the youth group, and we use many of our events to raise money towards our charities, which involves helping seminarians, buying jackets and Christmas presents for children of financially challenged families, and help sponsor Special Olympics on a national level. If our Council closes, then these events will cease to be a part of our church and the church community. This is the current situation our Council is facing. St. John Paul II called the Knights of Columbus the strong right arm of the Church. We believe that. We have been fighting to stay open and stay active. But without immediate changes, our Council will have to close. Sincerely, Knights of Columbus Council 4087 Grand Knight: David Roman Deputy Grand Knight: Christopher Hatefi KC BUS TO ANNUAL PORTLAND ROE V. WADE RALLY The Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a bus to the annual Roe v. Wade Memorial Rally held this year at Pioneer Square in Portland on Sunday, January 14th. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court that legalized abortion throughout the nation. There is no cost to ride the bus but donations would be appreciated to offset expenses. Bus boarding begins at 11:30AM and will promptly leave from the South Eugene High School parking lot at 12:00Noon and return about 6:30PM. For questions, contact: Eric Walter (541) Dress warmly and bring a sack lunch. No reservations are required but please arrive early as bus space is limited on a first come basis.

9 Indulgence Opportunity For New Years Eve & New Years Day A partial indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who recite the hymn, Te Deum, as an act of thanksgiving. The indulgence will be a plenary one if this hymn is publicly recited on the last day of the year. You are God: We Praise You You are God: We praise you; you are the Lord; we acclaim you; you are the eternal Father: All creation worships you. To you all angles, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing endless praise: holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of al worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you became man to set us free you did not spurn the Virgin s womb. You overcame the sting of death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God s right hand in glory. We believe that you will come, and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of our own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. V. Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance. R. Govern and uphold them now and always. V. Day by day we bless you. R. We praise your name for ever. V. Keep us today, Lord, from all sin. R. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy. V. Lord, show us your love and mercy; R. for we put our trust in you V. In you, Lord, is our hope: R. and we shall never hope in vain. A partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who devoutly recite the hymn, Veni, Creator. The indulgence will be a plenary one when this hymn is recited publicly on the first day of January and on the solemnity of Pentecost. Come, Creator Spirit O Holy Spirit, by whose breath Life rises vibrant out of death; come to create, renew, inspire; Come, kindle in our hearts you fire. You are the seeker s sure resource, of burning love the living source, Protector in the midst of strife, the giver and the Lord of life. In you God s energy is shown, to us your varied gifts made known. Teach us to speak, teach us to hear; yours is the tongue and yours the ear. Flood our dull senses with your light; in mutual love our hearts unite. Your power the whole creation fills; Confirm our week, uncertain will. From inner strife grant us release; turn nations to the ways of peace. To fuller life your people bring. That as one body we may sing: Praise to the Father, Christ, his Word, and to the Spirit: God the Lord, to whom all honor, glory be both now and for eternity. Amen.

10 The Mass: Part 2 POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, 15 November 2017 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! We are continuing with the catecheses on the Holy Mass. To illustrate the beauty of the Eucharistic celebration, I would like to begin with a very simple aspect: Mass is prayer; rather, it is prayer par excellence, the loftiest, the most sublime, and at the same time the most concrete. In fact it is the loving encounter with God through his Word and the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is an encounter with the Lord. But first we must answer a question. What truly is prayer? It is first of all a dialogue, a personal relationship with God. Man was created as a being in a personal relationship with God who finds his complete fulfillment only in the encounter with his Creator. The path of life leads toward the definitive encounter with the Lord. The Book of Genesis states that man was created in the image and likeness of God, who is the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, a perfect relationship of love which is unity. From this we can understand that we were all created in order to enter a perfect relationship of love, in the continuous giving and receiving of ourselves so as to be able to find the fulfillment of our being. When Moses, before the burning bush, receives God s call, he asks Him His name. And how does God respond? I am who I am (Ex 3:14). This expression, in its original sense, expresses presence and favour, and indeed, immediately afterwards God adds: the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob (cf. v. 15). Thus, when Christ calls his disciples, he, too, calls them so that they may be with Him. This indeed is the greatest grace: being able to feel that the Mass, the Eucharist, is the privileged moment to be with Jesus and, through him, with God and with brothers and sisters. Praying, as every true dialogue, is also knowing how to be in silence in dialogues there are moments of silence in silence together with Jesus. When we go to Mass, perhaps we arrive five minutes early and begin to chat with the person next to us. But this is not the moment for small talk; it is the moment of silence to prepare ourselves for the dialogue. It is the moment for recollection within the heart, to prepare ourselves for the encounter with Jesus. Silence is so important! Remember what I said last week: we are not going to a spectacle, we are going to the encounter with the Lord, and silence prepares us and accompanies us. Pausing in silence with Jesus. From this mysterious silence of God springs his Word which resonates in our heart. Jesus himself teaches us how it is truly possible to be with the Father and he shows us this with his prayer. The Gospels show us Jesus who withdraws to secluded places to pray; seeing his intimate relationship with God, the disciples feel the desire to be able to take part in it, and they ask him: Lord, teach us to pray (Lk 11:1). We heard it in the First Reading, at the beginning of the Audience. Jesus responds that the first thing necessary for prayer is being able to say Father. Let us take heed: if I am not able to say Father to God, I am not capable of prayer. We must learn to say Father, that is, to place ourselves in his presence with filial trust. But to be able to learn, we must humbly recognize that we need to be taught, and to say with simplicity: Lord, teach me to pray. This is the first point: to be humble, to recognize ourselves as children, to rest in the Father, to trust in him. To enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it is necessary to become little, like children. In the sense that children know how to trust; they know that someone will take care of them, of what they will eat, of what they will wear and so on (cf. Mt 6:25-32). This is the first perspective: trust and confidence, as a child toward his parents; to know that God remembers you, takes care of you, of you, of me, of everyone. The second condition, too, is being precisely like children; it is to let ourselves be surprised. A child always asks thousands of questions because he wants to discover the world; and he even marvels at little things because everything is new to him. To enter the Kingdom of Heaven we must let ourselves be astonished. In our relationship with the Lord, in prayer I ask do we let ourselves be astonished or do we think that prayer is speaking with God as parrots do? No, it is trusting and opening the heart so as to let ourselves be astonished. Do we allow ourselves to be surprised by God who is always the God of surprises? Because the encounter with the Lord is always a living encounter; it is not a museum encounter. It is a living encounter, and we go to Mass, not to a museum. We go to a living encounter with the Lord. The Gospel speaks of a certain Nicodemus (Jn 3:1-21), an elderly man, an authority in Israel, who goes to Jesus to get to know him; and the Lord speaks to him of the need to be born anew (cf. v. 3). But what does it mean? Can one be reborn? Is it possible to return to having the zest, the joy, the wonder of life, even in the face of so much tragedy? This is a fundamental question of our faith, and this is the longing of every true believer: the longing to be reborn, the joy of beginning anew. Do we have this longing? Does each of us have the wish to be born ever anew in order to meet the Lord? Do you have this wish? Indeed, one can easily lose it because, due to so many activities, so many projects to implement, in the end we are short of time and we lose sight of what is fundamental: the inner life of the heart, our spiritual life, our life which is the encounter with the Lord in prayer. In truth, the Lord surprises us by showing us that he loves us even in our weaknesses. Jesus Christ... is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1 Jn 2:2). This gift, the source of true consolation but the Lord always forgives us this consoles; it is a true consolation; it is a gift that we are given through the Eucharist, that wedding feast at which the Bridegroom encounters our frailty. Can I say that when I receive communion during Mass, the Lord encounters my frailty? Yes! We can say so because this is true! The Lord encounters our frailty so as to lead us back to our first call: that of being in the image and likeness of God. This is the environment of the Eucharist. This is prayer.

11 Father s Christmas Wish We need a Eucharistic Adoration Coordinator. It is Father's hope that we have someone who will step forward and move us closer to perpetual adoration at Saint Alice. Contact the office to find out more. Good News Report: American Heritage Girls Thank you so much to Fr. Mark and the St. Alice family for welcoming AHG Troop OR0007, a faithbased scouting program, this year. The troop has over 20 girls ages 5-15 in four units. The units have been working on badges such as: Bible Basics, Cooking, and Gardening. The girls also completed several service projects. They packed Thanksgiving Food Boxes with One, sang Christmas Carols at Good Samaritan Rehabilitation and at Avamere Rehabilitation in Junction City. They also jumped in to help wrap presents for the Giving Tree recipients. Again thanks St. Alice for the warm welcome and be on the look out from some beautiful flowers to appear in the spring in front of the Education Center as the result of the gardening badge! Merry Christmas! CCS 65th Anniversary Celebration Mass at St. Paul s You are invited to celebrate 65 years of helping our neighbors in need! Catholic Communities Services of Lane County, a Catholic Charities agency, will celebrate 65 years of service in our community with a special votive Mass at St. Paul Catholic Church in Eugene. The Mass will be held on Wednesday, January 24, at 5:30 p.m. with an informal reception to follow. Imagine how Mary felt at the birth of Jesus: excited, awed, frightened. Deep faith was her light in the darkness, for Jesus was born during the night of the year when darkness is the longest. In faith is found the real, lasting and deep joy of Christmas. In October, through your gifts, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul was able to bring assistance to 27 families (34 adults and 20 children),providing $1, In beds, $797.5O in clothing and $ in household items, for a total of $2, Thank you and God bless you!!! Good News Report: Thanks To Choir Members Thanks to the English and Spanish choir members for their many hours of hard work this past year, and special thanks to Matt for all the extra work with the sound system. And thanks, too, to all our parishioners for your support, and putting up with us! Theresa & Mike Bring in the New Year with ECYA! Young Adults (Ages 21-39) join Eugene Catholic Young Adults (ECYA) for games, food and yuletide fun: New Year's Eve. For more information, contact: eugeneyoungadults@gmail.com facebook.com/eugenecya Good News Report: The Healing Ministers of St Alice To feel alone, shamed, confused or helpless. To be in pain, sick or afraid. Yet to have courage and an open heart to seek God's healing. This is what we have witnessed with those seeking healing prayer. You will meet with us for about an hour and we will listen deeply to your request. We use prayer and silence to hear the Holy Spirit and to feel God's presence. We have experienced many healings and transformations as God encounters all of us and opens our hearts to trust His love and mercy. We are grateful for the community of St. Alice and the support of Father Bentz. Merry Christmas! The Healing Ministers of St Alice Contact persons Emily (541) (English) Carmen (541) (Spanish) LADY'S LUNCHEON TEA AND SILENT AUCTION The Franciscan Missionary Sisters at Our Lady of Peace Retreat in Beaverton will be hosting OUR LADY'S LUNCHEON TEA AND SILENT AUCTION in honor of Our Lady of La Salette. Saturday, February 3, The Auction begins with bidding at 11 a.m., followed by Luncheon from Noon to 2 p.m. $40 per person; tables for 6 or 8 are available for purchase. To reserve tickets, please call or sisters@olpretreat.org This is a fundraiser SW 170th Ave., Beaverton

12 Download the App FORMED You shop. Amazon gives! St. Alice is now signed up as an eligible charity through the AmazonSmile program. What happens when you log into smile.amazon.com? Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to St. Alice Catholic Church. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, and same services To set-up St. Alice Catholic Church as your charity of choice, type in St Alice Catholic Church following the word Supporting at the top left (in orange) Always shop through smile.amazon.com.