Christmas: Holy Mush

Transcription

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2 The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Ignatius of Antioch Page Christmas: Holy Mush Merry Christmas to you from the family of St. Ignatius of Antioch in Tarpon Springs, Florida. I want to begin by telling you about an incident that happened recently regarding one of our wonderful young ladies, a young girl who at the time was in her first year of college, so about 19 years old. Now I am very proud of this girl, as are everyone who knows her. She has had more difficult times than anyone should ever have, including an uncaring father and the death of her brother. But she is not a survivor. She is a conqueror. She is extremely determined. If she says this is the way something is going to be, you had better not get in her way. Her attitude has served her well, because no one tells her what to do or sways her from living her faith. A few months ago she came down from college to be the godmother for her nephew s baptism. I saw a new side of her. This tough girl was all Oooos and Ahhhs and Goo-goos with the baby. So I said to her, I never saw you turn into mush before. And she responded, But he s a baby! Babies do that. They turn us into mush. They draw all sorts of love out of us. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that the Holy Spirit inspired Matthew and Luke to tell the stories of Jesus birth. Obviously, the Spirit wanted to make it very clear that the world was being transformed by the presence of God become Man. The Spirit asserted in both gospels that the child s mother is Mary but his father is God. The gospels present Joseph as a foster father or, perhaps better, an adoptive father. Once Joseph named the child, that is, adopted the child, all that was Joseph, his complete ancestry, was poured out upon the child. Jesus was of the line of David due to his adoption by Joseph. The Spirit also used the infancy narratives, the stories in Matthew and Luke, to proclaim that Jesus came for all people. Kings from foreign lands in the Gospel of Matthew and Shepherds from the hills overlooking Bethlehem in the Gospel of Luke come to worship the child. All people, no matter what their position in society, no matter what nation they belong to, all are called to worship the child. Certainly there are these and other theological reasons for presenting the infancy narratives. But there is also an emotional reason. When we contemplate the birth of Our Lord, and focus on a baby in a manger, not just a baby, but the most perfect baby ever born, we also turn to mush. And that s a good thing. Love is drawn out of us. And so we come to Church on Christmas, and we sing Silent Night and the other carols not just because we like the melodies, but because we want to express our love for the Newborn Jesus. Christmas carols are hymns of love. Glory to God in the highest and peace to people of good will, the angels call out. In the Hebrew scriptures, the Old Testament, a multitude of angels is found in the visions of Isaiah and Daniel. In these visions the angels are gathered around the throne of God. Later on, in Christian Scriptures, the New Testament, the Book of Revelation also presents the heavenly host around the throne of God. The only time that a multitude of angels appears where the throne of God is not found is on that hill overlooking Bethlehem. The shepherds are told to seek out the throne of God. They are to find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. The manger is His throne.

3 The Nativity of the Lord Christmas And the angels sing Glory to God in the highest, and peace to people of Good will. The angels proclaim that the transformation of the world has begun. The presence of God is in the world in a way that people can see, and hear, and feel and touch, as St. John would proclaim in his First Letter. People now share an intimate presence of God through Jesus Christ. I write this so that your joy may be complete, St. John says. It is right for us to sing, Joy to the world. Jesus came to bring joy. But where is this joy to be found? It is found in our freedom as daughters and sons of God. Over and over again we read about this freedom. For example in the Cantle of Zechariah a new father, Zechariah, sang after the birth of his son, John the Baptist: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel. He has come to His people and set them free...this is the oath he swore to our Father Abraham, to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, free to be holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our lives. He draws love out of us. We respond. He gives us the gift of freedom. We are given freedom from our anger, for how can we live in His Presence and be angry with anyone? We are given freedom from succumbing to our temptations. The temptations will always be there, but so will Jesus. We are given freedom from our addictions. He gives us the power to get through each day. We are given freedom from being swayed by the judgment of others. We are no longer enslaved by what everyone else is saying and doing. We are given the freedom to love. This is our joy. When we focus our lives on Jesus, we each become the person that God created us to be. Together we become the People of God. Yes, there will still be trials and temptations and crises in our lives and in our families. Plenty of them. And yes, the world will continue to horrify us with accounts of deeds so terrible that our stomachs turn. But we are not devastated. Nor are we caught up in the hatred. How can we be? We are beyond all this. We are in the world, but not of the world. We belong to God. We are united to Jesus Christ. He has come as one of us to rescue us. He has set us free from evil. What we celebrate today is the birth of the Prince of Freedom, the birth of the Prince of Peace. There are no words capable of expressing our love for our new-born Savior. We look at this child and turn into mush. Joy to the world! Yours in Christ, Msgr. Joseph A. Pellegrino, Pastor 715 E Orange Street Tarpon Springs, Florida Mass Schedule: Saturday.4:00 and 6:30 p.m. (Fulfills Sunday Obligation) Sunday...7:30, 9:00, 11:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Spanish Mass, and 6:00 p.m. Life Teen Weekdays..7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Saturday.9:00 a.m. Schedule of Confessions: Saturday.3:00 3:45 p.m. and after the 6:30 p.m. Mass PARISH OFFICE Main Office ext. 201 Msgr. Joseph A. Pellegrino, Pastor ext. 209 Rev. Brian Fabiszewski, Parochial Vicar ext. 207 Rev. Vijay Polamarasetty, Ocd, Par. Vicar ext. 214 Rev. Kevin Molloy, in Residence ext. 208 Deacon Samuel Moschetto ext. 224 Deacon John Edgerton ext. 222 Seminarian Drew Woodke ext. 210 Ron Appel, Parish Manager ext. 215 Katherine Creamer, Office Manager ext. 201 Lorna Moffitt, Parish Mgr. Assistant ext. 203 Eldean Jenkins, Facilities Manager ext. 201 Anne Harman, Music Director ext. 206 FAITH FORMATION Rev. Brian Fabiszewski, - Director ext. 207 Fran Morin, Pre-K 8th Grade ext. 220 Joshua Strope, Evangelization ext. 224 Laura Margarella, Caritas ext. 221 YOUTH MINISTRY Bart Kovacic, Life Teen ext. 246 High School Ministry Jen McIlveen, Edge ext. 224 Middle School Ministry EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER Sharon Stokely, Director ext. 225 GUARDIAN ANGELS SCHOOL Mary Stalzer, Principal UPPER PINELLAS PREGNANCY CENTER Mary Caesar PARISH OFFICE FAX OFFICE kcreamer@ignatius.net PARISH WEBSITE SPANISH PHONE LINE Miraculous Medal Devotion: Before 9 a.m. Mass each Wednesday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Thursdays after 9 a.m. Mass until 10:15 a.m. First Friday of the Month 9:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Baptism: Please call the Parish Office Marriage: Please call the Parish Office at least 6 months in advance. Holy Orders: Please call Rev. Carl Melchior at

4 Page 4 MASSES FOR THE FEAST OF Dec. 30 Saturday: Dec. 31 Sunday: THE HOLY FAMILY 4:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., & 11:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Spanish Mass & 6:00 p.m. Life Teen Mass THE SOLEMNITY OF MARY is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year. All are invited to attend the 7:30 a.m. or 9 a.m. Mass on Monday, January 1st. Congratulations to Sharon Trese our 2017 St. Jude the Apostle Medal Recipient. Sharon Trese has been added to a list of wonderful volunteers in recognition for their generosity and loyal service to their parish and community. Our previous recipients include Vincent Chiarello, John Consolino, Charles Lawson, Gloria Hope, Edgar Bud Bradley, Mary Caesar, John & Regina Mulvihill, Paul Didas, Melissa Kruschwitz, Ronald & Jennifer Barello, Ronald & Jennifer McIlveen, Rita Witeck, Paul & Angeline Bosco, Ann Swital, James & Christine Grieco, Dave Cuffe and Joyce Jablonski Our Recipients wish to Thank All of You who gave so very generously to our Advent Giving Tree. Calling all Photographers Wanted: Christmas pictures of our Church and/or Altar. We are looking for photographs of our Church decorated this year for next year s parish Christmas Card. This year s Shepherd Boy was submitted by Jamla Krimmel. photo attachments to kcreamer@ignatius.net Please include name of photographer and a contact number/ . PLEASE NOTE: Our Parish Office will be open during Christmas week on Wednesday & Thursday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. We will resume regular hours Wednesday, January 3rd. Have a Safe & Blessed New Year! Faith Formation will resume regular times: Tuesday classes on January 9th Wednesday classes on January 10th & Sunday classes on January 14th

5 Page 5 January 1, 2018 First Friday Adoration the Diocese of St. Petersburg will begin the celebration of its 50 th Anniversary... Please join our Adult and Children s Choirs for an evening of Scripture and Song as we continue our celebration of our Savior s Birth. The program is free. ALL ARE WELCOME! Various events are being planned for throughout the year, in order to remember the past with gratitude, celebrate the present with joy and look to the future with hope. To help keep everyone informed of our jubilee, the Diocese has created a website with information... This website will be continually updated and expanded so please check back often. First Friday Adoration and Benediction THE LIVING HEART OF EACH OF OUR CHURCHES In speaking of Eucharistic Adoration, Pope Paul VI states in his Apostolic Letter, Mystery of Faith, that Jesus is EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US. Day and night He is in our midst; He dwells with us full of grace and truth. He restores morality, nourishes virtues, consoles the afflicted, strengthens the weak. Jesus proposes His own example to those who come to Him that all may learn to be like Himself; meek and humble of heart and to seek not their own interests but those of God. The Pope declares that Christ is reserved in our Tabernacles in our churches as the spiritual center of the parish, the Community, the universal Church, and of all humanity, since beneath the veil of the sacred species, Christ is contained, the invisible Head of the Church, the Redeemer of the whole world, the center of all hearts. by Whom all things are and by Whom we exist. How great is the value of our conversation with Christ for there is nothing more consoling on earth, nothing more efficacious for advancing in the role to holiness. Christianity centers itself on the loving Person of Christ: His personhood and presence are found in the Blessed Sacrament. Outside of the Paschal Mystery of Holy Mass, the only place where we can experience our Risen Lord in His humanity (like ours in ever way except sin) and divinity is placing ourselves before Him in the Living Eucharist in our Tabernacles. Or in a special way when the Sacred Host is exposed in the Monstrance (to show forth) where we can sit with Him, face to face in Faith who we will one day hope to see fully in eternity. There is no better way to begin another calendar year than by resolving to spend more visits before Jesus Real Presence, especially on the First Friday, on January 5 th. The Sacred Host will be exposed from 9:30 a.m. in our Chapel all day long closing with His Benediction at 9 p.m. Please sign up in the Adoration Book in the front of the Church. As Pope Paul VI taught there will be no renewal in the Church without an enthusiastic Eucharistic Renewal.

6 Page 6 Don t Miss an Event! Keep in Touch!... myparishapp and on Facebook Lectio Divina Divine Word The Gospel of the Holy Spirit with Deacon John, will resume Wednesdays, at 10 a.m. beginning January 10th in rooms 2 and 3 of the Life Center. Deacon John invites anyone who would like to see how the Holy Spirit worked in the very early Church and how He continues to work in our Church in the modern world today "to come and see." Comparative Religions Fr. Kevin Molloy s Class will not meet this Thursday, but will resume classes on Thursday January 4th at 7 p.m. in classrooms 2 & 3. All are invited to join in. Our Bethany Book Shoppe will be closed for Christmas from December 24th thru January 2nd. The Shoppe will re-open Sunday, January 7th at 8:30 a.m. Untold Blessing! Untold Blessing: Three Paths to Holiness Want to do a retreat? Welcome to Barron s look at the journey to sanctity. The retreat is about learning, loving and living your faith. The aim is to help you study, reflect and act in obedience to the will of God in Christ. We will use Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Bring Your Bible. The DVD s will be shown on Mondays at 10 a.m. beginning January 22nd for five weeks in classrooms 2 & 3. Note: no class on February 19th. For questions or more information please contact Sr. Lila at ext WORD IN ACTION THE BOOK OF REVELATION: THE KINGDOM YET TO COME The Word In Action Course this Spring will study the Book of Revelation, The Kingdom Yet to Come. The program is from Ascension Press and features a video presentation given by Jeff Cavins. A Student Study Guide Book will be required that aides the student in the study of this interesting course. Come join us for an in-depth study of this book. Classes begin on Thursday Morning, January 11th from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. Thursday evening classes begin on January 11th from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The same material will be covered in both the morning and evening sessions. The student is free to attend one or both of these sessions. All classes will be held in classrooms 2 and 3. Registration is required for all prospective students. The cost for the Student Study Guide will be $24. Checks should be made out to St. Ignatius of Antioch Church. New students are welcomed. Contact Deacon Sam at the Parish Office for registration information, if needed. Registration Form Name: Date: Telephone Number: Student Materials: $24. Cash Check

7 Page 7 Caritas Corner Flowers distributed this week at Florida Hospital North Pinellas by Caritas volunteers were donated wishing our Priests and parishioners a very blessed Christmas. New Beginnings... our next meeting of our bereavement support group will be held on Saturday, January 6th at 10 a.m. in the Life Center. Brenda Covini, a grief counselor from St. Timothy s in Lutz will speak on, Resolutions for the Grieving. All are welcome. Care Club Homebound parishioners are invited to our Tuesday morning, 10:30 a.m. Mass and luncheon. Transportation to this Mass is provided by our volunteers. If you need a ride or wish to attend please contact Laura. Please Note: Our Care Club Masses will resume January 9th. For more information on all our Caritas Ministry offers, please call Laura at ext. 221 Ushers Need for all Masses Come share your time & talent at Mass. Our Ministers of Hospitality serve by welcoming, seating people, taking collection, and handing out the bulletins. Children in the fourth grade or older serve at the 9 a.m. Mass. Adult Ushers serve at all other Masses. Please contact the Parish Office ext St. Ignatius will send a donation statement for your contributions to the Church for the year 2017 if requested. Please fill out this form and place it in the collection basket, drop off at the Parish Office or your request to kcreamer@ignatius.net. Thank You. Name: Address: City: Zip Envelope # Sample of January Events Tech Socials Saturday, January 6th at 2:00 p.m. Our new Tech Socials are intended to help young and old, with their technology issues. Come learn, come socialize or both. We will meet in classrooms 2,3,4. All are welcome! Hosted by Brothers in Christ, Life Teen and your Knights of Columbus. For more information go to Divine Mercy Cenacle Saturday, January 13th at 10 a.m. Cenacle meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. in classroom 6. We invite ALL to join in. Breakfast in the Hall Sunday, January 14th - 8 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Full Breakfast or Lite. Come help your Knights of Columbus support your parish ministries and have a delicious breakfast. Women s Council s Luncheon Thursday, January 18th at 11:30 a.m. The Council begins with Rosary in the Chapel at 11:30 a.m. followed by the luncheon and meeting. More details to follow. Roe vs. Wade Mass Saturday, January 20th at 9 a.m. Marking the anniversary of the Roe vs Wade decision in 1973, join us as we pray that mother & fathers-to-be realize that the baby they are carrying deserves to live life to the fullest. Men s Only Morning Saturday, January 27th from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Open to Men of All Ages! Valuable health and educational information, free screenings, resources, light lunch and raffle. Space is limited, reservations required, call ! Hosted by The Knights of Columbus.

8 Page 8 Mother s Morning Out St. Ignatius of Antioch Early Childhood Center, located here on our campus, offers a half day program - 9 a.m p.m. daily, with before care and after care extending the day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. if needed. Our two, three, four, and five year olds are given opportunities to develop spiritually, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Call the Early Childhood Center to schedule a tour (727) Our Early Childhood Center begins their new year on January 4th! Mother s Morning Out is on Wednesdays & Thursdays in room 8 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. of the Life Center. $10 per visit or 6 for $50 for ages 1 and walking to age 36 months. Questions? Contact the Early Childhood Center at MERRY CHRISTMAS From our Early Childhood Center Guardian Angels School Join us for an Open House and Take a Tour! Discover why Guardian Angels Catholic School is the best decision for your family. Thursday, 1/4 from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Guardian Angels Catholic School will be accepting applications for the school year in January. Interested parents may pick up applications for enrollment in the parish office during regular office hours beginning January 8th. The completed application packet must be returned to Guardian Angels for processing. We invite you to come and see your parish school!

9 DATE MASS INTENTIONS EVENTS Saturday, December 23 4:00 p.m. + Charles Wech 6:30 p.m. + Godfrey Jardine Sunday, December 24 Fourth Sunday of Advent 2 Samuel 7:1-16 Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38 Monday, December 25 THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD 7:30 a.m. + Andrew Flanagan 9:00 a.m.. For the People of Our Parish 11:30 a.m. + Victor Iwanicki Christmas Vigil Masses 4:00 p.m. For the People of Our Parish 6:00 p.m. For the People of Our Parish Christmas Masses 12:00 a.m. For the People of Our Parish 7:30 a.m. For the People of Our Parish 9:00 a.m. For the People of Our Parish 11:30 a.m. For the People of Our Parish No Spanish Mass or Life Teen Mass on Sunday HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS! Parish Offices Closed Tuesday, December 26 St. Stephen Acts: 6:8-59 Matthew 10: :30 a.m. + Salvatore Sinardi 9:00 a.m. + Krystyna & Antony Horak No Care Mass Parish Offices Closed Wednesday, December 27 St. John 1 John 1:1-4 John 20:1-8 7:30 a.m. Vocations to Priesthood & Religious Life 9:00 a.m. + Richard Magill Thursday, December 28 The Holy Innocents 1 John 15-2:2 Matthew 2: :30 a.m. + John Sonta 9:00 a.m. + Ted Magill Friday, December 29 St. Thomas Beckert 1 John 2:3-11 Luke 2:22-35 Saturday, December 30 1 John 2:12-17 Luke 2: :30 a.m. For An End To Abortions 9:00 a.m. + Vilma Vynski 9:00 a.m. + Sophie Pokracki Parish Offices Closed Saturday, December 30 Sunday, December 31 Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph Sirach 3:2-14 Colossians 3:12-21 Luke 2: :00 p.m. + Herb & Ruth Scheuch 6:30 p.m. + Mitchell Swaze Page 7:30 a.m. + Madeline Jones 9:00 a.m.. For the People of Our Parish 11:30 a.m. + Normand & Doris Perreault 4:00 p.m. For the Spanish Speaking of Our Parish 6:00 p.m. + Teddy DiGiammo 6:00 p.m. Life Night after Mass