December 22, 2013 Fourth Sunday of Advent

Transcription

1 December 22, 2013 Fourth Sunday of Advent PARISH OFFICE 139 S. Madison, Green Bay, WI Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9:30 am-4:00 pm Phone: (920) Fax: (920) Prayer Network: (920) Website BISHOP OF GREEN BAY The Most Reverend David L. Ricken RECTOR AND PASTOR Fr. John W. Girotti Deacons: Mr. Thomas J. Mahoney & Mr. Conrad J. Kieltyka Director of Administration: Rosemary M. Anshus Director of Music: Jody L. Strnad Maintenance Manager: Patrick R. Hoslet Event & Volunteer Coordinator/ Administrative Assistant: Sonia D. Hitt Pastoral Minister: Patricia J. Westlund Liturgist/Sacristan: Dawn E. Shaw Bookkeeper: Vicki L. Matuszak Faith Formation Coordinator: Connie A. DeMeuse Cathedral Trustees: Kenneth C. Reigh, Secretary Charles L. Johnson, Treasurer Parish Council President: Andrew H. Opicka Finance Council President: Kenneth C. Reigh

2 Saint Francis xavier Cathedral Parish 139 South Madison Green Bay, WI Weekend Masses Saturday... 4:00 pm Sunday... 9:00 am Weekday Masses Monday - Friday... 8:30 am Devotions Monday-Friday before Mass...Rosary Tuesday & Thursday after Mass.Chaplet of Divine Mercy Tuesday.. Perpetual Help Novena Friday.... Sacred Heart Novena Holy Days of Obligation Vigil... 5:15 pm Holy Day... 8:30 am Eucharistic Adoration Wednesdays... 9:00 am - 9:00 pm Saturday 4:00 pm Sunday 9:00 am Monday 8:30 am Tuesday 4:00 pm 9:00 pm Wednesday 9:00 am Thursday 8:30 am Friday 8:30 am Saturday 4:00 pm Sunday 9:00 am Mass Intentions December 21 Rita Ransom December 22 Bob Kozak December 23 George Schwingle December 24 Loren Cismoski & Jack Mitchell, Jr. Living & Deceased Members of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral; St. John the Evangelist Parish, Green Bay; St. Rose Parish, Clintonville; St. Mary Parish, Bear Creek December 25 Living & Deceased Members of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral; St. John the Evangelist Parish, Green Bay; St. Rose Parish, Clintonville; St. Mary Parish, Bear Creek December 26 Deanna, Beatrice & Harry Czechanski December 27 Special Intention of the Sommers, Collins & Schuette Families December 28 Fr. Charles Mocco December 29 In thanksgiving for our wonderful parish family Confessions Saturday :15 pm - 3:30 pm Wednesday.....6:00 pm - 8:30 pm Baptism Call to arrange a date & time. A preparation session is required. Marriage Call the parish office at least 9 months in advance of your desired wedding date. Museum Tours by appointment St. Thomas More School 650 S. Irwin Ave., Green Bay, WI Principal, Ms. Vicki Marotz Phone: Readings for the Week of December 22, 2013 Sunday:.Is 7:10-14/Rom 1:1-7/Mt 1:18-24 Monday:...Mal 3:1-4, 23-24/Lk 1:57-66 Tuesday: Morning:...2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12,.14a, 16/Lk 1:67-79 Wednesday: Vigil:.Is 62:1-5/Acts 13:16-17, 22-25/...Mt 1:1-25 or 1:18-25 Midnight:.Is 9:1-6/Ti 2:11-14/Lk 2:1-14 Dawn:..Is 62:11-12/Ti 3:4-7/Lk 2:15-20 Day:...Is 52:7-10/Heb 1:1-6/Jn 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14 Thursday:..Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59/Mt 10:17-22 Friday:.1 Jn 1:1-4/Jn 20:1a and 2-8 Saturday:.1 Jn 1:5--2:2/Mt 2:13-18 Next Sunday:.Sir 3:2-6, 12-14/Col 3:12-21.or 3:12-17/Mt 2:13-15, 19-23

3 2013 CONTRIBUTIONS End of year contributions will be accepted until Monday, December 30 by 9:00 am. Thank you. MASS INTENTION OPENINGS We have several openings in January and throughout the remainder of 2014 for Mass intentions. Please call or stop at the office to schedule a Mass. Each person may schedule one Mass a month and only one weekend Mass a year. Mass stipends are $10.00 per Mass. Also, if you have a Mass intention scheduled on a Saturday or Sunday, please call the parish office at to let us know if you would like to bring up the offertory gifts at that Mass. FRIDAY ARTIST SERIES St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, 140 S Monroe Ave., is having the final Friday Artist Series Friday, December 27 from 12:15 to 12:45 pm. Come and enjoy some beautiful Christmas music. HOLIDAY ORGAN CONCERT Friday, December 27, at 7 pm, organist Donald Verkuilen will present a recital at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. Don is the Director of Music Ministries at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Strongsville, Ohio. A free will offering will be collected to benefit the Cathedral Music Ministry. CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES & PARISH OFFICE CLOSED Please note: there is no 8:30 am Mass on December 24 and 25. Mass will be celebrated at 4 pm and 9 pm (Televised by WFRV TV with Bishop David L. Ricken) on December 24, and 9 am on December 25 with Bishop Ricken. Also note: the Cathedral Parish Office will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, December 24 and 25. CHRISTMAS FLOWER DONATIONS There are Christmas Flower Donation envelopes in your packet of church envelopes if you would like to donate money for sanctuary Christmas flowers. DEAR CATHEDRAL PARISHIONERS, As we approach the celebration of the birth of Our Lord, it s a good time to look at how much God loves us and how we can show God s love to one another; each in our own unique way. We can ask questions like: Do we trust that God loves us and will provide for all our needs? Do we carefully manage our time in order to maintain good health and wellbeing and that of those we love? Do we intentionally manage our calendar to reflect what God asks of us? These are tough questions to answer. Prayfully considering how to become a better steward of the generous gifts from God can provide us energy and motivation to raise up the Body of Christ and His Church. Call the parish office to find out more about your parish ministries. God bless you. Rosemary M. Anshus, Director of Administration BANNS OF MARRIAGE II Katie Van Beek and Mark Schwinn This couple wishes to be married at the Cathedral. If anyone is aware of any serious reason why this marriage should not take place, he or she has a moral obligation before God to make the pastor aware of these concerns. December Apostleship of Prayer Victimized Children. That children who are victims of abandonment or violence may find the love and protection they need. Prepare the Savior's Coming. That Christians, enlightened by the Word incarnate, may prepare humanity for the Savior's coming. NEW YEAR S DAY SCHEDULE Start the new year off on a spiritual note by joining us on Tuesday, December 31st for Holy Hour from 11 pm to midnight followed by Benediction and Mass. Confessions will be heard from 10:30-11:45pm. There will also be Mass on New Year s Day at 8:30 am. There will be NO Adoration, confessions or Benediction this day and the church will be closed immediately after Mass and the parish office will be closed for the day. December 7th and 8th, 2013 Sacrificial Giving...$ Offertory Collection....$ Christmas Flowers...$ Total.. $ We need an average of $ from the weekly collection to meet our budget.

4 From Our Pastor My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, One of my favorite quotations is from St. Francis of Assisi who said, Preach the Gospel everywhere you go only if necessary use words. How true! Certainly our actions speak louder than our words, how we live as Christians is generally much more powerful than what we say. However, most of us use words to communicate. And words do mean something by this I mean they always covey a message. An example of this is the often repeated phrase today: Happy Holidays in place of the more established Merry Christmas. A small change some might say but I would counter that it is a step away from the true meaning of the season. Christmas is a Christian celebration of the birth of Christ and as Christians we must strive to keep Christ in Christmas. The idea behind the phrase Happy Holidays is that it is somehow more inclusive that it includes all faiths that celebrate feast days at this time of the year. (Humorously, the word holiday is derived from the Catholic word holy day, although the meaning is somewhat lost today ) However, if we look at any general calendar, we see only one non-christian feast at this time of year. This is the Jewish feast of Hanukkah. But Hanukkah is not a major Jewish feast day the High Holy Days of Judaism are in the Autumn of the year and called Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. In fact, some Jews are insulted by the disproportionate attention given to Hanukkah! There are also other minor feasts of a more recent origin. One of them is Kwanzaa, a newly invented African feast. Another is the Winter Solstice which is often celebrated by followers of New Age spirituality. Both pale in comparison to the importance of Christmas to Christians. Now, I am not saying that we should intentionally insult those who are non-christians by wishing them Merry Christmas. We have to be both prudent and charitable. However, what we must avoid doing is hiding our Christian faith simply because we don t want to offend people. And besides, if we hide our faith, Christ is offended! So who do we want to offend, God or man? Choose wisely Sadly, Christmas is a day that has become more and more secularized. But when it gets to the point where we are unable to wish people Merry Christmas for fear of being politically incorrect, then something has gone terribly wrong. Actions do speak louder than words, but when our actions involve hiding our Christian faith, everybody looses. Next time when somebody wishes you Happy Holidays, respond with a nice, loud, and joy-filled, Merry Christmas! May God Bless You. Fr. Girotti CREDO DOMINE YOU TUBE VIDEO As you know we just completed the Year of Faith on November 24. On November 20, 2012 at the 1 st St. Cecilia Concert we sang, for the first time, the Credo Domine, the official hymn for the Year of Faith. Thank you to Mr. Chris Shaw who posted the video on You Tube which has now been viewed over 5000 times in 124 different countries around the world. Talk about the New Evangelization! Some of the countries, that this video has been viewed in, are the Japan, Philippines, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Germany, India, Brazil, Ireland, Taiwan, Qatar, Argentina, Nigeria, Russia, Vietnam, Palestine, Zimbabwe, Mexico, South Africa, Singapore, Canada, Spain, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates plus many more countries. Wow! Jody Strnad, Director of Music CONSOLING THE HEART OF JESUS PARISH RETREAT Are you looking for a way to draw closer to Jesus? In February, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral will be offering a ten week parish retreat held on Monday evenings in the Gehl Center from 6-7:30 pm, February 17 through April 28 (no meeting April 14 - Holy Week). This retreat is based on the book "Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC. The program is a sequel to "33 Days to Morning Glory" Marian Consecration. Consider joining us as we unite the two hearts of Mary and Jesus. Sign up weekends are January 4 and 5 and January 11 and 12. Deadline is January 17. Also, watch for our Small Faith Formation Groups sign up during Lent.

5 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Tuesday...December 24 4:00 pm.christmas Eve Vigil Mass 9:00 pm..christmas Mass with Bp. Ricken Wednesday..December 25 9:00 am..christmas Mass with Bp. Ricken NO Adoration or Confessions today Friday..December 27 12:15 pm..friday Artist Series 7:00 pm Donald VerKuilen Organ Concert Saturday..December 28 6:30 pm...ecumenical Christmas Walk begins at Grace..Lutheran & ends at Cathedral with reception in BWC Tuesday...December 31 10:30-11:45pm.Confessions 11:00 pm...holy Hour ending with Benediction Wednesday..January 1 12:00 am.midnight Mass 8:30 am...mass NO Adoration or Confessions today Visit the store for your last minute gifts but note our hours for the upcoming week. Wishing you and yours a Blessed Christmas! Mon., 9:30 am - 5 pm, Tues., 9:30 am-12:30 pm, Wed., Closed for Christmas, Thurs. - Sat., Closed for Inventory. 131 S. Madison Street Green Bay, WI LIKE us on Facebook. FOLLOW us on Twitter. info@cathedralbookandgift.com St. John the Evangelist Parish Christmas and New Year s Day Mass Times: Tuesday, December 24, 5:30 pm & Midnight Wednesday, December 25, 10:45 am Tuesday, December 31, 5:30 pm Vigil Mass 413 Saint John Street, Green Bay, WI Liturgical Schedule Monday: 8:30 am - Adoration & Morning Prayer Tuesday: 8:30 am - Mass Wednesday: 8:30 am - Adoration & Rosary Thursday: 8:30 am - Mass Friday: 8:30 am - Adoration & Morning Prayer 9:15 am - Bible Study Saturday: Reconciliation 3:00-3:30 pm 4:00 pm - Vigil Mass Sunday: 8:30 am (Deaf Community) & 10:45 am - Mass FEATURED LIGHTHOUSE CD Our Lady of Good Success Our Lady of Good Success appeared on several occasions in the early 17th century to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres in Quito, Ecuador. Fully approved by the Church, this Marian apparition contains an immensely important and hopeful message for our troubled times. Listen as Matthew Arnold explains the great power and hope that can be found through a devotion to Our Lady of Good Success. Learn more about the devotion by visiting Matthew's website (TEC) RETREAT Registrations are being accepted for the TEC retreat December TEC is designed for Catholics who are at least 16 ½ years old. Forms can be picked up at the Credo Faith Formation Office. Forms should be sent in at least 2 weeks prior to the weekend. Scholarship money is available upon request. Please note: All teens of the parish who meet the age requirement are eligible to attend. Confirmands are encouraged to attend as part of Confirmation preparation. For more information go to ANNUAL CHURCH WALK Saturday, December 28, the walk begins at Grace Lutheran Church, 321 S. Madison Street at 6:30 pm and ends at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, 140 S. Monroe Ave., with a reception to follow in the Bishop Wycislo Center. Non-perishable food donations can be dropped off at Grace Lutheran Church. A bus will be available for anyone who does not want to walk the tour. Those who are taking the bus, please park at Cathedral by 6:15pm. ECUMENICAL PRAYER SERVICE Bishop Ricken invites everyone to an Ecumenical Prayer Service at 7 pm on Thursday, January 30 at St. Gregory Church, 208 Church Street, St. Nazianz. Contact Fr. Jim Massart, Diocesan Ecumenical Officer for the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay if you have any questions. He can be reached by at jmassart@gbdioc.org or by phone at RE-OPENING THE DOOR TO MARRIAGE Join Holy Family Parish, Brillion, Saturday, February 1, from 8:30am 4:30pm for a special marriage preparation for couples who plan to marry in the Catholic Church after an annulment, after the death of a spouse, or who are currently civilly married and are now seeking the Sacrament of Marriage. Registration is due by January 10, Call Holy Family for information:

6 TALK WITH THE PASTOR Thursday, January 16th at 7:00pm, Fr. Girotti will be continuing the faith orientated series, Talk with the Pastor for our parish family in the Bishop Wycislo Center. Our gathering will be in the form of a discussion about the many aspects of our faith. This informal meeting is a great time to discuss the questions you have regarding: Our Catholic Faith Media distortions of Catholic issues Non-Catholics and their misunderstanding regarding our beliefs Moral Discernment; how do we respond Other faith questions... Do you have a question you would like Father to answer? That evening you will have an opportunity to place your question in a box for Father to discuss. See you there. More talks to come on February 13th, March 20th & April 24th