St. Jerome Church 23 Half Mile Road Norwalk, CT 06851

Transcription

1 St. Jerome Church 23 Half Mile Road Norwalk, CT 06851

2 SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 7, 2014 MISSION STATEMENT We the people of St. Jerome Parish, a Roman Catholic community, proclaim our belief in the message and mission of Jesus Christ. As disciples of Jesus we are called to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to work for its values in the local community and beyond. We are committed to: worship, religious education, shared faith and service. We welcome all people with respect, acceptance and support. Parish Staff PASTORAL STAFF Rev. David Blanchfield, Pastor Rev. Joseph Palacino, Parochial Vicar Rev. Michael Hoag, S.J., Sunday Assistant Deacon Dean Finch deacon.dean.finch@gmail.com PARISH OFFICE Mrs. Pat Florio, Secretary Office Hours, Mon-Fri 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM SABBATH MASSES Saturday 4:00 PM E.S.T. & 4:30 PM D.S.T. Sunday 8:00 AM 9:15 AM Young Childrenʼs Mass 11:00 AM 6:00 PM Teen Mass DAYS OF OBLIGATION Vigil 7:00 PM Holy Day 9:00 AM, 7:00 PM WEEKDAY MASSES Mon-Sat 9:00 AM HOW TO FIND US Parish Website: Parish norwalkstjerome@cs.com REACH reachstjerome@optonline.net Facebook: St. Jerome Norwalk REACH & TOTAL Facebook: REACH St.Jerome REACH & TOTAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (REACH) Mrs. Kathy Coyne, DRE Mrs. Anne Groener Mrs. Natalie Raduazzo Mrs. Kathy Rohr Facebook (REACH St.Jerome) Twitter (@REACHstjerome) YOUTH MINISTRY (TOTAL) Joe and Daniela OʼCallaghan jocallaghan@optonline.net danielaoc@optonline.net MUSIC MINISTRY Mr. Donald Nelson Mrs. Joan McFarland PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON Dan Loch FINANCE COUNCIL Jerry Holdridge ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC SCHOOL West Rocks Road Norwalk, CT Mrs. Linda Dunn, Principal

3 MASS INTENTIONS ****There are many available times for Mass intentions. Please drop by or call the Parish Office. 12/6 9:00 am Betty Whalen (1st Ann.) (Rogalski Family) VIGIL FOR SUNDAY 4:00 pm Anthony DeSantis SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT 12/7 8:00 am Timothy Fitzgerald (Bob & Judi Dennehy) 9:15 am Ileane Glica (Chuba Family) 11:00 am Vincenzo Iannone, Jr. 6:00 pm Francesco Balestriere FEAST OF THE IMMACUALTE CONCEPTION 12/8 9:00 am Donnie Hollohan (Margie Gallivan) 7:00 pm for the People 12/9 9:00 am Eugenio Pace (DiCostanzo Family) 12/10 9:00 am Lorraine Vassallo (Nilda Canevari) 12/11 9:00 am Mr. & Mrs. A. Camini (DiCostanzo Family) 12/12 9:00 am Giacomo Florio (Giovanna Veccia) 12/13 9:00 am Angela Ferrone (Lee Kuczo) VIGIL FOR SUNDAY 4:00 pm Anthony & Theresa Finelli (Grandson, Mark Delgado) THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 12/14 8:00 am Christopher Somers (Richard & Jacqueline Ivanko) 9:15 am Gaetano & Carmela Palumbo (daughter) 11:00 am James Ferrone (Lee Kuczo) 6:00 pm Allen Doppke Altar Flowers Altar Flowers may be memorialized for a donation of $50. Please call the Parish Office several months prior to your desired date. Adoration & Silent Prayer Every day between 4:00PM and 5:00PM. Contemplative Prayer Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM and Friday morning at 7:00 AM. Come spend some quiet time with the Lord. Perpetual Novena Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal takes place each Monday following morning Mass Rosary & Divine Mercy Prayers Monday through Saturday after daily Mass Baptisms Every fourth Sunday at 12:15. Please call the parish office to schedule. Required Pre-Baptism Please contact Deacon Dean Finch at to arrange. Class is required for the first child baptized at St. Jerome. Reconciliation One hour before vigil on Saturday. Also Anytime by appointment Marriages Please contact the Rectory at least 6 months in advance. Anointing of the Sick takes place on the first Wednesday of each month, immediately following the 9:00 AM Mass, in the sanctuary. Anyone with an ongoing medical condition or who is seriously ill, anticipating a medical procedure or operation, is welcome to come.

4 Random Thoughts You will be reading this on the second Sunday of Advent. The season began with a wonderful event downstairs in the hall. Dan and Florence Loch along with Jen Mottolese and Pam Hickey, assisted by Tom and Lorraine Larkin ran an Advent workshop after the 9:15am Mass. The hall was full and each family got to make their own Advent wreath as well as ornaments for the tree. You will also notice that there are still some Advent booklets available for your prayer time this Advent. The key to the season is a few moments of quiet time each day. The booklets have a short one page reflection to get you started. They include those done by some famous spiritual writers including John Shea, C.S. Lewis, Henri Nouwen and new for this year, Ron Rolheiser. Each of them is superb and, if followed, will make your Advent richer. Also, make sure to mark your calendars for two upcoming events. On Friday night, December 12 th, we will have our second annual night of Lessons and Carols. This is a wonderful tradition made famous by the Choir of Kings College in England. Every Christmas day their ceremony is heard all over the world. Ours will be simpler, but I know you will enjoy it. The ceremony begins at 7pm that night. Last year we had a respectable turnout. This year I am hoping for more! Finally, on the Saturday of the 4 th Sunday of Advent, December 20 th at 12 noon, we will have a communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. That evening, at the 4pm Vigil Mass, we will also have a communal anointing of the sick. Here at St. Jerome, we have an anointing service once a month, but having it at the last Advent vigil Mass will assure an opportunity for more people to receive this beautiful Sacrament that is meant for anyone who is ill or struggling with any physical or psychological condition. It is also for people preparing for operations or procedures or for those who are frail. Please consider coming that night! Scripture Corner The three biblical stars of Advent are: John the Baptist, Isaiah the Prophet, and Mary the mother of Jesus. Each of them shines into the darkness awaiting a Savior. Isaiah of Jerusalem lived between 742. B.C. E. and 689 B.C.E. The book that carries his name, however, spans two centuries and was written by a school of followers of the prophet who took his message and adapted it to their age. The Second section of the work (chapters 40-55) is known as the Book of Consolation and was written around 540 B.C.E. The third section (chapters 56-66) was written after the return from exile and so it dates between B.C.E. This is important because the Biblical tradition was able to adapt to new circumstances and challenges. The Bible needs to be reinterpreted for every age. This Sunday s first reading has special significance for me. It is the beginning of the Book of Consolation (Second Isaiah). It is addressed to Jews in exile in Babylon, and starts out with the words Comfort, give comfort to your people says the Lord. About five years into my first assignment as a priest, I was 43 years old and burned out by a very active parish. I had just been the spiritual director of an Emmaus weekend and was exhausted. I was up until 2am every night and up again at 6am. When I got back to the rectory, I discovered that no one had signed up for the Monday 7am Mass. (In those days we played a form of ecclesiastical chicken- three Masses need to be said each day and no one was assigned, you just chose according to your schedule.) I, therefore, had to say the 7am Mass. In those days, I am embarrassed to say, the priest read the readings at daily Mass. When I started to read those words comfort, give comfort to my people, it was as if Isaiah was speaking them to me and I broke into tears--very embarrassing, but also a powerful experience of God s love for me. So, look for comfort in the Book of Consolation (Second Isaiah:40-55).

5 THIS WEEK AT ST. JEROME. Sun., 12/7 REACH grades K-6 after 9:15 Mass Confirmation 2:00 PM Mon., 12/8 Women s Scripture &Prayer 9:30 AM Tues., 12/9 Wed., 12/10 Contemplative Prayer 7:00 PM Women s Scripture & Prayer 7:35 PM Thurs.,12/11 REACH Singers Rehearsal 7:30 PM Fri., 12/12 Contemplative Prayer 7:00 AM Sat., 12/13 Men s Ministry 7:00 AM WEEKLY OFFERTORY SUMMARY November 30, 2014 $4,285 December offertory budget $67,250 (including Christmas) The November 30th collection was counted and deposited on December 1st. The offertory money deposited in November 2014 was within $1,000 of our November offertory goal of $47,250. As always, thank you for your generous support of our parish. In this season of Advent, we are continuously preparing ourselves for the celebration of Christ's birth into this world. Why not help our own parish prepare for the coming new year by signing up with Faith Direct? By supporting St. Jerome Parish through Faith Direct, both you and our parish can more easily project your future contributions. You can sign up online at using our church code: CT46, or by mailing a paper enrollment form available in the parish office. The Knights of Columbus Museum s 10th annual Christmas crèche exhibition, Buon Natale: Crèches of Italy, features two dozen Italian inspired Nativity scenes on display from Dec. 1, 2014 until Feb. 1, In addition, the 14th annual Christmas Tree Festival, featuring 24 trees decorated with handmade ornaments and trim by Connecticut schoolchildren, opens with a celebration Dec. 6, A Christmastime Family Day is scheduled for Dec. 28, 2014 and a wood carving demonstration by leading artist Antonio Caruso is planned for Jan. 10, The museum is located at 1 State St. in New Haven. More info COLLECTION FOR NOTRE DAME CONVALESCENT HOME The Women s Guild will be collecting Christmas gifts for Notre Dame Convalescent Home. Most of the clients are elderly, so please, no candy, jewelry, or perfumes. Suggested items include: night wear, robes, slippers, sweaters, lap robes, and socks. If you are able to donate an item, we will appreciate it, we are sure the residents at Notre Dame will also. Donations may be left in the boxes will be at the church entrances. Christmas Pageant Angels & Shepherds Save the Date The Christmas Pageant takes place at 6:00PM Mass on Christmas Eve. All children age 4 and up are invited to be angels and shepherds. Rehearsals will be held on the two Sunday s prior: Dec. 14 at 11:30 in the Hall (just after REACH). Our ONLY Full Rehearsal will be Sunday, Dec. 22. GIVING TREE THANKS Your response to selecting gift tags for Person To Person families and Julie s Kinds of Education and Hope is truly amazing to watch. Your generosity will provide 3 Christmas gifts each for 52 of Person To Person s children here in Norwalk and 2 Christmas gifts each for approximately 140 of Julie s Kids in Guatemala. We also appreciate the monetary donations provided by parishioners used to complete purchasing of these gifts. May you all enjoy the blessings of special time of Christ s birth. CHRISTMAS SIGN UPS FOR EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS & LECTORS We ask our Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors to sign up for the Masses on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year s Eve, and New Years Day. Sign up sheets are located in the sacristy Tweet of the Week POPE When we meet a person truly in need, do we see the face of God?

6 TOTAL NEWS On November 22 nd, the TOTAL teens (and their friends) participated in our second annual Night in A Box. 25 of our kids spent the day serving others by raking leaves, baking for our senior parishioners, returning bottles and cans, and helped cook a meal at the Open Door Shelter. They also listened to a guest speaker who was once homeless himself, ate a simple soup kitchen supper and spent the night in cardboard shelters they constructed while taking on the persona of a homeless person. Our kids expressed how grateful they are for their families, their homes, their schools, their opportunities, and their parents. Sometimes we have to walk a little bit in someone else's shoes to really appreciate how blessed we are. The teens who participated are Ryan Williams, A.J. Hall, Allison Hall, Riley Williams, Christina Ronzitti, Erin Vallerie, Catherine Robinson, Hailey Agostino, Emily Dougherty, Billy Dougherty, Chris Cunningham, Miles Cooper, Brendan Brown, Teague Whalen, Alexa Chiappetta, Alyssa Perschino, Madeline Hefferan, Allison Pitasi, Samantha Troetti, Kathleen McElaney, James Muldowney, Seamus Carbin and Laney Morenberg. REACH NEWS Today, December 7th Grades K-6 meet at the 9:15 Mass then class. Grade 7-8 No class. Next Sunday..December 14th Grades 1-6 meet at the 9:15 Mass then class. Grade 7-8 meet at the 6:00 Mass then class. Volunteers needed each week for REACH to function please check out our easy volunt e e r s i g n u p a t : h t t p : / / stjerome.ivolunteer.com/ Book Sale to Benefit St. Jerome You remember them.the paper things with the hard covers? if you re looking to help St. Jerome AND pick up a gift for a child on your list, you can do both in the Church Hallway on December We ll be selling discounted religious children s books and tween devotionals after Mass on those dates, so stop, and have a look. Titles such as Noah s Notebook, The Beauty of Believing, Psalms and Prayers for Little Ones, and The Lord s Prayer for Little Ones, will be among the group. FOOD DRIVE NEXT WEEK DECEMBER During Advent, please consider the needs of our Norwalk neighbors who struggle to put food on their tables. The basic food that we often take for granted are luxuries for hungry families. Volunteers will be selling fruit, oatmeal or cereal, soup, and fruit juice for $5.00, which will be added to our donations to Person-2- Person in South Norwalk. Other items always in need include: beef ravioli, tuna, peanut butter and 18-oz. jars of jelly, pasta and pasta sauce. Also, fresh produce potatoes, carrots, apples, onions, oranges are always appreciated. Thank you for your spirit of giving. No donation is too small. Lessons and Carols Please join us this Friday, December 12th, at 7:00 PM for St. Jerome s second annual Lessons and Carols. Lessons and Carols is an English tradition first celebrated on Christmas Eve in In the midst of the suffering of World War I, it was believed that the English people needed hope and prayer. The service celebrates the coming of Christmas by the singing of nine traditional carols and reading nine biblical stories. It is a beautiful service that allows us to slow down in the middle of this very hectic season and to turn our attention to prayer and the celebration of Jesus coming into the world to pierce the darkness. We hope to see you there!! Refreshments following in the church hall. PARISH UPDATE NAME ADDRESS CITY PHONE New Registration Change of Address Want Envelopes Moving Out of Parish Please drop in the Collection Basket or mail to the office.