Christ the King Parish 5306 Main Street McFarland, Wisconsin

Transcription

1 Christ the King Parish 5306 Main Street McFarland, Wisconsin December 7/8, 2013 Second Sunday of Advent Parish Staff Fr. D. Stephen Smith, Pastor Kathie Fritz, Pastoral Associate / DRE Nicole Heit, Director of Youth Formation Amy Bexson, ARE Jeanne Felix, Director of Music Ministry Tammy Lee, Office Manager Ann Sanner, Executive Secretary Darwin Otis, Custodian Parish Center Box 524 McFarland, Wisconsin Phone: Fax: Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday - Office closed on Friday Web Site: ctk@myparish.com Rectory: John wore clothing made of camel s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. - Matthew 3:4-6 Masses Weekdays: Monday thru Thursday 8:30 a.m. in Chapel Liturgy of the Hours on Friday 8:30 a.m. in Chapel Saturday 5:00 p.m. Sunday 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Holy Rosary is prayed in the Chapel 30 minutes before each Mass Bulletin articles are due by 8:00 a.m. on Monday Reconciliation: Saturday 4:00 p.m. and by appointment Weddings by appointment, please notify Pastor at least four months prior Baptism every month - Call Parish Office New Family Registrations - Call Parish Office

2 -2- First Reconciliation Listed below are those who have been preparing to receive First Reconciliation. Remember these young people in your prayers as they take this important step and continue on their faith journey. First Reconciliation / Communal Penance will be held at Christ the King Parish on Monday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m. Religious education students of all ages and their parents and all adults in the parish we encourage to participate. A reception to honor those children receiving the sacrament for the first time will follow the service in the parish hall. We invite everyone to join us for cookies, punch and coffee. Vincent Babcock Chloe Bexson Emily Blattner Logan Borseth Isabella DeMuth Lyon Hall Abby Hinrichs Ellie Johnson Maria Kennedy Benjamin Kopp Cade Korth Kylee Lonigro Cassidy Miller Dylan Newlun Ainsley Pennekamp Ryan Rettkowski Ellie Richardson Brookelyn Robbins Brock Spiegel Emily Sprang Lucy Swenson Leo Verhagen Jackson Vogelsang Alana Wagner Ray Wheaten Mason Wickersham A special thank you to Jane Mitchell, Ginger Hummer and Jayne Sandine who teach the second grade class, for their excitement as they share the Catholic faith with these children. Christ the King Parish Celebration of Las Posadas This Sunday, December 8, we invite everyone to our celebration of Las Posadas, the journey. We will begin with supper at 5:00 p.m. in the parish hall. A free will offering will be taken to cover costs. Following supper, we will celebrate this Mexican tradition. It recalls Mary and Joseph being turned away from inns and homes in their search for a place to stay. Our young people will dress as the main characters and the whole group will visit pre-arranged homes, only to be turned away, except at the last destination where they will be welcomed. We will return to church in time for high school students to attend their classes scheduled for that evening. This is a wonderful way to help our children remember the real meaning of Christmas. Remember to wear warm clothes! Christ the King St. Nick s Shop in the St. Ann & St. Joachim Rooms Hours Open: Sunday, December 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, December 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It s secret shopping. Sorry, Mom and Dad, no parents allowed. Send your child with spending money and a list. We ll help with the rest. They will be able to buy gifts for $3.00 or less per gift. The Art and Environment Committee will be ordering Christmas flowers for church decorations. If you would like to help pay for our flowers and give in memory of a loved one, or if you wish to make a donation for our Christmas decorations, please use this form. The suggested donation is $ Attach your check to this form and put it in the collection basket or drop it off at the parish office. Checks should be made out to Christ the King. Please indicate Christmas Flowers on the envelope. Please return this form by December 20. Name In Memory of Amount Enclosed Envelope Number

3 Second Sunday of Advent December 7/8, Monday 8:30 a.m. Novena of Masses for Moth- Tuesday ers For the Week of December 9, :30 a.m. Don and Betty Evans Wednesday 8:30 a.m. Novena of Masses for Mothers 8:30 a.m. Novena of Masses for Moth- Thursday ers Friday 8:30 a.m. Liturgy of the Hours Readings for the Week of December 8, 2013 Sunday Is 11:1-10 / Rom 15:4-9 / Mt 3:1-12 Monday Gn 3:9-15, 20 / Eph 1:3-6, / Lk 1:26-38 Tuesday Is 40:1-11 / Mt 18:12-14 Wednesday Is 40:25-31 / Mt 11:28-30 Thursday Zec 2:14-17 or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab / Lk 1:26-38 or Lk 1:39-47 Friday Is 48:17-19 / Mt 11:16-19 Saturday Sir 48:1-4, 9-11 / Mt 17:9a, Sunday Is 35:1-6a, 10 / Jas 5:7-10 / Mt 11:2-11 Liturgical Publications Inc. Mass Intentions Bless Our Priests Collection Envelopes Make sure to remember the retired priests of our diocese by making a gift to the Bless Our Priests collection. This collection is used to directly support all retired priests welfare including the rising cost of healthcare, long-term care and medical costs. Please return your gift in the envelopes included in today s bulletin. Your generosity supports retired priests from all 11 counties of our Diocese! Pastor s Blog I have been already asked whether the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which falls on this Sunday, will be a Holyday of Obligation on Monday. The answer is no and that feast will be transferred to Monday, but will not be a day of obligation. The Sundays of Advent always take precedence even over Solemnities, which are the highest rank of Masses. Advent is a very important season. This year Advent will only be 3 weeks and 2 ½ days. It prepares us for the Birth of Jesus on Christmas. While we share Advent with our Lutheran and Anglican friends, other mainline Christian groups celebrate this season to a much lesser extent. And Evangelicals dismiss Advent because it is not contained in the Bible. Actually it is proclaimed throughout the entire Old Testament. Anyone who reads Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets know that the Old Testament proclaims the coming of the Messiah, or the Greek word, the Christ. For this weekend s and next weekend s liturgies, the powerful figure of John the Baptist appears. He would have been considered a highly unusual figure to the people of his own era. He proclaimed a baptism of repentance. In general, baptisms were not the norm in the Old Testament. They were sometimes for Gentile converts into Judaism. John s baptism was for repentance from sin and the preparation of something and someone very important who would come to the people. The meaning of Christmas has become a highly debated topic. Retail people are told not to say Merry Christmas because it might offend some people. The federal holiday is Christmas, not a happy holiday. I see the cartoon strip Retail shows what happens when the department store advertises holiday trees instead of Christmas trees. The mailing of advertisement to me and thousands of others offered Kwanza and Hanukah stamps and did not mention Christmas stamps. We don t dispute this with our local post office. These ads came from the national USPS. It would be interesting to see the number of sale of Christmas stamps religious and secular versus that of Kwanza. Amidst all this background we celebrate Advent. We wait. We watch. We hope. We pray that the promised Christ, the Messiah, will brighten our world by His presence. Waiting is never easy. But it will be worth the wait. Fr. Steve

4 -4- The Giving Tree If you picked up a gift tag for The Giving Tree project, please return your gift to Christ the King by Sunday, December 8. All gifts should be wrapped. If you have questions, call Lynne Toseff at , Little Drummer Project Stop in the parish hall after Mass this weekend (December 7/8) to pick up a gift tag for the St. Vincent de Paul Little Drummer Project to attach to your donation. All gifts must be at CTK by Wednesday, December 11 and placed on the designated table in the parish hall. The gifts need not be wrapped. Thank you in advance for your continued support of both these programs that provide a happier Christmas season for those less fortunate than ourselves. Small Christian Community Advent One of our Small Christian Communities invites parishioners to join them as they view and discuss Father Robert Barron s Untold Blessings: Three Paths to Holiness. He uncovers the untold blessings in our path toward being holy and our universal call to be saints. This group will continue watching the series on December 11 and 18 beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Joachim room. If you missed the first session, you may borrow the DVD. Contact Kathie at the office if you have any questions. 87th Annual Capitol Christmas Pageant Two identical performances will be presented this Sunday, December 8, in the rotunda of the State Capitol at 4:15 and 5:15 p.m. Over 150 area high school singers and instrumentalists will provide the music as actors take stage depicting the Nativity scene. Members of the McFarland High School choir, under the direction of Anne Nichols, will be part of this pageant. Bulletin Deadlines Because of the Christmas holiday, bulletins for the next several weeks must be sent in earlier, to accommodate our publisher, LPi. All articles for the December 21/22 bulletin must be received by noon on December 10. Articles for the December 28/29 bulletin must be received by noon on December 17. Articles for the January 4/5 are needed the morning of December 19. Thank you for your cooperation! Christmas Pageant This year our high school students will direct a Christmas Pageant for children. We invite children in Pre-K to 5 th grade to play the role of Mary, Joseph, the three wisemen, shepherds, angels, Caesar Augustus, King Herod, and the inn keeper. We want as many kids as possible. We will have one rehearsal next Sunday, December 15, following the 10:30 Mass. The children will perform on Sunday, December 22, beginning at 11:45 a.m. in the church. Please contact Nicole Heit, Director of Youth Formation, if you have any questions at , ext. 105 or nicole@myparish.com. Christ the King Parish Rosary Sale Come to the parish hall after each Mass the weekend of December 14/15 to see the beautiful rosaries made by Mary s Rosary Assemblers of CTK. Sales support our Parish s Mission Rosary Initiative in India and Haiti, at CTK Parish, at local hospitals and in the Madison Diocese. Beautiful rosaries of olive wood, crystal, tiger eye, gem stones, faceted glass or plastic and much more! Huge selection of wrist, sports, pocket, wall, penal and Packer rosaries - to name a few. New! Birthstone colored rosaries in large variety of types and materials. Free rosaries and instructions for praying the rosary are also available. Check Out SCRIP! There is still time to purchase Scrip to be used for Christmas gifts. All Christmas orders must be received by noon on Sunday, December 15. We have it all - hundreds of vendors to choose from to make your shopping easier than ever before! See the Scrip form for some suggestions and check out the additional list for all vendors at the Scrip table or in the parish office. Do all your shopping at CTK and avoid the crowded malls and parking lots. SCRIP Remember that Scrip cards are available in a variety of stores and dollar amounts. Place an order with a Scrip volunteer following any Mass or stop by the parish office during office hours.

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6 -6- Weekly Events December 9 - December 15 MONDAY, December 9 6:30 p.m. Communal Penance / First Reconciliation TUESDAY, December 10 6:00 p.m. Women s Potluck Dinner - Hall WEDNESDAY, December 11 12:30 p.m. Little Rock Scripture Study - St. Joachim 6:30 p.m. Religious Education Classes (Gr. 6-8) 6:30 p.m. Small Christian Community Advent - St. Luke 7:00 p.m. Combined Choir & Chime Rehearsal 7:30 p.m. Men s Club - St. John THURSDAY, December 12 FRIDAY, December 13 Office Closed SATURDAY, December 14 9:00 a.m. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament - Chapel 5:00 p.m. Mass SUNDAY, December 15 8:30 a.m. Mass 9:00 a.m. St. Nick Shop - St. Ann / St. Joachim (until 12:30 p.m.) 9:30 a.m. Religious Education Classes (Pre-K - Gr. 1) 9:30 a.m. Choir Rehearsal (10:30 Choir) 10:30 a.m. Mass 11:30 a.m. Children s Choir Rehearsal 11:30 a.m. Christmas Play Practice - St. Nick Rosary Sale: Following all Masses the weekend of December 14/15 in the parish hall. Finance Report Envelope Giving December 2 $ 4,478 SATURDAY 5:00 P.M. MASS Commentator: Barb Kroda Lector: Gini Nichols Server: Rollie Budnar Gift Bearers: Chudada Family EMHC Captain: Rose Scanlan Ushers: Ron O Keefe Anita O Keefe Steve Boeder Jim Hickey Pat Gallagher Social: No Social Scrip: Jackie Hickey SUNDAY 8:30 A.M. MASS Commentator: Anne Nichols Lector: David Doll Servers: Ethan and Zach Nichols Gift Bearers: Nale Family EMHC Captain: Michelle Garvey Ushers: Bill Ziech Dave Ziech Curt Bakk Fred Schwartz Don Tofte Henrik Bakk Social: Macke and Esch Families Scrip: Sandy Bakk and Michelle Garvey SUNDAY 10:30 A.M. MASS Commentator: Julie Bennett Lector: Joan Eads Server: Tim Hare Gift Bearers: Roltgen Family EMHC Captain: Sharon Walk Ushers: Bob O Donnell Rick Hoffman Al Orvis Mike Bergen Erin Bergen Social: Daugherty Family Scrip: Jim Zimmerman and Deb Bergen Nursery Care: Harmony: Christ the King Parish December 14-December 15 Andrea Zahn and Ann-Marie Zahn Bill Stoneman Donations must be to the parish office or postmarked by December 31, 2013 to be included in the 2013 statements for tax purposes.

7 McFarland, Wisconsin -7- Women s Potluck Dinner Tuesday, December 10 at 6:00 p.m. Women of the parish are invited to a potluck dinner on Tuesday, December 10 in the parish hall. Come and enjoy an evening of great food and conversation. If attending, please bring a dish to pass: Last names beginning A-I Dessert Last names beginning J-R Salad Last names beginning S-Z Hot Dish Thank You So Much! Our food pantry bag drive during the weekend of November 23/24 was very successful because of your generosity. You donated over 140 bags of food that weighed in over 1,500 pounds. Also, the employees of AMTELCO (McFarland) held a food drive and donated an additional 20 large bags of food weighing about 500 pounds. Our drive was hugely successful with a total donation being in excess of 2,000 pounds. That s a ton of food! Again, thank you for all your support. Vince Wagner Christ the King McFarland Conference Society of St. Vincent de Paul Our prayers and condolences to the Dennis and Nancy Frank Family. (We Care Area 10) Dennis sister, Terri Reda, died on November 16. The funeral took place on November 23 at St. Peter s in Madison. God s blessings to this family as they mourn the loss of their loved one.