Epiphany of Our Lord Church

Transcription

1 Epiphany of Our Lord Church Second Sunday of Advent December 7, 2014 Epiphany of Our Lord Church - November 30, 2014 Page 1

2 Christmas Schedule A Reflection on Advent Confessions Saturday, Dec. 20, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Masses Christmas Eve, Wednesday, Dec. 24 Vigil Masses: 4 p.m. & 6 p.m. Christmas Day, Thursday, Dec. 25 7:30, 9:30, & 11:30 a.m. New Year s Schedule Confessions Saturday, Dec. 27, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Masses Thursday, Jan. 1, is the Solemnity of Mary The Holy Mother of God and a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses will be celebrated on Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 5 p.m.; and Thursday, Jan. 1, at 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The Gaudeamus Music Ministry s 24th Annual Candlelight Christmas Concert originally scheduled for Sunday, Dec.21 7:30 p.m. Epiphany of Our Lord Church HAS BEEN CANCELED Human beings cannot live without hope. Unlike the animals, we are blessed or cursed with the ability to think about the future and to fear our actions to shaping it. So essential is this to human life, that human beings cannot live without hope, without something to live for, without something to look forward to. To be without hope, to have nothing to live for, is to surrender to death in despair. But we can find all sorts of things to live for and we can hope for almost anything: for some measure of success or security or for the realization of some more or less modest ambition; for our children, that they might be saved from our mistakes and sufferings and find a better life than we have known; for a better world, throwing ourselves into politics or medicine or technology so that future generations might be better off. Not all these forms of hope are selfish; indeed, they have given dignity and purpose to the lives of countless generations. But one of the reasons why we read the Old Testament during Advent is to learn what to hope for. The people of the Old Testament had the courage to hope for big things: that the desert would be turned into fertile land; that their scattered and divided people would eventually be gathered again; that the blind would see, the deaf hear, the lame walk; that not only their own people, but all the peoples of the earth, would be united in the blessings of everlasting peace. Clearly, their hopes were no different from ours or from any human being s: lasting peace, tranquil lives, sufficiency of food, an end to suffering, pain and misery. Thus we hope for the same things as the Old Testament people, for their hopes are not yet realized. But we differ from them in two ways. First, the coming of Jesus in history, as a partial fulfillment of God s promises, immeasurably confirms and strengthens our hope. Secondly, we differ from the Old Testament people because Jesus has revealed to us that God is not afar off, but is already in our midst. Hence the importance in the Advent liturgy of John the Baptist and of Mary: because they recognized the new situation, they serve as models for the Church in discerning the presence of our Savior in the world. Taken from The Spirit of Advent, Mark Searle, in Assembly, Volume 7:1 Notre Dame Center for Liturgy, Notre Dame, IN. Epiphany of Our Lord Church - November 30, 2014 Page 2

3 Retirement Fund for Religious Our annual national Retirement Fund for Religious appeal will take place this weekend, Dec Sisters of St. Joseph Of the 801 Sisters of St. Joseph in the Congregation, at least 560 sisters are over the age of retired members reside at St. Joseph Villa, Flourtown 53 retired members reside at the Motherhouse in Chestnut Hill and our active senior houses. 307 retired members live in other local communities. Their ministries include their dedicated response to their mission of unity and reconciliation with a special preference for the poor. They minister in 14 states, the District of Columbia and Canada in educational, social, spiritual and health care apostolates. At present, 5% of our Sisters serve as administrators, teachers and staff in educational institutions. The Sisters of St. Joseph are present at 10 colleges/ universities, 24 high schools, 51 elementary schools and two pre-schools/child care centers. The needs within the Church have also called us to other ministries, for example: 18% of our members have a presence at 107 parishes and 14 spiritual centers. 14% of our members serve in social services and health care institutions. Our Sisters are on staff at social service sites as well as 25 health care facilities. Six sisters work at the SSJ Welcome Center in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. As a Congregation, we sponsor Chestnut Hill College, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Norwood-Fontbonne Academy, Saint Joseph Academy Pre-School and Cares Program, SSJ Earth Center, Bethlehem Retirement Village, Academy Village, Saint Joseph Village, Cecilian Village, Saint Joseph Villa, SSJ Welcome Center and Saint Mary by-the-sea. Immaculate Conception B.V.M. Monday, Dec. 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception B.V.M. and a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m., 12:05 p.m., and 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 8. There will be no vigil Mass on Sunday, Dec. 7. New Altar Servers Deacon Pascarella will speak at all Masses next weekend on behalf of the ministry of altar servers. Serve Our Neighbor Christmas Giving Tree The tags on the Giving Tree will be gifts for Project H.O.M.E.'s After School Program in North Philadelphia and St. Elizabeth's Shelter for homeless men. Gifts purchased should be placed in gift bags (with the tag attached) and placed under the tree no later than the 11:30 a.m. Mass next Sunday, Dec. 14. For more information, contact Kathy at (610) Year of Consecrated Life Pope Francis announced a Year of Consecrated Life as a call to wake up the world and share the joy of consecrated life through the witness of those living it. The celebration began Nov. 30, the first Sunday of Advent, and continues until Feb. 2, 2016 The World Day for Consecrated Life (also the feast of the Presentation of the Lord). The different states of consecrated life include religious life, secular institutes, consecrated virgins, hermits, and societies of apostolic life. Religious men and women sisters, brothers and priests make public profession of vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. They are often committed to an intense life of prayer or work in the apostolate. Pope Francis is a religious himself as a Jesuit, a member of the Society of Jesus (S.J.). Secular institutes are men and women who take vows of chastity, poverty and obedience while living in the world. Consecrated virgins are women who are consecrated to God by their diocesan bishops and live in the world. They have existed since apostolic times and are dedicated to the service of the Church. Hermits are men and women who publicly profess the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience and devote their lives to the praise of God and the salvation of the world through a strict separation from the world. They live a life of solitude, penance and prayer. Societies of apostolic life are men and women who do not make vows, but do pursue particular apostolates, live in common and strive for the perfection of charity. In his 1996 apostolic exhortation on consecrated life, Vita Consecrata, Pope St. John Paul II affirmed the mystery of a vocation to the consecrated life when he wrote, the experience of this gracious love of God so deep and so powerful that the person called senses the need to respond by unconditionally dedicating his or her life to God, consecrating to him all things present and future, and placing them in his hands. Epiphany of Our Lord Church - November 30, 2014 Page 3

4 From the Pastor Pope Francis Nov. 17 announcement that he will participate in the 2015 World Meeting of Families held Sept in Philadelphia is a source of pride and joy for all of us. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Vatican s Pontifical Council on the Family, in collaboration with Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., has published a preparatory catechesis titled Love is Our Mission, subtitled the family fully alive. The subtitle is a paraphrase of a quote from St. Irenaeus, an early Church Father, who wrote that the glory of God is man fully alive. The catechesis is a catechism consisting of 10 themes or reflections one per month from November through August. Commenting on the World Meeting of Families and the Synod of Bishops that will follow it, Pope Francis told the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals on Feb. 20, 2014, We will reflect in particular on the family, which is the fundamental cell of society. From the beginning the Creator blessed man and woman so that they might be fruitful and multiply, and so the family then is an image of the Triune God in the world. Our reflections must keep before us the beauty of the family and marriage, the greatness of this human reality which is so simple and yet so rich, consisting of joys and hopes, of struggles and sufferings, as is the whole of life. We will seek to deepen the theology of the family and discern the pastoral practices which our present situation requires, he continued. Today, the family is looked down upon and mistreated. We are called to acknowledge how beautiful, true, and good it is to start a family, to be a family today; and how indispensable the family is for the life of the world and for the future of humanity. We are called to make known God s magnificent plan for the family and to help spouses joyfully experience this plan in their lives, as we accompany them amidst so many difficulties. The Summary Statement preceding the 10 themes or reflections notes: We believe that in Jesus, God invites and summons the whole world to know him and live as his covenant people in the Church. We believe that God s love is visible and manifest in this covenant, which reveals that God is faithful even unto death, despite our infidelity and sinfulness. We believe that all aspects of our lives including our sexuality, fertility, and family life are a part of this mission to live and love as Jesus taught. We believe that in the Sacrament of Marriage, God has given us the gift of experiencing his covenant. In the marriage covenant, husband and wife live together in light of the covenant already established by God and Israel, Christ and the Church. We believe that marriage is the seedbed of a family, the nucleus of the domestic church, which is itself an essential member of the wider universal Church. Epiphany of Our Lord Church - November 30, 2014 Page 4

5 Beginning with November, the first theme or reflection, titled Created for Joy, states: We are more than an accident of evolution. We are greater that the sum of our biology. God sent his only Son to restore our dignity and lead us home to him. Catholic teaching about marriage and the family flow from the heart of our faith. Jesus is the source for the hope, faith, love and joy that should animate Catholic family life. Despite the ambiguities of human history, the Catholic way of hope and joy, love and service grounds itself in an encounter with Jesus. Created for Joy identifies Christians as people who, having met Jesus in a variety of ways through the witness of the saints and the apostles, through Scripture and sacrament, in prayer and service to the poor, in worship and through friends and family are able to trust Jesus. God became as vulnerable as a baby in a manger or a man on a cross. Jesus taught and spoke, laughed and wept; his life, death, and resurrection mean that while God is inexhaustibly mysterious, he is not opaque. It is Jesus who enables us to speak about God and divine truth with confidence. The image of God phrase comes from Genesis (Gen 1:26-27, 5:1, and 9:6). It suggests that each individual person is precious, with unique and irreducible dignity. We might abuse or use other people or ourselves, but we cannot erase this truth of how God has created us. Our basic dignity is not contingent on our failures or achievements. The goodness of God and his love for us is prior to, and far more basic than, any human sin. The image of God abides in us, no matter what we do to obscure it. Having been created in the image of God suggests that our true joy and fulfillment lie in knowing, loving, and serving one another as God does. By now it should be clear why Love is Our Mission is the theme for the 2015 World Meeting of Families. Catholic views on marriage, family, and sexuality belong to a larger mission to live in a way that makes God s love visible and radiant: to live this mission makes everyday life alive with God s joy. The entire human person body and soul, our maleness and femaleness, and all that follows from each is implicated in God s invitation. The subtitle for this World Meeting of Families is the family fully alive, and for good reason. The family is most fully alive when we embrace God s invitation to be the sons and daughters he created us to be. Epiphany of Our Lord Church - November 30, 2014 Page 5

6 MASS INTENTIONS Monday, Dec. 8 8:30 a.m. Celebrant s Intention 12:05 p.m. Celebrant s Intention 7:00 p.m. Celebrant s Intention Tuesday, Dec. 9 8:30 a.m. Barbara Amici 1st Anniversary Wednesday, Dec. 10 8:30 a.m. Joseph Jason & Martin Addario Thursday, Dec. 11 8:30 a.m. Frank Moles Friday, Dec. 12 8:30 a.m. Aladro-Aguirre Families Saturday, Dec. 13 8:30 a.m. Keith DeStefano Stewardship is a way of life. Tithing is God s Plan for Giving. 11/30/14 Envelope Giving $ 15,511 11/30/14 Electronic Giving $ /30/14 Tithe + E-Giving $ 16,168 12/01/13 Tithe $ 19,573 11/30/14 Children s Tithe $ 35 Thank you for your continued support! From the Pastor: Advent has a two fold character: as a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ s first coming to us is remembered, and as a season when that remembrance directs our mind and heart to await Christ s second coming at the end of time. Advent thus is a period of devout and joyful expectation (General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar, 39). From the Children: Help my friend when she fell. I prayed that we had a great day. I prayed every night. Helped clean the bathroom. Went to Mass. Played nice with friends. I helped people. Helped dad. Helped clean the house and decorate for the Christmas tree. Stewardship Sunday Appeal $ 44,211 Thanksgiving $ 2,176 Dec. 7 Richard.F. O Connor In Memory The Respect Life Rose is dedicated to William A. Meehan s 20th Anniversary In loving memory The rose will remain on the Altar in front of The Blessed Mother Adoration Chapel Votive Candle Dec. 7 Thomas A. Tammany 20th Anniversary Dec. 7 Lenore Phipps In Memory Rosary and Morning Prayer During Advent, the daily recitation of the Rosary will begin at 7:50 a.m. followed by Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, and Mass at 8:30 a.m. Advent Wreath Lighting At each Vigil and Sunday Mass during Advent, a family will be invited to light a candle in the Advent Wreath. If you would like to participate, please sign the schedule located in the ushers' room. On the day that your family is scheduled, please arrive minutes before Mass begins, and meet with one of the ushers in the vestibule of the church. Christmas Volunteers Needed Please contact Anna Ferry at (610) if you can help decorate the Church for Christmas. Youth Group Seventh-12th graders are invited to help at the annual CSS St. Nicholas Toy Shop on Tuesday, Dec. 16, time TBA. Contact: Gail Toto at ymmin@eol.comcastbiz.net. Knights of Columbus Sea Isle City Summer Vacation Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the K of C fundraiser for the vacation home in Sea Isle. The proceeds will go to many local charitable causes including the support of Epiphany Church and Holy Rosary Regional Catholic School. The drawing for the winning ticket will take place in the Parish Center after the 5 p.m. Mass on Dec. 13. All are welcome to attend. Again, thank you for your participation as you have helped the Knights continue their charitable services to our community the Catholic Church. Epiphany of Our Lord Church - November 30, 2014 Page 6

7 We have the Greatest Respect for your thoughts, =feelings and wishes An Excellent Choice for Epiphany of Our Lord Families Come for a Personal Visit! Call Brightview East Norriton at th Anniversary McGOLDRICK LEASING COMPANY For All Your Leasing Needs Vehicles & Equipment 628 Ridge Pike (610) W. Ridge Pike Conshohocken 300 E. Germantown Pike East Norriton, PA William A. Moore Over 50 Years of Service Elizabeth V. Moore, FD ( ) Robert W. Moore, FD Adam R. Moore, FD MASCIANTONIO PLUMBING For All of Your Plumbing & Heating Needs RAYS (7297) Richard Harrison / President 520 Wood St., Conshohocken, PA Chris LaPenta, Parishioner East Norriton Women s Healthcare Obstetrics: Individualized Pre-natal Care & Delivery Gynecology: Specializing in Robotic Surgery Accepting new patients and offering evening and weekend appointment hours For all women s healthcare needs, please call for an appointment 325 West Germantown Pike, Ste. 300 East Norriton, PA Mike Devlin s FUNERAL HOME 708 Fayette St Serving With Old Fashioned Dependability Joann Sansone, DO Grace Adofo, MD Dominick Giuffrida, DO Jeffrey Blatt, MD Margaret Toth, CRNP Christine Shea, MSN, CRNP Katherine Schneider, CRNP Serving NJ, PA & DE Barber Shop Parocial Hair Cuts Fades Senior Discounts Monday: 8:30-6 p.m. Tues. - Fri.: 8:30-7 p.m. Saturday: 7:30-5 p.m Skippack Pike, Blue Bell, PA at RT. 73 & 202 SPECIALIZING IN BASEMENT WATERPROOFING & MOLD REMEDIATION SINCE BUYING OR SELLING A HOME? LET S CHAT OVER A CUP OF COFFEE! CONNIE BRADY GRI, CRS, ABR DRAINAGE SYSTEMS PUMPS COATINGS FOUNDATION REPAIR OUTSIDE WATER MANAGEMENT EMERGENCY SERVICE FREE INSPECTIONS LICENSED & INSURED Follow us on: CHECK OUT OUR REVIEWS ON: ASSOCIATE BROKER, REALTOR Connie@ConnieBrady.com *BOARD CERTIFIED RE/MAX LEGACY W. Germantown Pike, Mack Cali Bldg. Suite 101, Plymouth Meeting, PA *P. MICHAEL SCHELKUN, M.D., D.D.S. ERIK M. SAYLES, M.D., D.M.D. *LEWIS J. SCHWARTZ, D.M.D. (Emeritus) Personal, Professional Real Estate Services BOB MARCINEK Conshohocken East Norriton, Trappe Nothing Decorates Like Wallpaper Donald E. Moore, Supervisor WALLPAPERING Dental Facial Reconstructive Cosmetic & Implant Surgery 158 York Road Warminster, PA Phone (215) Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 106 Fort Washington, PA Phone (215) Fax (215) Fax (215) Blacksmith Road, Suite Dreams Newtown, PA Phone (215) Neat & Reliable Parishioner Tree Work Backhoe Service Mulching Snow Plowing Grading Seeding Complete Design & Maintenance Consider Remembering Your Parish in Your Will. Michael Babyak For further information, please call the Parish Office Parishioners of St. Philip Neri HANDY HOME REPAIR SPECIALISTS Lafayette Hill, PA Bathroom Renovations LICENSED INSURED THOMAS E. DEEM FAMILY DENTISTRY Thomas E. Deem, D.M.D., Lisa Poole-Deem, D.M.D., JD Epiphany Parish Member Watertower Office Bldg., Ste. #140 (across from Phil s Tavern) 6198 Butler Pike., Blue Bell, PA Abbey Plumbing & Heating Quality Service Since 1976 Free Estimates Bonded & Insured 24 Hour Emergency Service Epiphany of Our Lord Church Prompt Professional Service KEVIN M. CAMPBELL, MD an Official Travel Agency of AOS-USA INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT Brian or Sally, coordinators PLUMBING HEATING AIR CONDITIONING WATER HEATER BOILER REPLACEMENT PARISHIONER CARPETING HARDWOOD CERAMIC TILE NO WAX FLOORS WINDOW TREATMENTS FREE SHOP AT HOME SERVICE 180 S. MAIN ST., AMBLER (215) Specializing in Back, Neck & Extremity Pain ASA, ABPM BOARD CERTIFIED Mercy Health Care Center Plymouth Meeting Mall 500 W. Germantown Pike Plymouth Meeting, PA Fax For Ads: J.S. Paluch Co., Inc

8 Epiphany of Our Lord Church Tel (610) Fax (610) Walton Rd, Plymouth Meeting, PA Pastoral Staff Rev. Joseph J. Quindlen, Pastor Rev. James J. Kelly, In Residence (Retired) Permanent Deacons Emil J. Wernert, Michael Pascarella, Jr. William R. Radetzky (Retired), Kenneth P. Clancy (Retired) Joel M. Ziff, (Retired) Parish Staff Business Manager, Paris A. DiPietro Director of Music, Constance M. Steuer Business Secretary, Lydia Hayward Administrative Assistants* *JoAnn O Connor *Cecilia T. Dadario, part-time Information Technology Coordinator, Nicole Zimmerman, part-time Maintenance Supervisor Anthony R. Mashaintonio Church Sacristan, John F. Phipps, part-time Religious Education (215) rep@eol.comcastbiz.net Stephanie Quigley, Coordinator, part-time Carla Manno, Adm. Assistant, part-time Youth Ministry (215) ymmin@eol.comcastbiz.net Gail Toto, Coordinator, part-time Holy Rosary Regional Catholic School (610) Walton Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA Lisa S. Hoban: Principal lhoban@holyrosaryregional.com Beth Sheldon, Administrative Assistant bsheldon@holyrosaryregional.com Mass Schedule Saturday 5 p.m. Vigil (fulfills the Sunday Obligation) Sunday 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., & 11:30 a.m. Daily 8:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday Holydays 7 p.m. Vigil, 8:30 a.m., 12:05 & 7 p.m. Confessions Saturday 3:30-4:30 p.m. & by appointment Parish Office Hours Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. After 4:30 p.m. by appointment only Closed for lunch: 12 p.m.-1 p.m. Saturday By appointment only Sunday By appointment only A mail slot is located in the rectory front door. Perpetual Adoration Chapel In order to keep our Perpetual Adoration Chapel open 24/7, we need your help. Please ask a family member or friend to consider spending time with our Eucharistic Lord Jesus. You can come to HIM, to praise and adore HIM or to pour out one s heart to HIM, to ask for inspiration, to be consoled and comforted, to ask for favors and guidance, and to give thanks. Please call Elaine Thorpe at (610) If you can commit to any of the following Open Hours: SUNDAY: MONDAY: TUESDAY: WEDNESDAY: THURSDAY: FRIDAY: SATURDAY: Parish Office Requests To register in the parish, arrange for a baptism, or request a Certificate of Eligibility for sponsorship at Baptism or Confirmation, contact the rectory Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ( is preferable). Also, please advise our office staff of any change of address, telephone number or family status. Anointing of the Sick First Saturday of the month during 8:30 a.m. Mass or by special request. Please notify the rectory as soon as possible when any parishioner becomes seriously ill or is admitted to the hospital. Baptism Baptisms are celebrated after the 11:30 a.m. Mass every Sunday, with the option of 5-6AM, 12-1 PM,1-2PM, 3-4PM, 8-9PM 5-6AM, 11AM-12PM, 4-5PM 5-6AM, 11AM-12Noon, 2-3PM, 4-5PM, 9-10PM 4-5PM, 5-6 PM 6-7PM, 7-8PM, 10-11PM 5-6AM, 3-4PM, 6-7PM, 7-8PM, 9-10PM, 10-11PM 6-7AM,11AM-12PM, 12-1PM, 1-2PM, 3-4PM, 7-8PM, 9-10PM Baptism during the 11:30 a.m. Mass on the fifth Sunday of the month. Both first-time parents must attend a Pre- Jordan class, which is held the first Wednesday of every month. Pre-Registration for the class is required by contacting the rectory. Sponsors not from Epiphany are required to submit a Certificate of Eligibility from their parish two weeks prior to the Baptism. Marriage Notify the priest of your intention to marry at least six months before the date of the wedding to assure sufficient preparation and to arrange for Pre-Cana sessions. Pre-Cana Days are held in March and October. Miraculous Medal Perpetual Novena After 8:30 a.m. Mass every Saturday. CHAPEL CLEANERS NEEDED Since many people come to pray at our Adoration Chapel, we are in urgent need of volunteers to help clean. Consider helping ONLY ONCE every eight weeks on Mondays, from 8-10 a.m. Please call Dolores Gallagher at (610) NOTE: We are asking the men of the parish to cover the early morning times. Please do not leave any religious articles in the chapel, ie, books, magazines, metals, prayer cards, rosaries, etc. Epiphany of Our Lord Church - November 30, 2014 Page 7