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1 December 9, 2018 Second Sunday of Advent Parish Staff Rev. Thomas K. Diaz, Pastor Joe Olsen, Deacon (retired) Liz Black, Office Manager Jennifer Bedoka, Children s Faith Formation Paul Casey, Adult Faith Formation Robert Ito, Youth Ministry Stephanie Bodi, Parish Council President Andy Darrow, Music Director Cynthia Lusk, Bookkeeper Office hours: Tuesday-Friday 9-1:30 p.m. Website: Baptism: Preparation class for parents and godparents is held on the last Sunday of every other month at noon. The next class is on January 27 th. Please contact the parish office to register for the class. Scheduling is done for the baptism after the class is taken. Reconciliation: Sat. 9:45-10:20 a.m. and by appointment. Marriage: 6-month notice. Please contact Fr. Tom. Anointing of the Sick: During the Saturday 9 a.m. Mass or please contact Fr. Tom. Retrouvaille: Hope for Struggling Marriages, HelpOurMarriage.com Mass intentions: Please phone the office to schedule a Mass intention a few weeks in advance. St Vincent De Pau Society: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church 4595 Snyder Lane Rohnert Park, CA (707) , FAX: (707) Mass Schedule and Intentions Saturday, Dec. 8 5:00 pm +Jose & Aida Galvez Sunday, Dec. 9 8:30 am For the People 10:30 am +Eldon Hutchinson Tuesday, Dec. 11 8:15 am +Mary Fahey Wednesday, Dec. 12 8:15 am +Beverly D Amore Thursday, Dec. 13 8:15 am In Thanksgiving for Blessings Friday, Dec. 14 8:15 am No Intention Saturday, Dec. 15 9:00 am +Manda Kordesh 5:00 pm (Vigil) +Nelson & Neil Galvez Sunday, Dec. 16 8:30 am For the People 10:30 am +Manda Kordesh The gate of heaven is very low; only the humble can enter it. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR PARISH FAMILY? Name Phone Number Address Number of Catholic members at this address Do you want envelopes Please tear this out and drop it in the collection basket or the mail Welcome to our Parish

2 Today s Readings Reading I: Jeremiah 33:14-16 Reading II: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 Gospel: Luke 21:25-28, Why do we have Advent? You say, I don t know, it always just comes along, or, If Christ has already been born, what is this Advent waiting about? Have we forgotten that he is already born, and a long time ago? Strangely that is part of the answer. It does have to do with his birth long ago, but also into our hearts today. And our forgetfulness as well. Our hearts get drowsy and lazy, tired out by the anxieties of daily life. Maybe we distract ourselves from our troubles by working very hard, or becoming depressed, or becoming fascinated with drink, or sex, or out-of-control emotions, or gambling, or , or golf, or surfing the web, or pride or Whatever it is for you, the very clear message of Advent is, Settle down for a while. Open the door just a crack to let God in. Jesus is to be born again. Something you may not have noticed. The Church has a liturgical strategy in the Advent Sunday readings. Each week s First Reading is the carrot: usually positive, a promise of good. Then the Gospel hits you with a big stick to wake you up. Take the encouraging First Reading this Sunday. It reminds us of the promise God has made to his people: rightness and justice will come to the earth. Security. The day of the Lord will arrive, though long delayed. Peace in our day. What a lovely thing it is to think of such a time. Too good to be true? Just pious thought? Read the First Reading now and ask yourself those questions. Spend time with them. Pray to God for help The Second Reading urges us to put God s promise of peace into action, even if we are not yet sure what it means. Love others and be loved. Ah, and then the Gospel. It tries to wake us up, especially if the above has not helped. But I am perfectly awake, you say. Alright then, go ahead and read the Gospel. Signs in the sun, moon and stars, nations in dismay, the roaring of the sea and the waves, people dying of fright, and the Son of Man appearing in the clouds with power and great glory. Terrifying? So you are all ready for it? Let yourself imagine what it might be like. Picture it scene by scene and don t worry about being exact. Just experience it. Will such a shakeup really happen literally? We do not know. Maybe much worse is to come, judging from the state of the world today. If you can say You are right, I am afraid of these, Beg that Christ be given birth in your soul and in so many others in this world that need it so badly. Welcome to Advent! John Foley, SJ Question: Why is Advent called the season of hope? What would your life be like without hope? Readings for next Sunday Baruch 5:1-9 Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever: wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name. For God will show all the earth your splendor: you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God s worship. Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God. Led away on foot by their enemies they left you: but God will bring them back to you borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones. For God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God. The forests and every fragrant kind of tree have overshadowed Israel at God s command; for God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company. PHIL 1:4-6, 8-11, Brothers and sisters: I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. Luke 3: 1-6 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert : Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

3 Stewardship for December 1 & Plate: $ The collection for this week is for Building Maintenance. The second collection for December 8 & 9, will be for the Retirement Fund for the Religious. This Week in Our Parish Sat. Dec. 8, 7-8:30 pm Conditions of Christians in the Middle East mtg rm. Tues. Dec. 11, 3:30 Children s Faith Formation Wed. Dec. 12, 7:00 Adult Faith Formation/ mtg room. Topic; Advent, The Coming of Better Times, the prophecies and Jesus. Fri Dec. 14, 6:30, Movie Night in large meeting room. Sun. Dec :30-1:30 pm Faith Formation Practice for Christmas Mass. 7-8:30 pm Confirmation in mtg room. Movie Night Fri. 12/14/18 The Story of the Nativity-The truth of Christmas. in the large meeting room. This is a fast-paced, thought-provoking documentary with the true story of the Nativity which clears away widespread misunderstandings of Jesus origin. This includes stunning works of art depicting the biblical story, from Fra Angelico to Rembrandt and footage from the Holy Land showing places where the Christmas story actually took place. Women s Guild Raffle Winners and Thank You The winners of the raffle sponsored by The Women s Guild are: Hospitality Basket Ortencia Gonzalez; Holiday Basket Peggy Macalusa; Wine Basket-Neil Way; Child Basket-Nancy Kelly; Quilt-Grace Shwayhat; Smoked Turkey-Diane Colbrook; Smoked Turkey- Janice Langan. Thank you to all for supporting our rummage, crafts, baked goods and raffle ticket sales. Children s Faith Formation students had a wonderful time creating their own advent wreath during class this week. Each class also had a lesson on the wreaths and were sent home with a Sunday prayer to help the family prepare for Jesus's coming. We have a revised schedule for Christmas Eve Mass Practice Schedule. December 16, 2018 from 11:30am to 1:30pm (For Play and Choir) December 21, 2018 from 5:30pm to 7 pm (For Play) December 23, 2018 from 3pm to 5pm (For Play and Choir). If you have a child that would like to be part of our Mass, please let me know by phone (707) or by bedokaparties@yahoo.com. Time to clean out your closets to help the needy. We can use gloves, beanies, socks and scarfs to warm the homeless in Santa Rosa, new or used. A basket is in the entry way of the church or you can call Giovanna at (707) for pickup. Giovanna thanks you for all you have been contributing so far. The Lions Club International Lions Recycle for Sight Program collects, sorts and distributes donations of used eyeglasses to people in need throughout the world. A box is present in the vestibule of the church for unwanted eyeglasses (no cases please). We also take old hearing aids, cell phones, and toner cartridges. These items are recycled and distributed to the needy. Thank you for your help. Barry & Roxanne Bialkoski, Think of Scrip for your Christmas Shopping Here is the list of possibilities: Applebee s-$25 s, Arco Gas-$50 s, Bath & Body Works-$25 s, Burger King-$10 s, Chili s-$25 s, Chipotle Mex Grill-$25 s, Cold Stone Creamery-$10 s, CVS Pharmacy-$25 s, Food Maxx-$100 s & $25 s, Home Depot-$25 s, Kohl s-$25, Macy s-$100 s & $25 s, Olive Garden- $25 s, Outback-$25 s, Panera Bread-$10 s, Raleys- $100 s & $25 s, Red Lobster-$25 s, Ross-$25 s, Safeway-$100 s & $25 s, See s Candy 1lb.cert.- $20 s, Shell Gas-$100 s & $25 s, Starbucks-$25 s & $10 s, Subway-$10 s, Target-$100 s & $25 s, Tip Top Cleaners-$10 s, Wal-Mart-$100 s & $25 s. Events in the Diocese The ll Poverello Secular Order Fraternity invites you to share an Advent Day of Reflection: The Story of the Savior Through Scripture and Song, This Sunday, December 9 th, from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm at St. James Parish Center, 125 Sonoma Mtn. Pkwy., Petaluma. The presenter for the day s reflections will be Mark Kroncke, OSF. There will be a potluck luncheon at noon (feel free to bring something to share). Donations are accepted. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Mark at or Ed Please join us at Holy Spirit Catholic Church this Monday evening, December 10th at 7 p.m. for an Advent talk and discussion on Forgiveness - A Gift for Yourself and the World. The talk will be presented by Deacon John Storm. John is the Diocesan Director of Catholic Restorative Justice Ministries. It will take place in the McCarthy Hall, Holy Spirit Catholic Church located at 1244 St Francis Rd, Santa Rosa. Please look to the bulletin board for the 2018 Advent Concert Series schedule by Dana Couey, Doug and James Harman.

4 Pastor s Corner Circle your calendars: Looking ahead into January, a slow month after all the festivities, the Parish Council is sponsoring a Parish Potluck, on Sunday, January 13 th at 12:30. A flyer will be coming out next week along with sign-ups. Like last year,we have ordered two dozen poinsettias for the church. The cost is $10 for each of them and we have two larger ones for $20. Please sign-up in the vestibule as they are one per family. On the list please put who you want the donation for alive or deceased. The names will be mentioned at the 10:30 pm. Mass on Christmas Eve. Confessions: I will be in the confessional the next two Sundays from 9:45-10:15 am. to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We have confessions every Saturday from 9:45-10:20 am. during Exposition of the Blessed Eucharist. Confirmation gathering meets next Sunday, Dec 16 th from 7-8:30 pm. Christmas Tree blessing The use of the Christmas tree is relatively modern. Its origins are found in the medieval mystery plays that depicted the tree of paradise and the Christmas light or candle that symbolized Christ, the Light of the world. According to custom, the Christmas tree is set up just before Christmas and may remain in place until the Solemnity of Epiphany. The lights of the tree are illuminated after the prayer of blessing. Lord God, let your blessing come upon us as we illumine this tree. May the light and cheer it gives be a sign of the joy that fills our hearts. May all who delight in this tree come to the knowledge and joy of salvation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen. Pope Francis As the Vatican illuminated its 65-foot Christmas tree in St. Peter s Square Friday, Pope Francis shared the deeper meaning found in the traditional festive spruce. The signs and symbols found in Christmas traditions can help us to contemplate the mystery of God made man to be close to each one of us, Francis said Dec. 7. The Christmas tree with its lights reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world, the light of the soul that drives away the darkness of animosity and makes room for forgiveness, he continued. The great height of this year s Christmas tree -- cut from Italy s Cansiglio forest -- symbolizes that the Son of God, who lowered himself in assuming the human condition to draw man up to himself, the pope explained. God raises man from the fogs of selfishness and sin and invites him to participate in his divine and incorruptible nature. The Vatican also unveiled the annual nativity scene in St. Peter s square, this year sculpted entirely out of sand. The 52-foot-wide sand sculpture of Mary, Joseph, the Child Jesus, and an angel was created by four international artists using around 700 tons of sand brought from the Dolomites. The concept of a sand nativity originated from a tradition from the Northern Italian beach-town of Jesolo, where professional sand sculptors from around the world create original renderings of the nativity and other Christian stories for locals and visitors to enjoy each Christmas season. Pope Francis reflected that sand is a humble, poor material that recalls the simplicity, the smallness with which God showed himself at the birth of Jesus in the precariousness of Bethlehem. Contemplating the God child, who emanates light in the humility of the nativity scene, we can also become witnesses of humility, tenderness and goodness, Francis said. Pope Francis encouraged families and communities come together to reflect upon the meaning of these Christmas traditions: The nativity and the tree, fascinating symbols of Christmas, can bring families and meeting places a reflection of the light and tenderness of God to help everyone to live the feast of the birth of Jesus. Humor:

5 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR BULLETIN SPONSORS Crestview RCFE A HOME FOR THE ELDERLY HELEN S. ALMONTE RN, MSN, RCFE, ADMINISTRATOR 1328 Crestview Court, Santa Rosa, CA PHONE/FAX helen_almonte19@yahoo.com LICENSE NO The Clean Team House Cleaning Services Free Estimates Cell ( Silvia Cell (707) Francisca EGGEN & LANCE CHAPEL Rohnert Park We are offering a discount to all veterans. Please give us a call for details Hablamos Español Direct Cremation Services Funerals * Memorials * Cremations 310 Raley s Towne Center, Rohnert Park, CA Tutoring Reading Language Arts Basic Math Is your child having a difficult time in any of these areas. Linda Mish =4 Hour or Half Hour Sessions $12 per half hour Linda s House Preschool We Speak English U.S. Citizenship References Quality Preschool Kindergarten September-June Rohnert Preparation M-W-F-8:30-12:30 pm. Park Tu-Thur-12:30 pm. D Summer School Ages 3-5 yrs. Old Section Program Snack and Lunch served #70676