Parish Staff. New Parishioners If you are new to our parish and would like more information please contact the Parish Office.

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1 Nativity of Mary Church and School E 36th Terrace Independence, MO Parish: (816) School: (816) Web: My attitude must be Christ s. - Philippians 2:5 Parish Staff Rev. Robert Stone, Pastor Mrs. Mary Parrish, Principal Melissa Clancy, Business Manager New Parishioners If you are new to our parish and would like more information please contact the Parish Office. Pastoral Care Sacraments for the Sick and Homebound and Pastoral visits to the Homebound and Hospitals. Fr. Bob Stone Mass Schedule Monday: 8:30 a.m. Communion Service Weekday: 8:30 a.m. Tuesday - Friday Saturday: 4:00 p.m. Sunday: 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Holy Day: 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Confessions Saturday: 3:00 p.m. or by Appointment Emergency Assistance Contact St. Mary s Food Pantry and Clothes Closet Youth Ministry Debbie Page, Parish Office School School, Early Childhood and Extended Care Carmen Wolfgeher, school office Sacrament Preparation Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Confirmation, Adult Initiation (RCIA), and Matrimony Contact the parish office for information Music Ministry Maria Milazzo, parish office Parish Ministry Council Sue Reiser - Chair Diocesan Victim s Advocate Kathleen Chastain or chastain@diocesekcsj.org Ombudsman Jenifer Valenti, or JeniferValenti@att.net

2 NOVEMBER 27, THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT MASS INTENTIONS READINGS FOR THE WEEK NOV DEC. 4, 2016 Sat., Nov Vigil of the 1st Sunday of Advent 4:00PM + Virginia McMenamy Sunday, Nov. 27 -The First Sunday of Advent 8:00AM + Angie Beemont & Emil Yancik 10:30AM + Zachery Weiland & Vito/Gaetana MIlazzo Monday, November 28 8:30AM COMMUNION SERVICE Tuesday, November 29 8:30AM + Nativity of Mary Parish & School Wednesday, November 30 - St. Andrew the Apostle 8:30AM + Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Thursday, December 1 9:00AM + Elmer Henry Friday, December 2 8:30AM + Larie Timko Sat., Dec. 3 - Vigil of the 2nd Sunday of Advent 4:00PM + Larie Timko Sunday, Dec. 4 - The 2nd Sunday of Advent 8:00AM + Mary & Emil Yancik 10:30AM + Mary Jo Villar & Clarence Huffman PLEASE PRAY FOR: Angela Arnone Bernadette Greufe John Routledge Vern/Margaret Ault Mike Guthrie Mike Rooney Rex Bartley Phillip Heavelow Barbara Sarro Helen Burkhart Matthew Johnson Sylvia Simone Jimmy Butler Cynthia/Dennis Jones Brittnye Singer Pam Casper Paula Kienberger Bernice/Norm Steffen Steve Christensen Lucas Locascio Janet Swanson John Clarke George Lambros George Timko, Jr. Kelly Cook Betty Mascal Annette Torbert Melissa Costello Juan/Mary Perez Margaret Trigg Mary Crocker Carlos/Eva Pinon Daniel Wheeler Florence Dawson Gary Reese Ayden Wright Willie DeJesus Dan Rottinghaus Monday: Is 4:2-6; Ps 122:1-9; Mt 8:5-11 Tuesday: Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Lk 10:21-24 Wednesday: Rom 10:9-18; Ps 19:8-11; Mt 4:18-22 Thursday: Is 26:1-6; Ps 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a; Mt 7:21, Friday: Is 29:17-24; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; Mt 9:27-31 Saturday: Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-6; Mt 9: :1, 5a, 6-8 Sunday: Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12 TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION Before the Second Vatican Council in the mid-1960s, Advent had a strong penitential tone, reminiscent of Lent. From as long ago as the fourth century, some Christians began a solemn fast on St. Martin's Day, November 11. This "Saint Martin's Lent" extended all the way to Christmas, and was widely followed in the dioceses of France and Germany, and in the Middle Ages in England. Fasting was required, and dancing and similar activities were banned for the duration. The fast had a social function, too, assuring that the winter food supplies would stretch into spring. At the Second Vatican Council, some bishops argued that a revival of the long winter's fast would give the Church a chance to establish the message and themes of the Incarnation long before the holiday hubbub took hold. This proposal didn't pass, and Advent emerged as a four-week period of reflection, expectant waiting, and joyful preparation for the coming of the Lord. The season has two principal phases, with the first beginning this Sunday. The second phase commences on December 17, when the liturgy begins to unfold the story of the Savior's coming. Interestingly, the Eastern Church maintains a strongly penitential note in Advent, which is called "Winter Lent," "The Nativity Fast," or "Christmas Lent," and has laws forbidding people to absent themselves from liturgy from December 17 onward. --Rev. James Field, Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co. We must know how to wait with patience and to expect more from God than from man. St. Vincent de Paul

3 NOVEMBER 27, PARISH NEWS Did You Know Cinnamon Buns and Sticky Buns will be available next weekend beginning at 8 a.m. Be sure to stop by the kitchen after mass. Once again we have the Giving Tree to help Seton Center make Christmas a little brighter for those less fortunate. Gifts will be picked up December 5th. Pick out a gift tag(s) from the Giving Tree. Purchase the gift(s). Place the UNWRAPPED gift(s) under the Giving Tree by the weekend of December 4th & 5th. Hang the gift tag(s) on the Tree. When purchasing children s gifts please think about things that will help build motor skills and social skills and help them to be creative (no batteries). One on one handheld games are discouraged. Also, things that can be done together as a family are good choices. NATIVITY OF MARY CONTRIBUTION REPORT NOVEMBER 12 & 13, 2016 Envelopes $ 6, Plate $ Worship Space $ 3, Pisces Fund $ Utility Fund $ EFT $ Credit Card $ Online Giving $ Poor Box $ Total $ 12, Tuition & Registration Fees $ 9, Thank you for supporting our Parish Community and Catholic Education! DIOCESAN ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL TO DATE Total number of Diocesan pledges 3,494 Diocesan Total $1,025, (57% of 2017 diocesan goal of $1,800,000) Total number of Nativity pledges 35 (6% of our parishioners) Total pledged by Nativity parishioners $10,271 (64% of 2017 Nativity goal of $16,000) If you have not already pledged to the campaign please prayerfully consider helping us meet our parish goal. Calendars for Nursing Homes We are collecting 2016 calendars to be delivered to nursing home residents in mid- December. If you would like to donate a 2016 calendar, note pads or stickers, please drop them in the receptacle in the hospitality kitchen in the back of church. We will pick them up weekly. All sizes in every description are appreciated. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Support our Diocesan Seminarians and Receive a Packet of Conception Abbey and Seminary s Printery House Christmas Cards from the Serra Club next weekend following each Mass. A display showing our 33 Seminarians photo/information page will be hosted by the Serra Club of Southeast Kansas City. Please take a moment to select one, or more, of the seminarian photo pages to take home and to pray for them regularly.. This display will also offer an opportunity to offer you an opportunity donate to the fund that for our seminarians at Christmas time.. For each $20 donation you will receive a packet of Conception Printery House Christmas Cards. Please support our men preparing for priesthood by visiting this display. For additional information on the Church vocation mission of the Serra Club contact Homer Radford Gluten-free hosts are available. Talk to Fr. Bob before Mass. We have 2 wheelchairs and hearing assist devices available for your use during mass. Please contact an usher.

4 CALENDAR 2016 Sunday 27 8:00AM Mass 10:30AM Mass 1PM - Youth Group Monday 28 Communion Serv. Tuesday 29 9AM - Quilters Wednesday 30 December 1 7:00PM Altar Society Mtg. Friday 2 9AM-Noon Eucharistic Adoration Saturday 3 3:00PM Confession 4:00PM Mass 4 8:00AM Mass 10:30AM Mass 1PM-Youth Group 5 Communion Serv. 9AM - Quilters SCRIP Orders Due by Noon 6 6:00PM - School Christmas Program 7 6:30PM Mass Feast of the Immaculate Conception 8 9 3:00PM Confession 4:00PM Mass 10 Ministry Center Closed 8:00AM Mass 10:30AM Mass Communion Serv. 9AM - Quilters :00PM Confession 4:00PM Mass 17 December Ministry Schedule December :00 PM Mass 8:00 AM Mass 10:30 AM Mass Lectors Joe Foley Penny Baylie Mike Fetters Joe Harris Sam Locascio Eucharistic Ministers Loretta Bates Chuck Denton Katie Smith *Loretta VanBibber Theresa Walter Volunteer Volunteer *Mike Fetters Lucy Lamb Jeff Rosenberg Margaret Ruiz Vanessa Wiegman Volunteer Becky Adkins Lisa Dec Barbara Garrett Diane Locascio *Sam Locascio Anne Reilly Ardith Scheer *Denotes Captain *Denotes Captain *Denotes Captain Ushers Marilyn Mineart Sue Reiser Bernie Schulte Teresa Zaner Harold Knipp Mary Ann McClure Pete Quiroga Volunteers Servers Parker Duett Truman Diebold Isabel Wiegman Vincent Wiegman Jackson McGee Elijah Cook

5 NOVEMBER 27, SCHOOL Dear Lord s Shut-Ins Lotion Conditioner Shampoo Powder Soap Sugar free gum Deodorant Toothpaste Each year the Middle School students prepare 165 containers for the needy residents of inner-city nursing homes. This is the only Christmas gift these residents receive. Please help fill the containers. We need the following travel size items: wrapped hard candy 5-stick pack of gum cheese/peanut butter crackers Chocolate peppermint patties bite-size chocolate candy Pocket size Kleenex toothbrush This year we will need stocking hats (adult one size fits all) to make the containers. Also cash would be greatly appreciated in order to purchase some of these items and craft supplies. We will accept donations now through December 9th. Thank you for your help and kindness. Live Like Jesus Our Holy Year celebrating God s Mercy is ending on the 20 th of November. We will culminate the year of Mercy with a Service Project. Families were asked to reflect with their children on how we have grown in our understanding of God s mercy and our need to share that mercy, care and love with those around us. Nativity School and Church will collecting Christmas presents for needy residents of The Kansas City Area. The Seton Center is a 46-year-old social services organization located in Kansas City s urban core. The Center provides a food pantry, rent and utility assistance, thrift store, dental services, and older adult services for neighbors in need. We are asking for these items by December 2nd for families who do not have the means to buy Christmas presents for their children. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VS ATLANTA FALCONS Come to the Nativity of Mary Parish Hall and watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Falcons in Atlanta. The game will be broadcast live on Sunday, December 4th, at *noon. The doors will open at 11:30 am The Knights of Columbus and Ladies Auxiliary of Council 6794 will be serving tacos and fixin's, water, lemonade and assorted sodas. If you would like something else to drink you may bring your own beverage. We will be accepting Free Will Donations for this event. Proceeds will go to support Nativity of Mary Ministry Center Basement Repair. Bring your friends and the entire family and spend the afternoon cheering on your Kansas City Chiefs! This game is subject to flexible scheduling. If it gets changed to a 3 pm game we will still be showing it and the doors will open 30 minutes prior to the game.

6 NOVEMBER 20, THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Here we are again, beginning a new church year, and looking ahead to Christmas. We have been through a long period of Ordinary Time, with several secular holidays: Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving. We celebrated all of these, and now it is time to prepare for the great feast of Christmas. As Christians, we are not preparing only to celebrate the secular Christmas that has crept into our year for the last hundred years or more. We are celebrating the coming of Christ, both into our world at the Nativity and again at the end of time. It is time to awaken from our sleepy ordinary time and await the coming of Christ. NO TIME FOR INSOMNIA We can get very busy and preoccupied with preparations for Christmas, both secular and sacred. Often, at the bombardment of advertising and "holiday specials" of every kind, from store and Internet sales to Christmas specials on TV and "holiday" parties, we push the peaceful and reflective preparations of Advent to a back burner. Then we get exhausted and sometimes resentful of all that has somehow piled on top of our usual busy lives. We need to slow down, and perhaps we can eliminate some of the more extraneous parts of this celebration. Do we really need to put lights on our houses, which is time-consuming, and will require taking down again, sometimes too long after the Christmas season has passed? Do we really need all the decorations we put around the house, or would a lovely Christmas tree, a crèche, and some poinsettias do? Do we need hundreds of cookies, or would a few dozen do? Does everyone really need multiple presents, or would one per person do? Think about how much better this time would be if we could slow down, read, and ponder a scripture reading each day, and not be in such a tizzy that we cannot get a good night's rest. Today's urging to "stay awake" does not mean to toss and turn all night pondering the "to do" list and wondering if and how we will get it all done. THE LIGHT OF THE LORD What a relief it would be if we had time to ponder the miracle of God-with-us. In our troubled world, we very much need to pray for peace. "They shall beat their swords into plowshares / and their spears into pruning hooks; / one nation shall not raise the sword against another, / nor shall they train for war again" (Isaiah 2:4). If only we could make it so by wishing, but Jesus has said that if we ask for anything in his name, it will be granted. Perhaps we can find time for even a small prayer for our war-torn, weary world. "O house of Jacob, come, / let us walk in the light of the LORD!" (Isaiah 2:5). Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Company On this first Sunday of Advent Jesus urges his disciples to stay awake and prepare themselves for the Lord s coming. Good stewards prepare themselves and await Christ s judgment in joyous expectation. This kind of attitude requires genuine spiritual maturity, the kind that is cultivated by prayer, participation in the sacraments, loving attention to family and one s communion of faith, and love for one s neighbor. Are we prepared for the Lord s second coming? Are we ready to receive Christ? Are we ready to look joyously for Christ s judgment? The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph is committed to combating sexual abuse in the Church. If you are a victim of sexual abuse, or if you observe or suspect sexual abuse: 1. Call the Missouri Child Abuse Hotline at (if the victim is currently under the age of 18), and 2. Contact your local law enforcement agency or call 911, and 3. After reporting to these civil and law enforcement authorities, report suspected sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult to the Diocesan Ombudsman, Jenifer Valenti, at or JeniferValenti@att.net, if the abuse involves a priest, deacon, employee or volunteer of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The Diocese has a sincere commitment to providing care and healing resources to victims of sexual abuse and their families. Please contact Victim Advocate, Kathleen Chastain, at or chastain@diocesekcsj.org for more information.

7 NOVEMBER 27, THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Pre-K - 8th CHRISTMAS PROGRAM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7th 6:00 pm NATIVITY OF MARY CHURCH EVERYONE WELCOME!