SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2013 JANUARY 1ST MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, IS A HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION. MASS TIMES FOR THE HOLY DAY ARE:

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1 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2013 MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK Today, SUNDAY, December 29th 8:30 a.m. People of the Parish 10 a.m. Joseph Scarglato, Joseph Menechini 12 Noon Purgatorial Society Monday, December 30th 9 a.m. Tuesday, December 31st NEW YEAR s EVE 5 p.m. Wednesday, January 1st NEW YEAR s DAY 10 a.m. Rita Scanlon & Edith Sullivan Thursday, January 2nd 9 a.m. Saturday, January 4th 5 p.m. Vivian Hines SUNDAY, January 5th 8:30 a.m. Thomas Gelormino 10 a.m. Frank Gorman, Yolanda Gimarino 12 Noon People of the Parish REMEMBER A LOVED ONE MEMORIAL DONATIONS AVAILABLE for: Announced Masses Bread & Wine 1 week Missalettes - 1 month Flowers 1 week, Charcoal - 1 month 7-Day Sancolites 1 week Altar Candles 1 month Contact the Parish Office to reserve your memorial. TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.. From the Staff of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish THE PARISH OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED Wednesday, January 1, 2014 JANUARY 1ST MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, IS A HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION. MASS TIMES FOR THE HOLY DAY ARE: 5PM ON TUESDAY, DEC 31ST 10AM ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1ST CELEBRANTS New Year s Eve, New Year s Day & Weekend of January 4th & 5th Tuesday, December 31st New Year s Eve 5 PM Msgr. Daniel A. Picciano Wednesday, January 1st, New Year s Day 10 AM : Msgr. Daniel A. Picciano Saturday January 4th 5:00 PM: Fr. Patrick Okafor Sunday, January 5th 8:30 AM: Fr. Patrick Okafor 10 AM: Msgr. Daniel A. Picciano 12 PM: Msgr. Daniel A. Picciano NOTE: SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE YOUTH GROUP Our January meetings are scheduled for Friday, January 10th & 24th 7 to 9pm. COME JOIN US! If you or anyone you know may be interested in becoming part of this wonderful Ministry please call Joy Milillo at or send an to joym8103@yahoo.com

2 THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY & JOSEPH FOR THE RIDE HOME First Reading: Sirach 3: 2-7 Second Reading: Colossians 3: Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15 Today it is common for families to move many times. So we can imagine how Joseph felt when an angel suddenly warned him to pack up his family and move to Egypt. But Joseph did not argue or complain. He listened, and out of love he obeyed God's will. Then, when danger was past, God called the Holy Family out of exile. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph finally had a permanent home in Nazareth. The word obedience comes from a Latin word meaning, "to listen." Some of us have developed what is called "selective hearing." We select, or choose, what we want to hear. Why do you think Joseph listened to God? What might have happened if he had taken it easy and not bothered? Have you ever been like Joseph and obeyed and then were very glad you did? SNOW CLOSINGS- REMINDER: For snow or severe weather during the week days...we follow the Sachem SD schedule. Tune in to News12 or WALK F.M. Radio. If Sachem SD is closed, there will be no Mass that day. If severe weather happens on the weekend and Mass needs to be cancelled, call into the Parish Office at and the recording will be updated with any cancellations. Thank you. Prayer Blanket Ministry Meetings are held on Saturdays from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Next meeting is January 11th. New members are always welcome. Come join this exciting ministry we create prayer blankets, lap robes, baby blankets, preemie hats, Christmas stockings, pink scarves, etc. and donate them to various organizations, nursing homes, etc. We also share ideas, patterns and offer instruction for anyone wishing to learn to knit or crochet or brush up on their skills. For more information call the Parish Outreach. If you have yarn to donate, we will gladly accept it and use it. Thank you! To learn about events or calendar updates, please check the Parish web site at: and click on the Religious Education link. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL FAITH FORMATION FAMILIES, YOUNG PEOPLE, CATECHISTS, ASSISTANTS AND HALL & CHURCH MONITORS. ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL SEASON. WANT TO LEND A HAND? A special word of thanks and appreciation to those Parents in our program who volunteered to assist with building security during class sessions. We still have a few sessions that are not covered if anyone is interested in assisting. Please contact Michele Hahn at the Office at for more information. PARENT ALERT!!! Religious Ed. classes will NOT BE HELD during the weeks of December 23 rd and 30 th. Classes resume the week of January 6 th. ARE YOU A REGISTERED PARISHIONER? Many parishioners support St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in the weekly collection and we do not have them listed in our census. We would like to make sure you are given proper credit for your donations. Please fill in the bottom of this page and we will send you a registration form. ***You are not automatically registered if you received a sacrament in the parish, i.e. Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, etc. NAME ADDRESS

3 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, th ANNUAL SUPER BONANZA Dec 2013 $25 winners Sunday 12/22/13 #06676 Eleanore Kellaher Mon, 12/23/13 # J.S. Lakovitz Tues, 12/24/13 #08282 Mary Bartol Wed, 12/25/13 #15787 Elaine Gadinis Thursday, 12/26/13 #00284 B. Lathbury Friday, 12/27/13 # Pete Kohler Saturday, 12/28/13 #08232 Geroma Primm CONGRATULATIONS! Christmas Winner for Dec 25th $1, = #11970 The Kuntzsch Family WELCOME! THE FOLLOWING FAMILIES HAVE REGISTERED WITH THE PARISH THIS PAST WEEK: **Ms. Susan Lehecka PARISH OUTREACH Thank you for the wonderful response given by all the Parish community in our effort to show Jesus' love and care for others. Due to your generosity, Outreach was able to provide a meal for approximately 75 families. 55 children were given two gifts each, and 150 gift cards were given the adults. Your kindness was very much appreciated by all of the families helped and many thank you's were expressed. Parish Outreach could not attempt this loving task without the help of many good people. Thank you to the many volunteers took much of their time and talent in working together in helping shop, drive, prepare and distribute the baskets of food, as well as all of the gift items. These volunteers included: Linda and Paul Buffa, Bob Lewonka, Janet Knoblach, Terry McGee, Diane Scheel, Mary Koslowski, Gerry Hoffer, Rosemarie Mayers, Annunziata Cervini, Marilyn Janusewski, Joe Saldiveri, Marie Roach, Elena Middleton, Lois Schilling, Joanne Sarakos, Joanne Peuplie, Mary Jane Clever, Elsa Aparico, Eileen Cleary, and Jake Schof. A special note of thanks to the following companies who donated food and clothing to a number of families: -William Mackie - Allstate Agency Owner, located on 635 Portion Rd. - who held a food drive at Stop and Shop in Ronkonkoma and donated the proceeds to our Outreach Food Pantry. -Kristin DeSantis of the Superior Washer and Gasket Corp. who organized a food and clothing drive at work in order to help a family with four children who just lost their mother. -Melanie Sheridan - Office Manager BOSS Facility Services, Inc. who gathered volunteers to help provide food and gifts for two families. -LaCouture Hair Salon located on 625 Portion Rd.- who took a number of ornaments from our Giving Tree. -The manager of the Shop Rite in Selden who donated 30 turkeys and 5 hams for Christmas meals. Thank you all again and may the Spirit of the Christmas season continue to live in your hearts! Our first blood drive of the year will be held on Sunday, January 26, 2014 from 8:45-2:45. Sign-ups will take place on the two weekends before the 26th after all the masses. Have a wonderful and safe New Year. God Bless

4 THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY & JOSEPH Join Us With Mary When life got overwhelming and too big for us as children, we turned to our mother for support and guidance. As adults, we thank her for all she had done for us. Now we are blessed with the opportunity to turn to our Heavenly Mother Mary to ask for her support and guidance, and thank her for the many blessings she has given us. Every Wednesday after 9:00 AM mass (at 9:30), you are invited to join us as we pray the rosary to ask for her help and guidance and to thank her for her abounding love.

5 Discovering hope and joy in the Catholic faith. January 2014 Fall in love with God Mother Seton Wife, then widow, Elizabeth Ann Seton converted to Catholicism despite rejection by her wealthy Episcopalian family and friends. With no means of support for herself or her children, she welcomed the invitation to open a Catholic school for girls near Baltimore. Joined by like-minded women, the community became the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1809, and Elizabeth became Mother Seton. The community grew and so did their schools and orphanages marking the beginnings of the U.S. parochial school system. Bessed are the peacemakers The world sure could use more peacemakers. The key to becoming one is to practice forgiveness and offer peace. That way everyone around us will feel the love of Christ. God s Laws Happy the man who meditates upon these things, wise the man who takes them to heart! If he puts them into practice, he can cope with anything, for the fear of the LORD is his lamp (Sirach 50:28-29). From the moment God created you, he has been deeply in love with you. He made you deliberately so he could love you. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you (1 Jeremiah 1:3). What about you? Are you in love with God? You have no secrets from God and he loves you anyway. We all have some small shameful part of ourselves that we are too afraid to show even our closest family or friends. God sees all you are and loves you infinitely anyway. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made My very self you know (Psalm 139:14). Christians are members of a large family. From the early days of the Church, there have been members of the faithful who have strived to live in the kingdom of God here on Earth and see its fulfillment in Heaven. God thinks loving thoughts of you all the time. How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God. How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand (Psalm 139:17). Our bodies are holy because God put his precious life within us. Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16). Prayer is about falling in love with God. I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live (Psalm 116:1-2). Why do Catholics honor saints? These holy people have allowed themselves to be emptied out and to be filled with the love and grace of Christ. The Church holds up these brothers and sisters of ours as examples to help us follow in their paths. Copyright 2014 Success Publishing & Media, LLC

6 January 2014 Page 2 Make one change for God this year When making New Year s resolutions this year, consider one change that will bring you closer to God. Here are some ideas other Catholics have used to strengthen prayer, serve the poor, and evangelize our faith Norma felt her prayer life growing stale, so when her parish asked for adorers for the perpetual adoration chapel, she jumped at the chance. Now, Mondays at midnight, Norma can be found in the presence of the Eucharist. She said, I really look forward to my peaceful hour each week. It s just me and Him. Peter s law practice is incredibly busy, but he takes an afternoon off every month to work at the local soup kitchen serving hot meals to the homeless and working poor. When asked why he said, Jesus said, When I was hungry, you gave me to eat. JoAnn s children are grown, yet she teaches a religious education class at her parish. What better way to spread our faith than to children? That s where I can do the most good, she said. The way Jesus gathered his followers seemed almost casual. For example, he passed the Sea of Galilee, saw Andrew and Simon and called to them. It sounds as if the men dropped what they were doing, left their homes and livelihoods to follow Jesus after very little thought. There must have been something very arresting about Jesus and his call to them. Scripture makes it clear that discipleship means leaving everything behind and surrendering to the will of God. He will provide whatever a disciple January 17 St. Anthony (356). Anthony was a wealthy young man when he heard and followed Christ s call to sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow me. Afterwards he went into the desert to live as a hermit and dedicate his life to prayer. Others followed making him the founder of Christian monasticism. January 24 - St. Francis de Sales (1622). As bishop of Geneva, St. Francis bolstered the faith of others by his writings and works. For the laity, St. Francis wrote Introduction to the Devout Life, which is as applicable Matthew 4:12-23, The common call. needs to follow him but nothing comes before our relationship with God and his call to us. The compelling part of his call is the chance to serve him and be close to him. Jesus chose twelve special people to be his closest followers and he became their leader. They went where he told them and did what he asked, and accomplished amazing deeds in Jesus name. Jesus is still calling people to be his disciples and work amazing deeds in his name. In fact, he has called each of us to be his disciple. today as it was in his day. January 31 St. John Bosco (1888). St. John Bosco combined catechetical training and fatherly guidance to teach young men and women how to unite their spiritual life with their work and play. He opened the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales and provided workshops for boys in shoemaking and tailoring. In 1859, he founded the Salesians who were committed to education and mission work. Are there qualities that would make me a better Christian? Actually, when you were baptized, made your First Communion, or got Confirmed, the Holy Spirit conferred gifts to help you grow in strength and holiness. Recognizing these gifts and nurturing them will certainly make you a better Christian. Wisdom: This gift helps us stay focused on God's will and his plan for us. Understanding: Lets us grasp truths. It means seeing with the heart and the mind. Counsel: Also called "right judgment," counsel enables us to weigh alternatives to make the right choice. Fortitude: The ability to remain firm against pressure. (Also called courage.) Knowledge: A person with knowledge sees more than one dimension of an issue to determine the right path. Piety: Helps us think of ourselves as children of God and be eager to serve him. Fear of the Lord: The wonder and awe God inspires encourages us to respect him and all his creations. The more you use these gifts, the more you will grow in faith and holiness. To provide practical ideas that promote faithful Catholic living. Success Publishing & Media, LLC Publishers of Growing in Faith and Partners in Faith (540) (540) fax (Unless noted Bible quotes and references are from the Revised Standard Version and the New American Bible) Copyright 2014 Success Publishing & Media, LLC