Events & Meetings This Week

Transcription

1 1

2 PARISH CLERGY Rev. Tom Lam Pastor Rev. Martins Emeh, J.C.L. Parochial Vicar Deacon John Evanoff Pastoral Associate Deacon Don Kish PARISH STAFF Business Manager Lars Gustafson Administration Gerry Broussard, Maria Laiseca, Dan Stamps, Mary Tran Religious Education LouAnn Svoboda, Director Dave Clark, Charlotte Fulton, Misha Gabriel, Becca Hammock Youth Ministry Joey Harvey, Director Matt Kiernan Parish Life Ministry Dave Clark, Director Music Ministry Christian Mondragon, Director Adrienne Copeland Liturgy Ministry Dominick Aquila, Director Outreach Ministry Schottsie Hill, Director Lisa Gilkeson Facilities Manager Vince DeBonis Christian Cholico, Young Kim, Alex Trejo COMMUNITY LIFE Nursery Coordinator: Anne Salazar Bingo: Friday at 7:30 p.m Welcome Newcomers For more information about our parish please go to our website Events & Meetings This Week SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23 Nursery Closed MONDAY, DECEMBER 24 4:00 PM, Vigil Mass: Church 4:00 PM, Vigil Mass: Family Center 6:30 PM, Vigil Mass: Church 6:30 PM, Vigil Mass: Family Center 9:00 PM, Vigil Mass: Church Midnight Mass: Church TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25 9:00 AM, Mass: Nativity of Our Lord: Church 11:00 AM, Mass: Nativity of 0ur Lord: Church WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 8:30 AM, Daily Mass: Church FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel NO Bingo SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 NO EVENTS SCHEDULED SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 Nursery Closed 1:30 PM, Baptism Service: Chapel The Parish Offices will be closed December 24, 25 and 26 to allow for staff members to spend time with their families. The offices will reopen Thursday, December 27 at 8:30 a.m. The staff wishes each of you a joyful and blessed Christmas season. 2

3 Parish Life Miscarriage Ministry ~Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you. Jeremiah 1:5 To learn more, please visit: epiphanycatholic.org/ miscarriageministry Christmas Eve Prayer Epiphany s Miscarriage Ministry aids mothers, fathers, couples, and families with support, education, and compassion following the loss of their unborn child, whether it was very recently or many years ago. Give us, O God, the vision which can see Your love in the world in spite of human failure. Give us the faith to trust Your goodness in spite of our ignorance and weakness. Give us the knowledge that we may continue to pray with understanding hearts. And show us what each one of us can do to set forward the coming of the day of universal peace. Epiphany Young Adults Have a Merry Christmas! There are no events this week Baptisms Please contact parish office for preparation classes. Baptism Session for Parents 2 nd Saturday of February, May, August, November 10:00 AM Noon To register call LouAnn Svoboda ( ) Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) For information call LouAnn Svoboda ( ) Sacrament of Marriage Must be a registered, active member of the parish at least six months. Contact parish office eight months before wedding to begin preparation. Finance Council Chair Denny Dellinger Pastoral Council Chair Tom McGeehan Knights of Columbus Oscar Gendrop, Grand Knight St. Vincent de Paul Society Rebel LeBoeuf Ladies Club Sharon Yohe Forever Young Norma Lopez, Mary Davis Bulletin Deadline The deadline for article submission is Thursday at noon (ten days before publication). Your article can be sent to gerry@epiphanycatholic.org. Check our website for Liturgical & Faith Formation Schedules. epiphany@epiphanycatholic.org Child s Play Learning Center, Alyce Gabrysch, Director, ; Fax; childsplaykaty.com 3

4 Our Stewardship Stewardship December 15/16 To be announced due to earlier bulletin deadline Registered Households 6,702 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. (LUKE 1:44) When you hear the scripture readings and Gospel reading each Sunday, do you leap for joy? If not, don t blame the lecturer or priest, rather look inside yourself. Do you prepare for Mass each week or do you just show up and expect to be entertained? We are called to be active participants, not passive bystanders. REMINDER: Please remember to put your envelope number on your contribution check if it is not in your church envelope. If you donate cash it must be in an envelope with your envelope number on it to receive credit. If you do not know your number please call Mary at NOW SCHOOL YEAR ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS! egiving to Epiphany of the Lord is easy with Faith Direct Text-to-Give! To give via text, follow these steps: 1. Text $ amount to Register your credit/debit card (you will only need to do this once). 3. Save the number as a contact in your phone to make future giving faster and easier. Pre-K through 5th Grade Apply today at epiphanycatholic.school Epiphany of the Lord Catholic School Highland Knolls Drive, Katy, Texas epiphanycatholic.school 4

5 Liturgy & Prayer PRAYER LIST FOR THE SICK LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK SPECIAL REMEMBRANCES Saturday, December 22 Vigil Fourth Sunday of Advent 5:30 PM Stanley Noviskie Sunday, December 23 Fourth Sunday of Advent 8:00 AM Phil Garrod 9:45 AM For the People 11:30 AM Rosalind Tan 5:30 PM Loretta Short Monday, December 24 Vigil: Nativity of the Lord 4:00 PM-Church Barbara Parker 4:00 PM-Family Center Thomas O. Mann 6:30 PM-Church For the People 6:30 PM-Family Center The Farnan Family 9:00 PM-Church Caroline Montello Midnight-Church Marina Alvarez Tuesday, December 25 The Nativity of the Lord 9:00 AM Natalia Castillo 11:00 AM Maud & Percy Duval Wednesday, December 26 St. Stephen 9:00 AM Russell Robicheaux Thursday, December 27 St. John 8:30 AM John Gennusa Friday, December 28 The Holy Innocents 9:00 AM Betty Long Saturday, December 29 Vigil The Holy Family 5:30 PM Rose Ann Callegari Sunday, December 30 The Holy Family 8:00 AM Thomas O. Mann 9:45 AM For the People 11:30 AM Sarah Suddreath 5:30 PM Bennie Walker READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29; Lk 1:67-79 Tuesday: Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 [18-25] Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20 Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14] Wednesday: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 8ab, 16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22 Thursday: 1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Jn 20:1a, 2-8 Friday: 1 Jn 1:5 2:2; Ps 124:2-5, 7b-8; Mt 2:13-18 Saturday: 1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96:1-3, 5b-6; Lk 2:22-35 Sunday: Sir 3:2-6, or 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28; Ps 128:1-5 or Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10; Col 3:12-21 [12-17] or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24; Lk 2:41-52 Please keep the following people in your thoughts and prayers this week as we wish them a return to good health: Jason Sides, Colette Johnecheck, Lauro Garza, Amapola Garza, Karen Janak Calderon, Herlinda Kilcullen, Diane Estay, Jason Klander, Robert Hickox, Joe & Pat Toman, Avis Deans, Sarah Callans, Kristen Ducker, Bridget McFerrin, Raymond DeVerteuil, Carol Laufenberg, Rathinamanie Anthony, Kristen Alcott, Jackie Alfonso, Teresa Leong, Mary Collins, Richard Hallstein, Emma Bray. To make a request for someone to be on our prayer list, please call the parish office at Your loved one s name will appear on our prayer list for six consecutive Sundays. If a longer period of time is needed, please call the parish office to renew your request. TV Mass for the Homebound Now on KUBE channel 57 at 9:30 a.m. Cable and Satellite Channels AT&T U-verse channel 57/1057 HD Comcast channel 53/653 HD DirecTV channel 57 Dish TV channel 57 TRUE HAPPINESS Abandon yourself utterly for the love of God, and in this way you will become truly happy. Blessed Henry Suso Please pray for our military men and women. 5

6 O COME, LONG FORETOLD O come, Desired of nations, Whom priest and prophet long foretold Will break the captive fetters, Redeem the long-lost fold. Dear Savior, haste; come, come to earth, Dispel the night and show your face, And bid us hail the dawn of grace. Simon J. Pellegrin ( ), Tr. by Mary of St. Philip ( ) 6

7 7

8 Outreach Ministry Merry Christmas Thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers! Without you, we wouldn t be able to fulfill as many of our community s needs through out the year. We re blessed that you re part of the Epiphany Outreach Family. We wish you all a safe, fun, and peace-filled holiday. Clinic Care Kits Donate personal care items for the Clinic Care Kits which will be assembled on January 9th in the Outreach Center workroom. Items needed are toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner. Both Family and individual sizes are used. Drop off in the loggia collection box or to the outreach center. JOB FAIR JANUARY 24, 2018 ARE YOU LOOKING FOR EMPLOYEES? The Job Fair is welcoming companies with salaried positions. We have a few more spaces available and we provide lunch for your representatives! Last January we had approximately 1000 applicants for employers to choose from. Please contact Outreach at if you re interested. Need Prayers epiphanyprayers@gmail.com Walking through Grief Whether your loss is recent or in the past we will walk the grief journey with you. This nine week support ministry with topics that are DVD lead and independent of each other starts January 17th through March 14th (Thursdays) at 1 pm in the Outreach Center Conference room. For more information please call Lisa in Outreach at St. Vincent de Paul Update for November 2018 Total financial donations $14,451 Total # of Neighbors assisted 81 Bags of food given out 67 Our Parishioners (with the assistance of the Boy Scouts and Knights of Columbus), the Great Harvest Bread Company and St. Peter s Methodist Church provide food for our Food Closet. Thank you all for supporting this ministry to those having financial difficulties! 8

9 Adult Faith Formation New Year - New You! Monday Night Adult Formation begins on January 28, This eight session DVD-based Ascension Press Bible Study is held from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the PAC. Deadline to register is January 14. Registration forms available in the parish office or on Epiphany s website. Contact louann@epiphanycatholic.org or call for information. Discover how God s great love for us can transform our daily lives - if we allow it. Adult Confirmation Preparation Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation for Adults will begin with an on-site day retreat on Saturday, April 27 from 9 am to 3 p.m., followed by six consecutive Thursday evening classes from 7 9 pm beginning May 2 through June 6. Participants must be at least 18 years old, not presently in high school, baptized Catholic, received first holy Communion, and, if married, marriage must be sacramental in the Catholic Church. Registration closes April 5, An initial interview together with an updated (within 6 months) baptismal record is required. Contact louann@epiphanycatholic.org or call LouAnn at to schedule your interview. INFANT BAPTISM PREPARATION A Baptism Preparation Session for parents and godparents will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. until Noon in the Family Center. Parents must attend a baptism preparation session before scheduling their child s baptism. Call to register for this preparation session. The next opportunity to attend a baptism class at Epiphany will be on Saturday, May 11, In ancient pagan Rome, these days in mid- December were a time for general slacking off at work and far too much rejoicing. The period of leisure after the harvest and a whole cluster of pagan festivals were a force for the church to reckon with. The Saturnalia, breaking out on December 17, was a time of high living and loose morals. Christians were advised by their bishops to drop out of the mayhem and do some serious fasting. A famous church council at Saragossa in Spain made a season of fasting mandatory from December 17 to December 23, exactly coinciding with the Saturnalia. The bishops at that time were perhaps less concerned with preparing for Christmas than with resisting the kind of loose living going on. Modern times have restored a bit of the Saturnalia spirit to our culture, so that a general period of partying with a vague connection to religion is now upon us. How does a Christian keep balance? The practice of charity by remembering the poor in our gift giving, of hospitality in finding a place at our holiday tables for the poor and lonely, and of daily prayer in the home and at church are great helps. Although Advent is not a penitential season like Lent, it is a time for making room in our lives for what matters most. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. 9

10 Elementary Faith Formation Epiphany Youth Ministry No Faith Formation until January 13, 15, & 16 Fourth Sunday of Advent Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Luke 1:42 MEMORIES AND DREAMS Throughout our lives, we retain the language and habits of our native region and family of origin. Should we return to our home after a long absence, we quickly revert to its familiar speech and practices. Our deep memory is reflected in old stories and words and speech patterns. This familiarity runs like an underground river and accompanies us wherever we go. Not only do we remember, we are incorporated into and made part of a greater memory. In remembering and recollecting, we are in turn gathered up and re-collected. Today we remember Mary, a small figure travelling the country roads to visit Elizabeth. All the great pronouncements and dreams of the prophets point to this time when the Lord s words to Mary would be gathered and fulfilled. The memories of her people are alive in her, and memories of her nourish our own living faith. Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. Support Our Advertisers Thank you to our advertisers for making our bulletins possible. We encourage you to patronize these businesses. Please tell them you saw their ad in our bulletin. EYM High School Christmas Party! December 7:00 p.m. in the Great Room! 10