Sick Calls Please call the rectory to arrange for Father Jasany to bring the Sacraments when a member of your family is hospitalized.

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1 Sunday, December 8th 2 nd Sunday of Advent 9:00 am Megan Wagner 11:00 am Dennis Gerlak 8 th Anniversary Monday, December 9th No Morning Mass Tuesday, December 10th 8:30 am All Souls Wednesday, December 11th No Morning Mass Thursday, December 12th 8:30 am Edward Span Friday, December 13th 8:30 am Sick & Needy of St. John Nepomucene St. Vincent DePaul Society Saturday, December 14th 4:00 pm St. John Nepomucene Parish Sunday, December 15th 9:00 am Donald Pawlak 11:00 am Antoinette Rose Stewardship of Treasure Sunday, December 1st $ Thanksgiving Day Collection For St. Vincent depaul Phillipine Relief Campaign Praise the Roof Thank You & God Bless you for your continued generosity & support! Sick Calls Please call the rectory to arrange for Father Jasany to bring the Sacraments when a member of your family is hospitalized. Weddings Parishioners are asked to call the rectory office at least 6 months in advance of the wedding to schedule an appointment with Father Jasany Baptisms The 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month at 12:00 pm. Parents are required to attend Pre-Baptism Class. Arrangements must be made a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the date of baptism. Before parents baptize their child Diocesan and parish policy requires you to complete a Baptism Preparation Class. The next class will be on January 5, 2014 at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish at 12:30 pm. Reservations are needed; please call for information or to make your reservation. Godparent and Sponsor Certificate Sponsors for Baptism or Confirmation must be registered and practicing members of the Church, attending weekly and Holy Day Masses for a minimum of 3 months prior to the celebration of the Sacraments for which they have requested the certificate. Please note individuals 18 years of age and older, no longer in school, need to register as adults _ Pre-Cana Program for couples preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage at the Jesuit Retreat House on January 26, 2014 at 12:45 pm. This program satisfies the requirement for marriage preparation as stipulated by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. Register at or online at

2 Dear Parishioners, Advent invites us to Prepare the Way of the Lord. I was very happy for the attendance at our communal penance service on Monday, December 2 nd at 7 PM. The following are upcoming Advent events that may help us to enter more deeply into the meaning of Christmas: Saturday, December 7 th at 5 PM, we will have Community Tree Lighting in our Parish Garden on the corner of Independence and Fleet Avenue. Afterwards, there will be reception in the hall. We celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent on December 8 th. This year the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is not a Holyday of Obligation. We will have a Fatima Holy Hour at 2 PM on Sunday, December 8 th in our church. We will have Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction. The rosary will be prayed. On Saturday, December 14 th, we will have Eucharistic Exposition and Adoration from 5 PM to 5:30 PM. At 5:30 PM, we will have our Eucharistic Service with Taize Meditation and Benediction. Please plan to spend some quiet time before Our Blessed Lord. Let us enter into Advent Silence. In addition, on Wednesday, December 11 th we have Advent Prayer in our rectory at 6:30 pm. All of you are warmly encouraged to come. Let us make room in our hearts for Our Savior. John the Baptist invites all of us to Prepare the Way of the Lord so that Christ can be experienced anew by all of us. The most important preparation for Christmas is what you do to spiritually prepare for the Birth of Our Savior. To the degree we open our hearts to Him, He will be reborn in us, in our relationships and in our circumstances. If you have not already done so, please pick up a blue Advent Book at the exits of our Church. Also, consider picking up a tag from the Giving Tree by Mary s altar to provide a Christmas Gift to a needy child from our Parish or from Beech Brook. Breech Brook provides foster care and mental health services to needy children and families. It is our designated agency this year. Together may we diligently prepare a place for Christ to be reborn in the mangers of our hearts this year. Wishing you a Joyful Advent, Father Jasany _ Readings for the Week of December 8 th Sunday: Is 11:1-10/Rom 15:4-9/Mt 3:1-12 Monday: Gn 3:9-15, 20/Eph 1:3-6, 11-12/ Lk 1:26-38 Tuesday: Is 40:1-11/Mt 18:12-14 Wednesday: Is 40:25-31/Mt 11:28-30 Thursday: Zec 2:14-17 or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab/Lk 1:26-38 or Lk 1:39-47 Friday: Is 48:17-19/Mt 11:16-19 Saturday: Sir 48:1-4, 9-11/Mt 17:9a, Next Sunday: Is 35:1-6a, 10/Jas 5:7-10/ Mt 11:2-11 _ Sanctuary Guild Volunteers for December 11 th thru December 24 th Kathy Bondzio & Patty Kowalec

3 Sunday, December 8 th Second Sunday of Advent Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. (Matthew 8:8) In whom do you trust? What are the signs of real authority? Clear the decks before you deck the halls. Give and receive forgiveness as the first gift of this season. Offer a Prayer Holy Spirit, give me the gift of discernment to know where to put my trust. Holy Name Society Mass at 9 AM with meeting to follow World Apostolate Holy Hour at 2 PM Benediction, Rosary and Chaplet of Mercy. Everyone is invited to this Holy Hour. This weekend is the Annual Appeal for the Retirement Fund for Religious. Senior Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests spent years working in Catholic schools, hospitals and social service agencies, often for very little, if any pay. Their sacrifices now leave their religious communities without adequate savings for retirement and elder care. Your gift to the Retirement Fund for Religious collection helps provide for their care. Please give to those who have given a lifetime. Envelopes for this collection are in your monthly packet. _ Monday, December 9 th Feast of the Immaculate Conception Not a Holyday of Obligation PSR 6:30 8 PM _ Wednesday, December 11 th Rosary Making 10 AM 12 Noon at the rectory. If you are interested in learning more about making rosaries please stop in. Zumba Class 6:30 PM School Hall New class rates $2/class. Advent Program - Reflection on the Journey of the Magi in the rectory at 6:30 PM. The session will be about an hour long and all materials will be provided. Choir Rehearsal 7 PM Saturday, December 14 th Eucharistic Devotions 5-5:30 PM Taize Meditation 5:30 6 PM For those who are sick and those who care for them, may they receive comfort and strength through our prayers, remembering especially Frank Aiello, Mildred Aiello, Mary Ann Betliskey, Noella Burrows, Corrine Dawe, Marcia Cordy, Diane Dufalla, Jose Dybzinski, Terrence Harp, Madeline Koston, Milton Kostyack, John Leader, Cindi Magyar, Jeanette Morrow, Mildred Pytel, Nancy Recko, Albina Selva, Audrey Sweeney, Virginia Turowski, Ed Vitigoj, Joanne Wagner & Brittany Wexler. For the Safety of the Men & Women serving in the military, especially those from our parish and their families.

4 A Stewardship Moment From the loneliness of his prison cell John the Baptist asks of Jesus Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another? The weeks before Christmas offer much to be joyous about, celebrating with family and friends, the glitter of seasonal decorations, the excitement of gift giving and receiving. But in our midst there are the lonely and neglected, the poor, the hospitalized, the wayward, the shut-ins. There are those seemingly without hope. To whom should they look? Discipleship in the Lord includes being good stewards of others. Are there those in our family, our neighborhood, our community to whom we can reach out to show them a sign of Christ s presence in their midst? Please remember these individuals, who have been called to the priesthood in your daily prayers. Also, please remember The Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPPS) Sunday, Dec.8 th Bishop Martin Amos Monday, Dec. 9 th James Cosgrove St. Mary Seminary Tuesday, Dec. 10 th Brian Petro Borromeo Seminary Wed., Dec. 11 th Jeremy Merzweiler St. Mary Seminary Thurs., Dec. 12 th Gregory Boldin Borromeo Seminary Friday, Dec. 13 th Timothy Roth St. Mary Seminary Saturday, Dec. 14 th Michael Bedell Borromeo Seminary Sunday, Dec. 15 th Bishop John Buckon On behalf of the Community of Jesus, the Living Mercy, we extend our gratitude to your parish for donating so many beautiful rosaries and religious medals to us. We will use these pieces to make new rosary bracelets and necklaces, which we sell to support our apostolate of providing mercy and healing support for those wounded by abortion. Again, thank you for supporting our ministry and may our Lord bless you. Sincerely, Mary Holter Through your generosity, we were able to assist 48 individuals this Thanksgiving. In addition, we would like to thank our parishioners for their donations of food and paper products and monetary donations on Thanksgiving Day. Also, a special Thank you to Father Jasany for designating the Thanksgiving Day collection to our parish St. Vincent de Paul Society. May God Bless all of you. St. Vincent DePaul Society Peterson s Nut Orders need to be returned to the parish office by Wednesday, December 11 th. You may pick up your orders the weekend of December 21 st & 22 nd in the school lobby. Please call Kathy Bartoszek at if you have questions. The Mound Caring Community meets on the 3 rd Saturday of each month. This month s meeting will be on Saturday, December 21 st from 4-8 PM at the Boys & Girls club on Broadway.

5 Karen s Corner Did you know that the gospels of Matthew and Luke are the only two gospels that tell the story of Jesus birth? Not only that, but the two stories are very different. Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy of Jesus. He traces Jesus line back to Abraham and ends with Joseph, the husband of Mary. Jesus legally belonged to Joseph and thus to the house of David; but Jesus also comes to us from above. The human genealogy has significance in terms of world history, but it ends in Mary, a virgin from Nazareth in whom human existence starts afresh. In Matthew, there is no reference to a census which would make the couple travel to Bethlehem. In fact, he almost makes it look like they have been living in Bethlehem and not Nazareth! Luke also gives us a genealogy, but he traces Jesus birth all the way back to Adam! In fact, there are only a few similarities between the two genealogies. Luke tells us that Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth and traveled to Bethlehem for the census. In Matthew, Mary and Joseph are visited by the Magi; whereas in Luke they are visited by the Shepherds! As you can see they are two different stories. Which one is the truth? Both. The authors chose the details of the story that were important to them and their audience when writing the gospel. When we read the Scriptures we have to be aware of who was writing, why they were writing, where they were writing, and what they wanted their readers to see and understand. Matthew wrote to Jewish converts so he wanted to make the connection between the Exodus of Moses and the birth of our Lord, so that when the Magi visit, they warn Joseph to flee to Egypt because Herod is looking to kill the new king. In Luke, writing to Gentiles, and particularly the outcast, the marginalized and the unloved; an army of angels come to the shepherds to share the good news of the birth of the Savior. At that time in history, shepherds were seen as outcasts and bandits, so Luke includes them in the birth of Jesus. Both agree that Mary and Joseph were in a stable when Jesus was born. Now, let us think about that. Jesus was placed in a manger; a manger was the feeding trough of the animals. Interesting that Jesus, the Bread of Life, is placed in a food tray. The place where Jesus was born was ordinary and stinky and not exactly fit for a King! But that is the beauty of both stories! Jesus came to us as a human to show us puny humans that it was possible to lead a good life; to be faithful in the face of temptation; and to love those around us. So if you put up shepherds and kings like I do, you combine the stories into one, the whole story! See you soon! Karen

6 Congratulations to the Winners of the Altar & Rosary Society Christmas Raffle 1 st Place $ in Gift Certificates Rebecca Gawsyszawski 2 nd Place $ in Gift Certificates Rich Leonard 3 rd Place $ in Gift Certificates Carol Span 4 th Place $ in Gift Certificates Marie Quick Thank you to everyone who participated in the 1 st Gift Card Christmas Tree Raffle. Also, thank you to everyone who supported our fund-raisers throughout this past year, and the November Bake Sale. Church Decorating Everyone is invited to come and join in preparing our Church for the beautiful Feast of Christmas. We will be decorating on Sunday, December 22 nd at 3 PM. Refreshments will be served afterwards. So, join us! Joy to the World Watch Special EWTN Christmas Programming! EWTN is proud to take you to Rome for LIVE Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses with Pope Francis, and to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC with its magnificent choir. Throughout this Christmas season, enjoy inspiring musical performances, animated features, specials for children and teens, movies and new holiday presentations perfect for the entire family. Praise the Roof Fund Balance Remaining $ As of October 31 st Less: Memorials thru November 30 th Additional Picnic Profit November Gifts /1 Praise the Roof Envelopes /3 Praise the Roof Envelopes /10 Praise the Roof Envelopes /17 Praise the Roof Envelopes /24 Praise the Roof Envelope BALANCE REMAINING $ _ Pastoral Council News Our current Pastoral Council members are Jim Armbruster, Dolores Minko, Ann Marie Zelenka, Dorothy Mangan, Lynn Korylko, Roseann Lozar, Patti Doan, Jim Rubinski, Ed Betliskey and Larry Pruchnicki. These representative members of St. John s Pastoral Council submit to Father Jasany any concerns or questions from parishioners which then are addressed at our monthly council meeting. If you have any concerns that you feel need to be addressed by the parish please contact one of these members. You may also call the rectory office and a Pastoral Council member will return your call.

7 Praise the Roof Memorials & Gifts In Loving Memory of Rose Frejofsky from Ralph & Genise Delligatti A Gift from Tom & Lucille Konkoly Winners of October s $1000 Raffle In Loving Memory of George Smith from his wife, Elaine A Gift from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish St. Wenceslaus Day Committee from Edward & Myrtle Uher from Tim Uher from Donna McCullough from Shirley Gorman from Richard Bolser from Marie Uher from Karen Uher In Loving Memory of Father Tom Sheehan From Dave & Marge Lanzola In Loving Memory of Joseph & Antoinette Kocab from Joseph Kocab On December 18 th the Central Deanery of the Holy Name Society will be having their annual Christmas Party. All Holy Name Society members are invited. The party will be at St. Monica Church, Rockside Road in Garfield Hts. The party will be held in the St. Joseph Room, which is downstairs in the parish office. The party begins at 7 PM. Please bring a covered dish. Please call Ed Briggs at to make a reservation or if you have questions. Looking for Christmas Gift ideas? Why not purchase gift cards for the people on your list? We have a large selection of gift cards available. Gift cards may be purchased at the rectory office weekdays from 8 AM to 4 PM and Monday thru Thursday evenings from 6 8:30 PM. We have a selection of gift cards from $5.00 to $ We have gift cards for Acme Fresh Market, Dave s Supermarket, Giant Eagle, Heinens, Applebee s, Arby s, Baker s Square, Bath & Body, Bed, Bath & Beyond, BP Gas, Bob Evans, Burget King, Chipotles, Cinemark, Cracker Barrel, CVS Pharmacy, Damons, Dicks, Drug Mart, Dunkin Donuts, Eat-n-Park, Gordon Foods, Honey Depot, Honey Baked Ham, K-Mart, Kohls, Lowe s, Macys, Malley s Candy, Marathon Gas, TJ Maxx, Mr. Chicken, Mr. Hero, Office Max, Olive Garden, Panera Bread, Outback Steakhouse, Papa Johns Pizza, Shell Gas, Speedway Gas, Starbucks, Subway, Texas Roadhouse, TGI Fridays, Toys-R-Us, Wahlgreens, Walmart & Wendys. Please call the rectory office if you have any questions at