The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Transcription

1 W e l c o m e t o S t. P a t r i c k C h u r c h C h a p e l S t r e e t, G r a s s V a l l e y, C a l i f o r n i a The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph December 28, 2014 Father Sylvester Kwiatkowski, Pastor Father Innocent Subiza, Parochial Vicar James Shea, Deacon Carlos Astesana, Deacon (retired) Brian Moore, Deacon (retired) James Chatigny, Deacon (retired) Mass Schedule Saturday vigil 5 pm Sunday 7:30, 9 and 11 am Monday through Saturday 8:30 am Spanish Mass Saturday 6:30 pm Reconciliation Saturday 3 to 4:30 pm or by appointment Monday through Saturday 7:50 am Eucharistic Adoration See overleaf We, the parish of St. Patrick Church, being one community growing in faith and proclaiming our belief in the message and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, invite all to open their hearts, hear His call, and become one with the Body of Christ.

2 St. Patrick Church 235 Chapel Street Grass Valley, CA phone fax web Fr. Sylvester Kwiatkowski, Pastor Fr. Innocent Subiza, Parochial Vicar (residence St. Canice Church) Linda Shirkey, Secretary Pamela Magill, Bookkeeper John Evans, Facilities Manager Karen Burford, Director of Faith Formation x 201 karinab@aol.com Barbara Burns, RCIA x 205 burnsla@peoplepc.com Frank Ortiz, Youth Ministry x 204 fortiz_53@hotmail.com Sr. Wendy Mitchell, Marian Consecration Mount St. Mary Academy info@mtstmarys.org For anointing of the sick, hospital visits or communion visits at home, please notify the parish office. Eucharistic Adoration Schedule Friday 9:15 to 11:00 a.m. First Saturday of the month 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. First Sunday of the month 12:00 Noon to 8:00 p.m. PASTOR S CORNER by Father Sylvester Kwiatkowski The Holy Family is the name given to the family unit of Jesus: Jesus, the Son of God; His mother, Mary; and his foster-father, Joseph. The Feast of the Holy Family is not just only about the Holy Family, but also about our own families too. The main purpose of the Feast is to present the Holy Family as the model for all Christian families, and for domestic life in general. Our family life becomes sanctified when we live the life of the Church within our homes. Just how does one live out the Church in the family? The best way is by making Christ the center of family and individual life. The Christian home is the place where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. When family members pray together, engage in lifelong learning, forgive one another, serve each other, welcome others, affirm and celebrate life, and bring justice and mercy to the community, they help each other live the faith and grow in faith. Some families may think they re too broken to be used for the Lord s purposes. They need to remember that a family is holy not because it s perfect, but because God s grace is at work in it. The Feast of the Holy Family is a good time to remember the family unit and pray for our human and spiritual families. We also may take this feast to reflect on the value and sanctity of the family unit, and to evaluate our own family life. What ways may it be improved? What would Jesus, Mary, and Joseph do? Finally, we can use this feast to ask ourselves what are we doing to promote the family within our own cultures, neighborhoods, and communities. On the last Sunday of the year, let us say a Thanksgiving prayer for all God s graces that each one of us receives from His greatness every day. Let us pray that 2015 will be the year of peace, abundant joy and love of Jesus in our hearts. READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK December 29 through January 4 Monday: 1 John 2:3-11 Luke 2:22-35 Tuesday: 1 John 2:12-17 Luke 2:36-40 Wednesday: 1 John 2:18-21 John 1:1-18 Thursday: Numbers 6:22-27 Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:16-21 Friday: 1 John 2:22-28 John 1:19-28 Saturday: 1 John 2:29-3:6 John 1:29-34 Sunday: Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12 MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK Monday 12/29 8:30 am All Parishioners Tuesday 12/30 8:30 am Christopher Godwin (D) Wednesday 12/31 8:30 am All Parishioners Thursday 1/1 11 am Beverly Gomez (D) Friday 1/2 8:30 am All Parishioners Saturday 1/3 8:30 am 5 pm Sunday 1/4 7:30 am 11 am All Parishioners Carolyn Rice (D) The Field and Babson Families Living and Deceased All Parishioners All Parishioners

3 FAMILY MINISTRY AND FORMATION Religious Education and Catholic Formation for Our Public School Families REGULAR FAITH FORMATION January 4: Regular Faith Formation Topic: Epiphany and Stewardship January 11: Catholic Identity: Sacraments and Sacrament Workshop WHAT IS FAMILY MINISTRY AND FORMATION? Family Ministry and Formation is a unique and dynamic religious education process that teaches our Catholic Faith to the children, youth and parents of our community, including preparation for the Holy Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation. Please note that preparing children or youth for the sacraments is a two-year preparation process. For more information about our program, please call Karen at , x 201 or at karinab@aol.com. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL PARISH FAMILIES! We pray that the Holy Family will bless you, guide you and fill your new year with peace, hope and love! Karen Burford and the Faith Formation Team January 11, 9 a.m. Mass Rite of Commitment for Sacrament Families The families preparing their children and youth to receive the Holy Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation will participate in a Rite of Commitment that signifies their prayerful discernment and commitment to continue the process of preparing to receive the Sacraments in the Spring of Please pray for these children, youth and their parents or guardians. BAPTISM CLASS Our next series of baptism classes for parents and godparents is scheduled for Saturday mornings, February 28 and March 7. Parents and/or godparents will need to register for both classes. There is a $25 fee which covers the class book and materials. Classes are held at St. Cecilia s Parish Center which is located behind the school above the grass field. These classes are required by the diocese and provide a wonderful opportunity for parents and godparents to meet other families of the parish. They also help parents in their understanding of our Holy Sacraments and what it truly means to be a practicing Catholic and a member of God s church family. If you are pregnant, have a child that needs baptism, or you know you will be asked to be a godparent, please call Karen at , x 201 or at karinab@aol.com to register for the class and for more information. Please note that the next class will not be until the Spring of KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ANNUAL CRAB FEED It s that time of year again to feast on wonderful Dungeness crab. Please join us on Saturday, February 14, at 6 p.m. in St. Patrick s hall. Tickets are on sale now for $45 per person (8 tickets required for full table reservation). Don t wait because the tickets go fast. We will have fresh crab, pesto pasta, salad, French bread, a no-host bar and a wonderful time had by all. Look forward to seeing you there. For ticket information, please contact Lou Freschi at ST. JOSEPH GUILD MEN S CLUB CRAB AND SHRIMP FEED If you can t wait for the Knights Crab Feed, please join us on Saturday, January 17, in St. Canice Hall for all-you-can-eat fresh-cracked crab and steamed shrimp, homemade clam chowder, salad, bread, dessert and a no-host bar. Doors open at 5:30 p.m, and dinner is at 7 p.m. The cost is $40 per person, and reservations are recommended. For more information please call Jeff Hebert at or at jkjhebert@comcast.net. PRO LIFE WALK FOR LIFE WEST COAST In the suggested Prayer of the Faithful in the December Magnificat for today: The Catechism teaches that we receive the life of faith through the Church, she is our mother... the mother of our new birth. Let us pray: For those charged with protecting society: that they will build a world in which family life is revered, protected, and promoted. For the universal respect of all human persons from conception to natural death: that the culture of life will transform every human society and human heart. For blessings on all families: that the love, the unity, and the self-donation of the Holy Family will overflow to all families and especially to the unborn. Join us for the 11 th Annual Pro-Life Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco on Saturday, January 24, We have one 56-seat bus reserved and there is still room for you. $25 per person gives you the round trip bus ride; coffee, juice, donuts, rolls before we leave; and bottled water and snacks during the walk. To reserve your seat on the bus, or get info, call Charlie Babiarz at or your RSVP to WFLbusGrassValley@gmail.com. For additional info, history, resources, etc, check out the Walk for Life West Coast web site at Then take action and RSVP your place on the bus and pray for life! NEW YEAR S DAY MASSES Thursday, January 1, is the feast of Mary, Mother of God and is a Holy Day of Obligation. There will only be one Mass at St. Patrick at 11 a.m. and one Mass at St. Canice at 9 a.m. There will be no vigil Masses on December 31 at either church.

4 ST. PATRICK MEETINGS THIS WEEK Mon 12/29 7:50 am 7 pm Tues 12/30 7:50 am 9:30 am 6 pm 6:30 pm 7 pm Wed 12/31 7:50 am 9:30 am Thurs 1/1 7:50 am Fri 1/2 7:50 am 5 pm Sat 1/3 7:50 am 9:15 am Sun 1/4 10 am 12:30 pm Divine Mercy Choir Practice O.L. Perpetual Help Legion of Mary Choir Practice Book Club Knights of Columbus Divine Mercy Bible Study Liturgy of the Hours Eucharistic Adoration Choir Practice Families of Nazareth Opening Doors Catechism Round Table FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP ~Our Return to God~ Immaculate Conception 12/8: $2,801 Our Lady of Guadalupe 12/12: $406 Sunday Collection 12/14: $10,312 2nd Collection Religious Retirement 12/14: $5,928 Mount St. Mary s 12/14: $185 Weekly collection budget for fiscal year: $10,769 Thank you for your generosity! PILGRIM VIRGIN OF FATIMA STATUE The Pilgrim Virgin of Fatima statue has been visiting homes throughout the parishes of St. Canice, St. Patrick and St. Dominic in Colfax since 1991, making over 500 home visitations. The statue represents Our Lady herself who s message is to bring peace and who s purpose is to prepare the family or individual for Consecration to her Son s Sacred Heart. The statue stays in the home for at least nine days so that a novena can be made. We are in need of a home to bring the Pilgrim Virgin of Fatima to during these holy days of Christmas. Do you feel a call to invite her into your home? She is waiting. Please call Helen at ST. PATRICK STEWARDSHIP On Friday, December 12, here at St. Patrick, we celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with a special Mass at 5:30 a.m. It actually was suppose to start at the break of dawn to meet or keep up with the traditional commemoration ceremonies, but that is hard to do. When the service started the church was almost full. If it keeps up as it has been, next year's celebration will have all the pews filled up. A young man started beating the cadence on a drum for the ladies to come dancing into church, the leader bearing incense, with five ladies following her. They assembled at the foot of the altar, bowed, and went to the choir area to begin their music festival. The music itself was very unique, and told the story of Juan Diego and how the Blessed Mother appeared to him, and the request that was made back in A request was made to a humble and indigenous man to have a church built and be acknowledged as the Mother of the True God. This request was passed on to his skeptical bishop. Finally, the bishop had to accept the proof given to him: Juan Diego's cloak filled with roses and the image of the Blessed Mother imprinted on his cloak. After completion of the celebration of the Eucharist, the festivities continued in the hall with a fiesta, children dancing in traditional costumes, and honoring the Blessed Mother at a special table that was set up and decorated for her. Mexican food was served, along with hot chocolate, to a hall full of parishioners. Please put this event on your calendar for next year. Yes, it is early but well worth the minor penance for the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe, honoring her for all that she has done and continues to do for us as the mother of Jesus. At the end of World War II, Pope Pius XII declared Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the Patroness of both North and South America. Then in 1999, St. John Paul II declared Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the Patroness of the Unborn. This last fact is one that has such a special meaning and needs to be remembered. With that thought in mind, please pray and consider signing up for the bus ride to the San Francisco Walk For Life on Saturday, January 24. What a special way to pay tribute to the Blessed Mother, the Patroness of the Unborn. The trip begins here at Saint Patrick with the bus leaving around 8:30 a.m.. Registering, picking up your snacks, having coffee and donuts, and meeting with the rest of the group begins at about 7 a.m. The return time is about 7:30 p.m. For more information, please contact Charlie Babiarz at Pondering thought: May the Spirit of Christmas always be in our hearts Pat Gerving

5 PARISH BOOK CLUB GATHERING All parishioners are invited to a meeting of the St. Patrick and St. Canice Book Club on Tuesday, December 30, at 7 pm in the Angel s Nest. The Angel s Nest is located at the back of St. Patrick s Church and can be reached by walking along the outside right wall of the Church. The meeting will last about an hour and a half. We will be discussing Mother Theresa, Come Be My Light: the Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta, edited by Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C., Doubleday 2007, ISBN The book is available on line or at your favorite bookstore. The discussion will be led by Michael Moreland. In addition to stimulating conversation, coffee, tea and cookies will be provided. WE ARE GOD S HOLY FAMILY The scriptures of Israel are filled with many stories of barren couples who were miraculously granted the gift of children by God. Surely the best known among these is the first reading from today, from which Luke took inspiration when he recounted the miraculous birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth, and the more miraculous birth of Jesus to Mary and Joseph. In each instance, we are given examples or role models of those who trusted in God. More than examples of those who trust, they are models of self-surrender. They abandoned their own presuppositions and prejudices about the workings of the world and turned their lives over to belief in a God who can make life grow where none ought to; a God who can turn death around into a new and unimagined life; a God who can, today, take a tiny child of humble parents in an insignificant town and make him into a light for all the world. This is what we, as God s holy family, are called to do each day: to trust not in ourselves and the way we think things should be, but to open ourselves and surrender ourselves in faith to a God of endless promise. Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. SAVE THOSE DECORATIONS FOR CLRS Every year when decorating your tree and home you find a number of items you no longer enjoy (or perhaps never liked in the first place!) You don t use them but they are too nice to throw away...what s an elf to do? The Catholic Ladies Relief Society can solve this problem for you. This year when decorating or taking down your tree, put unwanted Christmas decorations aside and we will take them off your hands to use in our fundraising next year. Please leave your items in the vestibule of the Church clearly marked CLRS and they will be picked up daily. Thanks and God bless you. Any questions call Dolores at daytime and evenings. "You are children of eternity. Your immortal crown awaits you, to reward your duty and love. You may indeed sow here in tears, but you may be sure there to reap in joy." St. Elizabeth Ann Seton TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION In the last century, a few new feasts were blended into the Church year, including today s. After World War I, the chaos of daily life in Europe made its impact felt on the family structure. Partly to offer Christians an image of hope and holiness in married family life, and also to promote the welfare of children, today s feast was invented in In 1969, it became a feast of Christmas. The prayers today remind us not only of family life, but of life in the community of faith. We ponder the mystery of a God who loves us dearly enough to embrace the struggles, joys, and daily sorrows of family life. The message of Christmas shines through: God-with-us is available to us in the ordinary patterns of our lives and commitments. The lives of people who raise their children in difficult circumstances, and of people who remain faithful to life in the Church in spite of some of their own family struggles, occupy a special place in our hearts today in prayer. Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. REFLECTING ON GOD S WORD On Christmas we celebrate God becoming human, when the face of creation was changed. We ponder that great mystery of the Incarnation: Jesus is true God and truly human. The divine has entered into communion with the human in the body and soul of Jesus of Nazareth. Christmas is not a single day, however, but an entire season. Today, the Sunday after Christmas, we ponder the Holy Family. What difference does this mystery of the Incarnation make for families? Jesus came to bring together the children of Israel into a new family, a family united not by blood but by faith in him. So in today s Gospel we see some of the first members of that family. Luke s Gospel has been called the Gospel of Jesus as the compassion of God, the Gospel of prayer, the Gospel of the Holy Spirit; we can also think of it as the Gospel of family. He first introduces us to Mary s cousin, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth s husband, Zechariah, parents of John the Baptist. Then we meet Mary and Joseph. Today we meet two other family members, Simeon and Anna, not related by blood, but only by faith in the promises of the God of Israel. Each sees in the child Jesus the glory of Israel and the light for the Gentiles. Christmas reminds us that by baptism into Christ we are now part of God s family. As God s family, God s chosen ones, as Paul reminded the Colossians (3:62), we are to put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R. Copyright 2014, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.

6