WELCOME TO OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION CHURCH

Transcription

1

2 WELCOME TO OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION CHURCH Facility Reservations Calendar Please confirm events at Sat, Dec 10th Santa Breakfast (set-up) 8:00am, Parish Hall Curia Meeting 10:00am, St. John's Hall Raymond James Irwin Christmas Concert 7:00pm, Church Raymond James Irwin Christmas Concert Reception 9:00pm, St. John's Hall Sun, Dec 11th Breakfast with Santa 8:00am, Parish Hall Flame Meeting 10:00am, St. Paul's Room RCIA 11:00am, St. John's Hall Group Baptism 12:00pm, Church Mon, Dec 12th School band 2:00pm, St. John's Hall Troop 328 Scout Meeting 6:45pm, Seton Hall Christian Meditation 7:30pm, School Library Tue, Dec 13th PERT Club Meeting 11:00am, St. John's Hall Baptismal Preparation 7:00pm, St. Anne's Room Wed, Dec 14th Legion of Mary Meeting 8:45am, St. Anne's Room Catholic Daughters Ct :00pm, St. John's Hall OLA School Christmas Program 7:00pm, Church Thu, Dec 15th It's a Wrap (Auction Party) 8:30am, St. John's Hall OLA School Christmas Program 10:00am, Church Christmas Jazz Spectacular 4:00pm, Church Fri, Dec 16th It's a Wrap 6:00am, St. John's Hall Sowing for Jesus 8:30am, St. Anne's Room Sat, Dec 17th Baptism - Bayquen 10:00am, Church Save - The - Dates Wed, Dec. 21 st Penance Service 7:00pm, Church Dec. 23 rd, 26 th, 30 th, & Jan. 2 nd Parish Office Closed Beginning Saturday, January 7th, Saturday evening Mass will begin at 5:00pm. To receive parish updates in your , please contact Jane at development@olaparish.net with your address. Thank you! Mass Requests Sat, Dec. 10th 5:30pm Josh Wetherbee Abbes Family Jaynie Little Abbes Family Sun, Dec. 11th 8:00am Juanita Bolton Estelle Fay Dorothy Carpenter OLA Choir 9:30am Mario Affinito Nancy Affinito Gale Rock Eileen Rock 11:00am Dorothy Carpenter OLA Choir Cornelius J. Fippin Emmett & Jean Berry 7:30pm Dorothy Carpenter Gerald Klaas OLA Parishioners Mon, Dec. 12th 8:00am Dale Fuller Portillo Family Maria Lee Portillo Family Tues, Dec. 13th 8:00am Arnold Depner Emmett & Jean Berry Wed, Dec. 14th 8:00am Dorothy Carpenter Burke Family Thu, Dec. 15th 8:00am Alice Stein Burke Family Fri, Dec. 16th 8:00am Frank & Rena Comeaux Mouton Family Sat, Dec. 17th 5:30pm Lizz & Fred Baca Baca Family Gino Bertolucci Bertolucci Family Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/olaparish to receive notifications about upcoming events and more! 26 th Annual OLA Giving Tree Tags are still available on the OLA Giving Tree at the back of the church. Please choose a tag/s, purchase a new gift, wrap it, ATTACH THE TAG FIRMLY, and return the gift to the tree by Sunday, December18th before NOON. Thank you so much for sharing your Christmas joy and hope with those less fortunate. May you be blessed for your generosity. Questions? Please call Christine at , Beth at or MaryCaye at Hearing Assist Devices Available Please see our ushers to get a hearing assist device.

3 REFLECTIONS & EVENTS Advent Time for Rejoicing Today is traditionally called joy Sunday and our readings for today give us cause to rejoice. Isaiah has a vision of the desert and parched land rejoicing in the glory and splendor of the Lord. He is told to tell people to not fear, to be strong because God is here. This joy is what is told to John the Baptist when he is in prison. He had sent disciples to Jesus to find out if Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus told them to report to John what Jesus was doing, healing people and announcing the Good News. These are all signs of the Kingdom of God which came in Jesus Christ. Therefore we are invited to rejoice, to have hope doing good not complaining about one another as we patiently await the coming of the Lord in Glory. ~Fr. Eduino, Pastor Becoming a Joyful People Throughout Advent, we are called to a greater dedication to prayer and reflection as we wait for the Lord. This task isn t always easy. The months are cold, and there is a lot of stress due to planning festivities, getting together with family, and wrapping up last minute details. This Sunday, though, we remember that this time spent in prayer and reflection, amidst a period that often has many outside stressors, is also a time of joy. The Letter of Saint James tells us, You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. It is in this time of patience and preparation that we find joy, as seen in the poetic words of the prophet Isaiah: The desert and the parched land will exult and that the people rejoice with joyful song. Brothers and sisters, this is the true meaning of Advent: maintaining a sense of hope and joy while we wait for the Lord. Why? The Lord God keeps faith forever and has sent His Son to save us and restore us to the fullness of life. We have joy even in the difficult times of life precisely because we are preparing for something more, for eternal life with Jesus Christ. In turn, we take this joy and give it back to our families, our parish, our community, and our world. Throughout Advent, let us not only spend more time in prayer, reflection, and conversion, but let us also cultivate joy in all areas of our life. Just as Jesus is a beacon of hope for us, we can be His beacons out in the world, reminding people of the reason for our hope and joy this holiday season. For reflection: What is one small action I can do each day to cultivate joy in my life and the lives of others? How can I spend more time with Jesus each day in order to prepare for His coming? Examples might include saying a family rosary, spending just a few minutes in spiritual reading, or going to daily Mass. The goal is to do something that fits your particular circumstances and life. ~ Dean Marshall, OLA Seminarian Santa Breakfast - Sunday, December 11th Sunday, December 11 th, from 8:00 11:30am there will be breakfast in the Parish Hall. $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children, and $17.00 for a family. Photos with Santa will be offered for $ $ The Shoppe (gently used items) will be open for the children to do their Christmas shopping. There will also be Mrs. Claus baked goods for sale. If you come for the fun, please bring breakfast food items to donate to our SVdP Food Locker. Feast of the Holy Innocents Candlelight Procession and Mass On Wednesday, December 28th, the annual Feast of the Holy Innocents Candlelight Rosary Procession and Mass will meet at 5:00pm at the steps of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacramento (11th & K) and pray for the sanctity of life as we walk to Our Lady of Guadalupe (7th & T) for concelebrated Mass at 6:00pm. This March for Life commemorates those male infants of Bethlehem who were killed by decree of King Herod, as well as those innocent unborn babies lost by abortion today. Bring your family, sing with St. Mary s choir, and walk to Mass praying the rosary. Candles will be provided. Carpools will shuttle people back to their cars. Dress warmly and bring umbrellas if needed. For more information, please call Leticia at Thank You! A huge thank you to our school children and gracious volunteers who helped put our Christmas Parish Mail Out together. We are blessed to have each one of you in our faith family!

4 EVENTS & INFORMATION Cremation and the Order of Christian Funerals If a family chooses cremation, the cremation should take place at some time after the Funeral Mass, so that there can be an opportunity for the Vigil for the deceased in the presence of the body (during visitation or viewing at a church or funeral home). This allows for the appropriate reverence for the sacredness of the body at the Funeral Mass: sprinkling with holy water, the placing of the pall, and honoring it with incense. The Rite of Committal then takes place after cremation. Funeral homes offer several options in this case. One is the use of cremation caskets, which is essentially a rental casket with a cardboard liner that is cremated with the body. Another is a complete casket that is cremated (this casket contains minimal amounts of non-combustible material such as metal handles or latches). When cremation takes place before the Funeral Mass, the diocesan bishop permits the presence of cremated remains at the Funeral Mass. The cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, and the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition. The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains at the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires. ~United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 2016 Join us for the 2017 Walk for Life in San Francisco! OLA is partnering with St. John the Evangelist Church to travel to the 2017 Walk for Life West Coast on January 21 st ( This is a wonderful opportunity to pray, to witness to the beauty of life in all its stages, and have a bit of fun. We will leave St. John's after the 8:30am Mass that Saturday and return by 6pm. The cost is $25 dollars per person; reservations will not be confirmed without payment. Please note that we have a very limited number of seats that will fill up fast, so please make your reservation ASAP! Please contact Dean Marshall, OLA Seminarian, at the parish office or via at seminarian@olaparish.net. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Married Couples Married Couples: Christmas is upon us. Are you thinking about the perfect gift to give your spouse? We have the answer! A Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend. It is the greatest gift you can give each other. The weekend will give you the time and tools to revitalize romance, deepen communication, and nourish the spirituality in your marriage. For more information, visit our website at: Vocations Cross Prayer Campaign On the First Sunday of Advent (Nov. 27), OLA started a Vocations Cross Prayer Campaign. Each week, a family will be selected to take home the Vocations Cross. During their week, they commit to praying for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, as well as for our priests, seminarians, and religious in the Diocese of Sacramento. The cross will then be returned to the parish the following Friday, and presented to a new family on Saturday evening or Sunday at the Mass they normally attend. If you are interested in participating, please contact Dean Marshall at or at: seminarian@olaparish.net. PERT Club The PERT Club will meet on Tuesday, December 13 th, at 11:00am, in St. John s Hall, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish for a Christmas celebration with a short meeting, some sing-along Christmas songs led by Peter Kilkenny, Lotto and door prizes. The luncheon buffet will be served at noon. Ham will be supplied by the Club. You are to bring the supporting dishes you always fix so well. Please bring your own place setting, glass and coffee cup. A handsome centerpiece, from your personal collection, would add greatly to the general décor. Ten games of BINGO will begin after lunch. Please bring some nonperishable food items for the St Vincent de Paul Food Locker. There will be no charge for members this year. Guests will be $3.00 as usual. Call Jerry or Pat at or George at if you have questions.

5 CONTACT PARISH OFFICE TO JOIN OUR MINISTRIES! All Saints Social Club is a group of Catholics from OLA and surrounding parishes who have three objectives: to improve the spiritual, educational, and social welfare of its members. Altar Servers light candles, hold the books, and handle the vessels, etc. so that the celebrant can focus on leading the assembly in prayer. Servers Girls and boys, 5th grade and older, are invited to participate. Bereavement Committee Members provide caring support to those who have lost loved ones while assisting with funeral planning. Building and Grounds Committee coordinates the regular maintenance and improvement of the parish buildings and grounds. Catholic Daughters of America strive to be helping hands where there is pain, poverty, sorrow or sickness. Eucharistic Homebound Ministers bring homebound parishioners Eucharist to their homes or care facilities. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist in the distribution of Holy Communion. Men and women (16yrs and older) must be fully initiated Catholics to participate. Faith Formation for Children volunteers teach the Catholic Faith to our parish children once a week. Family Promise Ministry provides fellowship and healthy meals to homeless families with children. Permanent housing is the ultimate goal, along with developing the self-sufficiency needed to sustain them. The Parish Finance Council is a consultative body of lay parishioners who advise the Pastor in matters pertaining to the financial affairs of the parish. Habitat for Humanity volunteers provide time and talent to build homes for families in need. Habitat's affordable, no-profit house payments free up money for food, child care, medicine and other necessities. The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic Family Fraternal Service Organization, which assists the Church and communities in the Arden Carmichael areas. Lectors are lay ministers who read from the Lectionary at Mass or other liturgical celebrations. Men and women who are fully initiated Catholics are invited to participate as lectors. The Legion of Mary is an international evangelical organization dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They bring Eucharist each week to individual homebound persons and care facilities in the area, as well as facilitating a Mass once a month at each of those facilities. The Liturgy Committee under the direction of the Pastor, sets goals, direction and principles for the liturgical life of the parish, assesses the needs of the worshipping assembly, trains competent liturgical ministers, and implements directives from the universal Church and the diocesan church. The Environment Committee liturgically adorns the inside of the church. Greeters receive the community and welcome them to our Faith Family. Ushers help worshipers find seats, take up the collection, coordinate the presentation of the gifts and give visitors necessary information. Martha & Mary Gathering is open to all parish ladies. They meet for fellowship, spiritual growth, and to assist with parishioner funeral receptions. Ministry of Small Things volunteers help parishioners with various one-time tasks according to their abilities. Music Ministers offer their gifts by singing or playing an instrument in our adult and youth choirs. Offertory Counters are volunteer teams who count the offertory collections. The Pastoral Council is a pastoral consultative body which strives to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit among God s people in the parish. It gives its help to the Pastor in fostering pastoral activity. P.E.R.T. (People Enjoying Retirement Together) promotes the spirit of friendship while providing opportunities for programs and activities to enhance the temporal and spiritual life of their later years. Respect Life Committee, through prayer and events, promotes life from conception to natural death. Social Committee engages our parish community in a welcoming manner through the planning and execution of social events like our community dinners. Social Ministry Coordination Committee will coordinate social justice activities for the parish. Sowing for Jesus is a group who craft and grow spiritually together once a week. St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) OLA Conference is a group of Catholic lay persons who respond to the needs of the poor living within the OLA parish boundaries. These needs are met through the twice-weekly onsite food locker and home visitation teams who provide temporary assistance with rent, utilities, clothing, etc. Vocations Committee prays and has events to inspire people to consider the religious life. Women s Book Club will meet to share the joy of reading.

6 YOUTH OLA Youth Christmas Choir Your help is needed to make our 4:00 Christmas Eve Mass extra joyful! We are looking for children and teens ages 7-17 to form a special choir to sing on Christmas Eve. Please encourage the children and teens you know to join us. There is not much of a time commitment, and the gift of the participation of our parish youth will be so greatly appreciated and make a big difference! There will be one main rehearsal, plus an early arrival time for the Mass. The music will be simple and familiar. We will also be singing two special songs, including The Little Drummer Boy and a contemporary worship song by Matt Maher called Love Has Come. Students participating in the Christmas Eve Mass pageant are also welcome to sing in the choir! If you have a child visiting, who can make the practices, he or she is welcome too. Please contact Casey Oliver at or worship@olaparish.net with any questions. Thank you for your help! Rehearsal: Thursday, December 22nd at 6:00 pm in the church Mass: Saturday, December 24th at 4:00 pm (arrival time 3:00 pm) Youth Group Supports The Community! Our Youth Ministry has been busy supporting our community! They made 338 care packages of toiletries for the Soap for Souls program this year and received 308 donated coats for the Coat Drive benefitting homeless men and women through the Cathedral Square Homeless Program. We appreciate their hard work and excellent leadership. Soap for Souls Year Round Collection OLA youth group is sponsoring a toiletries drive year round for St. Vincent de Paul. We are in need of any and all travel soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, etc. Baskets will be in the back of the church labeled Soap for Souls. We appreciate your generosity. OLA Youth Choir and Ensemble (Grades 3-12) All parish and school children in grades 3-12 are invited to participate in these activities. We are looking for singers and musicians. Practices are from 6:00-6:55pm on Wednesday evenings in the church. Please contact our Music Director, Casey Oliver, with any questions at: worship@olaparish.net. There will be one Mass time change effective January 1st. The Saturday evening Mass will begin at 5:00pm. The first Mass when this will take place will be January 7 th. Youth Ministry Dinner and Mass Fellowship Night Every 3 rd Sunday of the month, starting in September, come and break bread in the youth room. Then attend Mass together and experience our faith through prayers and worship. There will be a light dinner in the youth room from 6:30pm to 7:15pm followed by attendance at the 7:30pm Mass. Help to participate in the Mass by greeting, ushering, bringing up the gifts, and Reading. This evening is for youth in grades 7 th 12 th. RSVP is not required. If you have any questions please contact OLA Youth Minister, Johann Miller at or youth@olaparish.net. OLA Middle School Youth Group (Grades 7-8) Wednesdays 7:00pm - 8:30pm: Youth Group meetings are held in Seton Hall. Please contact Johann at or youth@olaparish.net.

7 STEWARDSHIP & SCRIPTURE & EVENTS Thank you for your generosity on December 3rd & 4th! Weekend Offertory: $15, Electronic Giving: $ Total: $16, Average Weekly Budget Amount: $13, Retirement Fund for Religious Aging religious need your help. Senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests have offered their lives in service to others - educating the young, comforting the sick, seeking justice for the oppressed. Today, many are frail, elderly, and in need of assistance. Your gift to the Retirement Fund for Religious helps to furnish medications, nursing care, and other necessities. Please give generously to today s second collection. You too must be patient. Make you hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:8 Patience is another one of those things many of us struggle with. We want things to go according to our plan and our schedule. Any change brings anxiety and fear. Through daily prayer we better align ourselves with God s will and His plan, which is far better than anything we can come up with on our own. Shop From Your Living Room Via Amazon Smile and a donation will be sent to OLA! Shop on Amazon via smile.amazon.com/ch/ and they will give a percentage of your dollars spent to OLA Church. We do not see who is shopping or what is purchased we just get a check. Thank you for considering this way to contribute to OLA while shopping from the comfort of your home! OLA Women s Christ the King Retreat Sign up now for the OLA Women s Retreat taking place February 24 th - 26 th. For questions, reservations, or additional dates, please contact Patty at OLA Young Adults Group (College Age) Second & fourth Fridays from 7:00pm - 8:30pm: Young Adults Group meetings are held in Seton Hall. Please contact Johann at or youth@olaparish.net. Mass Requests Please contact the Parish Office if you would like to request a Mass. The Diocese recommended stipend for this is $10 per request. No request will be denied due inability to pay. Pictures of Our Dearly Departed at the Offertory Table You may notice a picture of a recently deceased parishioner placed on the Offertory gift table in front of the baptistery. Tom Nelson, a parishioner, made this wonderful suggestion to inform the OLA community when a member of our congregation has passed away. Please keep the deceased and his or her family in our prayers during this difficult time. Pastoral Assistance for Victims of Sexual Abuse The Diocese of Sacramento provides pastoral care to persons who have suffered sexual abuse by members of the Catholic clergy and other Catholic Church workers. Please call toll-free at if you are seeking assistance in coping with this tragic situation. Assistance is available in English and Spanish. OLA High School Youth Group (Grades 9-12) Tuesdays 7:00-8:30pm: Youth Group meetings are held in Seton Hall. Please contact Johann or Tracy at or youth@olaparish.net. Bulletin Item Submission We welcome you to submit items for possible inclusion in our weekly bulletin. Scripts must be received at development@olaparish.net no later than Friday evening for inclusion in the following weekend s bulletin. Please note that items may be edited for length as we strive to include numerous parish and diocesan items.

8