Prepare the way of the Lord, Make straight his paths.

Transcription

1 Church of the Immaculate Conception We at Immaculate Conception are a group of people bound together by our belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior. When we were baptized, we were called to share in His work. Therefore we pledge ourselves to build a community where all are welcomed, loved, needed and appreciated. Armed with the faith in the Immaculate Conception of Mary, we will celebrate the gift of life together in word and sacrament. November 28 and 29, 2015 First Sunday of Advent Church of the Immaculate Conception 1180 State Highway 206, Greene, New York Rev. Msgr. John P. Putano, Administrator Website: iccgreene.wordpress.com immcongreene@syrdio.org Facebook: Church of the Immaculate Conception And ICC Youth Group Parish Office: Tue. thru Thurs. 10:30 am to 4:30 pm Mary Wentlent, Parish Manager Audrée Beach, Admin. Asst Fax Baptism & RCIA ICC Parish Office Religious Education: Kathy Nichols knichols3@hotmail.com Youth Ministry: ICC Parish Council: Nancy Amell, Francis Feldpausch - President, Donna Heisler, Joanne Moxley, Penny Sweet, Zach Urda. ICC Trustees: Jackie Henninge ; jackiehenninge@frontier.com Robert Larkin ; robertmlarkin@gmail.com Feel free to contact the Trustees or Council Members with any concerns you have about our parish. Prepare the way of the Lord, Make straight his paths. Weekend Mass Schedule Pastoral Care Area South: Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00 pm Immaculate Conception, Greene 5:45 pm St. Joseph, Oxford Sunday: 8:45 am St. Joseph, Oxford 10:15 am Immaculate Conception, Greene 4:00 pm St. Paul, Norwich

2 Church of the Immaculate Conception, Greene, New York Page 2 Mass Schedule SATURDAY 11/28/15 4:00 pm For Parishioners SUNDAY 11/29/15 First Sunday of Advent 10:15 am Paul Chambers by Angie Babcock Shirley Detweiler by Parish Family THURSDAY 12/3/15 8:30 am Communion Service SATURDAY 12/5/15 4:00 pm Charles R. Brown by Parish Family Slim Hingos by Parish Family SUNDAY 12/6/15 10:15 am For Parishioners LAY PERSONS SCHEDULE Weekend of: Weekend of: November 29, 2015 December 6, :00 pm Saturday 4:00 pm Saturday E. M. s: S. Northrup H. Connelly J. Moxley D. Barden Lector: J. Trepa D. Maginsky Servers: Adult Volun. Adult Volunteer 10:15 am Sunday: 10:15 am Sunday: E. M. s: C. Gibbons B. Doughty M. Kim L. Detweiler E. Browning M. Browning Lector: P. Husband B. Larkin Servers: L. Flanagan D. Furman C. Grant D. Heisler C. Leonard K. Browning Counters: D. Maginsky E. Browning T. Mulvey B. Norton CLOW: L. Detweiler C. Gibbons G. Wentlent S. Grown Sacrificial Giving and Expenses for the month of October 2015: Total Income: $ 9, Total Expense: $ 7, nd Collection, 12/13 - Cathedraticum Expenses include: accountant fees, Holy Family School, insurance, Remember St. Paul s advice: God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor.9:7) ICC WEEK AT A GLANCE SUNDAY 11/29 First Sunday of Advent 8:45 a Rel. Ed. Class - AC 9:00 a Bible Study 11:30 a Confession 11:30 a Chime Practice MONDAY 11/30 6 p Cub Scouts TUESDAY 12/1 WEDNESDAY 12/2 10:30 a Circle of Friends Christmas Party - H, K THURSDAY 12/3 9:30 a Bible Study 6 p Cub Scouts 7 p Knights of Columbus FRIDAY 12/4 5-7 p St. Joseph s Fish Dinner - SJ 7 p Christmas Concert - Episcopal Church SATURDAY 12/5 2:30 p First Saturday Fatima Rosary 3:15 p Confession SUNDAY 12/6 Second Sunday of Advent 8:45 a Rel. Ed. Classes 9 a Bible Study 11:30 a Confession 4 p Chamber Singers Christmas Concert - Congregational Church Location Codes: S Sanctuary; H Parish Hall; K Kitchen; CR Cry Room; L Library; P Pavilion; AC All Church; OF-Out Front; OB-Out Back; SJ St. Joseph s, DT Downtown. First Weekend of the Month Food Pantry Collection! Bring your non-perishable food item to the weekend Mass to support our Greene Area Churches Food Pantry! Pick up your 2016 Catholic Calendar in the vestibule The Giving Tree is up! If you would like to brighten someone's Christmas please take a tag from the tree and print your name, phone number and tag number on the list. Purchase the requested gift, wrap the gift in Christmas paper, attach the tag to the gift and return it to the Giving Tree by the date on the tag. More tags will be added to the tree over the next two weeks. If you have questions, or would like to add a name to the tree call Karen at Thank you.

3 November 29, 2015 Christmas Party hosted by the ICC Circle of Friends!! All seniors are invited to this months get together on Wednesday December 2nd beginning at 10:30 am. Come for fellowship, a game of cards or a special Christmas Trivia Game! As always, you are welcome to bring an item for lunch to be shared by all. Wear your favorite Christmas Sweater! Hometown Holiday Weekend begins on Friday, December 4, with a lighting of the town Christmas Tree followed by a Christmas Concert at Zion Episcopal Church at 7 p.m. Come hear beautiful music by an adult community choir, Greene schools singing groups and special soloist and instrumentalist. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - join us for our Feast Day Mass on Tuesday Dec. 8th at 6:30, followed by dessert and a glass of wine in the church hall. This starts the Jubilee year of Mercy as requested by Pope Francis. Bring your baby Jesus from your home Manger scene on the weekend of Dec. 12 and 13 for a special blessing by Father Lupa. Pope Francis has designated the third Sunday of Advent (Latare Sunday) as a time when parishes across the world can join together for a Blessing of the Bambinelli. We will have some small figurines of baby Jesus in the Manger for those who do not bring one but still want to participate in this special blessing. "The Light is on for You" A special Diocesan wide Penance Service, Monday, December 14th. Fr. Lupa will hear confession here at ICC from 4-5:30 pm & at St. Joseph from 6-7:30 pm Boxed Offering Envelopes will be available about the middle of December. If you would like to receive a boxed set of envelopes to use for your weekly tithing or no longer use your set, please notify the Parish Office ASAP. Using the envelopes is a good way to manage your tithing and we will mail you a year-end statement each January. Church of the Immaculate Conception, Greene, NY Page 5 Volunteer Opportunities Greene Food Pantry The first weekend of each month we take up a collection of non-perishable foods for our local food pantry. May & November we cover the hours at the Pantry. Meals On Wheels Our volunteers make the deliveries for August & February: Mon, Wed, Fri, 11:15am. Our Brother s Keeper We take donations of CLEAN blankets, quilts, sheets, towels, batting & fiber fill. & yarn. Please bag the items. Bottle & Can Drive - drop off your refundable items n the bin next to the Rectory garage. St. Pauly Textile collection shed in our parking lot. Donate your unwanted clothes & fabric items & ICC receives 5 cents per pound collected. Community Interest 50/50 Raffle to benefit the St. Joseph Cemetery Association. Tickets available after their weekend Masses & at the monthly Fish Dinners. The drawing held during the 12/4 Fish Dinner. The Holy Year of Mercy Celebrate at St. Francis of Assisi, Hillcrest the weekend of 12/5, 6 & 7. Bishop Matthew Clark is their guest presenter as they focus on Preparation, Reconciliation & Mary our mother to begin our Journey. See poster in the vestibule for schedule of events. Bi-Lingual Mass for the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Sat. 12/12 at 5 pm, St. James, JC. Embracing Hope-An Advent Reflection - Parish Mission - St. James, JC, featuring Dan Schutte- December 14-16, 7pm 12th Annual Choruses For Chow Benefit Concert The Southerntiersmen Barbershop Chorus concert Saturday, 12/2, 2 pm, SJJ Memorial UMC, JC. All proceeds go to CHOW. Tickets- $10/adv, $12 at the door. Church of St. Bartholomew Love at Work 2015 Capital Campaign $100 Raffle Ticket Fund Drive: 1st PRIZE-$2,500; 2nd -1,250; 3rd -$750; 4th -$500. Drawing after the 4pm Vigil Mass 12/19 Only 10 of the 100 Tickets remain to be sold; need not be present to win. Call

4 A Professional Agency for Personal & Business Insurance Gray & Sons Agency, Inc. Kathy Pilkington Robert J. Greene Genesee Street, Greene, NY Continuing Our Tradition of Service Since 1914 NEVILLE LAW OFFICE Chris P. Neville, Esq. Robert M. Larkin, Of Counsel P. O. Box 570 * 36 Genesee St. Greene, New York KENNEDY FUNERAL HOME, INC. 21 North Chenango St., Greene, NY service@kennedyfuneralhome.net Root Funeral Home Your Ad Here! Greene s Oldest Funeral Home and the surrounding communities. $ small; $ medium; $ large; for one year. The ad is shared with St. Joseph s bulletin. Call Charles C. Dietrich North Chenango Street Greene, New York BY PATRONIZING OUR BULLETIN ADVERTISERS YOU ARE SAYING THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO PUBLISH OUR BULLETIN. Member New York State Funeral Director Assoc. Serving Greene, Oxford Molly S. Nolan Licensed R.E. Salesperson Cell Bartles Pharmacy 10 Lafayette Park. Oxford, NY St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery Oxford, New York Construction Home Improvement Lawn Mowing/Brush Hogging Excavating Gerry Reiss Mike Reiss A beautiful, peaceful resting place Double Plot $700 1 casket & 1 urn or 2 urns Oxford, New York Parish Registration Form Name: Address: City: Phone: State: Zip Code: I am new to the parish and wish to register. I am previously registered and would once again like envelopes. Mail to: Immaculate Conception Church, 1180 State Hwy. 206, Greene, NY or place in collection basket

5 November 29, 2015 Father s Notes Advent customs What is now the proper arrangement for an Advent wreath? Formerly we used three purple and one pink. In recent years I have seen other forms of the Advent wreath some-times with white candles and blue bows. What is proper now? There is no official form of the Advent wreath. It can be for our homes a beautiful & meaningful symbol of the spirit of Advent, but its arrangement is only a matter of custom. The observation you make about Advent however, is significant in light of the developing flavor of the Church s observance of this important time of year. In times past, Advent was seen as somewhat of a mini -Lent, a time of penance & self-denial, but with a tinge of joy in the background - perhaps symbolized most by the rose vestments the priest wore at Mass on the Third Sunday of Advent, and by the rose candle lit on the Advent wreath on that day. As the Church s liturgy developed over the past century or so, particularly in the last several decades, the predominant spirit of Advent is one of joyful waiting & hope. This theme clearly appears in the Scripture readings for weekday & Sunday Masses as well as in the other liturgical texts for this season. Catholic Q & A by Fr John J. Dietzen Heaven is Totally Different For this reason they stand before God s throne and worship him day and night in his temple. Rev. 7:15 Someone who hasn't thought very deeply about it may ask: What shall we do in heaven with Christ for eternity? Aren t we going to be bored? To such a question, I would like to reply with some questions of my own. Is it boring to be happy & enjoy good health? As lovers if it is boring to be together. When we experience a moment of pure and extremely intense joy, don t we want it to last forever? Here below, such moments never last long because there is nothing that can permanently satisfy us. With God, it is different. Totally different! Our minds will contemplate Truth and Beauty, while our hearts will never grow tired of delighting in Goodness. We inevitably try to imagine heaven in terms of what we know from earthly existence, how heaven might be something like our experiences here. But one day, when we ascend to the real upper room where the eternal Easter is celebrated, I am sure these word will be the first out of our mouths: It s totally different! Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa Church of the Immaculate Conception, Greene, New York Page 3 An Advent Prayer Lord Jesus, you came among us to share our humanity and transform our lives. We are a people of hope and joy because we know you will always be with us, encouraging and supporting us in every part of our lives. We will never be alone again. We want to prepare our minds and hearts to celebrate your coming in a spirit of gratitude for all you have done and continue to do for us. Send your Holy Sprit to us, so we can spend these weeks of preparation thinking about what your coming among us truly means, and about the mystery of your love for us, which surpasses all our hopes and expectations. Amen. Michael Buckley 51 Healthy Foods You Can Say Yes To, cont... Tufts University Health & Nutrition Newsletter 3. Apples - You know what they say about keeping the doctor away? An apple a day may not be quite that powerful, but apples are a good source of fiber, a medium sized apple has only 80 calories. Red apples are among the fruits highest in quercetin, which researchers are studying for possible antioxidant benefits. 4. Apricots - A good source of vitamins A & C, apricots also are a way to get lycopene, which has been associated with cancer prevention in men. The Liturgical Season of Advent We see the color purple during Advent. Does that mean it is a penitential season like Lent? The official color for the liturgical Season of Advent is violet or purple. However, to distinguish between this season & the specifically penitential Season of Lent, the bluer hues of violet are recommended. Light blue vestments are not authorized for use in the US. Advent has a two fold character: as a season to prepare for the Christmas Season when Christ s First coming to us is remembered in gratitude; & as a season when that remembrance directs our mind & heart to await Christ s Second Coming as the end of time. Advent thus is a period of hope & joyful expectation rather than a primarily penitential season like Lent. Consequently, though the Gloria is not used at Holy Mass, Alleluias are still sung before the Gospel Reading. In spiritual preparation for the great Feast of the Nativity, the Sacrament of Penance should be received. Advent carols, not Christmas carols are proper to the season. The Christmas Season begins on the eve of December 24th, & this Season ends on Sunday, January 8, 2016, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Ordinary Time begins on January 11, 2016.

6 Adult Bible Study: Sunday 9-10 am in the Parish Hall Thursday 9:30-10:45 am in the Parish Hall; The Book of Acts. New people are always welcome!! If you are finished with your "33 Days to Morning Glory" home retreat, please return your book to the table in the back of the church for others to enjoy. Thank you! We are looking for a college age rep at our parish. We have many parishioners who are attending college either locally or away from home, and we want to keep in contact with them via media and postal mail. Would you be willing to set aside some time each week to reach out to this important age group? We aren't looking for monthly meetings or elaborate events. Just some simple contact to let them know we are thinking of them, praying for them and to not forget that God is always there in spirit. Call the parish office if you think this ministry would be a good fit for you. Advent begins this Sunday, November 29. Chime practice for the inter-generational Chime Choir performance at the Christmas Eve Mass will be held after the 10:15 am Mass in the nave. Check in the vestibule for sign-up sheets to participate in any of our Advent celebrations & events. Cookies for the Christmas Eve Reception; desserts for after our Feast Day Mass; serving on the Altar for the 6:30 pm Feast Day, 12/8; 4 pm, Christmas Eve; 10:30 am, Christmas Day; 10:30 am 1/1 Mary, Mother of God. Religious Education Kathy Nichols, Coordinator Sundays 8:45-10:00 am No class Sunday, November 29. The First Reconciliation Parent/Child workshop will be Saturday Dec. 12 from 9:30-11:30 in the church hall. Sacrament of First Reconciliation, Sunday, December 13 Church of the Immaculate Conception, Greene, New York Page 4 Dear friends, We ve had so many wonderful things happening at our parish, and I hope that everyone has been able to be a part of some aspect. Many thanks to the group of bakers, who met to bake those yummy pies for our friends and family. I took some of the remaining ones to the McDevitt House in Binghamton for Father Buckley, Father Gerlock, Father Hobbs and the other retired Priest to enjoy on Thanksgiving. We are so fortunate to have these Priests with us on those weekends when Father Lupa is celebrating Mass in Sherburne and New Berlin. Are you wondering who put the small signs up as you enter the church grounds? This was a project done by our Confirmation Students. Teacher Lorraine Detweiler did a study on the Beatitudes and the signs went along with the lesson. Nice job Lorraine! Please keep our Confirmation students in your prayers as they prepare for their spring Confirmation in Sherburne. The students are Claire, Derick and Sophia. Another person to keep in your prayers is Samantha Watson. She is meeting with Father Lupa and beginning the RCIA program to join the Catholic Church. They are meeting twice a month after the Sunday Mass in the cry room/classroom for some information about the faith and great discussions on what it means to be a Catholic. The meetings last about an hour and anyone is welcome to join them! If you appreciate having enjoyable and intelligent conversations about all things Catholic, you will thoroughly enjoy Father Lupa s pleasant learning style. No commitment necessary, just a desire to learn more! Dates will be posted in the bulletin. Jess Trepa has planned some great events for our youth for December as well as the New Year and Kelly Browning has some fun ideas for the young families as well. All events will be posted in this bulletin and the church vestibule. Every person in each family is important at ICC: from the sweet babies that chatter during Mass, to the senior members with their treasure trove of memories. Thank you for making ICC an Amazing Parish! Peace! ~Mary Wentlent iccgreene.wordpress.com - Don t forget to check out our website to access the bulletin and the schedule of upcoming events