Volume 19, Issue 6 December Merry Christmas

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1 Volume 19, Issue 6 December 2016 Merry Christmas As you celebrate the miracle of this special season, may your heart be filled with joy and peace. May these holy blessings linger in your home and stay with you throughout the year. May your New Year be one marked by good health and serenity. Your Newsletter Editor

2 Volume 19, Issue 6, December 2016 (Mary Queen of Angels 12384) page 2 One of my favorite Gospel passages is from the second chapter of Mark. There we find Jesus in a house filled with people. Four guys carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher endeavor to bring him to Jesus but to no avail. So they climb the roof, hoist their paralyzed buddy onto the roof, cut a hole, and then lower him to the feet of Jesus. The passage says Seeing their faith Jesus healed the man, inside and out. I m struck by the fact that the faith of the paralyzed man had nothing to do with his being healed. He didn t know if it was June or Tuesday. It was the faith of the four friends that mattered. This tells me that when we intercede for someone, their faith really doesn t matter. It s the intercessor that must have faith that his prayers are going to matter. The four friends knew that if they got him to Jesus he d be healed. Seeing their faith.. When I was active in psychology I always taught that we are, all of us, both therapist and client at the same time. Today I say we are all intercessors and those in need of intercession at the same time. Sometimes we just can t pray for ourselves. Maybe we ve been paralyzed so long that we feel our prayers aren t being heard. Doesn t matter. As long as we have faith filled friends who are willing to bring us to the feet of Jesus we can be healed. Four years ago, almost to the day, I contracted this thing that ate 3 crucial vertebrae. I was, virtually, immobile from the neck down with only some movement. When I was operated on, my spine shattered during the operation. I had to have a new spine built from foreign bone and bone from my own body. In December we weren t sure of the odds as I had waited so long to go into the hospital and this thing had grown stronger and had become aggressive. I remember the doctor telling me you haven t given us much time and you we don t have much to work with here. Indeed, after the operation I had to be shaved, bathed, carried. I remember thinking, Is this it? Is this how it s going to be for me? BUT, thanks to the prayers of the good people of Saint Martha; thanks to the prayers of my brother Knights and my family and friends, I made a full recovery and could almost hear the words Seeing their faith. My doctor would refer to me as Art Calvo, miracle man and while I say I ve been healed and I received a miracle I know that I had nothing to do with it. It was their faith that the Lord saw and rewarded that faith with my healing. We don t know, in that bible account, what the four friends received, if anything. The gift was given to the paralyzed man. And the same is true with me. St. Martha Parish didn t receive a gift for their faith. My brother Knights didn t get anything tangible out of my healing. I was the recipient of the gift. I guess my point in sharing my story with all of you is this. We should all be thankful for the intercessors in our lives. We should never be shy about asking people to pray for us and we should, proudly pray for our family and friends. May God bless us during this Advent Season. Mary, Queen of Angels, protect us, guide us, pray for us. Dear Brother Knights, Art Calvo Grand Knight Talk about a tale as old as time (to quote Beauty and the Beast ): a poor couple, far from home, seeking shelter for the imminent birth of their child (who was the subject of nasty rumors), visions of angels to smelly old shepherds, kingly visitors who unwittingly trigger a murder plot, a desperate escape to Egypt.wow! We know the story inside-out. We sentimentalize it and forget the raw power and awesome intervention of God into human affairs. We don t stop to realize all the implications of the Word made Flesh. From our Chaplain Take a few moments to sit quietly in front of our beautiful crèche, or maybe your own under your Christmas tree, and ponder the infinite love of God Who did not need to send us His Son but Who did! Merry and Blessed Christmas to you and yours! May Mary, Queen of Angels, keep you and all those you love close to her heart. God bless you always, Father Al Masluk

3 Volume 19, Issue 6 December 2016 (Mary Queen of Angels 12384) Page 3 Jerry Kean Nick Vinci Tom Pearson December Norm Kline Frank Francesco John Biancaniello Deacon Ray Gwynn Msgr Andy Golias Joe Weachter CALENDAR December 4 Baptism/Biancaniello & Gonzon 4 Assembly Testimonial 5 Rosary/Owens 12 Rosary/Bowes 14 General Meeting 18 Baptisms/Ed & Marita Owens 19 Rosary /Francesco 25 CHRISTMAS 26 Rosary/Siwinski Grand Knight Arthur Calvo csrwfas@aol.com Chaplain Fr. Al Masluk, Financial Secretary Newsletter Editor Rich Konstance, PGK, FDD rkonstance@aol.com Please Pray For Jerry Kean, Pat Angstadt Eileen McGranaghan Ed & Ann Markowski Charlie Bojarski, Rich Salamone Rosemary Finnegan Frank Wallace, Joe Murray Bill Fidler, John Carroll, Susan Wixted John Fidishun (dec) Don Brown (dec) Knights Special Intentions Please notify the Financial Secretary of any change of address or other contact information The Officers and Brother Knights of the Council, offer a hearty WELCOME to Tom Pearson as One of its newest members. Tom is a parishioner at St Martha and has recently moved from New Jersey. Give him a great big hello when you meet him!!!! The weekend before Thanksgiving had the Council on the go. Fortunately we can report that everything went well with each of the activities successful. The Food Drive collected even more than last year. Thank You to Tim Andrews, with a major assist from Paul Breen. As always thanks to the St Martha Congregation that shows no bounds in its generosity. The Coat Drive provided the homeless at St John s Hospice with some warmth for this upcoming winter. Keep a person warm and fed that s what they say. So, at the same time, Council members and Parishioners worked the Food Line at the Hospice to provide at least a little comfort and a nice meal for Thanksgiving LAST CHANCE for Scholarships A properly completed application form, must be submitted to the Council Scholarship Chairman no later than December 15, 2016 Each candidate MUST BE accepted and enrolled in the college (cathlolic or non-catholic), subject to approval by the committee PRIOR to payment.. Contact Rich Konstance ( ) rkonstance@aol.com for more info.

4 Volume 19, Issue 6, December 2016 (Mary Queen of Angels page 4 Rose and Rosary Program. Help us celebrate the Choice of LIFE. 1 st & 3 rd Sundays at 1:15PM. Families of newly Baptized given a rose, rosary and certificate. This is a FAMILY celebration. Wives more than welcome to participate. Call Ed Markowski Rosary Monday Night 7:00 PM Pray the Rosary or Help Lead the Rosary Sunday, January 15, 2017 in the School Gym. Registration from 1:00 1:45. Competition begins At 1:45 Children For pre- Registration, call Frank Gonzon Join your Brother Knights and their family members as we go to Saint John s Hospice on Sunday December 18 th to help to feed those less fortunate than us. Call Jerry Bowes Join other Brother Knights for a weekend at Malvern for your own spiritual development and provide yourself with a spiritual life giving experience and a sacred space and time for God. Weekend of January 14-15, 2017, Lady of Fatima Group. Call Jerry Bowes or noleak872@aol.com Other Activities Baby items supporting Bl. Margaret of Castello Home for Crisis Pregnancies, Support for Keep Christ in Christmas (KCIC) billboards Needy Children's Picnic at Clementon, Children's Free Throw Competition, Grade School Graduation Awards, KCIC Card Sale, Blue Mass, Blood Drives, US Flag retirement program and many more Would you like to join us in one/some of our activities? Do you have an idea about other possible Activities? We need your help! We need your ideas? Make your membership more fulfilled by Giving ONLY as much time as fits YOUR priorities. Experience the wonderful feeling of Giving Back Our Principles & Values All of the good works that we do in the Knights of Columbus are centered around the four core principles that make our Brotherhood the strong and respected fraternal organization that is world renown for doing good deeds for others. The 4 principles we live by are: Charity Unity Fraternity Patriotism

5 Volume 19, Issue 6 December 2016 (Mary Queen of Angels 12384) Page 5 Another Successful Food Drive Thanks to Tim Andrews and a number of Brother Knights. Tim has streamlined the operation so that Parishioners can just drop off their donations from their car as they enter or exit the parking lot. He made it a Drive Thru. Thanks to Tim s efforts and the always generous parishioners of St. Martha, the cupboards of Aid for Friends and St. Jerome s are FILLED From your Financial Secretary With the coming of the New Year, it s time for those dreaded Dues Notices. Please know how critical the payment of your dues is to our continuing efforts to comply with the FIRST of the principles of our Order, CHARITY. The money we receive from your dues represents more than 40% of the income we receive/ raise during the year. Needless to say we rely on these funds to support our charitable causes. If at all possible, please send your dues payment in as soon as possible. When the payment is put off, it tends to wind up on that infamous BACK BURNER Since each mailing costs the Council $50 to $60, you can see this becomes counterproductive. Most of all, you need to know that we treasure you as a member of our Council. Regardless of how active you are, you stand with us in support of our church and community. We hope that there comes a time that you can become more active, a time perhaps when your priorities allow more flexibility. We look forward to that time. In the meantime we wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year For Your Celebrations St. Charles Borromeo Nugent Room Weddings Banquets All Occasions 1193 Gravel Pike Bensalem, PA Want a KofC Vanity Plate? Contact Rich Konstance konstance@aol.com Memorial Mass Our Memorial Mass, conducted November second was well attended. We will ALWAYS keep our Brother Knights in our prayers. The Festival of Lessons and Carols is a service of Scripture and song that dates to the late 19th century. We listen to seven Scripture lessons Each lesson is followed by a carol or other song that reflects on the lesson's message and a brief prayer. Join your Brother Knights and fellow Parishioners on December 11 th at 4 PM

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