Welcome! MASS SCHEDULE SACRAMENT

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1 Saint Thomas More Parish OFFICE 15 Caledonia Road Dartmouth, NS, B2X 1K7 Tel: (902) Fax: (902) Website: h p://stm-parish.com Office Hours Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday 9:00am - 5:00pm Tuesday & Friday 9:00am - 2:30pm Lunch Break 12:00pm - 1:00pm MASS SCHEDULE Lord s Day Masses Saturday 4:00pm; Sunday 8:30am; 11:15am Weekday Masses Monday - No Mass; Tuesday 12:15pm Wednesday-Friday 9:00am Summer Hours Saturday: 4:00pm; Sunday: 10:00am Sacrament of Reconcilia on Tuesday By appointment, Saturday 3:00pm - 3:45pm SACRAMENT Marriage Please contact the parish priest at least 8 months prior to planned wedding date. Marriage prepara on course is required. Sacrament of Bap sm Prepara on - First Wednesday of the month at 7:00pm at the church. The Sacrament of Bap sm will be celebrated on the last Sunday of the month at the 11:15am Mass. Prayer Mee ng Every Tuesday at 7:00pm in the Sacred Heart room. Weekly Adora on The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for Adora on a er the 9:00am Mass on Thursday. All are invited to spend some me with Jesus. Thank You for Coming to Our Church In St. Thomas More Parish, we believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we try to give faithful witness to the power of the Holy Spirit in us, both in our worship together and in our service to the local community. We desire to be grateful for the gifts God has given us as a parish family and to readily share them in our ministries. Welcome!

2 SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT December 10, 2017 PARISH STAFF & MINISTRY CONTACTS Parish Priest: Father Toochukwu Okafor Deacon: Danny MacDonald Deacon: James McLevey Catechist, Primary-6: Shereen Daniels Catechist, Jr. High: Diane Gibbons Office Administrator: Catherine Gonsalves Music Director: Kim Sampson, Junior Choir Director: Debbie Hartlen, Pastoral Council Chair: Brian MacIntyre Catholic Women s League: Marguerite Fougere Responsible Ministry: RoseAnn Hetherington Knights of Columbus: Mike Curry St. Vincent de Paul: Martin Delaney toochukwuokafor@yahoo.com macd1950@hotmail.com mclevey@ns.sympatico.ca sdreligioused267@gmail.com diane.juniorhigh@gmail.com officeinfo@ns.aliantzinc.ca kimplusmusic@gmail.com rbh@bellaliant.net macintbj@eastlink.ca hfougere@ns.sympatico.ca ra.hetherington@ns. sympatico.ca gk13987nskofc@gmail.com delaney1@ns.sympatico.ca EVENTS Tuesday, Dec 12, POMBA Meet 9:30 am Hall Tuesday, Dec 12, Prayer Meeting - 7:00 pm SHR Tuesday, Dec 12, Junior Choir Practice 6:30 pm church Wed. Dec 13 Choir Practice-7:00 p.m. Church Thurs. Dec. 14 Regional Meeting for priest 3:00pm Hall Thursday, Dec.14--Reconciliation Service 7:00pm church Friday, Dec. 15 Youth Group 7:00 pm Hall Saturday, Dec 16 Christmas party for children/youth 10 am Hall MASS INTENTION SCHEDULE Saturday, Dec..9 4:00 pm Kay MacEachern & Benefactors Of the Nigeria Family Helper Program Sunday, Dec. 10-8:30 a.m. Merrill Lewis 11:15 a.m. For Parishioners Monday, December 11 Tuesday. Dec :15 pm FINANCIAL NEWS: December 3, 2017 Sunday Offering Collection: $ NO MASS Emanuel Pettipas & Benefactors of the Nigeria Family Helper Program SCRIPTURE READINGS For this weekend Wednesday, Dec am Kevin McNamara Thursday, Dec am Clifford Aucoin Friday, Dec am Linda O Leary 1st Reading: Isaiah , 9-11 Rs. Psalm: 85.8 ab+9, nd Reading: 2 Peter Gospel: Mark 1.1-8

3 STM NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS Christmas & New Year Mass Schedule (Carol singing will start 30 minutes before each Mass) Christmas Eve Sunday, December 24 Mass will be celebrated at 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm. Christmas Day Monday, December 25 Mass is at 10:00 am. Feast of Mary, Mother of God Sunday, December 31 - Mass is at 4:00 pm Feast of Mary, Mother of God Monday, January 1, Mass is at 10:00 am 2018 Sunday Offering envelopes The 2018 envelopes are available for pick up at the school entrance. They have been arranged in alphabetical order according to LAST NAME. For those parishioners who are contributing via PAR (direct deposit), there are small colored boxes of envelopes for special donations eg Christmas, Easter, Building Fund etc. If your box of envelope is missing, please contact the parish office. If you wish to receive Sunday Offering Envelopes, please write your name and tel# on the form available at the school entrance or call the parish office. Thanks for supporting your parish. God bless you and your family. New Finance Chair We are in need of a new Finance Chair for the finance committee. The Finance Chair & Finance Committee provides guidance to the Parish Pastor on financial matter regarding the year to year finances of the Church. In consultation with the Parish Pastor, they prepare yearly financial budgets, review and monitor the daily financial results on a monthly bases, and ensure that adequate controls are in place to save guard the financial assets of the parishioners.. The Finance Chair should have a background in management and/or finance. Please call the office or Fr. Toochukwu for more information. We remember Mary Sponagle whose funeral was held here on Friday, December 1. May her soul rest in peace. We offer our condolences to her family and we have them in our prayers. May God give them the strength to bear their loss. Office Closed on Thursday, December 14 from am to 2:00 pm..offsite staff meeting. Regional Penitential Services Thursday, December 14 at 7:00 pm at Saint Thomas More Parish. Confession at STM will be held every Saturday from pm and on Tuesday by appointment/request. All are encouraged to attend. It is a good way to prepare for Christmas. The Christmas Giving Tree 2017 The St. Vincent de Paul Society Giving Tree is up in the church. Please take an ornament and support this worthy cause. For monetary donation, please write the cheque out to St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Thomas More Parish and place it in the collection basket. Thank you. Christmas Evergreen Centerpieces will be offered again this year for sale as a fundraiser for our youth. These fresh evergreen arrangements include holly, silk poinsettias, balls, ribbons and a candle. They will be $20 for a small and $25 for the larger size. Order forms will be in the church foyer. please sign up early. Pick up will be the weekend before Christmas or delivery can be arranged for a small additional fee. 5 International Priests at STM The Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth is blessed with the arrival of 5 new international priests. As part of their orientation program, they will be visiting and worshiping with different parishes in the Archdiocese. We would like to welcome the priests to worship with us at St. Thomas More Parish this weekend We pray for them and wish them a fruitful ministry in our Archdiocese. There will be a Reception for them on December 10. We invite everyone to join us in welcoming these our brother priests and let them experience the warm, joyful and friendly spirit of our St. Thomas More Parish family. Volunteers Needed Urgent We are in need of 2 or 3 volunteers to help with washing the small altar linens. The time commitment would be once a month (4times) per year. Please leave your name and phone number at the office or call Linda Pettipas at Instructions will be given to anyone interested. Looking for.bernice Misener Please call the parish office during office hours. Thanks

4 REFLECTION CORNER Helping our Faith to grow I love the aspect of Advent which makes us slow down, especially in the midst of all the busyness that goes on preparing for Christmas. I noticed that just the act of lighting the Advent candle, by its very nature, makes us take a breath and slow down, even for just a few moments. I love the Advent wreath because it has such symbolism tied to the Christmas and Advent seasons, and all to our faith journey. For instance, the circle of the wreath symbolises the eternity of God (the Alpha and the Omega). The wreath is green because it represents hope and new life. Advent is really a time when we need to step back and perhaps slow down a bit, to become more pensive and thoughtful in our approach. That may be why we hear in our readings today that St. John the Baptist was a voice crying out in the desert. And what was John s consistent message? Prepare the way of the Lord. That is what we hear throughout Holy Scripture on this Second Sunday of Advent. Learning even simple things like what I just mentioned about the Advent wreath helps me to grow in my faith. That I believe, is why it is so important to teach the many aspects of our faith to our children, because it is so rich and learning often helps us grow in our faith. Every word in Holy Scripture has some importance. When St. Mark proclaims that what he is writing, and what we are about to hear, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it tells us how I mportant it is. Most are aware that the word Gospel meant Good News. Fewer are conscious of the fact that in Roman times it had another meaning and translation Glad tidings. When we hear that term, many may think of Christmas and the birth of Christ. However, glad tidings or good news also includes Christ s saving grace and death. It goes back to what we have been hearing in recent weeks that it is time to prepare for the coming of the Lord. Part of that preparation is to prepare the way of the Lord, especially within each of us. That is what we need to be doing now. We had a lovely experience in my own family when we read Monday s reading about the centurion, and how he had such a strong faith in Jesus, that he went personally to find Jesus and ask him to heal his servant. Just reading through that reading and seeing the faith of the centurion helped me and my family grow a little more in faith. This Advent, let us grow together as families and as a faith community in order for Christmas to be an even more blessed event. God bless you all, Deacon Dan MacDonald The Advent Wreath Tradition and Meaning For many Christians, Advent wreaths are a favorite way to celebrate the month of December leading up to Christmas Day. Although Advent Wreaths are popular among Christians, many are not aware of the rich meaning and symbolism embedded in the tradition. If we learn this meaning, we can appreciate it all the more! SHAPE: The circular shape of the wreath, without beginning or end, symbolizes God s complete and unending love for us a love that sent his Son into the world to redeem us from the curse of sin. It also represents eternal life which becomes ours through faith in Jesus Christ. NUMBER: The Advent Wreath traditionally holds four candles which are lit, one at a time, on each of the four Sundays of the Advent season. Each candle represents 1,000 years. Added together, the four candles symbolize the 4,000 years that humanity waited for the world s Savior from Adam and Eve to Jesus, whose birth was foretold in the Old Testament. Some Advent wreath traditions also include a fifth white Christ candle, symbolizing purity, that is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Many circular wreaths can incorporate a white candle by adding a pillar candle to the wreath center. COLOR: Violet is a liturgical color that is used to signify a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice. Advent, also called little Lent, is the season where we spiritually wait in our darkness with hopeful expectation for our promised redemption, just as the whole world did before Christ s birth, and just as the whole world does now as we eagerly await his promised return. The 1st Sunday of Advent symbolizes Hope with the Prophet s Candle reminding us that Jesus is coming. The 2nd Sunday of Advent symbolizes Faith with the Bethlehem Candle reminding us of Mary and Joseph s journey to Bethlehem. The 3rd Sunday of Advent symbolizes Joy with the Shepherd s Candle reminding us of the Joy the world experienced at the coming birth of Jesus. The 4th Sunday of Advent symbolizes Peace with the Angel s Candle reminding us of the message of the angels: Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.

5 STM RELIGIOUS ED NEWS GRADES PRIMARY TO SIX Offertory Gifts will be taken up by our 1st Reconciliation student Arianna Simon and her family during the 8:30 am Mass December 10 Our Christmas Play, "The King's Birthday" is at 1 pm in the church hall. All are invited to attend. There is no Catechism class this morning. Classes will resume in 2018 December 16 Our annual Christmas party for all the children and youth of our Parish community will take place in the church hall at 1 pm. Our special guest will again visit with the children this year. There will be a balloon maker, cookie decorating and arts & crafts. All children and youth are invited to come and join in the fun. January 7, 2018 Our first catechism in the New Year. Chalice Can Thank you so much parishioners and children who continue to support our sponsored children, Cristobal, Maksym, Sofia, Priscilla & Marcelin. You can view Christmas cards sent by our children in the school foyer. Last week's Total: $49.95 JUNIOR NEWS As we begin the season of Advent, we examine the Advent Wreath and it's symbolism. The circular shape represents God, eternal with no beginning and no end. The youth wanted to know who were Gods parents and struggled to understand how it is that He has always been. While looking at the 4 candles which indicate the 4 weeks of waiting linked to the Jewish time of waiting for the Messiah, many were surprised to learn that Jesus was Jewish and even more incredible that he would have memorized the entire Torah. The question arose "Why was Jesus so important?" which lead to learning about the promise God made so long before that He would send a Savior and He would bring us back to God' Family. The statement "Jesus is the Son of God" seemed to really peek their interest. Naturally, the concept of the Trinity came up and the rest of our effort was to comprehend that. I compared the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to water. Water can have 3 distinct states while always being H2O. God, like water, is everywhere. It is in everything, feeding, refreshing, cleansing and there would be no life without it. In it's solid form of ice, like Jesus, it is tangible, we can see it and touch it. Then there is steam which mostly we can not see but is none the less there and can travel anywhere. As water evaporates, it surrounds us and is ever present just as the Holy Spirit is. With the Mystery of the Trinity somewhat reveled, we focused on Faith, in particular the Faith that God is always with us to love, help, guide and protect us and that God can be found everywhere, even in an infant baby. In a world where we desire things to be black and white but there is so much grey and we want things to be fair but they are not, it is a challenge to have Faith that God will make all thing right in His time. As we go forward in this season of Advent we ask God to revel to us the miracle of the God Child and help us keep our sights on Him PRAYER DURING ADVENT In this season of expectation, we prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah into the bustle of our lives and the hard to find moments of solitude We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah into our homes and situations along with friends and families We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah into our hearts, and those often hidden parts of our lives We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah for beneath the surface of your story is an inescapable fact You entered this world as vulnerable as any one of us in order to nail that vulnerability to the cross. Our fears, our insecurities and our sins all that can separate us from God exchanged by your Grace for Love. We cannot comprehend the reasoning only marvel that Salvation comes to us through a baby born in a stable, and reaches out to a world in need. During this season of anticipation help us prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, our Messiah. Amen

6 ARCHDIOCESE OF HALIFAX-YARMOUTH,STM & COMMUNITY NEWS Marian Retreat Day On January 6, St. John XXIII parish in Cole Harbour will host a Marian Retreat Day. The day will begin at 9:00 with Mass, Fr. Irek Bem, celebrant, and will include presentations by Deacon Larry Worthen and Dr. Nan Ferguson-Losier. Lunch will be provided by the Kof C. Please RSVP to nora.muise@bellaliant.net to help us prepare appropriately for the lunch. The day will end with Eucharistic Adoration. Please join us! Fundraiser for the Nigerian Medical Clinic The December Fundraiser Bingo in aid of the Nigerian Medical Clinic will take place on Dec 17th from 2-4.pm Cash and special bonus prizes will be available! Please join us for this fun and festive afternoon! Thanks 20th Annual Cantata St. Clement s Music Ministry presents their 20thAnnual Cantata. Come and enjoy an uplifting evening of song through our Advent journey. The cantata will be held Sunday Dec. 17, at St. Clements Parish, 18 Gaston Road. Good will offering goes to L Arche Halifax. Loonie-Toonie Coffee House A very special Christmas Loonie-Toonie Coffee House at St. Paul's Church, 197 Windmill Road, Dartmouth Wednesday, Dec. 20th - 7:00-9:00 Admission only $2.00! Mental Health and Addictions Christmas Gift Giving Program In the past, your generous donations have contributed to bringing joy to the patients of the Nova Scotia Hospital Abbie J. Lane Hospital and East coast Forensic Hospital. Your kindness is most appreciated during the holiday season. More information is in the green flyer in the foyer! The Flea Market was a great success. We thank every one who donated items and also those who came and supported the event. We raised over $550/- The Nigerian Fundraising Committee thanks you for making a difference in the health conditions of our brothers and sisters in Africa. Bake Sale Since it is the season of Sharing and Giving, the Nigerian Fundraising Committee will be doing a BAKE SALE on the weekend of December 16 and 17 after the Masses. Most of our parishioners enjoy baking goods to gift and share with family and friends. We are requesting donations of baked goods. We would much appreciate if you could donate a platter of your baked goodies to this worthy cause. Donations can be dropped off to the parish office from December 11 to 15 during office hours and also on the weekend (Dec 16 & 17) God bless you for your generosity!!