The Na vity of the Lord

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Parish of St. Benedict www.stbenedict.org 16223 S 48th St. Phoenix, AZ 85048 480.961.1610 St. John Bosco Catholic School www.sjbosco.org 16035 S 48th St. Phoenix, AZ 85048 480.219.

John 1:5 Parish Mission Statement We are a vibrant and welcoming Catholic faith community that recognizes God s presence in all through our love and service.

lifelong Catholic forma on, service with and for one another and the greater community.

1 Parish of St. Benedict S 48th St. Phoenix, AZ St. John Bosco Catholic School S 48th St. Phoenix, AZ December 25, 2016 The Na vity of the Lord The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 Parish Mission Statement We are a vibrant and welcoming Catholic faith community that recognizes God s presence in all through our love and service. Parish Vision Statement Build the Kingdom of God, individually and communally, by fostering discipleship and thanksgiving through: the celebra on of Eucharist and other sacraments, prayer and lifelong Catholic forma on, service with and for one another and the greater community. Office Hours Monday - Thursday 9 am - 5 pm Friday 9 am - 3 pm Closed Daily 12 pm - 1 pm Mass Schedule Weekends: Saturday 5 pm Sunday: 9 am, 11 am, 5 pm Weekdays: M-W, F 8:15 am Reconcilia on Saturday 3:30 pm or by appointment Upcoming Events For a complete calendar of events, please visit stbenedict.org/calendar Monday, 12/26 No Events Scheduled Tuesday, 12/27 No Events Scheduled Wednesday, 12/28 7 pm Pax Chris Mass Inten ons Sunday, 12/25 9 am Captain Mar n David Green 11 am Mrs. Agripina Duarte M 12/26 Jus n Herycyk T 12/27 Bart Christopher Kohl Thursday, 12/29 6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal Friday, 12/30 No Events Scheduled Saturday, 12/31 10 am Caregiver Support Group W 12/28 Fred & Frances Duran F 12/30 Special Inten on Sa 12/31 People of the Parish

Benedict Parish, we want to wish everyone a blessed Christmas Season and a Happy New Year.

2 Page 2 stbenedict.org Liturgy & Administra on Scripture Readings For This Week Monday: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd- 12/26 4, 6-8b, 16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22 (St. Stephen) Tuesday: 1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 12/ ; Jn 20:1a, 2-8 (St. John the Apostle) Merry Christmas! On behalf of Fr. Bob and the Staff at St. Benedict Parish, we want to wish everyone a blessed Christmas Season and a Happy New Year. Wednesday: 1 Jn 1:5-2:2; Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 12/28 7cd-8; Mt 2:13-18 Thursday: 1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96:1-3, 5b-6; 12/29 Lk 2:36-40 Friday: 1 Jn 2:12-17; Ps 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 12/30 10; Lk 2:36-40 (The Holy Innocents) Saturday: 1 Jn 2:18-21; Ps 96:1-2, 11-13; 12/31 Jn 1:1-18 Sunday: Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; 1/1/17 Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21 (Solemnity of Mary) Presider Schedule* for the Weekend of 12/31 and 1/1/17 Saturday 5 pm: Fr. Bob Binta (Homily: Dcn Ed) Weekly Contribu ons for the Weekend of December 17/18 Regular Contribu ons: Current Week: $10,769 Total for the Month: $33,466 Christmas: $1,005 Sunday 9 am: Fr. Bob Binta (Homily: Dcn Ed) 11 am: Fr. Bill Faiella (Homily: Dcn Ed) 5 pm: Fr. Bob Binta (Homily: Dcn Ed) *Please note: this schedule is subject to change without no ce.

Page 3 The Na vity of the Lord - December 25, 2016 A Message from Fr. Bob Dear Friends, In the famous words of John Lennon, And so, this is Christmas. Indeed, Christmas is here.

3 Page 3 The Na vity of the Lord - December 25, 2016 A Message from Fr. Bob Dear Friends, In the famous words of John Lennon, And so, this is Christmas. Indeed, Christmas is here. I warmly welcome you all to St. Benedict Catholic Church. From the bo om of my heart, I would like to wish you all my warmest and most hear elt Christmas gree ngs. Whether you are a visitor or a long- me member of our parish family, you are most welcome at St. Benedict as we joyfully celebrate the birth our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are a vibrant and welcoming faith-filled community that recognizes God s presence in all through our love and service. It is our great pleasure to have you join us for our Christmas Liturgy. Thank you for being here, your presence is very important to us. Christmas is all about God fulfilling his promises, saving His people through His Son, Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate today. Christ, the Prince of Peace, is born for us. Jesus became like us so that we may have a rela onship with his Father. Christ is the Word made Flesh, the Light of the World who dispels the darkness in our hearts and lives. He brings to us a message of peace, joy and love. Christmas is a me when we gather as a family of faith to reflect on all the things that make our lives meaningful. This Christmas, count your blessings and hold your loved ones closely. As we joyfully celebrate the birth of Jesus, I extend an invita on to you and your family to enter into a deeper rela onship with the Body of Christ by becoming an ac ve member of our faithfilled parish. At St. Benedict, you will find joyful liturgies every weekend, volunteer opportuni es throughout the year, and community fellowship from our warm and welcoming parishioners. We are also privileged and blessed to have St. John Bosco, our Pre-K through 8th grade Catholic School, as part of our community. It is a place where faith is nurtured and leaders are formed. Please consider bringing your child to our school where they will experience both spiritual growth and academic excellence. Once again, thank you for joining us as we celebrate Christmas together. We pray that you will con nue to be part of our community throughout the New Year. Be assured that you and your loved ones are kept in my prayers on the Altar of our Lord Jesus Christ. I wish you a truly meaningful and memorable Christmas! Please know that you are all loved and appreciated. Love, Peace and Joy, ~ Fr. Bob

4 Page 4 stbenedict.org Faith Forma on & More Solemnity of Mary, January 1 Next Sunday is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, the celebra on of Mary s motherhood of Jesus and the oldest feast of Mary celebrated by the Catholic Church. St. Benedict Parish will follow the regular Mass schedule for the weekend. Heavenly Father, You blessed the Virgin Mary with the fullness of grace. She is my model of faith, hope and love. I give this new year to her intercession and ask for her holy prayers. Place my needs into the protec on of her motherly love. With her help, I want my faith to grow. Give me an increase in the virtue of hope when troubles tempt me to despair. Guide me in understanding your infinite love. And join my heart, dear Lord, to the Holy Mother s Immaculate Heart, so that I may improve in loving everyone uncondi onally, in imita on of my Savior, Jesus. Amen. Ma hew: The King and His Kingdom This exci ng Bible study by Jeff Cavins brings the Gospel of Ma hew to life and draws one closer to Christ. You will see Jesus as the awaited Messiah who fulfills the promises and prophesies of the Old Testament. Join us on Tuesday, January 17 at 6 pm in Annex 4. Redirect Your Tax Dollars to Support St. John Bosco Catholic School Did you know that, without cos ng you a single penny, you can help deserving kids get a quality Catholic educa on by redirec ng your state tax dollars? Single filers can contribute up to $1,087 and married filers can redirect up to $2,173 of their 2016 state tax liability. When you give by December 31, you not only get a dollar-fordollar 2016 State Tax Credit, but you can also claim a Federal charitable deduc on. Please consider giving to Catholic Educa on Arizona, designa ng St. John Bosco Catholic School. For more informa on go to sjbosco.org/cea DivorceCare Christmas Giving Tree Thank You A huge thank you and apprecia on to everyone who par cipated in our Christmas Giving Tree Program. What a success - we collected over 400 gi s to provide for the low-income families we sponsored this year. Your generosity will truly make their Christmas a special me. What an amazing community we have here at St. Benedict! Have you gone through the pain of separa on and divorce? If so, please know that you are not alone. Join us for healing and fellowship as we walk through this journey together. DivorceCare is a 13-week seminar that examines the struggles and stages we go through when dealing with this difficult me. Our next mee ng is on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 6:30 pm in Annex 4. For more informa on please contact Carolyn at c slp@gmail.com.

Page 5 The Na vity of the Lord - December 25, 2016 Faith Forma on This Week in Children and Youth Faith Forma on December 25 No Catechesis of the Good Shepherd No Liturgy of the Word With Children No

5 Page 5 The Na vity of the Lord - December 25, 2016 Faith Forma on This Week in Children and Youth Faith Forma on December 25 No Catechesis of the Good Shepherd No Liturgy of the Word With Children No EPIC December 26 No Catechesis of the Good Shepherd December 27 No JAM No Journey of Faith December 28 No Catechesis of the Good Shepherd January 1 No Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Liturgy of the Word With Children No EPIC Into the Breach Young Men s Conference All young men of high school and college age are invited to St. Bernade e Parish on Friday, December 30 for the Into the Breach Young Men s Conference. This conference begins at 10 am and concludes at 7 pm. Speakers include Jason Evert, Fr. Will Schmid, Coach Tommy Bri ain and more. Cost is $20 per person which includes lunch and a t-shirt. For more informa on or to register, go to phoenixpriest.org Merry Christmas from Faith Forma on Wishing all of the Journey of Faith, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, JAM, and EPIC families a very Merry Christmas! May the joy of Christ s birth fill your hearts and homes with hope throughout the coming year. We look forward to seeing you back in 2017! Journey of Faith on Break The St. Benedict JOF program is on break un l January 17. Here are some addi onal ideas to help celebrate the season together: Go up north and play in the snow Hand write thank-you s for gi s you received for Christmas Go bowling Take a walk every day Have a family game night Make a big pot of soup Compose your New Year resolu ons Color me!

6 Page 6 stbenedict.org Organiza ons & Ministries Support St. Benedict Parish The love you have for St. Benedict Parish can go on forever when you include our parish endowment fund in your Will or other estate plans. With endowment funds, the principal is kept intact and the distribu ons to the parish come from growth and earnings. It provides a sustainable income stream to support vital programs and ministries. For more informa on on naming St. Benedict Parish in your estate planning, please contact Suzanne Percy, the Director of Development in the parish office, at ext. 308 or visit us online at stbenedict.org/giving/planned-gi s/ Knights of Columbus Merry Christmas to all! In this me of giving, let us remember those less fortunate than ourselves and give of our me. Family Promise begins today in the SJB mul -purpose room for families trying to make a be er life for themselves. The Parish is helping with meals and entertainment for the families every day un l New Years Day. If you are interested in assis ng in any of these efforts, please go to the St. Benedict website to sign up or contact the office for more informa on. Thank you all, and enjoy the rest of 2016! Vivat Jesus! Hal Dodson Grand Knight #12246 cincihalibut4@yahoo.com St. Vincent de Paul The St. Vincent de Paul group would like to thank you for your generosity this past year helping the poor in our community. As of the end of our fiscal year we were able to help 2,400 people with over $56,000 in rent, u li es, medical expenses and other financial assistance. We provided over 1,000 bags of groceries to families in need, gave over 60 families Thanksgiving dinners and helped provide gi s with our Adopt-A-Family Program. Dynamic Catholic Seminar Living Everyday with Passion & Purpose by Ma hew Kelly will be at St. Anne Parish (440 E. Elliot Rd., Gilbert) on Saturday, January 28, from 9 am to 1:30 pm. Interna onal speaker and author, Ma hew Kelly, inspires a endees to apply the genius of Catholicism to every aspect of our lives including prayer and spirituality, work, da ng and marriage, personal finances, health and well being, paren ng, and community involvement. For more informa on and registra on, go to dynamiccatholic.com Parish Annual Rummage Sale The St. Benedict Annual Rummage Sale on Saturday, March 11, will be here before you know it! Please put aside your valuable rummage sale dona ons for this exci ng community event. If you would like to help or have any ques ons, please call Gayle at or her at gfsiewer@cox.net

7 Page 7 The Na vity of the Lord - December 25, 2016 More A en on Envelope Donors We have now been debt free for over a month. However, due to the envelope prin ng and mailing deadlines, we were not able to have the Debt Reduc on envelopes removed from the packets you receive through the end of the year. From now un l the end of December, all gi s made toward debt reduc on will need to be redirected, A staff member will contact you to determine your preferences for these funds. We apologize for any inconvenience. Phoenix Women s Conference Registra on is now open for the 7th Annual Phoenix Catholic Women s Conference which will be on Saturday, February 18 at Xavier College Preparatory (4710 N. 5th St, Phoenix) from 9 am to 6 pm. The theme this year is Perhaps You Were Born For Such A Time As This. Speakers include author Marge Fenelon and Sr. Mary Jordan Hoover, principal of the new St. John Paul II high school. Early registra on is $50 through December 31. Informa on and registra on at pdccw.com or Family Promise Starts this Week St. Benedict Parish helps to host homeless families through the Family Promise Program, giving them the tools and training they need to get back on their feet. Twice a year our community helps to make the hos ng event a success. The next opportunity begins this weekend on Sunday, December 25 and lasts through Sunday, January 1. To find out more or to sign up to volunteer, please go to stbenedict.org/familypromise Liturgy Corner The events leading up to the birth of Christ weren t coincidental, but were put in place by God, so that the prophecies of old would be fulfilled, in Isaiah 7: 13-14; Isaiah 9: 6-7; Micah 5: 2-5. Everything that happened, from the me the census was ordered, to everyone returning to their own city to be registered, and then the birth of Jesus while Joseph & Mary were in Bethlehem, was orchestrated by God. Out of Bethlehem, a small town in the City of David, came the Messiah. This event was the beginning of something so incredible. Jesus Christ le His throne in glory and took on human form just to bring us reconcilia on to our Father God. He came into the world, miraculously conceived, and then born as all humans are. He was first a baby, then became a toddler, then grew into a child and went through adolescence before becoming an adult. He experienced humanity at all levels. He truly can iden fy with all people at all stages of life. This very first Christmas, God gave the greatest gi ever. His Son! And His Son gave the gi of His life - which was why He came. Because of this, we can have rela onship with God as His children. Through Jesus Christ, we are Sons and Daughters of the Most High God. So this Christmas, bear in mind the True Christmas story, which led to the True Easter story. Let us give thanks and praise to our heavenly Father for these events, which have changed our lives forever. No ma er how secular the world is becoming, disregarding the truth of Christmas, let us boldly proclaim the truth about the birth of Jesus as the reason for the season. Source: M.S. Lowndes

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10 Page 8 stbenedict.org Meet Our Staﬀ Fr. Bob Binta Pastor frbinta@stbenedict.org Ext. 305 Tyler Bartle Dir. of Communica ons Ext. 312 Heather Mooney Coord. of Children s Faith Forma on hmooney@stbenedict.org Ext. 303 Ed Winkelbauer Deacon dcned@stbenedict.org Ext. 300 Sr. Colleen Braun Dir. of Faith Forma on srcolleen@stbenedict.org Ext. 302 Suzanne Percy Dir. of Development spercy@stbenedict.org Ext. 308 Mary Jane Livens Amy Fletcher Business Manager mlivens@stbenedict.org Ext. 304 Administra ve Assistant afletcher@stbenedict.org Ext. 300 Debbie Brines Richard Guerra Director of Liturgy/ Marriage Prep. Coord. dbrines@stbenedict.org Ext. 311 David Rees Coord. of Youth Ministry drees@stbenedict.org Ext. 307 Visit Us Online! For the most current, up-to-date informaঞon, visit our homepage, Director of Music rguerra@stbenedict.org Ext. 306 Mary Ziebell Forma on Assistant/ Coord. Safe Environment mziebell@stbenedict.org Ext. 309

Third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent Parish of St. Benedict www.stbenedict.org 16223 S 48th St. Phoenix, AZ 85048 480.961.1610 St. John Bosco Catholic School www.sjbosco.org 16035 S 48th St. Phoenix, AZ 85048 480.219.4848 December 11, 2016