St. William the Abbot Howell, NJ

Transcription

1 St. William the Abbot Howell, NJ

2 Page 1 #566 December 3, 2017 First Sunday of Advent Parish Mission Statement We, the parish family of St. William the Abbot, a welcoming Catholic community, led by the Holy Spirit, are called to proclaim, and to witness to, the Good News of Salvation, so that we may grow together, among all generations, and advance the Kingdom of God, in our love and service of God and neighbor. Fr. Thomas Maher, Pastor Fr. James Redstone, Weekend Assistant Msgr. Vincent Doyle, Weekend Assistant Deacon Michael Abatemarco Deacon George A. Prevosti Deacon Kevin Smith, MBA Masses Sunday: 8:00, 10:15, 11:45AM Monday, Tuesday: 9:00AM Wednesday: 9:00AM, and 7:00PM Thursday, Friday: 9:00AM Saturday: 9:00AM and 5:00PM Parish Office: 2740 Lakewood Allenwood Road Howell, NJ Fax Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 9:00AM to 3:00PM Office Staff: Mrs. Maureen Cisek Mrs. Jennifer Abatemarco Director of Music: Mr. Billy Lawlor School of Religion: Mrs. Dawn Cappetto, Administrator, ext. 202 Website: stwilliam@optonline.net Stewardship November 19: $5, Children s Envelopes: Votive Candles: Total: $6, November 26: $6, Children s Envelopes: Votive Candles: $6, Thank you for your generosity! Christmas Around the World next Saturday, December 9th, 6PM to 9PM. Free! All are welcome! Novena Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Wednesday 7PM Mass Novena to the Blessed Mother after Saturday 9:00AM Mass Sacrament of Reconciliation Confessions are heard on Saturday, 4:00PM Wednesday 6:00PM and 1/2 hour before each Mass Baptism Baptisms may be arranged for any Sunday of the year at 1:00PM. Call the Parish Office for arrangements. Baptism Preparation Class Class takes place on the third Monday of every month at 7:00PM. Call the Parish Office to register. Weddings Engaged couples should call for an interview appointment one year before the wedding date. Anointing of the Sick Call the Parish Office anytime for urgent visits. RCIA Any adult who is interested in learning about our Catholic Faith should call the Parish Office. New Parishioners Welcome to our Parish Community. Please call or visit the Parish Office for a Registration/ Welcome packet. Finance Council Frankie Francese (Chairperson), Steve Sousa, John Maniscalco, David Milanowyzc and John Langan Parish Council Fr. Tom, Ron Campos, Dawn Cappetto, Maureen Cisek, Jennifer Dimino, Gabriella Furmato, Pete Gilbert, Joanne Rapasky, Patti Tiernan, Deacon Mike, Deacon George and Deacon Kevin Trustees David Milanowycz and John Langan

3 December 3, 2017 Page 2 #566 This Week at a Glance... Wednesday, December 6 Confessions at 6PM, Mass at 7PM Thursday, December 7 Immaculate Conception Vigil Masses 4 & 7PM AA Meeting 7:30PM Friday, December 8 Immaculate Conception Mass 9AM Parish Office Closed Rosary at Preferred Care at Wall (formerly Geraldine Thompson Nursing Home) 10AM Stitches from the Heart We have started giving out our blankets to babies who are receiving the Sacrament of Baptism and to those who are sick. If you know anyone who is in need of a blanket please call the parish office. If anyone would like to donate yarn for our projects, please bring it to the office. Reflections First Reading: II Isaiah 63:16b- 17,19b;64:2-7 Along with a confession of sins, the prophet writes of Yahweh s awesome deeds. He also acknowledges the Lord as a father, and adds the touching image of clay and potter to describe our relationship with God. Second Reading: I Corinthians 1:3-9 Paul offers gratitude for the gift of god in Christ. He warns the Corinthians not to be so focused on the present as to forget the parousia, or the Second Coming of Christ. Gospel: Mark 13:33-37 Mark offers a parable about watchfulness regarding the coming of the kingdom using the attentiveness of a gatekeeper on an estate. The Rosary is prayed after the 9AM Mass on Mondays. All are welcome! Please join us! Please Pray for the Sick of the Parish Please bring health, healing and hope to those in our community who are sick especially Ana Guillermo, Marie Steccato, Francesca Tortora, Jonathon Capriotti, Emily Capriotti, Dakota Schick, Evelyn Zeliff, Christina DelPazzo, Donna Foran, Donna Karlis, Sally Acosta Mirat, KJ Menn, Eileen Lanzetti, Marlene Muska, Mia Castellan, Matilde Raventos, Charles Redstone, Vito Cucci, Christine Winterfield, Chris Callery, Lorraine Baunach, Jane Mazik, John Prell, Jeanne Graziano, Anna O Connor, Maria Callahan, Bentley Stanwise, Manuel Vazquez, Artie Basciano, Anna Morreale, we also ask you Lord, to watch over all those with incurable autoimmune diseases and for all those who are afflicted with MS, CF, Lou Gehrig s disease, for those who suffer from Alzheimer disease, dementia, addictions, and their families. God of all consolation, give life and health to our sisters and brothers for whom we pray in your Holy Name. Amen. Cursillo Corner Want to grow deeper in your relationship with God? Want to rediscover the sense of Christian community? Participate in the joyful experience of Cursillo. Cursillo is Spanish for short course. A Cursillo is an encounter with self, Christ and others that enhances the rest of your spiritual life. Visit our website at Everyone is invited to join us in fellowship at Leaders School (we are all leaders in Christianity) December 16th, at Epiphany Church in Brick, at 10AM, and learn more about the beautiful Cursillo Movement. We also have Ultreya (small group sharing) at Holy Family Church, in Lakewood, on Sunday, December 10th at noon. All are invited.

4 December 3, 2017 Page 3 #566 Christmas Around the World Saturday, December 2 5:00 William Connor r/o M/M John Carlucci Sunday, December 3 8:00 Ella Mae New r/o Bob New 10:15 Lucille Moriarity r/o M/M Kevin Moroney 11:45 Sally Cook r/o Julie Leary Monday, December 4 9:00 Anne Constance Kennedy Noon r/o St. William the Abbot Parish Family Manny Correia r/o Terry & Jim Correia Tuesday, December 5 9:00 Robert C. Wesolowski r/o Loretta & Lloyd Johnson Noon People of the Parish Wednesday, December 6 9:00 Special Intention for Sr. Simon Robb r/o M/M George Weis Noon People of the Parish 7:00 Patrick McLaughlin r/o James McMahon Thursday, December 7 9:00 Leonard Weg r/o M/M Dennis Heffernan Noon People of the Parish 4:00 Bill Moe r/o M/M George Weis 7:00 Edward Brown r/o Gabriella Furmato Friday, December 8 9:00 Ronald Osuch r/o M/M Thomas Blom Saturday, December 9 9:00 Cayden Napolitano r/o Friends from Riverview 5:00 Edward Grant r/o The Grant & Urrego Families Sunday, December 10 8:00 Rachele Nunziata r/o Bob & Lynn Altobelli 10:15 Frank DeMonico r/o S. Lou Mastro-Emerson 11:45 Jeanne Meo r/o The Blom Family will be held on Saturday, December 9th, from 6:00 to 9:00PM. This is a free event for all ages. Experience different foods, traditions and customs of how Christmas is celebrated in countries across the globe. We are looking for tent donations that we can use that evening. If you have one that we can use please Tricia at summerbear25@yahoo.com. Thank you! Advent begins today, Sunday, December 3rd. This year for Advent we will be adding a Noon Mass, Monday thru Thursday. It will start on Monday, December 4th. Concert 8th Annual Home for the Holidays Concert with The Billy Lawlor Trio Please join us for our eighth annual holiday celebration featuring the Billy Lawlor Trio. These jazz performers wonderful renditions of your holiday favorites are sure to put you in the mood to celebrate the season. Billy Lawlor, our music director at St. William, and a keyboardist, vocalist & entertainer, has been a mainstay on the Jersey Shore music scene since the 70s as leader of the Billy Lawlor Band. Joining Billy will be Gary Mazzaroppi on upright bass and Tommy Labella on saxophone. The concert will be held at the Howell Library on Saturday, December 9th at 2PM.

5 December 3, 2017 Page 4 #566 Our 50/50 Raffle is almost over. Buy a ticket today! Tickets are on sale after all Masses and in the Parish Office. The drawing will be held on December 17th. We have less than 1,000 tickets left to sell to reach our goal. Even if you have already purchased one, please think about buying another. And if you were given tickets to sell and you did not turn them in yet, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you! FORMED Enjoy a free subscription to formed.org. It is an incredible online gateway to the best Catholic content, all in one place. It is free and easy to register. Visit formed.org, click on Register (lower right of page), enter our parish access code: 96HK28, enter you and create a password (you need this to login later) and you are ready to explore the site. Go to STUDY and watch Forgiven episode 1. It is about reconciliation and is excellent. There are also movies and things for children on the site. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception December 8th The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, goes back to the seventh century, when churches in the East began celebrating the Feast of the Conception of Saint Anne, the mother of Mary. In other words, this feast celebrates the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the womb of Saint Anne; and nine months later, on September 8, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As originally celebrated (and as still celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Churches), however, the Feast of the Conception of Saint Anne does not have the same understanding as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception has in the Catholic Church today. The feast arrived in the West probably no earlier than the 11th century, and at that time, it began to be tied up with a developing theological controversy. Both the Eastern and the Western Church had maintained that Mary was free from sin throughout her life, but there were different understandings of what this meant. On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Church, which means that all Christians are bound to accept it as true. As the Holy Father wrote in the Apostolic Constiution Ineffabilis Deus, We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful. Our Mass schedule is, Thursday, December 7th at 4PM and 7PM and on Friday, December 8th at 9AM. Please join us for this special day and holy day of obligation. First Sunday of Advent Reflecting on the Word The words of an Advent song remind us to Stay awake! Be ready! Awake in this case means to be watchful just as the gatekeepers in today s Gospel needed to be. Such attentiveness requires a never-ending amount of patience. However, patience does not come easily in a society where fast food and instant communication are expected. Advent calls us to cultivate patience as we seek the ways of the Lord in our daily lives. Are you able to be alert to God stirring among you?

6 December 3, 2017 Page 5 #566 Saint Francis Xavier Feast day December 3 Francis was born into a noble Spanish family and planned to become a professor. While studying at the University of Paris, however, he met (Saint) Ignatius of Loyola, who persuaded Francis to dedicate his life to God. The two men founded the Society of Jesus (also called Jesuits), whose members were committed to missionary work and education. Francis was sent to Goa, India, where he tended to people in hospitals and prisons and taught catechism classes to children and slaves. He traveled barefoot, lived mainly on rice and water, and gained a reputation as a healer and miracle worker. Francis then set his sights on spreading the gospel to Japan. The Japanese did not take him seriously in his poor, barefoot state, so he changed his tactics and his garments. Well-dressed, he presented himself as a representative of Portugal and brought gifts to a local ruler. Soon he was allowed to use a vacant Buddhist monastery for services. In a short time Francis converted thousands of Japanese people to Christianity. Francis returned to India to monitor the progress of the missionaries he had trained to continue his work. His next goal was China, a country closed to foreigners. He planned a secret entry into the country but became ill on the journey and died near Hong Kong. According to some accounts, Francis baptized more than 40,000 people in India, the East Indies, and Japan. He was canonized in St. Francis Xavier is the patron saint of China, India, Japan and foreign missions. Saint Juan Diego Feast day December 9 Juan Diego was born to a poor Aztec family in Mexico. One morning on his way to church, Juan heard angelic music coming from somewhere nearby. He looked around and saw a beautiful woman dressed like an Aztec princess, surrounded by a brilliant light at the top of a hill. The woman identified herself as the Virgin Mary and told Juan to call her Our Lady of Guadalupe. She said that she wanted a shrine built where they were standing so that his people could come to know her Mother s heart, and that she would console all who came to her with sorrows. Juan went to the bishop to describe what he had seen, but the bishop did not take Juan seriously. The next day, Juan met the Lady in the same spot, and he begged her to pick someone of greater social standing to convince the bishop. She replied that she had chosen him, and urged him to go to the bishop once more. The bishop, still doubtful, asked for proof that the woman Juan had seen was indeed the Virgin Mary. Juan once again went to the hillside, but when he arrived, the Lady was not there. There instead, although it was the middle of winter, was a rosebush in full bloom. Juan gathered the flowers in his cloak and brought them to the bishop. As flowers tumbled out of his cloak, the bishop s surprise became amazement. For on the cloak itself, in glowing colors, was a full-length picture of the Lady. The church was built, and Juan s cloak with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has remained in that location in perfect condition to this day. Juan Diego was canonized in 2002.