Welcome ~ We re glad you re here

Transcription

1 Welcome ~ We re glad you re here The First Sunday of Advent December 2, Medford Lakes Road Tabernacle, New Jersey ~

2 A NOTE FROM FATHER ANDREW Dear Parish Family, Invest and Invite! Welcome to the season of Advent! My thanks to the Art and Environment Committee for preparing our worship space for the Advent liturgical season. Remember this weekend is the major sign up to help for Christmas preparations. We will need many ministers as greeters, ushers, a set up team, Eucharistic ministers, ministers to assist with the Jingle Jam program for the children. This is another opportunity to serve. There are so many ways you can help. Sign ups are already happening on line and in the atrium, so sign up early it will help us with our planning. This weekend we are starting our Advent/ Christmas message series Your Best Yes. Throughout this season as we share our thoughts I invite you to begin to prepare for the hope that God has planned for your life. Don t forget to invest and invite a friend to join you at our Christmas masses. Have a wonderful week! Fr. Andrew A Reflection from Today is the first Sunday of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of the new liturgical year. The Advent season includes the four Sundays that precede Christmas. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. In this season, we recall two central elements of our faith: the final coming of the Lord in glory and the incarnation of the Lord in the birth of Jesus. The key themes of the Advent season are watchful waiting, preparation, and justice. In this new liturgical year, the Gospel of Luke will be the primary Gospel proclaimed (Lectionary Cycle C). Today's Gospel is taken from the last chapter before the passion narrative in which Jesus is teaching in the Temple. We hear Jesus speak to his disciples about the need for vigilance and prayer as they wait for the coming of the Son of Man in glory. This passage marks the conclusion of a lengthy dialogue in which Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, warns about the persecution and tribulations to follow, and identifies the signs that will signal the coming of the Son of Man in glory. The community for whom Luke wrote his Gospel may have believed that they were already experiencing some of the events Jesus described. Most scholars believe that Luke's Gospel was written after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. At the time, many Christians interpreted this event as an indication that Jesus' second coming was near. Though Jesus predicts a time of destruction and fear, Jesus indicates that others will be frightened; Jesus' disciples are not to fear, but are to stand tall. Yet Jesus does not promise deliverance from anxiety or tribulations. He encourages his disciples to pray for strength. The early Christian communities did not find consolation in the promise of a utopia, nor should we. Instead, we find in our Christian faith the means by which we witness to God's unfailing love for us in all circumstances. Jesus' predictions about the end times may sound dire, but in the next paragraph Luke tells us that people woke early to listen to Jesus' teaching in the Temple area. In his person and in his message, those who heard Jesus found strength and consolation. Like the first Christians, we may encounter events and circumstances that could lead us to despair. Through prayer, however, we find strength and consolation in Jesus' words and in his continuing presence with us to endure all things and to witness to the action of God in our world. 2

3 November 18th Collection: $12, November 25th Collection: $11, holyeucharist.org/give Text to Give ~ Download the App Thank You For Your Continued Generosity! December 2, st Sunday of Advent But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. LUKE 21:28 We celebrate Advent each year in preparation of the birth of Jesus, His first coming, as we await his second coming. In this Advent season, use the sacrament of Reconciliation to strengthen your relationship with Jesus. It s never too late. Holy Rosary is said every Sunday morning at 8:00 am just before the beginning of the 8:30 am Mass Eucharistic Adoration EVERY Wednesday Following 9:00 am Mass ending at 7:00 pm in the daily chapel. Miraculous Medal Novena is said every Monday at 9:30 am Communion Service every Tuesday at 9:00 am Except on Holy Days THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8TH Mass will be celebrated at 9:00 am 3

4 RESPECT LIFE MINISTRY CALL TO ACTION The NJ Assembly is scheduled to vote on the Assisted Suicide bill on Monday Dec 17 which is both bad law and against the law of God. Learn about this proposal and its many very serious unintended consequences by looking at what NJ Catholic bishops think about it and then forwarding your comments to your local state lawmakers. To read about the issues and contact your legislative members click on then click on TAKE ACTION NOW. Then click CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATIORS. Are you doing some Christmas shopping online? Remember that whenever you use the link below and you buy anything from Amazon.com, Holy Eucharist gets at least 4% of your purchase price at no additional cost to you! Using the link: tinyurl.com/hecshoppingamazon, sign in with your own amazon.com login and password and bookmark it for future use. That's all you have to do for the parish to benefit from this fantastic program! Announcements SENIORS - The next Meeting is Thursday, December 6, 2018 at 1:00 pm. Entertainment will be our Tabernacle Students. All are Welcome! Our Holiday Luncheon will be January 3, Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the December meeting. Contact Hughie Fray (609) for more information. *************************************************************************************************************** ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY - CHRISTMAS! Help us make Christmas special for people at New Lisbon and the children helped by St. Vincent de Paul Society this past year. You are encouraged to take a tag from the Giving tree in the atrium. Please purchase the item requested on the tag, wrap it, and attach the entire tag to the front of the package. Please do not cut the tag leaving only the name. The gift should be put back under the Christmas Tree (in the atrium). It is extremely important gifts are returned by SUNDAY, December 16, The Christmas Food Baskets will be distributed on Sunday, December 16, 2018 from 1:00 to 3:00 P.M. in Hoffman Hall. Please also take a list of items needed to fill the baskets and sign up to donate a turkey or ham so that we can provide families with Christmas dinner. Lists and Turkey and Ham Donation Book is on Display Table in the Café. This week the Pantry is in need of: Paper Products: Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Napkins, Tissues *************************************************************************************************************** KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS - Interested in becoming a Knights of Columbus? Contact Stephen Raffo at , Jerry Gunzelman at or us at:info@kofc8733.org. Visit our website: *************************************************************************************************************** ADVENT CANDLES & OPLATEK - Advent Wreath Candles & Christmas Wafers can be purchased in the café on Sunday, December 2nd after 8:30 am & 10:30 am Masses and from the Parish Office Monday Friday between 9 am - 4:00 pm. *************************************************************************************************************************** WINE FEST MEETING - Our next planning session is Thursday, December 13, 7:00 pm in the Pope John XXIII room - be part of the team and have some fun along the way!. *************************************************************************************************************************** VIRTUS SESSION - A daytime VIRTUS session will be offered here at the parish on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at 10:00 am for the convenience of those who are not available in the evening or weekends. If you have contact with children, minors or vulnerable adults in ministry here at the Parish you are required to attend a VIRTUS session. If you have any questions, you may contact Barbara Sentner by bsentner@holyeucharist.org or by telephone ext

5 Advent and Christmas at Holy Eucharist Visit holyeucharist.org/adventchristmas for more information Hey Kids Join the Jingle Jam Fun! This year, at our 2 pm and 4 pm Christmas Eve Masses, we will celebrate Jingle Jam! A children s program for our young disciples in grades 1-5. ADVENT MESSAGE SERIES JOIN US EACH WEEK! Our culture tends to jump into Christmas mode the day after Halloween, often sending us into an exhausted frenzy. However, the truth is that we have limited time and resources to prepare for Christmas, on top of dealing with normal life issues that don t go on hold, just because the holidays are here. In this series, we will look into the pressures of the Christmas season, and explore how to handle the season with the lasting peace and joy of Christ. We will also view Advent as a model how to make positive decisions throughout the rest of the year, as well. WEEK 1: Growing in Love ~ In this first week we discuss the purpose of Advent to help us Increase and abound in love. However to grow in love does not mean we have to please everyone. We will in this session talk about the importance of saying no to some things this season so we can grow in love. WEEK 2: How we can say YES to God and prepare our hearts. WEEK 3: Saying NO to some extra stuff and giving to others. WEEK 4: Say YES to relationships 5

6 Welcome to Church of the Holy Eucharist. May you encounter Jesus Christ in His church and in His sacraments through your participation in our Parish community. Visit our Welcome Center before or after our weekend masses for any information on our parish, it s ministries and it s community. We sincerely welcome you! Pastoral Staff Andrew Jamieson, Pastor Ext. 102 avjjr@holyeucharist.org Dottie Connelly, Communications Coordinator Ext. 107 dconnelly@holyeucharist.org Joseph DeLuca, Deacon Ext. 114 jdeluca@holyeucharist.org Kelley Derricott, Maintenance Ext. 109 kderricott@holyeucharist.org Kenneth Domzalski, Deacon Ext. 116 kdomzalski@holyeucharist.org Justina Fenton, Administrative Assistant Ext. 100 jfenton@holyeucharist.org Anne Marie Kelly, Rectory Assistant Patrick Mann, Deacon Regan Peiffer, Music Director Ext. 105 rpeiffer@holyeucharist.org Donna Remaley, Faith Formation Coordinator Ext. 106 dremaley@holyeucharist.org Jack Schell, Facilities Manager Ext. 109 Barbara Sentner, Protecting God s Children Ext. 104 bsentner@holyeucharist.org Mary Warner, Business Manager Ext. 101 mwarner@holyeucharist.org Mass Schedule Saturday Evening Vigil: 5:00pm Sunday: 8:30am & 10:30am & 6:00pm Weekdays: 9:00am (except Tuesday & Saturday) Tuesdays: 9:00am - Communion Service Holy Days: 9:00am & 7:00pm Miraculous Medal Novena: Monday 9:30 am Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesdays 9:30 am - 7:00 pm Children s Liturgy of the Word: Saturday 5:00pm and Sunday 8:30am, 10:30am Sept. through May Preschool Kidzone: Sunday 8:30am, 10:30am Sept. through May Stay Connected Parish Office Fax Parish Office Hours Monday - Friday 9 am - 4:30 pm Office closes at noon on Friday s from Memorial day to Labor day St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry Food Pantry Hours Tuesday & Thursday 10 am - 12 pm Music Office HOPE Office HOPE Office Hours Monday - Friday 9:30 am - 12 pm Website hec@holyeucharist.org Facebook facebook.com/holyeucharistchurch WIFI password in building - hepublic520 Flocknote - text HEC to from your mobile phone to subscribe to receive texts from the parish. Sacraments Visit our website for complete details holyeucharist.org/about-us/sacraments Reconciliation: Saturday 3:30-4:30pm or by appointment. Baptism: Your child s baptism is a time for celebration in our parish. It is our mission to guide parents to bring your child to the waters of baptism. Stop by our Welcome Center on the weekends, call our parish office for more details or complete the form on our website: holyeucharist.org/about-us/baptism Marriage: Couples wishing to celebrate and consecrate their love are asked to call the parish office or complete the form on our website holyeucharist.org/about-us/marriage to request a wedding date a year in advance. At least one person should be a registered member of the parish. Congratulations! Faith Formation: Holy Eucharist parish is totally committed to family life and to helping you foster faith in your children. Our Faith Formation Program is created to assist you in doing just that. Our program creates opportunities for families to pray together, grow as disciples and develop spiritual habits that will lead them into a deeper relationship with Christ. For more information contact us at , Donna Remaley at dremaley@holyeucharist.org or visit our website: holyeucharist.org/about-us/family-faith-formation RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: Anyone who is searching and may be thinking of becoming a Catholic Christian or a baptized Catholic who is interested in continuing their own journey of faith and have not received the other Sacraments of Initiation (Eucharist and Confirmation) Please call the parish office at ext. 100 Sacramental Sponsorship Certificate: This is a form required to be a Godparent or Sponsor for Baptism or Confirmation. A certificate can be obtained from our parish office. Please call the parish office for more details ext. 100 Funerals: We ask you to first contact your Funeral Director. The Funeral Director will contact the Church to make the arrangements. For more information about funeral planning at Holy Eucharist visit holyeucharist.org/about-us/funerals 6