CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH

Transcription

1 December 13, 2015 Third Sunday of Advent CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH 6300 McKenna Drive, Mobile, Alabama Website: TELEPHONE NUMBERS Parish Office: Fax School Office: , ext. 1 Fax Rel. Ed. Office: , ext. 7 Fax Full-Day Care: Fax Youth Ministry: Fax PASTORAL STAFF Very Rev. James F. Zoghby, V.F., Pastor Rev. John S. Boudreaux, Associate Pastor Deacon Arthur W. Robbins, Deacon Sr. Donna Cooper, R.S.M., Visitation Chaplain Mrs. Joan T. McMullen, School Principal Mrs. Diane M. Stoyka, Parish Catechetical Leader Mrs. Judi B. Ankiewicz, R.C.I.A. Coordinator Mr. Peter J. Stoyka, Youth Ministry Director Mr. C. Clinton Doolittle, Music Director Mr. David F. Walker, Gym Manager TO REGISTER AS A MEMBER OF THE PARISH Please fill out a Census Form. Census Forms are available in the church vestibule and parish office. COMMUNITY CENTER RENTALS & SERVICES For rental information and kitchen services, please call the parish office at or SUNDAY MASSES Vigil: 5:30 p.m. Saturday Morning: 7:00, 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. WEEKDAY MASSES 6:30 a.m.: Monday through Friday 8:15 a.m.: Monday through Saturday SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturday: 5:00 p.m. and by request, particularly after the 6:30 & 8:15 a.m. weekday Masses. BAPTISM, MARRIAGE, ANOINTING OF SICK Please call the parish office ( ) or information and scheduling baptism, marriage, anointing of sick. ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (R.C.I.A.) Please see published schedule for specific dates and times, or call the parish office ( ). SUNDAY SCHOOL (C.C.D.) Grades K 12, Sundays during school year, 10:05-10:55 a.m. in school bldgs. SCHOOL, SACS-accredited for Grades 3K through 8. Child Care for 6-week-old infants to 2-year olds, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Please call the school office, , ext. 1 for information.

2 THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT Celebrating Advent Tomorrow Night Communal Reconciliation Service Advent Celebration of God s Loving Forgiveness Monday, Dec. 14, 7 p.m. This Weekend MASS WITH THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK Saturday, Dec. 12, at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 7 a.m. During these two Masses, after the homily, the Sacrament of the Sick (for physical, emotional, mental or spiritual healing) is being given to all who feel the need for it because of age or illness. This anointing will also be brought to shut-ins at home and others requesting it. Next Sunday Dec rd Sunday 5:30 p.m. Mass During the school year (Sept. to May), we have an extra Sunday Mass the 3 rd Sunday of each month. High School students serve. Year-Round Baby Shower for 2B Choices for Women Crisis Pregnancy Center Diapers of all sizes, especially sizes 3, 4 and 5 are needed. Also baby wipes, shampoo, wash, powder, oil and bottles. Please no food or formula. Please place items in designated box in the vestibule. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Coats For Kids The Knights have placed a designated collection box in the vestibule for gently-used or new coats for kids. Christmas Mass Schedule Christmas Eve, Dec. 24 4:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Christmas Day, Dec. 25 7:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION & R.C.I.A. Presented by Fr. James F. Zoghby For Catholic and other Adults Adult Ed. Room in the Community Center Wed., Dec. 16: THE CHURCH: Eastern & Western rites of the Church. Orthodoxy & Protestantism. Religious orders, communities, institutes. Holy Orders. The Local Church/Diocese & the Church Universal. The Vatican Curia & the Petrine Ministry. The Ecumenical Councils. The mystery of the Church. Materials for continued study. Info: or Church@CorpusChristiParish.com. Be Prepared Apologetics Series Presented by Patrick J. Arensberg Director or the Archdiocesan Office of Religious Education Wed., Jan. 13, 7-8 p.m. Topic: Are you saved? Corpus Christi Community Ctr., Conference Room (2 nd Floor) This series is open to any interested adult in the archdiocese. Info: Society of St. Vincent de Paul Discover true joy by serving the poor in our community. Poor Box, Food, Clothing donations put in the designated places in the vestibule are distributed by our St. Vincent de Paul Society. In-Need Drop Box at the SVDP table in the vestibule. Info will be held in strict confidence and an SVDP member will contact you. Join the Society of St. Vincent de Paul by attending a meeting. Meetings: 1 st & 3 rd Wed., 6:30 p.m., Com. Ctr. Conf. Rm. (2 nd Flr.) To obtain assistance, call and leave name & phone no. Through the generous support of our Corpus Christi parish family and the smart buying power of our SVDP team members, we were able to provide 120 care packages for homeless men and women in our city to help keep them warm and dry during the winter months. Corpus Christi Choir Rehearsals: Wednesdays, 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. in Room 4 (2 nd floor of community center). If you can commit to rehearse & sing now through Christmas, call Clint Doolittle ( ) and come to the rehearsals! CORPUS CHRISTI SCHOOL Op e n Ho use Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. SACS-accredited for Grades 3K through 8. Child Care for 6-week-old infants to 2-year olds, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tours of our school are available by request. Info: , ext. 1 or jmcmullen@corpuschristiparish.com Widowed Persons Support Group For information call parishioner Glen Porter at The Women s Club Brief Meeting in the Parish House from 6:00-6:45 p.m. to fill Christmas stockings for nursing home residents: Hygiene items, pens, notepads, stamps, etc. Info: Brittany Comiskey,

3 S CORPUS CHRISTI CHURCH, MOBILE, ALABAMA DECEMBER 13, 2015 Receive s from the Parish Please send your to Corpus Christi Child Development Center Wanting a few energetic, enthusiastic people to be part-time caregivers/teachers. substitutes. If you love young children, and are interested in working in our center, please contact Joan McMullen at , ext. 1, or come by the school office or the preschool office. Wednesday Night Dinner 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Banquet Hall $9.00 for Adults! $4.00 for Children (Age 12 & under) Dec. 16: Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Stuffed Pork Loin, Roasted Garlic Red Skin Potatoes, Peas & Pearl Onions, Garden Salad, Dinner Rolls, Frosted Cake. Iced Tea, Lemonade, Coffee. Kids Meal: Chicken Tenders & Fries. Must RSVP no later than TUESDAY EVENINGS Return an RSVP Card, or call or WedNightDinner@CorpusChristiParish.com KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS The Knights are committed to helping keep the round fountain on the memorial island clean and maintained. If any individuals or groups are interested in helping with this, contact Cosmo Comiskey, K of C Meeting: 2 nd Tues., Jan. 12, 7 p.m., the Parish House Contact: Grand Knight, Cosmo Comiskey, Jr. High Youth Group The Corpus Christi Jr. High Youth group will be adopting a family that is in desperate need. We will all chip in and make their Christmas season a little brighter. More details coming. Sunday, Dec. 20: Dirty Santa! We will gather upstairs in the community center from 4 to 5:20 p.m. Everyone, please buy and wrap a gift from the Dollar Tree store. Be creative! It can be anything from the toy aisle to a bag of cheese puffs. But it can t cost more than $1! We will also enjoy some holiday snacks and Christmas music. Invite your friends! Then, at 5:30 p.m., all youth and their families are invited to attend our special 5:30 p.m. Sunday Mass. Thank you to all who are participating in the choir. You all sound awesome! Please contact Peter Stoyka at ccjryouthgroup@gmail.com if you want to be added to the list. High School Youth Ministry The Corpus Christi High School Youth Ministry will be adopting a family in desperate need. We will all chip in and make their Christmas season a little brighter. More details soon. Ice Skating in Mobile! Wear your "tackiest" Christmas sweater! Prizes for first and second place winners. More details TBA Sunday, Dec. 20: 3rd Sunday of the Month, which means it s our Youth Mass at 5:30 p.m. and Gathering from 6:30-8 p.m. upstairs in the community center. We will have dinner and play Dirty Santa! Please bring a $1 item from the Dollar Tree store, and have it wrapped. Fr. Zoghby and Fr. Boudreaux will be in on the fun as well! Invite your friends! All alumni are invited to attend. If you want to serve as a lector or play an instrument at our 5:30 p.m. Sunday Mass, please Peter Stoyka at corpuschristihsyouth@yahoo.com. AA Alanon OA CODA AA: Sun., 7 p.m., and Wed., 7 p.m., Cougar Den. Alanon: Sun., 7 p.m., and Wed., 7 p.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. OA: Sat., 9 a.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. CODA: Tues., 6:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. High School Confirmation Schedules Info: Diane Stoyka, DianeStoyka@yahoo.com or , ext. 7. Class of 2018: Sat., Jan. 30, 2016: Confirmation Retreat, Visitation Monastery, 10:00-4:30, Lessons 2,3 & 4. Sun., Aug. 2016: Spirit Day 11:00-3:00, Lesson 8. Class of 2019: Sunday Feb. 21, 2016: Spirit Day, Lessons 5 & 7. Pack 29 Cub Scouts No Den Meetings in December Dec. 13: Pack Mtg. & Christmas Party 12:30-2:30 p.m., Com. Ctr. To Join Cub Scouts or for info: Contact Walter Bracewell or John Carter or visit ccspack29.scoutlander.com. Flowers The flowers before the altar this weekend have been placed in memory of Andre Colletti on his 20 th birthday Given by his family. SPECIAL COLLECTION NEXT WEEKEND: Christmas Flowers. FIRST COLLECTION TODAY: Tithing Offerings. SECOND COLLECTION TODAY: Retired Religious. DEC. 6 TH BUILDING FUND ONLINE & COLLECTION: $4, DEC. 6 TH TITHING ONLINE & COLLECTION: $36, Thank You and God Bless You God bless all who tithe and contribute to support God's work here at Corpus Christi, and those who make a special bequest in their will for Corpus Christi Church. For info, or to transfer shares of stock to Corpus Christi Church, contact your stockbroker, or call Steve Setterstrom at Citigroup Global Mkts. at Offering Envelopes If you wish to use Offering Envelopes, just notify the parish office ( ). An initial set will be sent to you right away, and then, every two months, you will receive a two-month s supply of envelopes. Online Giving With Online Giving make a one-time contribution or set up a recurring automatic withdrawal from a checking or saving or credit card account: Use a computer, tablet or smartphone to go to click Church ; then click the green Online Giving icon on the side left of the church s homepage. Follow the instructions to contribute to the tithing or building fund or special collections. For assistance, call , ext 4, or the parish office, Reports of Contributions Reports of contributions can always be obtained by contacting the parish office at or Church@CorpusChristiParish.com.

4 Mobile Bay Jubilee ~ Abundance! Jubilee is the name used locally for a natural phenomenon that occurs sporadically on the shores of Mobile Bay. During a jubilee, many species of crab and shrimp, as well as flounder, eels, and other fish will leave deeper waters and swarm in large numbers and very high density on the upper eastern shore of the bay, from Point Clear to slightly north of Daphne, but they also occur with less frequency south of Point Clear to Mullet Point, and on the Bay s western shore at Deer River and Dog River Point south to Fowl River. A jubilee is a celebrated event on Mobile Bay, and it attracts large crowds, many drawn by the promise of abundant and easy-to-catch seafood. Although similar events have been reported in other bodies of water, Mobile Bay is the only place where the regular appearance of this phenomenon has been documented. Abundance of God s Mercy! The In Judaism, and later in Christianity, the concept of the Jubilee is a time of joy a time to rejoice in God s abundant mercy. It is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon. In the Book th of Leviticus, a Jubilee is mentioned to occur every 50 year, in which captives and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven and the mercies of God would be particularly manifest. In Christianity, the Jubilee tradition dates to 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII convoked a holy year, and jubilees have generally been celebrated every 25 or 50 years, with extraordinary Jubilees in addition, depending on need. The last Holy Year was celebrated in 2000 and Pope Francis convened a Holy Year of Mercy on December 8, In Luke s Gospel we are told that Jesus, at the beginning of his ministry, entered the synagogue and stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and read the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, and to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord. Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing. Luke 4:16-21 The people in the synagogue would have recognized that Jesus was reading a passage from Isaiah that declared a Year of Jubilee. But Jesus was not referring to one particular calendar year. Jesus declares that the grace and forgiveness and mercy of Jubilee is fulfilled in him. Christ is our Jubilee. Through Jesus, the grace and forgiveness of the Year of Jubilee is part of our everyday lives. We who know God s mercy in our lives must share that mercy with others. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. God s mercy endures forever.

5 A Holy Year of Mercy In proclaiming a holy year of mercy, Pope Francis calls for the renewal of the Church as a place not of judgment or condemnation but of pardon and merciful love. Pope Francis said: The time has come for the Church to take up the joyful call to mercy once more. It is time to return to the basics, and to bear the weaknesses and struggles of our brothers and sisters. Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instills in us the courage to look to the future with hope. The Lord asks us, above all, not to judge and not to condemn. If anyone wishes to avoid God s judgment, he should not make himself the judge of his brother or sister... Human beings, whenever they judge, look no further than the surface, whereas the Father looks into the very depths of the soul. Quoting Jesus response to the Pharisees in Matthew s Gospel Go and learn the meaning of the words of Scripture, the Lord says, It is mercy that I desire, not sacrifice says, Jesus is bent on revealing the great gift of mercy that searches out sinners and offers them pardon and salvation. One can see why Jesus was rejected by other teachers of the Mosaic law who opposed Jesus liberating vision of mercy as a source of new life. In an attempt to remain faithful to the law, those who rejected him merely placed burdens on the people s shoulders, undermining God s mercy. Jesus person is nothing but love, a love given gratuitously. The signs he works, especially in the face of sinners, the poor, the marginalized, the sick, and the suffering, are all meant to teach mercy. Everything in him speaks of mercy. Nothing in him is devoid of compassion. God s mercy is not an abstract idea, but a concrete reality through which God s love is revealed as that of a father or mother, moved to the very depths out of love for their child. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that this is a visceral love, gushing forth, full of tenderness and compassion, indulgence and mercy. Jesus reveals God s nature as that of a father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcomes rejection with his compassion and mercy. God s mercy is his loving concern for each of us. He feels responsible; he desires our well-being and wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which we also must travel. As the Father loves, so do his children. As he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other. Mercy is the very foundation of the Church s life. Nothing in her preaching and in her witness to the world can be lacking in mercy. Let us open our eyes and see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, and let us recognize that we are compelled to heed their cry for help! God s love is revealed as that of a father or mother, moved to the very depths out of love for their child. Jesus reveals God s nature as that of a Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcomes rejection with compassion and mercy. The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our well-being and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful.

6 There is no one who cannot discover and find a place in God s love. From it flows our Christian hope. There exists no one so bad, so brought down, so broken down, that he cannot find a place in that love. God loves us not because we have merited it or are worthy of it; rather, God s love for us is freely given and unearned, surpassing all we could ever hope for or imagine. The relationship between God and those who believe in him is one of warmth and love, not cold formality. The relationship is not cold like that between an emperor and his subjects, but is one of deep affection like that which develops between two friends, between spouses, between parents and children. God s faithful love will never lessen and will never abandon us to ourselves, or to the darkness of nonsense, blind fate, emptiness or death. St. John Paul II Let us be guided by the Holy Spirit, allow him to speak to our hearts, and he will tell us this: that God is love, he s always waiting for us, he is a father who loves us like a real dad, and only the Holy Spirit can tell our hearts this. We have to listen to the Holy Spirit who is inside us! What does he tell us? That God is good, that God is a father, that he loves us and always forgives us. God, our Father, in our ignorance we have wrongly imagined you to be our enemy; we have wrongly thought that you take pleasure in punishing us for our sins; and we have foolishly conceived you to be a tyrant over human life. But since Jesus came among us, he has shown that you are loving, and that our fear of you was groundless. St. Augustine The Holy Spirit tells our hearts: God is love. He s always waiting for us. He is a father who loves us like a real dad. Listen to the Holy Spirit because he is giving people the good news that God loves them and can renew, purify and transform their lives. Living as children of God lets people see others as brothers and sisters to respect and love. If people were to listen to the Holy Spirit, they would hear him say, God loves you. We have a Father who is very close to us, who embraces us.

7 Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful. God s anger lasts for only a moment, but his kindness lasts for a lifetime, and his mercy lasts forever. The anger and mercy of the Lord alternate in a dramatic sequence, but love triumphs in the end, for God is love. Pope Benedict XVI The biblical passage for the Holy Year s theme is from Luke 6:36, in which Jesus tells his disciples, Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Pope Francis said: I am convinced that the whole Church will be able to find in this jubilee the joy of rediscovering and making fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are called to give consolation to every man and every woman of our time. The Church, he said, is the home of Jesus, and Jesus welcomes but not only welcomes, he goes to find people. And if people are hurt, what does Jesus do? Scolds them because they are hurt? No, he comes and carries them on his shoulders. If in our heart there isn t mercy, the joy of forgiving, we are not in communion with God, even if we observe all the commandments, because it s love that saves us, not the bare practice of fulfilling precepts. It s the love of God and neighbor that gives completion to all the commandments. Jesus calls all of us to follow this way: Be merciful as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36). Pope Francis set the holy year to begin on the 50 th anniversary of the closing of the 2nd Vatican Council (December 8, 1965), and said: With the Council, the Church entered a new phase of her history. The Council Fathers strongly perceived a true breath of the Holy Spirit. The walls which too long had made the Church a kind of fortress were torn down, and the time had come to proclaim the Gospel anew. The 2nd Vatican Council was a beautiful work of the Holy Spirit. But fifty years later, have we done everything the Holy Spirit was asking us to do during the Council? The answer is, No. We celebrate this anniversary, we put up a monument, but we don t want it to upset us. We don t want to change, and what s more, there are those who wish to turn the clock back. This is called stubbornness and wanting to tame the Holy Spirit. This is called becoming foolish and slow of heart. In the life of the Church, there are old, passing structures: It is necessary to renew them! At the beginning of the Church, we remember the first theological battle: Was it necessary to carry out all of the practices of the Mosaic Law? No! The Gentiles could enter as they are. A first renewal of structures. And so the Church must always go forward, open to the Holy Spirit who renews these structures. Don t be afraid of the newness of the Gospel! Don t be afraid of the newness that the Holy Spirit works in us, the renewal of structures, of letting go of the passing structures that imprison us.