Holy Martyrs Catholic Church Fourth of Advent - December 20, 2015 Mass Schedule & Intentions this Week This week at Holy Martyrs Saturday: 5:30 pm Henry Grey (Mary Grey) : 7:30 am Parishioners 9:30 am John Soptich (Brewer & Soptich Families) 11:30 am Rose Marie Gill (Linda Kenski) Monday: 8:00 am All Souls Tuesday: 6:30 pm Rosary for Peace 7:00 pm For all those serving in the Military Wednesday: 8:00 am For all those who are homebound : Monday: Red Stocking Collection: after all Masses RCIA: 10:30 am, Lounge Confirmation Session: 10:30 am, Pfeiffer B Assemble trees for Christmas: after 11:30 Mass Life Teen: 5:00 pm Mass followed by Life Night from 6:00-7:30 pm, GA No PSR The Nativity of the Lord Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24 4:00 pm John & Olga Holland (Jack Holland) 6:00 pm Parishioners 10:00 pm Joan Sidor (Jack Sidor & Family) Christmas Day, Friday, December 25 10:00 am Mary Palya (Palya Family) Tuesday: Wednesday: Friday: : Glory Bees: Maureen Macisco, Roberta Braun, Tom Yannetti No PSR No SPIRIT Intercessory Prayer: 5:30 pm, Chapel Adult Choir: 7:15 pm, Worship Space Christmas Blessings! No RCIA No Life Teen Saturday: 5:30 pm Aaron Graham ( Mom, Dad, & Evan) : 7:30 am Parishioners 9:30 am John Bornancin (Bill & Sandi Mueller) 11:30 am Deceased members of the Madansky And Holodnik Families There will be a Pre-Baptism Session held on Thursday, January 14 at 7:30 pm in Pfeiffer Hall B. This session is for parents who plan to have their baby baptized. Church Office hours: Monday - Friday: 9:00 am -12:15 pm, 1:00 pm-5:30 pm. The church office will be open Christmas Eve from 9-noon, and closed Christmas day, Friday, December 25. Oplatki is available in the church office for $1.00 Parish Staff Father Stephen Dohner Pastor Father Robert F. Pfeiffer Pastor Emeritus Janet Payton Pastoral Associate Dorothy Thomas Coordinator of Pastoral Care Office Manager Father Mark Ott Weekend Associate Diane Bruce Director of Religious Education Nancy Fiamingo Pastoral Associate Dino Paoletta Deacon Elizabeth Ockunzzi Youth Ministry Jason Falkofsky Director of Music Libbie Radecky Office Assistant Paula Phillips Bookkeeper
Fourth of Advent Parish News Please welcome the following new families: Joseph & Ivanka Fencak Jacob & Rachel McCoy Rocky & Tristina Posey Kyp & Kimberly Ross Christmas, 2015 Mass schedule for Christmas: Christmas Eve - Thursday, December 24 4:00 pm (Children s Liturgy) 6:00 pm 10:00 pm (Adult Choir) Christmas Day Friday, December 25 10:00 am Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God Thursday, December 31, 7:00 pm Friday, January 1, 10:00 am Thank You for Your Generosity. Each Christmas, the people of Holy Martyrs show their generosity in many ways. In addition to the regular collections that fund our parish activities, facilities and staff, the Christmas collections allow us to provide for special needs at our parish through out the year. This year, Christmas falls on a Friday. Please remember both our normal and extraordinary needs in planning your giving. Thank you! Your help is needed Christmas is Around the corner!! We are looking for parishioners to help us assemble all of the Christmas trees we use for the altar and the gathering area. We will begin assembling trees after the 11:30 Mass on December 20th. Many hands make light the work and we could really use your help and support. Please join us for an afternoon of fun and laughter as we prepare for the Christmas Season! I look forward to working with all of you!! Please contact Deb Terrell at 330-725-7546. Seniors Corner Inviting all Seniors to join us for our upcoming events: Monday, 1/18 - Forget those winter blues! Join us in Martyrs Hall, and enjoy a great Movie - with Pizza and beverages! Seeking Baptism or Think You May Want to Become Catholic? If you ve been thinking about becoming Catholic, we invite you to look more deeply into what makes Catholics tick by participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) at Holy Martyrs. RCIA is a process that facilitates and deepens adult conversion to Jesus Christ by providing a way for people to come together to learn more about God in their lives and about the Catholic Church. RCIA is for those who are unbaptized, or those who have been baptized but were not formed in the Christian faith Our process provides a pressure-free, non-judgmental environment to explore what it means to live a spiritual life and to catch a glimpse of what that spiritual life looks like within the Catholic Church. Sessions are initially held on Tuesdays at 7:15 p.m. and individuals are welcome to start attending at any time during the year. After a period of time, those sessions will move to mornings. Some of the sessions even entail going to other sites throughout the Greater Cleveland area to explore the richness of our religious heritage. For more information and/or to register, please contact Janet at 330-722-6633 or jpayton@holymartyrs.net. Monday, 2/15 - Straw Bale Gardens (Ohio State Extension); Nominations for new Officers. Monday, 3/14 - St. Patrick's Day Party! Corned Beef Luncheon. Entertainment by Jim Gill.
Holy Martyrs Church December 20, 2015 Medina, Ohio OPPORTUNITIES FOR SHARING TIME, TALENT, TREASURE Grateful Giving Holy Martyrs Parish The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor. Luke 4:18 Grateful Giving Monday Tuesday December 5 & 6 Offering $14,289.25 Number of Envelopes 356 Electronic Donations $3,460.00 Number of Envelopes 39 Weekly Total $17,749.25 Retirement Fund for Religious $2,361.42 Readings for the week of December 20, 2015 Fourth of Advent Mi 5:1-4a; Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45 Saint Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a; Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Lk 1:39-45 1 Sm 1:24-28; 1 Sm 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd; Lk 1:46-56 Wednesday Saint John of Kanty, Priest Mal 3:1-4, 23-24; Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10, and 14; Lk 1:57-66 Thursday 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, and 29; Lk 1:67-79 Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 or 1:18-25 Friday Saturday The Nativity of the Lord Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20 Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14 Saint Stephen, The First Martyr Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 8ab, 16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5; Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17;Lk 2:41-52 THE RED STOCKING It was many years ago when the red stocking became a symbol for the Holy Martyrs Ministry of Assistance to ask our parishioners for funds to help the poor over the long winter months ahead. Today it has become more than a symbol for the Ministry, it is a beacon of hope for the many that depend upon it to feed their families and pay for the many bills that face them. Although we serve and assist our parishioners first, we do not turn our back on anyone within Medina County who needs assistance. Our parishioners who are benevolent make it all happen and the ministry is grateful to you for being so generous and responsive to the call for help. The Red Stocking is symbolic of hope for the needy and a way for all of us to help our fellow neighbors in their time of need. The stocking will be available at all Masses this weekend and next for you to continue helping. Christ reminds us that the poor will always be with us, but it is in how we respond to the poor that makes us true Christians. Your generosity to our ministry is wonderful, and we thank you for all that you do to help the needy of our parish family and community over the holidays. ~Ministry of Assistance EMPLOYMENT NETWORK GROUP If you are an executive, professional or manager who is looking for employment opportunities, we encourage you to connect with our Employment Network Group. This parish networking group meets twice a month at the following locations: First Wednesday of each month at Holy Martyrs Church, Martyrs Hall (off the back parking lot) Third Tuesday of each month at Knights of Columbus Hall 131 North East Street, Medina First-time attendees should plan to come to a short orientation session at 6:30 p.m. The regular group meetings begin at 7 p.m. For more information about the Employment Network Group, please contact Erin Rankin at erinremote@yahoo.com. Join us for our next trip to El Salvador, January 31st - February 7th! Let the Holy Spirit open your mind and hearts to the people of El Salvador. Your life will be enriched and your faith deepened! Contact Janet Payton or Shelley Conry (330-687-6927) for more information.
Fourth of Advent Parish School of Religion The season of Advent reminds us over and over to stand erect, to look, see, hear, sense, and taste the goodness of God here and now. Relationship with our God is incarnational, fully sensed, fully lived in and through fear, disbelief, doubt, wonder, and awe -- in the desert and on the mountaintop, in the home and in the workplace. Pope Francis has launched his yearlong push for a global Catholic church of mercy and forgiveness, starting the Jubilee year focused on the subject by opening the holy door at St. Peter s Basilica and calling for a church that always puts mercy before judgment. In a solemn Mass attended by tens of thousands in a chilly St. Peter s Square and marked by an unusually high security presence, the pontiff also praised the work of the Second Vatican Council and said the newly-opened Jubilee "compels us not to neglect the spirit which emerged" from that event. "This Extraordinary Holy Year is itself a gift of grace," Francis said during the homily at the Mass. "To enter through the Holy Door means to rediscover the deepness of the mercy of the Father who welcomes all and goes out to meet everyone personally. How much wrong we do to God and his grace when we affirm that sins are punished by his judgment before putting first that they are forgiven by his mercy!" the pope exhorted. "It is truly so," he said. "We have to put mercy before judgment, and in every case God s judgment will always be in the light of his mercy."..."let us abandon all fear and dread, for these do not befit men and women who are loved," said Francis. "Instead, let us live the joy of encounter with the grace that transforms all." The pontiff was speaking in the Mass opening the Jubilee year of mercy, which will continue from Tuesday through Nov. 20, the day celebrated next year as the feast of Christ the King. A Jubilee year is a special year called by the Catholic church to receive blessing and pardon from God and remission of sins. While most Jubilees have been focused on calling pilgrims to Rome to receive such pardon, Francis has widely expanded his Jubilee, asking that dioceses throughout the world open their own holy door at a cathedral or other church to expand the practice globally. A holy door is a door normally designated in special churches -- like the four papal basilicas in Rome -- to be opened only during Jubilee years as a sign of the possibility of re-entering into God s grace. Francis opened the holy door in St. Peter's Basilica towards the end of the Mass Tuesday. Standing in front of the door, located at the northeast corner of the Vatican Basilica, the pontiff asked God to grant "a year of grace, a favorable time to love you and our brothers and sisters in the joy of the Gospel." Calling Jesus "the shining face of your infinite mercy, safe refuge for us sinners, needing of forgiveness and peace" and saying that Christ is the door "through which we come to [God]," the pope pushed the door open slowly with both hands while walking through. MASSES Bread Cup MINISTERS SCHEDULE - December 26 & December 27 EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS LECTORS SERVERS USHERS VIDEO B1 Ed Kirk C1 Mary Schwarz Linda Earhart Kate Bobey Jeff Hood Saturday 5:30 PM B2 Shelley Conry B3 Bart Conry C2 Mary Lawrence-Kirk C3 Steve Brownfield C4 Chaz Jeronis (pyx) Ken Kuruc Anna Sikorenko Tony Spinhirn 7:30 AM B1 Barb Lorius B2 Rich Lorius C1 Jeff Twardzik C2 Sandy Twardzik (pyx) Donna Horton Guy Connors Joseph Friedl Regan Funfgeld Bruce Francis Pete Rojas B1 D. Marco (sub req) C1 L. Ruh C5 D. Boyle Beth Lofy Jenna Gooch Karen Bartkowiak 9:30 AM B2 S. Mueller C2 T. Boyle C6 B. Steinmetz B3 C. Koppmann C3 B. Cesareo C7 B. Mueller B4 C4 N. Klettlinger (pyx) D. Wallace Ben Sluder Jeanette Cottrell B1 Cindy Sauthoff C1 Dinah Lambert Rich Madansky Caitlin Overman Dave Busta 11:30 AM B2 Dick Zalack B3 Chris Lambert C2 Tamika Patilla C3 Jack Holland C4 Becky Johnston (pyx) Dorothy Barry Kathy Madansky (sub req) Alexis Rogers (sub req) John Coppolino Dave Stankiewicz
Holy Martyrs Church December 20, 2015 Medina, Ohio Advent This week is the final week of Advent! Soon we will celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! This week is our Tacky Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people. He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us. He is the Savior of us all. O Lord, let your blessing come upon us as we light all candles of this wreath. May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ's promise of salvation. May He come quickly and not delay. We ask this in His holy name. Amen. (http://www.ewtn.com/advent/week4.asp) Christmas Sweater Party! Come wearing your most festive Christmas sweater, eat lots of sugary treats, and join with other teens in celebrating the birth of Christ! lifeteen@holymartyrs.net spirit@holymartyrs.net There is no session on Tuesday, December 22. Have a very merry Christmas with your families!
Fourth of Advent Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved. Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: If you knew the gift of God! You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified. You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God. Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy, you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.