St. Alphonsus Catholic Church 2111 Market street Wheeling, WV 26003 January 3, 2016 The Epiphany of the Lord Pastoral Staff MASSES Mon Tues Thurs Fri 7:00 am Wed Communion Service 7:00 am Saturday Vigil Mass 5:30 pm Sunday Masses 7:00 am & 10:30 am MONTHLY MASSES St. Alphonsus Mass Association (1st Friday of month) 7:00 am Polish Mass (3rd Sunday of month) 9:00 am NOVENAS Miraculous Medal - Tuesday after 7:00 am Mass Novena to St. Jude - Fridays after 7:00 am Mass Divine Mercy Chaplet - 1st Friday at 5:30 pm SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturday 4:30 5:00 pm or by appointment SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE Contact the parish office 6 months before desired date. SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM Call the parish office for an appointment. NEW PARISHIONERS We WELCOME new parishioners! Please complete a registration form on the table in the rear of the Church. Mail Registration to the office or drop in the collection basket. Rev. Fr. Douglas A. Ondeck, Pastor (ondeck.douglas@gmail.com) Rev. Mr. George Smoulder, Permanent Deacon Bobbi Taylor, Parish Secretary Sister Anna Marie Cole, CSJ, PSR Coordinator Beverly Pockl, Vocalist David Alfred/Caroline Lakomy, Church Organists Parish Phone: 304-232-4353 Parish Fax: 304-232-1993 Parish E-Mail Address/Web: saintalphonsuswheeling@gmail.com www.stalswheeling.org PARISH OFFICE HOURS Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:00 am to Noon; 1:00 to 3:30 pm Friday 9:00 am to Noon
January 3, 2016 The Epiphany of the Lord LOOKING IN THE RIGHT PLACES Appearances can be deceiving, as the saying goes. As we celebrate the epiphania, the appearing of the eternal Word of God on earth, this is s ll true. What rapturous foresight must have filled Isaiah as he wrote the words we hear today. How, for four hundred years, they must have filled the hearts of the people of Israel with hope for the day when God s glory would shine on them. How deceived some must have felt when the glory of God came to them in the lowliest and humblest of human lives. We have many expecta ons about how the divine presence will appear among us. But we can also set ourselves up, through these expecta ons, to miss the divine glory when it truly appears. We get caught up in looking for the star, forge ng that the star is not the divine sign, the babe is. It may take a persistent journey for us to come upon the true appearance of God s glory in our lives: Jesus Christ. TODAY S READINGS First Reading Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! The Lord shines upon you and the glory of the Lord appears over you (Isaiah 60:1-6). Psalm Lord, every na on on earth will adore you (Psalm 72). Second Reading The mystery has been made known that the Gen les are coheirs, copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6). Gospel Magi from the east arrived, saying, Where is the newborn king of the Jews? (Ma hew 2:1-12). The English transla on of the Psalm Responses from the Lec onary for Mass 1969, 1981, 1997, Interna onal Commission on English in the Liturgy Corpora on. All rights reserved. READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: 1 Jn 3:22 4:6; Ps 2:7bc-8, 10-12a; Mt 4:12-17, 23-25 Tuesday: 1 Jn 4:7-10; Ps 72:1-4, 7-8; Mk 6:34-44 Wednesday: 1 Jn 4:11-18; Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13; Mk 6:45-52 Thursday: 1 Jn 4:19 5:4; Ps 72:1-2, 14, 15bc, 17; Lk 4:14-22a Friday: 1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20; Lk 5:12-16 Saturday: 1 Jn 5:14-21; Ps 149:1-6a, 9b; Jn 3:22-30 Sunday: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 or Is 40:1-5, 9-11; Ps 29:1-4, 3, 9-10 or Ps 104:1b-4, 24-25, 27-30; Acts 10:34-38 or Ti 2:11-14; 3:4-7; Lk 3:15-16, 21-22 SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Epiphany of the Lord; Na onal Migra on Week Monday: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Tuesday: St. John Neumann Wednesday: St. André Besse e Thursday: St. Raymond of Penyafort; Julian Calendar Christmas TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION Over the next few weeks, if you were to stroll around Prague or Budapest or Kraków, you might see curious grafi scratched in chalk over some doorways: 20 + C + M + B + 16. The families dwelling behind those doors have celebrated the Epiphany door blessing. They have gathered before the feast-day meal, probably a er Mass, and the head of the family has traced the sign of the cross on the piece of chalk. Standing on a ladder, the leader traces the numbers for the new year, and the le ers C M B for Christus Mansionem Benedicat, La n for May Christ bless this house. The le ers also point to the names that tradi on has assigned to the mysterious magi, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar although scripture tells us nothing of their number, their country, or their names. The blessing speaks of journeys ended and journeys begun at the doorway, and prays that all journeys be as sa sfying as was the magi s. It prays that the house beyond the door have the quality of love and peace that the magi marveled at when they at last arrived in Bethlehem. In some countries where the Soviet Union tried to impose a harsh atheism, the vigor of this household custom survived all efforts to erase Chris an customs. In the years of struggle, the chalked blessings were a pervasive sign of defiance, and now in the light of new freedoms, they are a sign of the resilience of our tradi on and the fulfillment of the magi s quest for meaning and peace. LITTLE MINUTES Li le drops of water, li le grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land; so the li le minutes, humble though they be, make the mighty ages of eternity. Julia A. Fletcher Carney
Happy New Year!!! St. Alphonsus Mass Association 2016 enrollment begins. Registration Forms are located near the elevator and on the front entrance table. Bereavement Gathering Grief from a Faith Perspective If you, or someone you know has lost a loved one and may benefit from a gathering for those grieving, please join us. Facilitator, Fr. Dennis ; sponsored by Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Join us at 6:00pm at St. Alphonsus. Next gathering will be January 25, 2016. We graciously THANK these local businesses for helping to make our Christmas Dinner such a HUGE SUCCESS! Chris an Mothers & Ladies Guild ST. ALPHONSUS BAKE SALE Every 3rd Saturday & Sunday a er in the lobby by the glass doors and in the back of the Church To donate please call Mary Ellen at 304-242-1415 to let her know how you can help! All proceeds go to the Church Maintenance Fund Due to printing deadlines, Collection amounts for all of December will be listed in the January 9th bulletin. After the holiday, Collections will be noted timely. Centere Cup Coffee Coleman s Dave Smigel-Barnesville Convenient Dugger s Market Jebbia s Nickles Bakery P.A.P. Club Riesbeck s S&V Service St. Clair Lanes Valley Cheese Wheeling Flower Shop THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING! THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
EMBRACE! REJOICE! PROCLAIM! We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. -Pope Francis JUBILEE YEAR of MERCY 12/8/15-11/20/16
Saturday, January 2 5:30 pm Bill Campbell (Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Channell) Sunday, January 3 7:00 am Helen Breiding (Steve Breiding & Debbie Barlow) 10:30 am People of the Parish Monday, January 4 7:00 am John Pacewicz (Judy Malek) Tuesday, January 5 7:00am Dorothy Henthorn (Sr. Jeanne & the Carney Family) Wednesday, January 6 7:00 am Communion Service Thursday, January 7 7:00 am Fr. Leroy O. Beyer (Fr. Doug) Friday, January 8 7:00 am Fr. John McDonnell (Fr. Doug) Weekend Ministry Schedule (Jan 9-10) Saturday, January 9, 5:30 pm M. Sofka Eucharistic Ministers: J. Sofka L. Blazier P. Romanek Sunday, January 10, 7:00 am M. Bosacki Eucharistic Minister: Sunday, January 10, 10:30 am R. Henry Eucharist Ministers: B. Henry J. Brensinger D. Lemery J. K-Rankin Saturday, January 9 5:30 pm Bill Campbell (Jack & Katie Fahey) Sunday, January 10 7:00 am People of the Parish 10:30 am Dorothy Henthorn (John & Steph Mallett) Please continue to pray for our military men and women who serve us and their families: Lcpl. Bandon Collins USMC Sgt. L. Joey Henry USMC PFC Jeremy Labuda Sr. Airmen Jordan Lucey Gunnery Sgt. Brian M. Pelsh USMC Specialist E-4 John Niebergall Williams Please Also Pray For Josh Bischof, Cynthia Botizan, Rosemarie Bursee, Bernadette Czerwonka, Bob Heller, Richard Henry, Luke Jordan of the Yankovich Family, Jane Murray, Karleigh Ryan, Dustin Ronevich, Debbie Respole, Mary Schlosser Bishop Hodges Norma Campbell, Stella Czyzewski, Tony Hadom, Stella Rogerson Elmhurst Evelyn Nikolaus Good Shepherd Sara Baker, Mary Bohlman, Selma Hughes, Mary Rushkevich, Betty Weckerley Mound View Nursing Home Sophie Skrzypek Peterson Elizabeth Bissett, Frank Dombrowski, Rose Lewandowski, Diane Moore, Blanche Richard, Leonard Rycerz, Robert Sengewalt, Welty Richard Teachout, Dorothy Coss Home Joan Carp, Beverly Heller, Butch & Jean Mozingo, Betty Rycerz,Harry Zelkowski