St. Nicholas Parish 24252 El Toro Road, Laguna Woods, CA 92637 (949) 837-1090; FAX (949) 837-9510; www.st-nicholaschurch.org School of Religious Education: (949) 837-7676 Our Parish Mission Statement St. Nicholas Parish is a Catholic community, celebrating our faith through the Sacraments, Liturgy, Prayer and Service. We strive to nurture family life and to create one body out of many in the Lord. We share the Good News with people of all ages, cultures and faith backgrounds. Adopted July, 1996 Pastor Parochial Vicar Deacon Deacon Deacon CLERGY Rev. George P. Blais Rev. Quyen Truong Rev. Msgr. John Campbell Rev. Gerald Walker Rev. Charbel Grbavac Rev. Jack Sewell Rev. Chin Dang Wayne Thompson Chau Tran Gerardo De Santos MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil: 4:00PM, 7:00PM in Spanish Sunday: 7:30AM, 9:00AM, 10:45AM, 12:30PM, and 5:00PM in Vietnamese. Monday through Friday: 7:00AM and 9:00AM Saturday: 9AM Holy Days: 4PM Vigil, 7PM Spanish Vigil, 7AM, 9AM, 12PM, 6PM, and 7:30PM in Vietnamese. RECONCILIATION (Confession) Saturday: 9:45AM to 10:15AM and 3:00PM to 3:45PM or by appointment. BAPTISM Contact the Parish Office for Baptism scheduling and information. MARRIAGE Arrangements must begin at least six months in advance with a priest of the parish. ANOINTING OF THE SICK Call Parish Office in an emergency. Special Service celebrated in fall/spring as announced. FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS At the death of a family member, please call the Parish Office at your earliest convenience to plan for the Mass of Christian Burial. EUCHARISTIC ADORATION DAY 24-hour adoration begins the second Wednesday of the month at the 9:00AM Mass. DEVOTIONS & BENEDICTION Wednesday evenings at 7:00PM; Vietnamese 2nd Wednesday of the month at 8PM. Recitation of the Holy Rosary and Benediction. Filipino 1st Saturday of the month Novena and Rosary Devotion from October-June after the 4PM Mass. Parish Office Hours Sunday: 8:30 AM 1:30 PM; Monday through Friday: 9AM 12Noon; 1PM 5:15PM Saturday: 9 AM 12 Noon
Sunday Missal Living With Christ Sunday Missals for 2018-2019, Cycle C, which begins The First Sunday of Advent on December 2nd, are on sale now in the Parish Office. It contains the Sunday readings, Mass prayers, a short meditation and some questions at the end of each section. The Missal is $5.00 (shipping/handling costs included), and can be picked up in the Parish Office. Limited supply. Please note: EARLY DEADLINES FOR BULLETIN ARTICLES With holidays and other Publisher requirements, articles for our bulletin have early deadlines. Please note the following deadlines if you have an article that needs to be in a bulletin for the dates shown below. Articles submitted after the required Due Date will not be published in the bulletin. Bulletin Date December 23rd December 30th January 6th Please Note: The School of Religious Education and the Parish Office will be closed on Thursday, November 22nd and Friday, November 23rd for the Thanksgiving Holiday. There will only be a 9AM Mass both Nov. 22nd and 23rd. There will not be a 7AM Mass. The Priests and Staff at St. Nicholas wish all Parishioners a very Happy Thanksgiving. Articles Due By December 10th December 17th December 19th Dear Parishioners, As we come close to the end of another Liturgical Year which is in two weeks, we once again have readings about end times. Many people begin to speculate and try to predict the end of the world when they hear of these readings or may even be frightened or anxious about the end of the world; however, we are reminded at the end of today s Gospel, that no one knows the day nor the hour when the Lord will come again. We must always be ready for when He does come, but we must not be preoccupied or overly concerned or worried because this will cause undo anxiety. If we live our lives focused on following Jesus example and living the Gospel message, we will be prepared for when He comes at the end of time, or when we are called back to the Father from this life. By preparing to meet Jesus every day of our life, we will be ready when He calls us home. This week we celebrate our Thanksgiving Holiday. As we gather with family and friends, let us remember to take time to give thanks to God for His abundant blessings and also remember those who are unable to be with family or do not have any family. We will once again gather to celebrate our Thanks to God at our 9:00 A.M. Mass and as we do, let us remember that the word Eucharist means thanksgiving. Every time we gather for Mass, we give thanks to God for His abundant blessings. Fr. George Stewardship of Treasure 2018 2017 52-Weekly Required Budget November 11th $18,188.00 $19,696.09 $25,856.00 (Excluding Electronic Giving)
Mass Intentions for the Week Monday: 7AM Thanksgiving 9AM Liz Borst (d) Tuesday: 7AM Travis Pham (d) 9AM Mary Totten (d) Wednesday: 7AM Healing for a friend 9AM Msgr. Lawrence Gibson (d) Thursday: 9AM Andy La Friday: 9AM Yuan Chen (d) Saturday: 9AM Timothy Sullivan (d) 4PM Gary Stevens (d) 7PM Sunday: 7:30AM Frank Hernandez Family 9:00AM Maria Felis Lara (d) 10:45AM Corazon Santos Davie (d) 12:30PM Michael McCoy (d) We Remember Byron Davis who entered his new and eternal life in Christ. Grant to all our dearly departed, eternal rest, O Lord, and may your light shine on them forever. TODAY S READINGS First Reading: Daniel 12:1-3 Those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever. Psalm 16 You are my inheritance, O Lord! Second Reading: Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 Where there is forgiveness, there is no longer offering for sin. Gospel: Mark 13:24-32 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Parish Calendar This Week MONDAY Sewing Group, Small Hall, 8AM Hispanic Rosary, Church, 7PM Hispanic Marriage Encounter, Room B, 7PM TUESDAY Remembering Church, Room C, 7PM St. Nicholas Chorale, Small Hall, 7:15PM WEDNESDAY Charismatic Prayer Group, Room A, 9:45AM Knights of Columbus, Room C, 6PM Devotions and Benedictions, Church, 7PM Filipino Choir, Small Hall, 8PM THURSDAY Thanksgiving Dinner, Parish Center 1st Floor, 1PM FRIDAY - SATURDAY Hispanic Choir, Room C, 4PM SUNDAY Spanish Baptisms Library CLOSED PLEASE NOTE: The St. Nicholas Parish Office has NEW office hours. Monday through Friday we are open as follows: 9AM-12PM and 1PM-5:15PM. Anyone who has reserved a room at the parish for ministry events will need to pick up the room key by 5:15PM at the Parish Office. Parish Office hours for the weekend remain the same: Saturday: 9AM-12PM Sunday: 8:30AM-1:30PM The St. Nicholas Library The Library is open the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month, from 8:45am 12:45pm. We are located in Room C, behind the Parish Office. Freebie Cart: Rosaries, prayer cards and more!
SCHOOL OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Elementary Classes will resume Monday through Wednesday, November 26th-28th from 4:15-5:30PM. Junior High Class is on Tuesday, November 27th from 7-8:30PM. Confirmation I Class is on Tuesday, November 27th at 7PM. SRE classes will NOT meet on Monday, Nov. 19th through Wednesday, Nov. 21st. We wish all our families, catechists, and volunteers a Happy Thanksgiving! PLEASE NOTE: St. Nicholas is getting a new parking lot and sidewalks! During construction, there will be limited parking, uneven surfaces, fencing, and no striping. Please be very careful when bringing your child(ren) to classes and follow directions of any personnel who may be assisting you. ANGEL TREE PROJECT The Angel Tree Project will be starting the weekend of Nov. 24th-25th. In the alcove on the small parking lot side of the Church, our annual Angel Christmas Tree will be up and decorated with angels that have been colored by our SRE children. On the back of each angel is a description of a child or an adult. Please purchase an appropriate gift for the person described, and bring it to the Parish Office by Friday, December 14th unwrapped. Put the angel on the present and remember the person who will receive your gift in your prayers. Gifts will be distributed to South County Outreach, Micah s Way and other charitable organizations in the county. Thank you for your generosity! SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Wednesday: The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Thursday: St. Cecilia; Thanksgiving Day Friday: St. Clement I; St. Columban; Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro Saturday: St. Andrew Dũng-Lạc and Companions YOUTH MINISTRY Check us out on Facebook and Instagram: @stnickym All youth please join us for our Friendsgiving Celebration this Saturday, November 17th. We will start by celebrating the 4PM Mass and then have dinner immediately following in the Youth Room. Please bring a dish to share with others. After dinner, we will be watching a movie. We have so much to be thankful for we hope you ll all join us! \The next Teen/Family Mass is on Nov. 24th at 4PM. December is a busy month! December 1st is the First Sunday of Advent The next Bible Study will be Tuesday, Dec. 4th at 6PM. The Advent Retreat for Confirmation I students will be on Dec. 8th from 1-5PM (includes the 4PM Mass). Coffee and Donuts will be on Sunday, Dec. 9th from 8-12:30PM followed by Christmas Caroling. For Caroling, we will be meeting in the parking lot at 12:30PM and we will carpool to two local retirement homes. On Monday, Dec. 24th, the Christmas Eve Pageant will be performed at 3:30PM on Christmas Eve before the 4PM Mass. We will be looking for volunteers to help with this. Teen Mass will be on Dec. 29th at 4PM. Teen/Family Choir Rehearsals are on Thursday, Dec. 6th and Dec. 20th at 7:30PM in the choir loft in the Church. Check out Facebook and Instagram for more activities coming up. Student Contest Enter to win! The St. Nicholas Council of the Knights of Columbus is again sponsoring A Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest. The goal of this program is to involve young Catholics in 8th-12th grade (public, private, parochial or home schools) in civic discourse and instill in them religious and life-affirming values. Entry forms and rules are available on the Parish website: www.st-nicholaschurch.org under Ministries, Knights of Columbus. Essays and entry forms must be returned to the SRE Office no later than November 28th. There will be a monetary award for essay winners in all eligible grade levels.
TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION November is a month of remembrance for the dead, and cemeteries have long been a focus for prayer. Our tradition holds great respect for bodily remains, since the body was created and redeemed by God, was once the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and has a destiny of life with God in glory. The funeral practices of the early church contrasted greatly with those of the pagans, who had a great dread of the dead body. The ancient Christian funeral liturgy ended with the relatives and friends giving a final kiss to the body. It expressed affection and showed their faith that the grave would not be the last word. This kiss horrified pagans, who thought that any contact with the dead was degrading. Every year on their loved one s birthday to life, the Christians would return to the place of their burial to mark their profound communion with those whose lives were hidden in Christ. Typically, they buried the dead with their faces turned toward the east, symbolizing the rising of the Sun of Justice, Christ, at the end of days. They were attracted to the catacombs or burial grounds just as we are today. They would often celebrate the Eucharist at the tomb. Before long, as soon as Christians were allowed to build places for worship, they relocated cemeteries from beyond the city walls to surround the church. This was not so much because the church made the ground holy, but because the bodies of the saints hallowed the ground on which the church was built, a subtle but beautiful difference. Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. The Hispanic Group is having a Tamale Sale in the Parish Center on Sunday, November 18th, after all Masses. unless they sell out early! READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Rv 1:1-4; 2:1-5; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Lk 18:35-43 Tuesday: Rv 3:1-6, 14-22; Ps 15:2-5; Lk 19:1-10 Wednesday: Rv 4:1-11; Ps 150:1b-6; Lk 19:11-28 Thursday: Rv 5:1-10; Ps 149:1b-6a, 9b; Lk 19:41-44 Thanksgiving Day Suggested: Sir 50:22-24; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Lk 17:11-19 Friday: Rv 10:8-11; Ps 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131; Lk 19:45-48 Saturday: Rv 11:4-12; Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10; Lk 20:27-40 Sunday: Dn 7:13-14; Ps 93:1-2, 5; Rv 1:5-8; Jn 18:33b-37 Homeboy Industries Founder Fr. Greg Boyle will speak at Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 29. Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world. Father Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence on his community during the so-called decade of death that began in the late 1980s and peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992. In the face of law enforcement tactics and criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the means to end gang violence, he and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings. Annual CCW Christmas Luncheon Come join us for the annual CCW catered $12 Christmas Luncheon on Friday, December 7th in the Parish Center. The luncheon will be served at 11:30AM with prizes for all. Gentlemen are welcome. Reservations must be made by Friday, November 30th. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Please make checks payable to St. Nicholas Council of Catholic Women. To reserve, please contact Frances at (949) 830-9794, Rosemary at (949) 768-4932 or Molly at (949) 583-1804. THE PRAISE AND WORSHIP PRAYER GROUP Come join us in praise, worship and for healing prayers, on Friday, November 30th at 7:30pm in Room B. All are welcome! Questions: Phoebe (949) 855-9263
Pancake and Sausage Breakfast The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a pancake and sausage breakfast after the 7:30AM, 9:00AM, and 10:45AM Masses on Sunday, December 2nd. This is the major fundraising event for the Knights of Columbus and your patronage would be most appreciated. Please plan to attend with your family and friends. ENCOURAGEMENT This Sunday s Gospel is our final selection from Mark for this liturgical year. It is taken from the end of Jesus teaching in Jerusalem immediately preceding the account of his arrest and passion. In it Jesus gives his disciples hope to sustain them through his passion and death and any persecution or suffering that they would encounter after his resurrection. The words from the book of Daniel also provided hope and encouragement to the people of Daniel s time. The encouragement in these scriptures is meant for us as well, for none of us will escape tribulation in our lives. Followers of Jesus will be able to endure suffering with joyful hope, knowing that Christ s love will lead us along the way of discipleship and give us eternal life with God. Copyright J. S. Paluch Co., Inc. Final Tally for Pennies from Heaven The total amount of money that was collected from this year s Pennies from Heaven drive was $4,600.57. Thank you to the Knights of Columbus who donated the baby bottles, the Youth Ministry who distributed and collected the bottles and to all of YOU who filled the bottles with your donations for this worthwhile cause. All monies will be sent to various right-to-life organization in the local area. Thank you for your generosity. One act of thanksgiving when things go wrong with us is worth one thousand thank-yous when things are agreeable to our inclination. St. John of Ávila Parking Lot Replacement Well it s finally happening, the parking lot is being replaced. El Camino Asphalt and Paving was chosen to complete this project. The work is scheduled to take the better part of two weeks and everyone who comes on site will be affected. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, things should be finished up the last week of November. The scope of work will include replacement of all asphalt except that which is between the Parish Center and the rectory, replacement of the concrete sidewalks on the west and east side of the church up to the rectory, the addition of ADA and golf cart designated parking stalls, some curb additions by the small parking lot entrance as well as a new header board along the small parking lot planter. Please be aware that during construction there will be limited access to areas where work is actually taking place, uneven surfaces, fencing, no striping for the parking stalls and not to mention lots of dust. Please follow the directions of any safety personnel or those who are assisting in directing you to a parking location. Lastly, please be patient and mindful that this short term inconvenience will be well worth the long term benefit. PLEASE NOTE: ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE BULLETIN NEED TO BE SENT 2 THURSDAYS BEFORE THE WEEKEND YOU WISH TO HAVE THE ANNOUNCEMENT IN. PLEASE SEND BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS TO KDEBOLT@ST-NICHOLASCHURCH.ORG Coffee and Donuts News We are pleased to welcome our new Coffee and Donut Coordinator, Maureen Brand, who has officially taken on this very important activity. Maureen is eager to meet all the volunteers who help each Sunday. If you would like to volunteer to help or have any questions about Coffee and Donuts, please give her a call at (870) 404-1112. We are especially grateful to Gil and Marjorie Barragan who coordinated Coffee and Donuts for many years. We pray that they enjoy their retirement in their new home. GOD SPEED, GIL AND MARJORIE AND WELCOME MAUREEN!