Third Sunday of Advent December 17, 2017 QUEEN OF APOSTLES C AT H O L I C C H U RC H My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed. 4401 Sano Street, Alexandria, VA 22312 (703) 354-8711 www.queenofapostles.org CLERGY Fr. Leopoldo M. Vives, DCJM, Pastor Fr. Juan Espino, DCJM, Parochial Vicar Fr. Javier O Connor, DCJM, Parochial Vicar Fr. Ignacio de Ribera, DCJM, In Residence Deacon Richard C. Caporiccio SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULE Vigil Masses on Saturday: 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm (in Spanish) Sunday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am, 12 Noon, 2:00 pm (Ghana Community) WEEKDAY MASS SCHEDULE Monday-Friday: 6:30 am and 9:00 am No 6:30 am Mass on Federal Holidays Saturday: 8:00 am HOLY HOUR SCHEDULE Thursday: 7:30-8:30 pm CONFESSION SCHEDULE Monday-Friday: 7:00-7:30 am Wednesday: 6:30 pm until last penitent Thursday: 7:30-8:30 pm during Holy Hour Saturday: 4:00-5:00 pm and 6:00-7:00 pm Sunday: 8:30-9:00 am and 10:00-10:30 am EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Monday 7 am through Saturday 7:45 am QUEEN OF APOSTLES CATHOLIC SCHOOL 4409 Sano Street, Alexandria, VA 22312 Mrs. Jodi Reagan, Principal Mrs. Maria Fox, Secretary (703) 354-0714 www.queenofapostlesschool.org
Queen of Apostles Vision Statement To be a family of families committed to growing in discipleship of Christ and eager to invite others to join our family. Joining Our Parish Family Welcome to Queen of Apostles! We warmly invite you to join our parish family. So that you might receive all of our parish communications, and so that our clergy and staff may respond appropriately to your various sacramental needs, we encourage you to register at Queen of Apostles through the Parish Office. Registration will also be needed to receive a certificate of eligibility to be a Godparent for Baptism; to be a Sponsor for Confirmation; to enroll your child in Religious Education; to begin Baptismal preparation for your child (unless permission is received from your parish); and to prepare for Marriage. Parish registration forms are available in the Church vestibule and at the Parish Office, located at 4329 Sano St. (next door to the Church). Please notify the Parish Office of any family status changes or if you have moved outside of the parish by calling (703) 354-8711, or e-mail general @queenofapostles.org. Mary, Queen of Apostles, pray for us. Early Bulletin Deadlines For December and January Please note the early bulletin deadlines for the entire month of December and first Sunday in January: The deadline for submitting announcements for the Dec. 24 bulletin was Monday, Dec. 4. The deadline for submitting announcements for the Dec. 31 and Jan. 7 bulletins is Monday, Dec. 11 by 9 am. Please email bulletin announcements to Mayra Saunders at m.saunders@queenofapostles.org. Thank You for your generous contribution to the Poor Box. This weekend s collection will go toward Christ House. Next weekend s collection will go toward the Poor Sisters of St. Joseph. Make an end of year gift! Dec. 31 is the last day to make a tax-deductible gift for 2017. If you would like to make a donation of stock, please contact the parish office at (703) 354-8711 or via email at stewardship@queenofapostles.org. Mystic Monk Coffee Need a tasty and appreciated Christmas gift? Mystic Monk Coffee (Midnight Vigils and Mystic Monk whole bean blends) in 12 oz. bags is available for purchase. See Susan in the parish office. Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks in Cody, WY. Sales of coffee benefit the June 2018 Pilgrimage to Spain. High School Application Deadline The application deadline for Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Arlington is Jan. 12, 2018. Register by Jan. 4 to take the High School Placement Test. Please visit the website for the high school you wish to attend to learn more about their application process and to register for the placement test. Your Gifts for the 2017 Annual Christmas Collection for Catholic Charities Are Deeply Appreciated and Still Needed! Thank you for your support of Catholic Charities this year. Your support is vital to our work, and we are grateful for your gifts. If you missed the opportunity to give, you may still do so. You can make your yearend gift in support of Catholic Charities by going online at www.ccda.net. RCIA English and Spanish RCIA will not meet on Dec. 25 and Dec. 27, 2017, and Jan. 1 and Jan. 3, 2018. Religious Education The Religious Education will provide coffee and donuts to RE families on Dec. 17 during class time in the Multipurpose Room. The deadline for a Certificate of Eligibility for Confirmation sponsors is Jan. 21, 2018. Sponsors should plan ahead and call for an appointment to meet with his/her parish priest in order to obtain a signed and sealed Certificate of Eligibility. Completed Certificates may be brought to the parish office. Religious Education classes will not meet on Dec. 24, Dec. 31, 2017. Classes resume Jan. 7, 2018. We thank our catechists, aides, and volunteers for their dedication to the faith formation of our youth. 2nd grade Queen of Apostles School parents are invited to a Jan. 8, 2018 meeting with Fr. Juan to discuss First Confession and First Holy Communion. The meeting will be held in the School at 7 pm School parents should contact Mr. Vuong or Mrs. Yassa with questions. Altar Servers The schedule for Dec.-Feb. has been sent to families. Thank you for serving the altar. Altar servers/ families are invited to host the Vocations Crucifix for one week. If you have not already chosen a week to host the Crucifix, please use this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/ go/20f0544aca928a0fe3-queen. The Vocations Crucifix is a daily reminder to talk about religious vocations and the importance of these vocations to serve the Lord and others. Emmaus and Advent Parish high school and young college students are invited observe a quiet and prayerful Advent by practicing daily sacrifices: No music Mondays; No gossip Tuesdays; No texting/social media after 8 pm Wednesdays; Meditating on the Coming of Jesus Thursdays; No complaints Fridays; Personal prayer Saturdays and Sundays. Emmaus meets on Saturday, 8:30-10:00 pm at Christendom College/Notre Dame Graduate School (4407 Sano Street) for fellowship, activities, faith discussion, and prayer. Nazareth meets Dec. 16! On Saturday, Dec. 16 starting at 6:15 pm, Nazareth families are invited to movie night in Hannan Hall! The cost? Bringing new baby gifts (disposable diapers, infant car seats with 5 point harness, newborn clothing, onesies blankets, etc.) that will benefit the Pregnancy and Adoption Support program of Catholic Charities. Page 2 www.queenofapostles.org
Pastor s Letter The Oil of Gladness The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul (Is 61:1.10). Today s liturgy has two focuses: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and joy. Today is Gaudete Sunday. The vestments and the third candle of the wreath change from purple to rose. This is a sign of the joy for the proximity of Christmas: Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing (1 Thes 5:16-17). Today I would like to consider how we have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, oil was used to anoint kings, prophets, and priests. The oil was poured abundantly so that it ran down upon the beard upon the collar of his robe (Ps 133:2). Today I would like to reflect upon how the OIL becomes in the sacraments for us an OIL OF GLADNESS (cf. Hb 1:9) and a sign of the gift of the Holy Spirit. First, in BAPTISM. Before summoning the Holy Spirit to descend on the water of the font, the child is anointed during the exorcism: We anoint you with the OIL OF SALVATION in the name of Christ our Savior; may he strengthen you with his power. The child is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Right after baptism the child is again anointed on his head with the Sacred Chrism (adults receive Confirmation instead). CONFIRMATION is the sacrament which introduces us into the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Bishop anoints the faithful with oil on the forehead while he says, Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. In this sacrament, the OIL becomes in the most powerful way the sign that The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me (Is 61:1). In the ORDINATION of a priest, his hands are anointed to serve the Eucharist as he is sent to bring good news to the afflicted to heal the brokenhearted (Is 61:2). Finally, OIL is used in the ANOINTING OF THE SICK to signify the strength of the Holy Spirit. Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Considering how the oil reminds us of the gift of the Spirit inviting us to rejoice, let s celebrate joyfully this Sunday and let s consider how the Holy Spirit is poured so abundantly over Jesus that it runs down upon all of us who participate in the anointing of the Christ ( Christ is the Greek work for anointed ) as he shared in our humanity when he was incarnate and born of the Virgin Mary. Towards a Missionary Family: Reconciliation Living Out Confession Daily Examination of Conscience: Review your day with Jesus at bedtime and make a firm resolution for the next day. Make a thorough Examination of Conscience using a confession guide if possible and go to Confession to prepare for Christmas. Start the habit of frequent Confession (once every 1 to 3 months) if it is not there already. Think about a person you would like to reconcile with before Christmas and bring it to prayer. Reflection Saint John Paul the Great Reconciliation with God leads to other reconciliations. The forgiven penitent is reconciled with himself with his brethren whom he has somehow offended with the Church with all creation. www.queenofapostles.org Page 3
This Week In Our Parish Third Sunday of Advent - December 17: Hannan Hall 10:30-11:30 am Banica Meeting Monday, December 18: Cupertino Room 7:00-9:00 pm Hispanic Legion of Mary Hannan Hall 8:00-9:00 pm Simbang Gabi Reception Notre Dame Graduate School 7:30-9:00 pm RCIA in English Tuesday, December 19: Hannan Hall 7:00-9:00 pm Choir Rehearsal Wednesday, December 20: Hannan Hall 7:00-9:00 Ghana Prayer Group Notre Dame Graduate School 7:30-9:00 pm RCIA in Spanish Thursday, December 21: Parish Office Closes at 4 pm Parish Office 6:30-8:00 pm Legion of Mary Hannan Hall 7:00-9:30 pm Choir Rehearsal Church 7:30-8:30 pm Holy Hour Friday, December 22: Adoration Chapel 11:00 am-12 noon Children s Adoration Hour Adoration Chapel 3:00-4:00 pm Divine Mercy Chaplet Hannan Hall 7:00 pm-12:00 am GCC Prayer Mtg. Saturday, December 23: Church 8:30-11:30 am Christmas Decorations School 4:00-6:30 pm Spanish Prayer Group School 7:00-9:00 pm Ghana Choir Notre Dame Graduate School 8:30-10:00 pm Emmaus Prayer for the Advent Wreath If you have an Advent Wreath, gather around it to pray: O God, by whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth Your blessing upon this wreath, and grant that all who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from You abundant graces, Who lives and reigns forever. Amen. Then, every day for the third week of Advent, as you light the third candle pray: We humbly beg Thee, O Lord, to listen to our prayers; and by the grace of Thy coming bring light into our darkened minds. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. Give a Gift for Life Please give a Gift for Life this season to help Gabriel Project fund a mother s maternity care. One grateful mother wrote: I just want to thank you all for everything you did for me and my baby. Words can't explain how I feel. Thank you so much for accepting us into your lives...may God continue to bless you abundantly as long as you live...with much love! For more information and/or to donate visit: www.arlingtondiocese.org/giftforlife. Vocations The One who calls you is faithful. Will you be faithful to His call? Listen; God may be inviting you to be a priest, deacon or consecrated religious. Contact Fr. Juan at general@queenofapostles.org or Fr. J.D. Jaffe at j.jaffe@arlingtondiocese.org or (703) 841-2514. Third Sunday of Advent For men and women called by the Lord to be priests, deacons and consecrated religious, that the peace of Christ will guide their hearts and minds as they proclaim the good news of salvation to His people, we pray to the Lord. Seminarians Hoops Challenge Basketball Game Come watch as the high school men from the Quo Vadis discernment group take on the Arlington seminarians, with guest referees Bishop Burbidge and Fr. Christopher Vaccaro. There will be vocational testimonies at halftime, a spirit squad competition, and a pizza party at the end. The event is Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, 3 to 6 pm at the St. John Paul the Great High School gym. Families are welcome. High school boys interested in playing on the Quo Vadis team should contact the Office of Vocations, (703) 841-2514 or vocations@arlingtondiocese.org. No RSVP is needed. Urgent Need for a Scheduled Adorer There is an urgent need for a scheduled Adorer on Tuesday morning, 6:00-7:00 am. Please contact Alexa Urban at (703) 241-1096 or moleski47@gmail.com if you can commit to this hour. Simbang Gabi On Dec. 18 at 7:00 pm, Queen of Apostles Church will host the fourth Mass of Simbang Gabi, a 9 day novena Mass to the Blessed Mother which begins on Dec. 15 and ends on Dec. 23. All are invited to attend. Light refreshments will follow after the Mass in Hannan Hall. Thank you for your generosity to the Advent Angel Tree Thank you to parishioners who were "angels" to children in need this Christmas. Thanks to you, more than 200 children from the parish and local community will receive presents and clothes this Christmas. May God bless your generosity. Special thanks as well to Frieda Cocozza for coordinating the Angel Tree, and to all the volunteers who make this effort possible! Queen of Apostles Catholic School Please join us every Friday at 9 am for the School Mass. Congratulations to 4th grader David de Costa for his first place in the national science contest organized by the American Geosciences Institute. The award was presented to David by the mayor of Alexandria, Ms. Allison Silberberg, and the former United States Secretary of the Interior, Ms. Sally Jewel. David de Costa was also the winner of the Queen of Apostles Christmas Card contest Page 4 www.queenofapostles.org
Schedule of Masses for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord Christmas Christmas Eve - December 24 6:00 pm 8:00 pm (Spanish) 12 Midnight (Bilingual, High Mass) Christmas Day - December 25 8:00 am 10:00 am 12 Noon You May Be Wondering... Q: This year the Fourth Sunday of Advent comes right before Christmas. Do we have to come to Mass twice? A: Yes. Both Sunday and Christmas are Holy Days of Obligation. For this year, the faithful have two Mass obligations: the Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 23/24), and Christmas (December 24/25) which will need to be fulfilled by their participation in two Masses. Q: How can we fulfill our Holy Day obligations? A: We have six options. Come to Mass: (1) Saturday pm & Sunday pm (Christmas Eve) (2) Saturday pm & Monday am (Christmas Day) (3) Saturday pm & Monday pm (Christmas Day) (4) Sunday am & Sunday pm (Christmas Day) (5) Sunday am & Monday am (Christmas Day) (6) Sunday am & Monday pm (Christmas Day) Nourishing Our Souls With Holy Scripture Readings for Next Week: Fourth Sunday of Advent Is 61:1-2A, 10-11 Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54 1 Thes 5:16-24 Jn 1:6-8, 19-28 Schedule of Masses for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God January 1, 2018 9:00 am 12 Noon 7:00 pm (Bilingual, High Mass) Sacrament of Reconciliation Please note that the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) will not be available on Wednesday evening, Dec. 27, Sunday, Dec. 31, and Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. Parish Office Closed for the Christmas Octave The Parish Office will be closed from Monday, Dec. 25, 2017 through Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. It will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 2 Adoration Chapel The Adoration Chapel will close on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017 before the 8 am Mass, and reopen on Monday, Jan. 8, 2018 after the 6:30 am Mass. Third Sunday of Advent Masses this Week Third Sunday of Advent - December 17: 7:30 am Living and Deceased Members of the Byrne Family 9:00 am +Dolores Perez 10:30 am Living and Deceased Parishioners 12:00 noon +Lily and Maria De Souza Monday, December 18: 6:30 am +Joshua Chedid 9:00 am +Presoilo B. Lapada, Sr. Tuesday, December 19: 6:30 am +Jennifer Anne Santiago 9:00 am +Mary and Ethel Hetsko Wednesday, December 20: 6:30 am +Jocelyn Walter Graham 9:00 am (L) Sandra Cortez and Family Saint Peter Canisius - Thursday, December 21: 6:30 am +Irene Jarvais 9:00 am +Emily Ruffing Friday, December 22: 6:30 am (L) Catherine Harris 9:00 am +John Bartholme Saint John of Kanty - Saturday, December 23: 8:00 am +Norma Green 5:00 pm +Marina de Souza 7:00 pm +Roberto and Blanca Quiroga Fourth Sunday of Advent - December 24: 7:30 am +Inocencio Monillas 9:00 am +Lou and Jeanne Wack 10:30 am Living and Deceased Parishioners 12:00 noon (L) Dilhani Siriwardane Christmas Eve - December 24: 6:00 pm +John Bartholme 8:00 pm +Clara Walter and Edward Avella 12 Midnight +Lucia and José Antonio Venero O Come, O Come, Emmanuel! Please pray for the members of our parish who are ill Michael McSherry, Rosa A. Valderrama, Daniel O Donohue, Jeanie Miller, Rosa María Santos, Debbie DuBrul, Maddie Respicio-Cabatic, Helen Brooks Ruth Foreman and Baby, Charles Ferris, John Harchick, Jr., Dominic Blansett, Daisy Atiyeh, Dick Owens, Linda Intihar, Melencio Morales, Reyes Duran, Luong Bui, Nick Tullier, Rose Maalouf, Nicole Pack, Barbara J. Banis, Numa Osuna, Jr., Timmy Burnway, Etelvina and Patricia León-Duarte, Catherine Hanniff, Kristi Burns, Kathleen Donohoe, Mark Bush, Joseph Covas, Margaret Peiffer, David Stemcosky, Rita Sulit, Jason Banis, Emma Collins, Teresa Sabina Piecyk, Juana Mejia, Lisa Nyce, Monique Brooks, Debby Spraht, Consuelo Jocson, Cheryl McGlynn, Theresa Corcoran, Cordelia Carcamo, Donna Smith www.queenofapostles.org Page 5