St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish 5361 Dry Ridge Road Cincinnati, OH 45252 (513)385-8010 Fax (513)385-8080 www.stjohnsdr.org MASS SCHEDULE Saturday 4:30 pm Sunday 8:30 am & 11:00 am Weekday & Holyday - See Bulletin PARISH OFFICE Rev. Timothy S. Kallaher, Pastor Deacon Ken Schnur, Pastoral Associate Deacon Vincent Lutz Douglas Schmutte, Pastoral Associate for Music/Liturgy Amanda Weickert, Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation Rod Dunlap, Director of Youth Ministry Terri Reder, Business Manager Tom Cunningham, Plant Manager/Maintenance Supervisor Michelle Zerhusen, Office Manager PASTORAL COUNCIL John Stehlin, Chairperson, 476-9665 Ryan Vitolo, Vice-Chairperson, 519-1518 Kevin Wood, Secretary, 885-9860 Steve Bissmeyer, Member at Large, 923-2633 Gene Culman, Member at Large, 385-6669 Shannon Meyer, Member at Large, 385-6970 Al Grote, Member at Large, 245-9943 Lisa Severt, Member at Large, 309-8067 Teresa Gagnon, Member at Large, 515-8179 Heather Smith, Development Commission Rep., 923-2893 Betty Dirr,, Faith Formation Comm. Rep., 385-3954 Sharon Bachman, Finance Commission Rep., 385-8267 Patti Rice, Worship Commission Rep., 385-5410 Larry Weinheimer, Communications Comm. Rep, 652-2563 RECONCILIATION: Saturday at 2:30 p.m. & Seasonal Service MARRIAGE: Call the Parish Office at least 6 months prior to your wedding. BAPTISMS: Call the Parish Office ANOINTING OF THE SICK/COMMUNION: Call Parish Office WELCOME NEW MEMBERS. Please contact the Parish Office CURRENT PARISHIONERS: Moving? New email? Contact the Parish Office. ST. VINCENT DE PAUL - 513-301-6881 1 PRIEST S MASS INTENTIONS Monday, December 12 8:30 a.m. Julie Stockelman/Joanne Curry Tuesday, December 13 8:30 a.m. Special Intentions for Bob & Marilyn Zerhusen/Paul & Mary Hass Wednesday, December 14 8:30 a.m. Joan Rumpke/Richard & Sharon Dole Thursday, December 15 8:30 a.m. Raymond Schaefer/Ethel Kilmer Friday, December 16 8:30 a.m. Elanora Sterwerf/Lester Smith Saturday, December 17 4:30 p.m. Carol Wurzelbacher/Bob & Pat Stites Sunday, December 18 8:30 a.m. Peters Family/Dale & Marlene 11:00 a.m. For the Parish EUCHARIST MINISTERS & LECTORS The schedule for January - March 2017 will be done in the next few weeks. If you have any changes or if you know of particular dates that you will be unable to minister, please let me know by this Sunday, December 11. Please, if you cannot serve, get a sub. If you no longer wish to be on the list or if you have special scheduling requests, please let me know. You can reach me at 741-2808 or at marciaschmidt@cinci.rr.com. TABLE OF CONTENTS Bulletin Sponsors Page 10 & 11 Christmas Mass Schedule Page 9 Finance Report Terri s Tidbits Page 3 Liturgical Ministers Page 2 Musician s Notes Page 6 Office of Christian Formation Page 7 Retirement Fund for the Religious Pages 5 Shopping Cent Page 3 This Week in Advent Page 4 This Week in our Parish Page 2 Youth Ministry Update Page 8
THIS WEEK IN OUR PARISH LITURGICAL MINISTERS Monday, December 12 Mass, 8:30 a.m., Chapel Adoration, 9:15 a.m., Chapel Monday Martha s Group, 9:15 a.m. Rosary, 7:00 p.m., Chapel Tuesday, December 13 Mass, 8:30 a.m., Northgate Atria Simple Supper, 6:00 p.m., St. John Neumann Reconciliation Service, 7:00 p.m., St. John Neumann Wednesday, December 14 Mass with Grade 6, 8:30 a.m., Chapel Seniors Luncheon, Noon, Gathering Space JH Encounter, 7:00 p.m., YM Room Thursday, December 15 All School Mass, 8:30 a.m., Church Martha s Group, 3:30, Gathering Space Friday, December 16 All School Mass, 8:30 a.m., Church Saturday, December 17 Reconciliation, 2:30 p.m., Eucharistic Chapel Mass, 4:30 p.m., Church Sunday, December 18 Mass, 8:30 a.m. Mass, 11:00 a.m. Youth Ministry, 7:00 p.m., YM Room Saturday, December 17, 4:30 PM Mass Servers: A. Pettinger, S. Pettinger, A. Toelke Lectors: JoEllen Sunderhaus, Elaine Reardon Eucharistic Ministers: Teresa Gagnon, Marcia Schmidt, Mary Ann Lennon, Frank Sunderhaus, Annette Arszman, Kathy Wood Sunday, December 18, 8:30 AM Mass Servers: J. Moeller, G. Vidourek, L. Dorsch Lectors: Chris Dole, John Stehlin Eucharistic Ministers: Debbie Schneider, Dale Bosse, Roger Smallwood, Bob Engel, Carolyn Engel, Steve Hatke Sunday, December 18, 11:00 AM Mass Servers: A. Burke, M. Welling, M. Zipperer Lectors: Mary Ellen Moeller, Matt Molonly Eucharistic Ministers: Matthew Fejer, Michael Hayes, Claire Sillies, Sam Kreimer, Nancy Ziegler, Micheal Droppelman, Janet Lees, Madeline Lees, David Benkert, Alyssa Molulon Wedding Banns I Marie Heis & Brandon Good Parish Library Spot Just as the book last week was prepared for the Advent/ Christmas season 2015-2016, so too is this week s book Sacred Space Advent compiled by the Irish Jesuits. In this book the daily exercises are arranged by date. (Just remember the dates for this year are different from the last year.) Throughout the Advent season, each day s session includes a Scripture reading (included in the booklet), points of reflection, as well as a weekly topic enhanced by six steps of prayer and reflection. These spiritual exercises invite the reader to develop a closer relationship with God during this season of preparation and anticipation! Check it out. PREPARE TO HEAR GOD S WORD READINGS FOR FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Isaiah 7: 10-14 The young woman is with child and will bear a son, who will be called God-with-us. Romans 1: 1-7 St Paul proclaims Jesus as the son of David and the Son of God. Matthew 1:18-24 Joseph trusts in the power of God s Spirit and overcomes his fear. 2
STEWARDSHIP OF FINANCE DECEMBER 4, 2016 COLLECTION REPORT Adult Collection (includes Electronic Donations) Children Collection St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Flowers Debt Reduction Amount needed each week Amount over/under Adult Envelopes Children Envelopes Electronic Donators Thank You! SHOPPING CENTS 17,118.99 3.00 267.00 320.00 735 19,648.00 (2,529.01) 189 3 68 Are you still shopping for Christmas gifts? Use gift cards to make purchases or to give as gifts. We can save you time when making your gift card purchases too: Call your order in on the hotline (699-6960 ext. 240) by Wednesday night and we will have it ready for pickup before/after weekend Aasses. Cash or check payment only. Sign up for ShopWithScrip and PrestoPay to order ecards or reload current cards (limited retailers). ShopWithScrip has a mobile website so you can manage your ecards and Reloads and redeem them right from your Apple or Android device! If you would like more information please contact Linda Threm at lthrem01@gmail.com or download the information from our school website www.stjohnsdrschool.org - go to the Parent Info tab and under Shopping Cent we can find the current order form and how to get signed up for ShopWithScrip. Last day for special orders is Thursday, December 15 (by 3 PM) and will be ready for pick up on Tuesday, December 20 or Thursday, December 22 in the Parish Office Basement between 9 and 10 AM. Please call the hotline by Sunday 6:00 PM with any large or special orders. Thank you for your support. TERRI S TIDBITS DID YOU KNOW that the parking lot work has begun? The two worst spots have been repaired. The remainder will be done next spring. We found that the black top was only 1.5 thick and was on top of dirt. The dirt started giving way and water was pooling under the blacktop. The dirt under these areas was like a sponge. There is now 4 of concrete mix and 4 to 6 of blacktop. The concrete mix will absorb the moisture from the ground thus stabilizing the blacktop. Thanks to our anonymous donor for making this possible. DID YOU KNOW that the new electrical service for School will be hooked up during Christmas vacation? The electricians are working hard to get everything ready for the changeover to the new electrical service. DID YOU KNOW that parishioner Callie Schmidt, an eighth grader, performed in the Nutcracker Jazzed Up? The show ran for 2 weeks at the Arnoff? Congratulations, Callie! DID YOU KNOW that information on the Archdiocese Tuition Assistance Program can be found on page 5 in this bulletin under One Faith, One Hope, One Love? This Advent, take some time and be still with the Lord. What a wonderful gift to give yourself and the Lord! STEWARDSHIP You too must be patient. Make you hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:8 Patience is another one of those things many of us struggle with. We want things to go according to our plan and our schedule. Any change b r i n g s a n x i e t y a n d fear. Through daily prayer we better align ourselves with God s will and His plan, which is far better than anything we can come up with on our own. 3
We Love God. We Love Others. We Make Disciples. St. John the Baptist s Church What s Happening this Week in Advent Monday, December 12: 9:15 a.m. 7:00 a.m. Exposition SJB 6:00 p.m. Mass & Fiesta Corpus Christi (Feast of O. L. of Guadalupe) 7:00 p.m. Rosary SJB Tuesday, December 13: 6:00 Simple Supper St. John Neumann 7:00 Reconciliation Service St. John Neumann Saturday, December 17: 2:30 p.m. Reconciliation SJB Collect: Reflection on This Sunday s Opening Prayer O God, who see how your people faithfully await the feast of the Lord s Nativity, enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great a salvation and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... Reflection: This prayer is in a fifth-sixth century collection of prayers. It recalls our waiting for a birthday celebration that looks beyond to the Three Days of Passion, Death, and Resurrection. We are still waiting on this Third Sunday. But for what? This prayer reminds us that we are not awaiting the birth of Christ. That has already happened. We are, however, awaiting the coming feast day the annual celebration that once again recalls the impact of Jesus Christ, no longer a babe, who is our great salvation. With every baby, we see and hope for great things to come. In waiting for the feast day of this One, who is God-with-us, we look to the salvation already won for us. This birth leads to Passion and Death. And to new life. So too for us: birth to death; then death to new life. Prayer: You are no longer a babe, O Lord, but our risen Savior. Help shape our lives and deaths to be like yours, that one day we may share the lasting joy of new life with you for ever. Eliot Kapitan Director for Worship and the Catechumenate Diocese of Springfield in Illinois Excerpt from The Roman Missal, Third Edition 2010, ICEL. Reprinted with approval of the Committee on Divine Worship, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 4
CHRISTMAS MEMORIAL FLOWER FUND In your envelope packet you will see a special envelope for the Christmas Memorial Flower Fund. This fund provides for all the beautiful fresh flowers in Church at Christmas time. In addition, it allows us to remember our departed loved ones by making a donation in their memory. If you would like to remember someone, please complete the In Memory Of on the back of the Christmas Memorial Flower Fund envelope and turn into the Parish Office or collection basket by no later than Sunday, December 18. A banner will be displayed in the Gathering Space starting Christmas weekend. RETIREMENT FUND Thank you for supporting senior religious. A sister from Indiana writes, Because of your kindness, our elderly sisters will have the comfort, security, and joy of living out their remaining years here in their home. You truly honor them and their many years of services by your generosity. Religious across the United States offer sincere thanks for your generosity to this week s collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious. ONE FAITH, ONE HOPE, ONE LOVE The One Faith, One Hope, One Love campaign designated a significant portion of the funds raised to help families with Catholic school tuition assistance. The tuition assistance awards will begin with the 2017-2018 school year. Applications will be accepted beginning in December 2016. Visit www.catholicbestchoice.org for more information. WHAT S GOING ON AT SCHOOL? In Science our sixth graders just finished doing microscope work. They looked at algae from the classroom aquarium and their own cheek cells and compared and contrasted the two types of cells, Eighth graders are studying Newton's laws of motion. They will be balancing a penny on the end of a wire coat hanger and spinning the hanger around their finger to see if the penny falls off or remains on the hanger. Seventh graders recently took a trip through the rock cycle. They traveled to different stations (soil, mountains, etc.) and rolled dice to find out what happened to their rock. Then they created rock cycle cartoons about their adventures. In early December our Kindergarten students will do a service project for the Seniors Group at St. John's the Baptist Parish. They will make decorative placemats for the Seniors Group s December luncheon. ST. JOHN S SENIOR GROUP St. John s Seniors Celebrating the Season of Joy December 14 Noon - 3:00 pm Gathering Space Due to this year s entertainment The meeting shall begin at Noon. Entertainment provided by: In Harmony Main course will be provided. Bring a side dish to share. Please don t forget your mittens or gloves for the children of St. Francis School. 5
I t s hard to believe that it s already both December 11 and the Third Sunday of Advent. Christmas Day is only two weeks away. The introit verse we sang during our Advent Gathering Rite gave us the words, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. For what do we rejoice on this day? Again, I look to the words of my colleague Jerry Galipeau who writes: What was parched and dry desert will blossom and bloom. Glory and splendor will replace gloom and sorrow. Feeble hands and weak knees, the blind and the deaf, the lame and the mute-all will meet with joy and gladness. The letter of James counsels patience, a word rooted in the Latin word for suffering. One must suffer waiting for a new world s arrival. But joy is found even now because the Lord visits his waiting people in word and sacrament, and in others. Even Christ s words in the gospel, echoing the words of Isaiah, give us reason to rejoice: Go and tell John what you hear and see; the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. All of these things must have given hope to the followers of Jesus and should also give us joy and reason to rejoice, even today. Each year on both the Second and Third Sundays of Advent, the central character in our Gospel is John the Baptist. Last week we heard these words from John directly Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! As Fr. Tim reminded us last Sunday, the true meaning of repent is about rethinking and not so much about concentrating on our sinfulness. In our Gospel today we heard Jesus say, Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist. Today we sang one of the more familiar Advent hymns On Jordan s Bank. John the Baptist s announcement Prepare the way of the Lord is the primary basis for this Advent hymn. Verses 1 and 2 apply that message to people today. Verse 3 is a confession by God s people of their need for salvation. Verse 4 is a prayer for healing and love and Verse 5 is a doxology. Charles Coffin wrote this text in Latin for the MUSICIAN S NOTES BY DOUG SCHMUTTE Paris Breviary, a famous Roman Catholic liturgical collection of psalms, hymns, and prayers. Latin remained the language of scholarship and of the Roman Catholic liturgy in the 18 th century. Working in that tradition, Coffin was an accomplished Latin scholar and writer of poems and hymns. The English translation is a composite work based on a translation by John Chandler, who published it in Hymns of the Primitive Church (1837). (Chandler thought it was a medieval text.) Since 1837 various hymnal editors have revised the text to bring the translation closer to Coffin s original. The traditional setting that we sang today is set to the hymn tune Winchester New. This tune is named for the ancient English city in Hampshire noted for its Cathedral. As I noted above, Christmas Day is only two weeks away. Like last week, I want to put our Christmas Mass schedule out there for everyone so all can make plans with their families, as well as let other friends and neighbors know when our Masses celebrating the Nativity of the Lord are. So, since Christmas Day is on Sunday this year, our Christmas Weekend schedule is: SATURDAY CHRISTMAS EVE: 3:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M. AND 10:00 P.M. SUNDAY CHRISTMAS DAY: 10:00 A.M. Please note: we will only have one Mass on Christmas Day morning at 10:00. Have a great week. 6
Advent Prayers for Families Gaudete Carol Refrain: Rejoice, rejoice! Christ has born Of the Virgin Mary rejoice! The time of grace has come what we have wished for, songs of joy Let us give back faithfully. God has become man, (With) nature marveling, The world has been renewed By Christ (who is) reigning. The closed gate of Ezekiel Is passed through, Whence the light is raised, Salvation is found. Therefore, let our preaching Now sing in brightness Let it give praise to the Lord: Greeting to our King. For a beautiful rendition of the Gaudete Carol search Medieval Carol 'Gaudete' - Choir of Clare College Cambridge on YouTube. Translation from Wikipedia.org. to LOVE as GOD LOVES By Amanda Weickert This Sunday is my very favorite of the liturgical year. We get to decorate the church in pink (pardon me rose) and use the pretty pink vestments. We are coming closer and closer to Christmas, and our liturgical focus shifts from the coming of Christ at the end of time towards our joy in Christ s coming that first Christmas morning so long ago. As a Church we shout Gaudete! or Rejoice! We triumphantly and expectantly rejoice in Christ s coming and our own journey towards Christ in our own lives. The Gaudete Carol expresses our hope in God, rejoicing in God s gift of himself to us through Mary which we celebrate each year at Christmas. This joy, however, does not mean that there are no struggles or sufferings or pain. The carol explicitly references passing through the closed gate of Ezekiel - we cannot rise to this new promised life without death first. As a Church we take this opportunity to rejoice not to exclude or stifle our deeply human and frequently painful emotion and needs. Instead, while deeply recognizing the totality of our humanity, we remember our hope lies not in only our own ability or desire to rejoice at all times. When we sing Gaudete - Rejoice! we triumph in Christ s presence with us here - in everything we experience. As we draw closer to Christmas, let us all ask ourselves where we are able to rejoice now and where we need God s help to discover hope and meaning. Heavenly Father, you, from the beginning as you created time itself, have loved and cared for us. We thank you for all you have done for us, especially the en-fleshment of your Son, Jesus. You abide with us faithfully, giving us more than we can even dream of for ourselves. Help us to have faith in you in return so that freed from undue worry we may rejoice in your present gifts and your promised eternal life together in loving relationship. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 7
High School Ministry This past Sunday, our high school youth met for CHOSEN night. The group looks forward to diving deeper in their faith and enjoys knowing they are CHOSEN! This has been an amazing journey and the group will be finishing up with this year and a half program on Sunday, December 18. Please pray for our high school youth as they go out and continue to build of the Kingdom! Young Adult Ministry This past Tuesday night, the young adults from the West Side gathered for a night of current event conversation. They really enjoy seeing how our faith ties into all the events in our world today. There was a great turnout and this group looks forward to meeting every Tuesday night at 7pm in the Youth Ministry room. If interested, please contact Rod Dunlap at rdunlap@stjohnsdr.org or 513-614-1789. Junior High Ministry This past week our junior high youth took part in their ongoing program ENCOUNTER. They had a great time with various activities and learning more about the Old Testament. Please continue to pray for our Junior High youth that the word of God moves their hearts! Also this past week, our 8th graders had their monthly Confirmation prep evening. They continue to learn more about this Sacrament and how they can live out their faith in their everyday lives. Please continue to pray for them on this journey! 8
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Pastoral Area Information Advent Reconciliation Service Monday, December 12 6:30 p.m. Mass at Corpus Christi Fiesta to follow in Corpus Christi s Francis Hall (undercroft). Tuesday, December 13 St. John Neumann Church 6:00 p.m. Simple Supper in Daniel Hall 7:00 p.m. Reconciliation Service Please bring a dish to share. Drinks will be provided. Christmas Mass Schedule Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve Schedule 3:00 pm - Mass 5:00 pm - Mass 9:30 pm - Lessons & Carols 10:00 pm - Mass Sunday, December 25 Christmas Day Schedule 10:00 am - Mass Feast of Mary, Mother of God Sunday, January 1, 2017 Normal Sunday Schedule 8:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. 9