The Church of the Nativity MASSES Sundays 08:00, 09:30, 11:30 AM and 05:00 PM Saturdays 08:00 AM and 05:00 PM (Vigil) Weekdays and Holy Days, 05:30 and 07:30 PM SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturdays 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Opus Dei priest) 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM (parish priest) (also by appointment) BAPTISMS 1 st, 3 rd and 5 th Sundays of the month (contact rectory 2 months in advance) WEDDINGS Saturdays 11:00 AM and 02:00 PM (contact rectory at least 6 months in advance) PASTOR Rev. Msgr. Steven D. Otellini PAROCHIAL VICAR Rev. John Mary Chung PASTOR EMERITUS Rev. Clement Davenport PERMANENT DEACONS Rev. Mr. Dominick Peloso Rev. Mr. Thomas Kelly WEEKEND ASSISTANTS Rev. Kevin Gaffey Rev. Paul Maillet, S.S. Rev. Gladstone Stevens, S.S. IN RESIDENCE Rev. Gregory Haake, C.S.C. SCHOOL OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Mrs. Monica Hickam (650) 804-2390 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration HEARING LOOP ENABLED 210 Oak Grove Avenue v Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel: (650) 323-7914 v fax: (650) 323-3231 www.nativitymenlo.org
FIRST READING Light shall rise for you in the darkness. Isaiah 58: 7-10 PSALM Light shines through the darkness for the upright. Psalms 112 SECOND READING So that your faith might rest... on the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5 GOSPEL Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. Matthew 5: 22-40 SCHEDULE OF MASSES AND INTENTIONS WEEK OF 09-15 FEB 05:00 PM Priest s intentions SUN Masses Priest s intentions MON TUE WED THU FRI 09:00 AM John and Virginia Conway Frank Ramos (School Mass) Dallas Treat Carol Bick Fr. Godfrey Bushmaker, O.Praem. Sean Masuhara Eugene Toomey Benefactors of the parish Fr. John Caronan, O.Praem. Carol Bick Fr. Hildebrand Garceau, O.Praem. 08:00 AM Bob and Lisa Andrews; Bobby Foster; Jean and Fred Hogg; Barbara Demeter Please pray for those in need of physical or spiritual healing SPIRITUAL WARFARE CONFERENCE Nativity will again be the setting for the third annual Spiritual Warfare Conference. This year s conference will again feature Father Gary Thomas as the principal speaker. He is the Exorcist for the Diocese of San Jose and his training was featured in the movie The Rite. Joining him will be Patrick Madrid and Jim Burnham, both very well-known personalities on Catholic Radio. As usual, we remind everyone that life is a spiritual battle for souls. Through the grace from Jesus through His Catholic Church, we have all that is necessary to win this war. Your attendance at this conference will better empower you to overcome evil that knocks at our hearts, and lead your family to Jesus. Don t miss this great opportunity. The conference is on Saturday, 22 February 2014 at the Sobrato Pavilion, Nativity School. It begins with 08:00 AM Mass and concludes at 04:15 PM. For more information and to sign up, go to heartsoflove.biz or see the brochures at Nativity Church. For questions, call Deacon Dominick Peloso: 650/269-6279. SUN MON-FRI MON-FRI TUE THU The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 07:00 PM 07:10 AM 05:10 PM 06:00 PM 06:00 PM 06:15 AM 07:40 AM 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM 09 FEB (Sunday) 10 FEB (Monday) 09:00 AM 07:30 PM 07:30 PM 11 FEB (Tuesday) 09:30 AM 07:00 PM Holy Hour for Priests Morning Prayer Evening Prayer Cenacles of Life Rosary Perpetual Help Novena Men s Prayer Group Morning Prayer Confessions (Opus Dei priest) Confessions (parish priest) Bible Group Legion of Mary RCIA Faith Formation Class Faith Formation Class 12 FEB (Wednesday) 07:00 PM Confirmation Class 13 FEB (Thursday) 09:30 AM 11:00 AM 07:00 PM 09 February 2014 You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Matthew 5: 14 Calendar Opus Dei Women s Group The Thursday Group Theology of the Body 14 FEB (Friday) 09:30 AM Nativity Moms Group 15 FEB (Saturday) 09:00 AM Natural Family Planning Class Annual Appeal Progress: 2013 Appeal Goal: Parish OfferINGS WEEK OF 18-19 JAN TOTAL: $9,498 GOAL MET! $127,900
10 FEB (Monday): SAINT SCHOLASTICA, Virgin (480-543) Twin sister of St. Benedict. After Benedict founded the monastery of Monte Cassino, Scholastica founded a community of nuns nearby, leading an exemplary life. 11 FEB (Tuesday): OUR LADY OF LOURDES (1858) Our Lady appeared to Bernadette 18 times at the Grotto de Massabielle. Over 5 million visitors journey to Lourdes every year. It has been estimated that in the first 50 years of pilgrimages to Lourdes, over 4000 cures were attributed and recorded. This number is considered to be significantly lower than the actual number of cures. Two basilicas, the Basilique du Rosaire and the Upper Basilica, were built in the late 1800 s on either side of the grotto. She has the appearance of a young girl of sixteen or seventeen. She is dressed in a white robe, girdled at the waist with a blue ribbon which flows down all around it. A yoke closes it in graceful pleats at the base of the neck. The sleeves are long and tight-fitting. She wears upon her head a veil which is also white. This veil gives just a glimpse of her hair and then falls down at the back below her waist. Her feet are bare but covered by the last folds of her robe, except at the point where a yellow rose shines upon each of them. She holds on her right arm a rosary of white beads with a chain of gold, shining like the two roses on her feet. -- Bernadette s description of Our Lady of Lourdes after the first apparition. NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING OVERVIEW CLASS Beginning on 15 February 2014 Nativity will be offering monthly classes on Natural Family Planning (NFP). This class will give an overview of the benefits of NFP, which is based on up-to-date science and is individualized for every couple. It works with the body s natural rhythm and increases respect for the couple s fertility as God designed it. NFP is an investment in your marriage which you don t want to be without. The divorce rate for couples who use NFP is lower than the average. All engaged and married couples are welcome. Couples who are to be married at Nativity are required to take this class. The class is conducted by Finola Glassmoyer, a registered nurse, who has been teaching NFP for many years. The hour-long class is held in the O Hare Center and begins at 09:00 AM. For more information and to register for this class, contact Finola, 650/868-3090 or love2pray@gmail. com. You have never strayed too far for the Father s forgiveness and grace. Saints and Observances SOLEMNITY, FEAST, MEMORIAL OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OTHER 13 FEB (Thursday): SAINT CYRIL and SAINT METHODIUS, Bishops (~826 - ~884) Greek brothers, both monks, who preached successfully among the Russians and Moravians and became known as the Apostles to the Slavs. They mastered the Slavic language and codified an alphabet for it (the forerunner of the Cyrillic alphabet used in the Russian language today). They frequently incurred ecclesial censure for using Slavonic the vernacular of their congregation in the liturgy. 14 FEB (Friday): VALENTINES DAY But where is Saint Valentine? St. Valentine was removed from the Church calendar in 1969 because of ambiguity over his identity, and the day s association with so many pagan beliefs. There were two St. Valentines, a priest and a bishop ( Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni ), recorded as martyrs in the early Church, but scholars now believe they were the same person. The day became associated with hearts and romance during the Middle Ages because it was believed that birds began their mating season on this day. The Grotto at Lourdes MORE MIRACLES OF LOURDES Want to hear more about the miracle cures at Lourdes? Perform a search on the Internet for John Traynor and Gabriel Gargam, two of the most famous cures that have been recorded. Ministry & Group News THEOLOGY OF THE BODY STUDY GROUP Are you looking to deepen your understanding of Catholic teaching on love and marriage, sexual ethics and Christian virtue, and share that knowledge with others? Joan Frawley Desmond will lead a six-session study group on Blessed John Paul II s revolutionary teaching at Church of the Nativity beginning Thursday, 13 February 2014 from 07:00-08:30 PM in the O Hare Center. The Nativity group will use the study guide, A New Language: John Paul II s Theology of the Body, which has been used in over 20 U.S. dioceses, and in Europe and Latin America. There will be an informational meeting on Thursday, 23 January 2014 at 07:00 PM in the O Hare Center. If you are interested in joining the group or have questions, please call Joan at 301/509-6084 or 650/494-4971. Pregnant? Need Help? Please contact the Juan Diego Society (408/258-2008), the Gabriel Project (800/910-0191) or Community Pregnancy Center (650/964-8093).
Announcements OUR PARISH FAMILY Please keep all of our newest members in your prayers, as well as those who have preceded us to the Father. BAPTISMS MARRIAGES NEW PARISHIONERS DEATHS Barbara Demeter Charles Engler Peter Spahn SPECIAL COLLECTION This weekend the second collection is for St. Patrick s Seminary and University. For over a century, St. Patrick s Seminary and University in Menlo Park has been dedicated to the ministry of priestly formation, preparing seminarians for ordination and supporting the continued growth of priests already ordained. If you would like to arrange a tour, or have questions about this collection or other programs, please contact Leelamma Sebastian at 650/289-3320 or leelamma.sebastian@stpsu.org. Thank you for your generous support. May God bless you! Checks for all special collections should be made out to the Church of the Nativity. In the memo line write the appropriate reference for your donation, for example: St. Patrick s Seminary. THE THURSDAY GROUP The Nativity Thursday Group provides an opportunity for seniors and others to get together every Thursday in the O Hare Center. There is a Scripture Group at 11:00 AM. We have the Rosary at noon every week and often have Mass as well. After these we then get together to socialize. Coffee, tea, and dessert are always provided and members usually bring their own lunch. Once a month students from Nativity School join us for lunch prepared by their parents. We are now back from our Christmas break and invite you to join us this coming Thursday. PARISH REGISTRATIONS We have been experiencing difficulties with the parish and baptism online registrations due to a large amount of spam on the internet. It seems that the registrations are being blocked at the Yahoo end. Please call the office if you would like to register as a member of the parish or to have your child baptized and we will mail you the forms. PARKING IN THE RED ZONE Several parishioners have received parking tickets lately from the Menlo Park Police Department for parking in the red zones at the entrance and exit driveways of the Church. For everyone s safety and compliance with the vehicle code, please do not park in these areas. It is very difficult for emergency trucks and equipment to enter and exit when cars are parked there. In The Community SMALL FAITH-SHARING GROUPS The Spring session of the Small Faith-Sharing Groups will begin the week of 03 March 2014. One group will begin meeting on Wednesday, 05 March 2014 at 01:00 PM in the O Hare Center. A second group will begin on Thursday, 06 March 2014 at 07:30 PM in the library at Nativity School. These two groups will meet for six weekly sessions. The resource material for this next season will include prayers, reflections on the Sunday readings, faith sharing questions, and ideas for action responses. An ongoing group meets at 11:00 AM on Thursdays in the O Hare Center and everyone is welcome to join. Please call Tim Kennedy at 650/321-4818 to sign up and for further information. SEEKING ROSARY GROUP VOLUNTEERS Catholic Charities CYO San Carlos Adult Day Services is seeking volunteers to help lead a rosary group for seniors on Fridays from 10:00-10:30 AM. Our seniors have greatly appreciated our Rosary Group on Friday mornings, and we need more volunteers to help lead this group. If you are interested please contact Jane Ferguson Flout at 415/972-1227 or jfergusonflout@ cccyo.org. San Carlos ADS has been providing a home away from home for older and dependent adults since 1975. NATIVITY MOMS GROUP All moms are invited to join the Nativity Moms Group. Our next meeting will be Friday, 14 February 2014 from 09:30-11:00 AM in the O Hare Center. Come meet other moms, share the joys and challenges of motherhood, and pray a rosary for our families! Refreshments will be provided. If you have little ones at home, please bring them along. Contact Christine Semler at 650/594-4637 for more information. NATIVITY MOMS AND DADS OF YESTERYEAR Renew past friendships and make new ones. Join the Nativity Moms and Dads of Yesteryear at Harry s Hofbrau, 1909 El Camino Real, Redwood City, on Tuesday, 11 March 2014, at 06:00 PM. For information only call Bonnie Neylan at 650/322-8645. MONTHLY MORNING OF RECOLLECTION The Opus Dei Women s Group has a monthly morning of recollection at Nativity, which is sponsored by the Charwick Study Center (www.charwick.org). They meet on the second Thursday of the month beginning at 09:30 AM. For more information please contact: Carrie at 408/674-2861 or Bridget at 650/224-8025. Opus Dei information: www.opusdei.org.
From the Holy See THE HOLY FATHER S PRAYER INTENTIONS Each month His Holiness asks for general and missionary prayer intentions. For February 2014, the Holy Father s prayer intentions are: General: Respect for Elders That the Church and society may respect the wisdom and experience of older people. Missionary: Unity in Evangelization That priests, religious, and lay people may work together with generosity for evangelization. www.youtube.com/user/vatican www.facebook.com/vaticancom @news_va_en In The Community (cont d.) MARRIAGE ON FIRE: THE GREAT MARRIAGE CHALLENGE Greg and Julie Alexander, the authors of the book Marriage 911 and EWTN co- hosts of Marriage Works in Christ, will give a two-hour (07:00-09:00 PM) presentation on their personal testimony while including teachings of the Catholic Church on marriage, citing statistical data on the state of marriage and a call to action for the participants. Their presentation is this area will be at the following churches: St. Raymond Church, 1100 Santa Cruz Ave, Menlo Park (25 March 2014) St. Pius Church, 1100 Woodside Road, Redwood City on (28 March 2014) Our Lady of Peace, 2800 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, (31 March 2014) They will also be having a one-day retreat for couples on 31 March 2014 from 09:00 AM to 03:30 PM at St. Bartholomew Church, 600 Columbia Dr., San Mateo. More information is to follow about this retreat; registration is required. Parish Office Hours 09:00 AM-04:00 PM Monday-Friday Electronic giving is offered through our website www.nativitymenlo.org or call the parish office for a paper form PILGRIMAGE FOR CANONIZATIONS Franciscan University of Steubenville s President, Rev. Sean Sheridan TOR, will be leading a pilgrimage to the canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, 25 April 25 to 01 May 2014. The pilgrimage will include visits to many basilicas and shrines in Rome and talks by George Weigel and Fr. Jonathan Morris. For more details contact Kelly Beatty, Franciscan University 740/284-5812 or kbeatty@franciscan.edu. WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS There will be an anniversary Mass this year honoring all those couples who are celebrating an anniversary of marriage during 2013 that is a multiple of five years (5, 10, 15, etc.), particularly those of 25 years or more. The Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Cordileone at 10:00 AM on Saturday, 22 February 2014, at Saint Mary s Cathedral, 1111 Gough Street, San Francisco. It will be followed by a reception. All are welcome. For more information contact murphyj@sfarchdiocese. org or call 415/614-(5586 or 5505). There is a $20.00 suggested donation. Registration is required. To register go to www. sfanniversary.info or call 415/614-5680. Please register by 13 February 2014. For more information or questions call 415/614-5680. CHANGE LIVES THIS SUMMER: YOUTH MISSION TRIP 2014 Spend one week of your summer, 20-26 July 2014, in South Texas changing lives. All high school students (or all students ages 14 to 19) are welcome. We ll be rebuilding homes and communities with the physical work we do, but more importantly, we ll also be touching hearts, offering hope, and sharing God s love as we serve impoverished communities. Mornings and evenings will include Mass, prayer, Reconciliation, and activities. For more information or to register, contact St. Denis DRE & Youth Minister, Lindsey West at lwest@stdenisparish.org or 650/854-1081. Space is limited so sign up today! Lindsey will be speaking at all Masses the weekend of 22-23 February 2014 about this mission trip.
LIVES OF THE SAINTS: Saint Blaise Born: (unknown) Died: c. 316 Feast Day: 03 FEBRUARY WHAT THE WORLD WAS LIKE The Roman empire was the most powerful force in the world during the time of Saint Blaise. Its territories included most of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Since the empire was so large and communication was difficult, it was often divided into smaller parts so it could be managed more efficiently. The Romans accomplished many feats of engineering. They built amphitheaters for entertainment, aqueducts to carry water into the cities, and roads. Some of these works were so well constructed that they can still be seen today. The Roman empire relied heavily on slaves. These slaves were often prisoners captured in war. They carried out most of the everyday tasks from cleaning and cooking to hairdressing and caring for children. Many doctors, teachers, and musicians were educated slaves who were purchased to carry out these tasks within the household. Slaves also participated in the Roman army, and as gladiators. WHO HE WAS Saint Blaise lived on the edge of the powerful Roman empire. He was a bishop in the city of Sebaste, which is part of Armenia today. During Blaise s life, there were periods in which Christians were persecuted by the Roman government. Some of the Romans were suspicious of the Christian faith. Because they did not understand the beliefs and practices of Christians, they viewed them as a threat to the empire. Many Christians were arrested and killed if they refused to give up the faith. It took a lot of courage to be a Christian! Blaise would have known Christians who had suffered for their faith. With other Christians, he honored the memory of the martyrs and prayed for the courage to keep the faith too. Yet Blaise also knew he could not live in fear. As bishop, he was responsible for encouraging the people of his diocese. When Licinius, the Roman emperor, ordered a new persecution of Christians, Blaise escaped from the city. He lived quietly in a cave until Roman soldiers found and arrested him. Blaise was thrown into prison. He was given the opportunity to give up his faith and worship the Roman gods, but he refused. He was tortured and beheaded. DID YOU KNOW? Young Believers Spending time with our Lord in a Holy Hour has benefits of which most of us are not aware: Our Lord revealed to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque how to make a Holy Hour. In 1674, Our Lord appeared to her and complained of the indifference with which mankind treated His Love for them and asked her to make atonement for this ingratitude. He said: I will make you a partaker of that sorrow unto death which it was My will to suffer in the Garden of Olives. To join with Me in the humble prayer which I then offered to My Divine Father in agony, you shall rise before midnight, and remain with Me upon your knees prostrate for one hour, with your face to the ground, to appease the anger of My Eternal Father and ask of Him pardon for sinners. In an Apostolic Letter on 30 MAR 1886, Pope Leo XIII allowed the faithful to make their Holy Hour on any hour and day of the week. Every Holy Hour we make so pleases the Heart of Jesus that it is recorded in Heaven and retold for all eternity! -- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Our Lord revealed to Blessed Dina Belanger that a Holy Hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is so important that a multitude of souls go to heaven that had been destined for hell. You can come to Me (in Eucharistic Adoration) at any moment, at any time; I want to speak to you and I desire to grant you grace. -- Our Lord to Saint Faustina While Blaise was in prison, he is said to have performed a miraculous healing. A woman had a son who was choking on a fish bone. She brought the boy to Blaise and asked him to help her son. Blaise prayed that God would heal the child, and suddenly, the bone became dislodged and the boy could breathe again! Blaise reminded the people who had witnessed the miracle to thank God for this sign of his love. As a result of this story, people pray to Saint Blaise for healing of all illnesses of the throat.