St. Agnes Catholic Community Our Mission Statement: To know Christ and make Him known by welcoming all, teaching and sharing the Faith, and providing worship and spiritual growth opportunities and serving those in need. FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT December 24, 2017 PARISH OFFICE 3966 Chestnut Ave. Concord, CA 94519 Tel: (925) 689-0838 Fax: (925) 689-7899 Office Hours: 9:00am - Noon * 1:00pm - 4:30pm, Monday-Thursday Website: www.stagnesparish.net * E-Mail: stagnesoffice@comcast.net Instagram: stagnesparishconcord * Twitter: @stagnesparish 1
MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil: 5PM Sunday: 7AM, 9AM, 11AM & 5PM Daily Mass in the Chapel at 8AM Monday - Saturday (Communion Service on Wed.) Adoration in the Chapel Daily 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Confessions: Saturday 3:30PM PASTORAL STAFF Pastor Rev. Fr. Johnson Abraham chemans@gmail.com Deacons Bill Drobick deaconbill3@gmail.com Tony Reyes deacontonyr@gmail.com Business Manager Marlene McCann marlene.stagnesparish@gmail.com Confirmation/Life Teen Coordinator Deacon Bill Drobick deaconbill3@gmail.com Religious Ed/Liturgy Coordinator Linda D Souza lindastagnes@gmail.com Secretary-Religious Education Donna Cassianos donna.stagnesparish@gmail.com Director of Music Ministry Pete Frevele petefrev@me.com Liturgical Musician Lily Melendrez Lily.stagnesparish@gmail.com Bulletins Please submit your articles to: donnaroberts1956@gmail.com Pastoral Council Chair Linus Farias linusfarias@sbcglobal.net SCHOOL OFFICE 3886 Chestnut Ave., Concord Tel.: (925) 689-3990 Office Hours: 7:30-4:00 M-F Principal: Jill Lucia jlucia@csdo.org Secretary: Ana Kelley akelley@csdo.org Website: www.stagnesconcord.com Dear Families and Friends of St. Agnes, On behalf of the staff of our parish and school, I wish you a joyful Christmas and a Blessed New Year! May Christ Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, come into our hearts and transform each of us to be more Christ-like and create a home for HIM in our families and community. Christmas is filled with expectations. Many look forward to brightly wrapped presents, festive decorations, and delicious holiday meals. For Catholics, trimmings and the celebration of Advent and the Christmas seasons call to mind the unending grace of EMMANUEL ( GOD-WITH- US ) in the mystery of the Incarnation. What do we look forward to most this Christmas season? I look forward to celebrating the amazing gift of Jesus Christ with you and our whole parish community. Together, we wait in joyful hope for the coming of the Redeemer, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, who will come again at the end of time. We join with Mary and Elizabeth in rejoicing with the Father through reaching out to others. We follow the shepherds and wise men in honoring the Son, as we gather for Mass. We stand alongside Joseph in listening for the Holy Spirit as we contemplate being entrusted with gifts of peace and joy for the good of the world. May this time of expectation draw us each to God, who wants to hold us closely in Love. At this season let us each commit ourselves to celebrate Emmanuel and become eager to accept God s revelation to us, in Christ, with a good act of faith. So, let us make a commitment to live the sacramental life more effectively so that Christ Jesus can be alive in our hearts and help us to experience the joy of salvation, with, and for, each other. With Christmas Blessings! Fr. Johnson Abraham SUNDAY COLLECTION FOR DECEMBER 17: $12,400.00 Includes Faith Direct Giving We thank you for your Stewardship. 2
DAILY MASS IN THE CHAPEL Monday - Saturday at 8:00 AM. (Communion Service on Wed.) Friday morning at 8:15 AM EUCHARISTIC ADORATION - Chapel daily from 6 am 9 pm Contact Sumner or Veronica Peery at 827-0916 for scheduling. FOR ADULT LEARNING: SCRIPTURE SHARING - Thursdays from 9:30-11:00 a.m. in the Assembly Room. FOR MINISTRY: PRAYER TREE - A ministry of people who pray specifically for those who are ill. Please notify the parish office if you or a member of your family are in, or going into, the hospital. HELPING HANDS: Please call Joanne Doorack, 798-1735. MARTINEZ SHELTER MEALS: Plan a meal for 35 residents. Purchase & prepare food; serve dinner at the shelter. Please contact to volunteer: Anne Kurylo, 925-876-7510 or Anne.kurylo@gmail.com. ST. VINCENT DE PAUL MINISTRY Please contact the St. Vincent de Paul Hotline at (925) 689-0838, Ext. 250. MINISTRY TO THE SICK: Please call Naomi Holt at (925) 768-3587. CARING HANDS-JOHN MUIR HEALTH: Contact Stacy Appel by e-mail at Stacy.Appel@johnmuirhhealth.com. Faith and Spirituality PLEASE PRAY FOR HEALING FOR: CHRISTMAS COLLECTION The Parish Finance Council has budgeted $32,000 for this year s Christmas Collection. We ask that each household be generous in making your Christmas gift to the Parish. We thank you, and may God bless you for your generosity. Happy Holidays from St. Vincent de Paul! Our Conference was able to help serve the annual Thanksgiving Meal at the Vincentian Center in Pittsburg, serving the poor with delicious foods provided by Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa. We are always glad to be of assistance. We look forward to distribution of Christmas bounty this season. Thank you for your kindness in supporting the last Fifth Sunday Collection for St. Vincent de Paul on Sunday, December 31st. We will be able to really do some good with your generous contributions! May you all have a peaceful and joyful holiday season and a blessed New Year! Dear St. Agnes Families: This Christmas season we have been thinking about ways to help you all grow in your love for Christ and deepen your knowledge of the faith He has entrusted to us. As a Christmas gift to you, we are enrolling all our parishioners in a new online Catholic resource network! This resource network, called FORMED, is a collaboration between Ignatius Press and the Augustine Institute - two trustworthy Catholic organizations sharing a huge library of Catholic videos, Scripture studies, adult and youth-oriented faith formation, and online books and audio recordings. Some people call this service the Catholic Netflix. If you wanted to enroll in FORMED as an individual, the cost is $9.99 per month. Our gift to you this Christmas is a FREE enrollment for a full 12 months. Our parish subscription entitles each of you full access to these amazing Catholic internet resources available on your PC or your mobile device. You will be receiving more details about this gift and how to access it soon. The special access code for St. Agnes will be available for you in early January. Stay tuned! If you would like more information about FORMED, you can explore the site at WWW.FORMED.ORG. We hope you enjoy this gift and find it a blessing to your family. Merry Christmas and God Bless!!! Father Johnson Hannah Allen Kathryn Cases Sonia Coronel William Cummins Anthony Davi Stephen Dixon Jim Farrington Claude Hamel Tony Hennessy Doug Hieb Earl Koski Anne O Neill Barbara Peters Micah Pilkerton Sally Roy Jaden Ruybalid Jack&Maureen Ryan Greg Scaletti Richard Thall Judy Wiget Paul Wiget 3
Mass Intentions Saturday, December 23, 2017 5:00 p.m. Darren Blatter Repose Soledad Mendoza Repose Pete McCarthy Special Intention Sunday, December 24, 2017 7:00 a.m. Eduardo Joaquin 9:00 a.m. George Conlow Repose Matthew M. Mendoza Special Intention 11:00 a.m. For the People of St. Agnes, Living and Deceased 4:00 p.m. and 12 Midnight Masses offered for the People of St. Agnes, Living and Deceased Monday, December 25, 2017 Christmas Day All Masses offered for the People of St. Agnes, Living and Deceased Tuesday, December 26, 2017 8:00 a.m. Ernest Cornella Repose Brother Stephen Cox Repose Louise Leonard Repose Wednesday, December 27, 2017 8:00 a.m. Communion Service Only Thursday, December 28, 2017 8:00 a.m. Mary Delores Holt Repose Lydia Centeno Lapaz Repose Friday, December 29, 2017 8:15 a.m. Al Atchison Repose Saturday, December 30, 2017 8:00 a.m. Luz Simisin Special Intention 5:00 p.m. Dr. Luis & Gloria Medina Repose Gaudencio P. Medina Repose Trinity Cereghino Special Intention Sunday, December 31, 2017 7:00 a.m. Pete McCarthy Special Intention 9:00 a.m. Alvin Baluyot Repose Laura Deramirev Repose Me Le Repose 11:00 a.m. Peggy, Cy & Neal Coenen Repose Father Peter Loffredo Repose Virgil Mijares Repose 5:00 p.m. For the People of St. Agnes, Living and Deceased Calendar for the Week Parish Events and Meetings Sunday, December 24, 2017 Please note there will be no Sunday evening Mass at 5:00 p.m. There will be a 4:00 p.m. Mass for Christmas Eve. Monday, December 25, 2017 Christmas Day Masses offered at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., and 11 a.m. The Church Office will be closed the week of Christmas and will reopen on Tuesday, January 2nd. Tuesday, December 26, 2017 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass Chapel Wednesday, December 27, 2017 8:00 a.m. Communion Service Chapel 7:30 p.m. Jim Gill Band Practice Thursday, December 28, 2017 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass Chapel 6:30 p.m. Young Adult Meeting Cauchi Hall Friday, December 29, 2017 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass Church 6:45 p.m. Divine Mercy Chaplet Chapel Saturday, December 30, 2017 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass Chapel 8:30 a.m. Lector Practice Church SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Fourth Sunday of Advent Monday: The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Tuesday: St. Stephen; Kwanzaa begins Wednesday: St. John Thursday: The Holy Innocents Friday: Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord; St. Thomas Becket Saturday: Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord 4
CRAB & TRI-TIP DINNER Saturday, January 20, 2018 On January 20th the Knights of Columbus will host another one of their delicious Crab and Tri-Tip Dinners. Tickets are on sale through January 14th after Mass or at the Ministry Center. Menu: hors d oeuvre, sliced bread, salad, pasta, tri-tip and Alaskan Dungeness Crab. Price: $50 each, children 4-11 (no crab) $5 and no charge for children 3 and under. Portions of the profit from this dinner will help benefit: St. Agnes Parish, support Seminarians, Share Food Pantry, the Diocesan Reclaiming Christ s Mission Together Campaign, and other local charities. For questions, contact: Frank Mazzuca, 925-381-5624 or e-mail me@francismazzuca.com or David Wood, 925-207-0270 or e-mail david@koc15344stagnes.org. Parish News and Activities ST. AGNES SCHOOL KINDER INFO NIGHT St. Agnes School is currently accepting applications for the 2018-19 school year for pre-school through 8th grade. A Kinder Information Night is taking place on January 9 at 7 p.m. for all prospective families. Please contact the school at 925-689-3990 or visit their website at www.stagnesconcord.com for more information. THANK YOU TO MARY TOTAH AND PARMA DELI At this time of year when we think back on the kindness of others (and there have been so many!), we want to acknowledge the generosity of our parishioner, Mary Totah and Parma Deli for the many meals they have provided. Mary has been the go-to person for catering for many of our parish events, including dinners for Father Johnson. The next meeting for the St. Agnes Retired Seniors will be Tuesday, January 2, at 11:00 AM in the Church Hall. This will be a potluck luncheon, and all St. Agnes Seniors and guests are invited. There are no reservations or fees for this luncheon. Attendees are asked to bring your choice of a main dish, or a side dish, or a salad, or a dessert. For further information about the StARS, you may call Bob or Sandi Rigor at 682-0387, or inquire at the church office during weekday hours. We ask for the grace to make our faith more and more operative through acts of charity. ~Tweet from Pope Francis If you would like to check out Parma Deli, they are located in the El Monte Shopping Center, 2521 Clayton Road. Thank you, Mary for sharing your talents and skills and always coming through when we need you! CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS DECEMBER 24 Baby Jesus Mass, 4:00 p.m. 24/25 Midnight Mass 25 Christmas Day Masses Mass Times: 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. JANUARY 2 STARS, 11:00 a.m. 20 Crab & Tri-tip Dinner, 6:00 p.m. 21 Hospitality Weekend 5
Community Activities THINKING ABOUT A NEW YEAR RESOLUTION? Fr. Padraig Greene has just completed his first six months as Catholic Chaplain at John Muir, Concord, and the Regional Medical Center Martinez. During those months he has discovered a need at both hospitals: an urgent need for more Eucharistic Ministers to the Sick. He hopes to have expanded teams at both hospitals ready by Ash Wednesday 2018. What about a New Year Resolution??? A gift of a few hours monthly to bring Holy Communion to the sick in their time of need. Think about it, then bring it to prayer. This ministry is open to all active Catholics, men, women and couples of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. Fr. Padraig will plan orientation and formation as well as supervise and support the teams in the future. Please contact Father Padraig Greene directly at pgreene389@gmail.com. Let's live out our Baptism during 2018 as we minister to the sick. Jesus once said "I was sick and you visited me." INFO FROM CITY OF CONCORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY Make your mark on Concord s History with an engraved brick in Todos Santos Plaza! Since the year 2018 is Concord s Sesquicentennial (150th) Anniversary, businesses and residents will have a unique opportunity to celebrate the occasion by purchasing their own custom, engraved brick that will be built into a custom patio surrounding the lifesize bronze statue of one of our city s founding fathers, Don Salvio Pacheco, in Todos Santos Plaza. The statue will be designed by a Northern California artist, fabricated here in the Bay Area, and officially unveiled during our July 4th Parade in 2018. Pacheco will stand proudly just inside the Grant Street corner entrance of our beloved town square for generations to come. An engraved brick costs $150 one dollar for each year since Concord s founding. A limited number of valuable Sesquicentennial Sponsorship Packages are also available for local organizations, small to medium businesses and large corporations that include additional benefits. More information is available on the Concord Historical Society website: www.concordhistorical. org. TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION Children of the parish are somewhat focused on Santa Claus these days, who is keeping an eye on who s naughty and who s nice. Santa Claus, with his heavenly patron Saint Nicholas, has been more or less in charge of gift-giving to American children for a hundred years or so. In other places, perhaps more attentive to our Christian tradition, there are different gift-bearers. In Greece, Saint Basil delivers the presents on his feast day, December 31, and makes sure everyone is sprinkled with holy water. The Baby Jesus is in charge elsewhere, called the Christkind in Austria and Belgium, El Niño Jesús in Columbia, and Le Petit Jesus in France, where he shares his duties with Père Noël. In the Czech Republic almost everyone is atheist, but Ježíšek, the infant Jesus, brings gifts to one and all. In Poland the Star Man is said to bring the gifts, although often he turns out to be the village priest in disguise. Saint Nicholas, not his Americanized cousin, is the giver in Holland, where he wears a bishop s miter, and in Russia, where he wears a bishop s crown. Soviet Russia tried to dethrone Saint Nicholas and promote Grandfather Frost, but no one was much fooled by this attempt to squeeze religion out of Christ s birth. One country has a saintly woman in charge of the gifts, Saint Lucy, honored in Sweden on December 13, when children serve their parents breakfast in bed, and others awake to news that they have been nominated for a Nobel Prize. Some children have a second round of gifts on Epiphany, when the magi assume the gift-giving duties. In general, the gifts of Christmas are simple pleasures, not great heaps of treasures. Once upon a time, a new pair of socks or an orange was enough for us. No matter what gifts we receive, all of them are to point us to the true gift, and the true giver. Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. 6
. Above: Needy families in our parish and local community will have a much nicer Christmas because of the generosity of our parishioners and the work of our Giving Tree Committee. Below: Catholic Daughters of America (and Father Johnson) celebrate Christmas. 8