WELCOME TO OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION CHURCH Weekly Calendar Sat, Dec 5th Flame Giving Tree Decoration 10:30am, Church Sun, Dec 6th - CA Int l. Marathon Blocking Street Open Gym Basketball 7:30am, Parish Hall Flame Meeting 10:30am, St. Paul s Room Baptisms - Group 12:00pm, Church Bereavement 6:30pm, St. Anne s Room Mon, Dec 7th Christmas Program Practice 9:00am, Church Basketball Practice 3:00pm, Parish Hall BSA Troop 328 Troop Meeting 6:00pm, Seton Hall Girl Scout Leader s Meeting 6:00pm, St. John s Room Christian Meditation 7:30pm, School Library Tue, Dec 8th Basketball Practice 3:00pm, Parish Hall Young Rembrants 3:05pm, School Meeting Room Building & Grounds Mtg. 6:30pm, St. Paul s Room Knights of Columbus Bus. Mtg. 6:30pm, St. John s Hall Baptismal Preparation 7:00pm, St. Anne s Room Catechesis for Adults 7:30pm, Seton Hall Wed, Dec 9th Legion of Mary Meeting 8:45am, St. Anne's Room Basketball Practice 3:00pm, Parish Hall Youth Group 7:00pm, St. John's Hall 7th & 8th Grade Youth Group 7:00pm, Seton Hall Thu, Dec 10th Martha & Mary Gathering 10:30am, Seton Hall OLA SVdP Monthly Meeting 3:45pm, Seton Hall Pack Meeting 6:15pm, Seton Hall Fri, Dec 11th Preschool Christmas Prayer Service 11:00am, St. John s Hall Grade 1 Christmas Program 2:00pm, St. John s Hall Breakfast With Santa Set-Up 3:00pm, Parish Hall Catechesis for Adults 7:30pm, St. John s Hall *The most current calendar is at http://olaparish.beehv.com/facility-reservation Mass Requests Sat, 12/5 5:30pm Doris Martin Baca Family Sun, 12/6 Plan ahead! - CA International Marathon 8:00am Deceased McArdles Jim & Jane McArdle 9:30am Mario Affinito Nancy Affinito Ante and Andelka Jaksich John Jaksich 11:00am All the People 7:30pm OLA Parishioners Fr. Eduino Mon, 12/7 8:00am Kent Abbes Abbes Family Tues, 12/8 8:00am Fr. Cipriano Ramos Fr. Eduino Marjorie Daffern Ned & Beverly Whitcomb Wed, 12/9 8:00am Gorgania De Vega Aida De Vega Thurs, 12/10 8:00am Paul Hickey Abbes Family Fri, 12/11 OLA Parishioners Fr. Eduino Sat, 12/12 5:30pm Fr. Bill Broderick Fr. Eduino Gino Bertolucci Kelley/Bertolucci Families Sun, 12/13 8:00am Dale Fuller Portillo Family 9:30am Mario Affinito Nancy Affinito Bill & Ruth Bossenmaier Read Family 11:00am All the People 7:30pm OLA Parishioners Fr. Eduino Mass Requests Please contact the Parish Office if you would like to request a Mass to honor someone special. Convalidation Announcement We are pleased to announce that Amy Solis Lopez and Ryan Marshall Breaultwere united in Sacramental marriage on November 21, 2015. Bulletin Submission Timeline Submissions are needed two Fridays prior to the bulletin you want your information in because we send it out to be printed. For example, a submission made by Dec4th will appear in the Sunday, December 13th Bulletin. Please send submissions via email to development@olaparish.net or drop it off at the Parish Office. Thank you. Jane
OUR PASTOR SPEAKS John the Baptist Came to Tell Us to Prepare the Way of the Lord In this second Sunday of Advent the Gospel recalls the mission of John the Baptist. His way the joy of announcing a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and to tell the world to prepare the way of the Lord for all flesh will see the salvation of God. When he was born his father Zechariah prophesied that he would give people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. St. Paul tells us that we prepare for the Lord by the love of Jesus Christ that bears fruit of righteousness for the glory and praise of God. All three readings challenge us to rejoice in the joy of the Lord, in the joy of the One Who remembered us and to prepare His way by spreading the joy of His love. All acts of love and kindness leads us to God and reveals God to us. The First Reading speaks of the extravagant preparations God makes for the restoration of His people. (Israel having been clothed in mourning will now be clothed in splendor, with the cloak of justice and a mitre on her head, making Jerusalem a holy, priestly city. The children of Israel will return to her from all the farthest corners of the earth.) Even now He makes those same preparations so that we can turn our hearts to Him. During this Advent season, we are called to return to God from the exile we have created for ourselves through lives of selfishness and sin. The Responsorial continues this theme of restoration, speaking of the joy of returning from exile to a land of fertility. Leaving that self-created exile of selfishness and sin gives us the joy of embracing God, and responding to Him, our deepest need. Surrendering to His love will transform the desert of our hearts and give us the power of self-discipline, making our hearts a land overflowing with fertility. The Second Reading, St Paul wrote shortly after facing death. Now he knows what is truly important and he prays that we may discern correctly, growing in love while seeking and finding the truth. St Paul prays that we do so while there s still time and discover what is pure and blameless. This is a goal of the Advent season, to seek the truth with all our strength, to purify our hearts so that we can live the truth and be found blameless at the coming of the Lord (on Christmas day and at the end of time). The Gospel calls us to prepare the way for the Lord, to turn away from sin so that we can embrace the salvation God offers. We cannot hope to embrace the Babe of Bethlehem if we do not turn away from sin. 24 th Annual Giving Tree Tags are available on the OLA Giving Tree at the back of the church. Please choose a tag, purchase an appropriate new gift, wrap it, attach the tag firmly, and return the gift to the tree by Sunday, Dec. 20th before NOON. Thank you so much for sharing your Christmas joy and hope with those less fortunate. May you be blessed for your generosity! se contact Christine 761-4939, Beth 487-2374, or MaryCaye 481-7484 with any questions you may have. Breakfast with Santa Sunday, December 13 th from 8:00am to 11:30am please join us at our community building event, Breakfast with Santa! The Knights of Columbus will be preparing a hearty breakfast while Santa visits with the children. The cost of breakfast is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children, and $17.00 for a family. Photos with Santa will be offered for $4-$10. The Martha & Mary Group will sell baked items. The Shoppe will be open for the children to purchase gently used gifts for their family. If you come for the fun, please bring breakfast food items to donate to the SVdP Food Locker. Inspiring Catholic Reading Catholic Customs and Traditions by Greg Dues. December 9 th December 10 th December 14 th December 15 th December 16 th December 16 th December 17 th Reconciliation Dates 7:00pm at St.Philomene Parish 7:00pm at Presentation Parish 7:00pm at OLA 7:00pm at St.Lawrence Parish 7:00pm at St.John the Evangelist Parish 10:00am & 7:00pm St.Ignatius Parish 7:00pm at St.Mel Parish
YOUTH NEWS & EVENTS OLA Youth Choir and Ensemble All parish and school children grades 3-12 are invited to participate in these activities. We are looking for both singers and instrumentalists. Practices are on Wednesday evenings from 6-6:55pm in the church, right before the OLA youth group meetings. December practice dates are the 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd. Youth choir and ensemble events and liturgies include: Sunday, December 20th: 9:30am Mass. Thursday, December 24th: 4:00 pm Mass for Christmas Eve. Please contact our Music Director, Casey Oliver, with any questions at worship@olaparish.net or by calling the parish office. OLA Youth Groups 7th/8th and High School Wednesdays 7:00-8:30pm: Youth Group meetings are held in St. John s Hall. Please contact Johann for more information at 488-4626 or faithformation@olaparish.net. Congratulations! Congratulations to Molly Chambers and Mollie Kauderer who participated in the Diocesan Speech Contest the week before Thanksgiving. The entire 7th grade class wrote and gave speeches on the following topic: During Pope Francis visit to the United States, at the World Meeting of Families, he said, All that is good, all that is true, all that is beautiful brings us to God. Because God is good, God is beautiful, God is the truth. What do these words mean to you as a faith-filled adolescent? Molly and Mollie were OLA finalists, and they represented OLA School at the contest. They each had outstanding performances, and our school is very proud of them. OLA also recognizes Ty McGlynn, Lillian O' Gara, Mary O'Callaghan, and Jared Agos for their excellent speeches! OLA Hosting On-Site French Classes PreK-6th We are excited to announce that Our Lady of the Assumption School will be the host site for a French Language After School Program put on by Education Francaise Sacramento (EFSAC) beginning January 5, 2016! The French classes will be held on Tuesdays from 4:15-5:30pm. There will be Beginners and Level 1 classes available for Pre-K through 2nd and 3rd through 6th grade. Students need no prior knowledge of the French language but do need to be willing to learn a second language. EFSAC will handle everything from instruction to tuition. Please go to www.efsac.com for online registration and for more information, please email them at info.efsac@gmail.com. Extending a Warm Welcome and a Fond Farewell We would like to extend a warm welcome to Mrs. Lynn Sweeney our new Extension/Kinder Rich Director. We have had the pleasure of working with Lynn at Our Lady of the Assumption School for the past ten years, as the aide in Kindergarten and recently as the aide in Third grade. Her smiling face and kind ways has made it obvious that teaching and working with children is a joyful blessing from God for her. She looks forward to the opportunity to get to know even more of our students and their families. Lynn is married and has two wonderful boys, who both attended Kindergarten through Eighth grade at OLA. She has a BS in Marketing from Western Michigan University and a Master Certificate in Early childhood Education from American River College. We thank Ms. Theroux for her top notch work and keep her in our prayers for all the best in her future endeavors. Youth Group - Soap for Souls Year Round - OLA youth group is sponsoring a toiletry drive year round for St. Vincent de Paul. You ever wonder what to do with all your hotel shampoos and soaps? Donate to us! We are in need of soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, etc. of any size. Baskets will be in the back of the church labeled Soap for Souls. The youth will assemble sets for our SVdP clients. We appreciate your generosity.
PARISH & COMMUNITY EVENTS Neocatechumenal Program The Neocatechumenal Program will meet every Tuesday and Friday from 7:30-8:30pm in St. John s Hall. Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. Is 41:10 Do you want to meet Him? Come to this catechesis for youth and adults and listen to the good news. The Lord knows your sufferings, He is coming to give you happiness. If you have any questions or difficulties, please contact Derek and Louisa at 720-276-2078 or derekandlouisa@yahoo.com. Martha and Mary Gathering The December Gathering will be held in Seton Hall on Thursday, December 10 th. A short meeting at 11 o clock will be followed by the luncheon at 11:30. A catered main dish with some of our favorite side dishes will be served. The cost is $10.00. Please make your reservation by Monday, December 7 th to the Parish Office at 481-5115. We do encourage the Women of the Parish to join us at our monthly Gatherings. Martha & Mary s Kitchen Bake Sale Mrs. Claus will once again be present at Santa s Breakfast on Sunday, December 13 th. Mrs. Claus is looking to the ladies of our parish to help with your special holiday cookie, cake, pie, and candy recipes for this wonderful event. As you ae preparing your baked specialties, please remember that OLA is a nut-free environment. If you have any questions please email Rose at ross1671@sbcglobal.net or Joan at 849-2282. Community Faith Night with the Sacramento Kings The Knights are joining with other groups to attend Community Faith Night with the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena on Friday evening, February 19 th. All are welcome to support this special evening. Cost in the upper tier, Section 216 above the Kings bench for a special group price of $22 each. The Knights with also present Colors for the National Anthem. For further information or reserve seats contact Gene at 283-5223 or egobbo@surewest.net. Payment will be due in early January. Your reservations will also guarantee seating next year at the new Golden One arena. Go Kings. PERT Club Event The PERT Club will meet on Tuesday, December 15, 2015, at 11:00 am, in St. John s Hall at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, for a Christmas celebration with a short meeting, some sing-along, Lotto prize drawings and door prizes. Ham, supplied by the club, will be on the main course, surrounded by the special supporting dishes you signed up to bring. If you didn t sign up, then a fruit salad or a jello salad or some other specialty of your choice would be welcome. Please bring your own place setting, glass and coffee cup. 10 games of BINGO, with cash prizes, will be played following lunch at 1:00 pm. The cost at the door will be $1.00 for members and $3:00 for guests to help cover items supplied by the club. Please bring some nonperishable food items for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Locker. Call Jerry or Pat at 489-8402, or George at 483-7194 if you have questions. Calvary Catholic Cemetery Annual Remembrance Tree & Candlelight Vigil Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services, a Ministry of the Diocese of Sacramento, will offer remembrance tree and candlelight vigil service on Tuesday, December 8 th at 7:00pm at Calvary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum located at 7101 Verner Ave. in Sacramento. The Vigil will take place in the Chapel. Please call 726-1232 for more information. Christian Brothers High School Placement Exam Eighth graders interested in attending CB in the 2016-17 school year are required to take the placement exam on Saturday, January 16th. Online applications are due on January 13, 2016. Please contact the Admissions Office for more information at 733-3690 or visit the CB website at www.cbhs-sacramento.org.
STEWARDSHIP Thank you for the November 28th & 29th offertory collection of $12,323.26. Thank you for the Saint Vincent de Paul Ministry collection of $6,680.00. Thank you for the Thanksgiving for the Poor Fund collection of $737.00. Thank you to Kelley Smith for cycling and those who pledged for the Cycle In Fundraiser for the Mustard Seed School raising $305.00! And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value (Philippians 1:9-10) Glittery holiday ads can blind us to our stewardship values and distort our needs and wants. It is important that during this season of endless buying we remember that each of us also has the need to give back to God and to those that are in need. Support Elderly Religious A parishioner writes, As a Catholic school student from grades K- 12, I was formed to be the person I am by many religious brothers and sisters, and I am forever grateful. Show your appreciation for the senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests who made a positive difference in so many lives. Please give generously to next week s collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious. ONE Campaign Progress The ONE Campaign is now many months into the pledge redemption phase. As of September 30, 2015, we have $29.5 million in both cash and pledges which will fund our strategic initiatives. An additional $4.3 million has been generated by parishes specifically for their own projects, so that the total funds generated diocesan-wide during the campaign effort stands at $33.8 million. Bishop Soto is confident that with the guidance of our Blessed Mother Mary and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we will continue to strive to add to these totals over the four year-campaign. Of the nearly $29.5 million in cash and pledges, the Diocese has received more than $12 million and has begun funding the causes set forth in the campaign case statement. To date, over $9.5 million has been distributed to case elements per the allocation plan. Additionally, nearly $2.4 million has been returned to the parishes for their parish case elements. Yet full funding of the campaign is many months and millions of dollars away. Many have completely paid their pledges; others are still in progress. The generosity of all those participating in The ONE Campaign is appreciated now more than ever. Only through your commitment will the designated parish projects, education, youth ministry, pastoral care, communication and service goals reach full funding. Please call the The Catholic Foundation at 733-0266 to make account updates or to submit a payment by phone. Your continued support of The ONE Campaign means so much to so many. Bishop Soto expresses his continued appreciation for your dedication and generosity. As we look ahead to the holiday season and celebrating the birth of Our Savior we wanted to offer you the option to advance your pledge and take advantage of a 2015 tax credit. Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) Stop Assisted Suicide in CA before it s too late! Earlier this year, through a Special Session, the CA legislature passed assisted suicide allowing doctors to prescribe overdose medication to terminally ill patients. Join a coalition of physicians, nurses, disability-rights organizations, and people of all faiths to stand for the lives of our elderly and dying and oppose assisted suicide! Petitions will be available for signature outside of Masses on the weekend of December 5 th & 6 th. Signers must be registered to vote and can only sign once. Why Oppose Assisted Suicide? Sends the Wrong Message: Legalizing suicide for the terminally ill, while discouraging it for the rest of the population, teaches that the lives of the ill and disabled do not matter to our society. Will Worsen Patient Care: Patients in other states, like Barbara Wagner in Oregon, are being denied treatment prescribed by their doctors, and instead offered drugs for assisted suicide. Will Increase Non-Terminal Suicide Rates: Suicides skyrocket when assisted suicide is legalized. Oregon s suicide rate for non-terminal people increased 49% after assisted suicide became legal.