Page Two Third Sunday of Advent....December 16, 2012 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15TH 5pm-John A. Vignone Sr. & John Pontillo SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16TH 8:00 am-rose Mangiafico 9:30am-Frank & Tomasina Piscatello 11:00am Marjorie Amodio MONDAY, DECEMBER 17TH 9:00am Mark Rioux & Robert Ensign Sr. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18TH 9:00am Deacon James Poland WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19TH 9:00am Maria & Sebastian Amato THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20TH 9:00am For all our parishioners FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21ST 9:00am-Fred & Joanne Lepore SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22ND 5:00pm -Nicholas F. Rago Jr. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23RD 8:00am-Miguel & Mariana Gaspar 9:30 am-deceased members of the Camilliere & DiSilvestro Families 11:00am Michael DiCandio The Sanctuary Candle will burn from 12/17/2012 12/23/2012 in memory of Fred & Joanne Lepore. The Blessed Virgin Mary Candle will burn from 12/17/2012-12/23/2012 in memory of Concettina & Salvatore Genovese. We congratulate and offer our prayers for Archbishop Henry J. Mansell who will celebrate his Golden Jubilee, 50th Anniversary of Ordination on Wednesday, December 19th at 11am at the Cathedral of St. Joseph. Parishioners are invited to attend. There will be a light luncheon immediately following the Mass in the Lower Cathedral. The second collection this weekend is the Retired Fund for Religious collection. CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE OF CONFESSIONS AND MASSES : Confessions: Monday, December 17th from 7-8pm Saturday, December 22nd from 3:45-4:30pm Monday, December 24th from 11-12 only. Masses: Monday, December 24th Christmas Eve: Vigil Masses at 5pm and 12 midnight. Tuesday, December 25th, Christmas Day: Masses will be held at 9:00am and 11:00am. Please note time change. The rectory will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Employment Support Group Tuesday, December 18th at 9:30 am in Fr. Crawford Hall. If you are in need of employment join us. There will be a House of Bread collection next weekend. Coffee & sugar are needed.
Page Three Third Sunday of Advent...December 16, 2012 The Sacrament of Confirmation was administered at The Church of the Incarnation last Sunday. Archbishop Henry J. Mansell presided at a most beautiful Confirmation service for the class of 2012. On behalf of the 2012 Confirmation Community we thank Fr. Moran, Noranne Wamester, Teri Aiudi, Antoinette Munoz, Theodora Niver, The Choir and Bell Choir, Altar Servers and the Ministers of the Eucharist, for their beautiful ministerial assistance. Confirmation 2013 Candidate Mentor- Session will meet on Sun., December 16th from 12:30-2pm in Fr. Crawford Hall. With the exception of a few parish family home communities, all Faith Formation classes are on Christmas Break. Have a Blessed Christmas Season! Angel Tree: On behalf of the many recipients of the generous gifts of the Angel Tree, we say Thank You! Families in the Light Today is the Third Sunday of Advent... Please let your light shine and sign-up to light the Advent wreath. What a wonderful way to prepare for the coming of the Christ Child. Poster in Narthex. When it is your turn to light the wreath, please tell the celebrant prior to mass that you will light it. A Family Perspective. Third Sunday of Advent - Today s gospel tells us to SHARE! This Christmas resist the pressure to give token gifts. Instead, use those funds to give NESSITITIES to the poor. If our impoverished brothers and sisters are not on our gift list, we ve missed the point of Christmas. Children s Liturgy of the Word will be held this weekend at the 9:30am Mass. Presiders will be Craig & Audrey Saharek. We welcome our helper catechists, Laura Alasso, Danielle Bonfiglio & Megan Kieselback. Join us for fellowship after Mass in Fr. Crawford Hall. "The Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be at the Church of the Incarnation from December 15 th - December 21st, 2012. The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe was December 12 th. The framed image on display was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI and touched to the tilma of Juan Diego that bears the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The image was sealed with soil from Tepeyac hill in Mexico, where Our Lady s appearances took place. Prayer cards available. The Knights of Columbus has embarked on a pilgrimage with Our Lady of Guadalupe to spread her message and her love. The Wethersfield K of C Council 4193 is honored to sponsor this display in our parish."
Page 4 Third Sunday of Advent....December 16, 2012 A Weekly Bible Study 3 rd Sunday of Advent Zephaniah 3:14-18, Philippians 4:4-7 Isaiah 12:2-6 and Luke 3:10-18 Today, Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday, we consider the beautiful link among the three readings and reading response. Both the prophet Zephaniah and St. Paul offer reassurance to communities facing fear and anxiety. The people of 6 th century Judah, under threat of Assyrian rule, are urged to find their security by returning to the Lord and reforming their lives. Likewise, Paul s Christians at Philippi are instructed to dismiss anxiety and approach the Lord in confidence and prayerful thanksgiving. In the Gospel of Luke, John s audience is filled with great expectation as they listen to a call to conversion of heart. In each of these scenarios there is a heightened sense not only of anticipation as the Lord draws near, but of the promise of the peacefulness and security that comes when the Lord is with us. As each writer invites us to ponder prayerfully his message, we move from reassurance to rejoicing. This week, in the quiet of our hearts and in the spirit of contemplatio, we ponder key ideas from these passages Zephaniah s message: The King will rejoice over us with gladness. Paul s message: Rejoice, the Lord is near there is no need to fear or be anxious. Luke s message: What should we do to prepare our hearts? We await the coming of Christ this Advent, but already rejoice with the Lord who is in our midst! The Lord is near indeed! The Bible is a living Book opening us to the beating heart of God. 50th Anniversary of the Founding of our Parish, The Church of the Incarnation, 1963-2013: Committee work and the planning of events is in place to celebrate our 50th Jubilee Year. In addition to our collection of photographs, relative to church history and events, the Commemorative Book Committee would be pleased to receive any photos that our parishioners may have to add to our collection for publication. If you wish to share your photos, please write your name, address, and phone number on the back of each photograph so they may be returned to you. You may leave your envelope of photographs in the sacristy for Toni Munoz, Coordinator of the Jubilee Celebration. Thank you. The Polish Christmas wafers called Oplatek will be available at Incarnation Church next week at the rectory. SAVE THE DATE: The Incarnation Parish Men s Retreat at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford will be held February 15, 16 & 17, 2013. More info. to follow. Finally, we join in that chorus of rejoicing in the reading response, as Isaiah finds his confidence and courage in the Lord s nearness. He invites us to Cry out with joy and gladness: for among us is the great and holy One of Israel!
Page Five Third Sunday of Advent...December 16, 2012 In your packet of December collection envelopes you will find an envelope to provide Christmas flowers in memory of loved ones. Kindly return before Christmas. We thank all of our generous parishioners who donate to our Project Baby Love collections by donating disposable diapers & wipes the first weekend of each month. We will now be donating to The St. Gerard Center for Life, a Catholic Crisis Pregnancy Center in Hartford, CT. The mission and purpose of this center is to assist women in making life-affirming decisions through ongoing love, support and service. Since every life is unique and precious, St. Gerard s is dedicated to providing material, spiritual, medical, psychological and legal resources to mothers who are having difficulty and are tempted to have recourse to abortion. The center vows to defend, protect, foster and promote the sanctity of life in word and deed, from womb to tomb. St. Gerard Center for Life has been saving human lives and assisting women since 2005. Within its first five years of operation, over 360 babies lives were saved from abortion. Today, St. Gerard Center for Life offered ultrasound services for women to choose their unborn baby s life at 22 Maple Avenue in Hartford. They also help women make better choices in the future by offering their Keeping Hearts Pure chastity classes. Dr. Theresa Krankowski, is the director and is always looking for volunteers, call (860) 548-9500. They also have requests for Enfamil Baby Formula with iron (yellow can.) They have a great need for toddler clothing sizes 2T-6T. They accept both gently used and new clothing. Learn more at: www.stgerardcenter.org. Thank you! What ought we to do? the crowds ask John, and he sends them to fulfill their calling. Doing the ordinary extraordinarily well is a step toward welcoming Jesus. If your calling is to become a priest or religious, call Fr. Michael Dolan, Director of Vocations, Archdiocesan Center at St. Thomas Seminary, (860) 761-7456 or e- mail at: vocations@stseminary.org. Let us pray for an increase to the vocation of priesthood and for the priests who serve us. Defending Our Religious Liberty: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging the Obama Administration and the Health and Human Services Department to make the accommodations that they promised before the election, by not requiring Catholic organizations to pay for surgical procedures and drugs that induce abortion and go against moral teachings. To date, nothing has been done. If you haven t expressed your opposition to the Federal Healthcare Mandate, please contact the White House at: www.whitehouse.gov/contact. Thank you. Thank you for your response to our Annual Collection. We have collected $95,371 and are very grateful. Goal $100,000. There are envelopes at the entrances. Donations are still gratefully accepted.
Page Six Third Sunday of Advent....December 16, 2012 REJOICE! Today has traditionally been called Gaudete Sunday. The Latin tag is derived from Paul s appeal in the second reading to rejoice always in the Lord, and the Latin Mass text based on that reading. The irony and paradox of this Christian joy is underlined by the fact that Paul wrote those words in prison. But from there he could see the progress of God s work. Is it obvious to us? We feel that this is not the time for joy when there is so much suffering and moral evil. It is interesting, then, that the first reading is from the prophet Zephaniah, who is almost exclusively concerned with gloomy visions of Judgment Day. Today the Church selects the only optimistic text in Zephaniah, in which the prophet has been touched by the spirit of joy. This, we are assured on all sides, is the season of joy. Let us recapture that feeling of joy in our lives and reflect it to those who are joyless. TODAY S READINGS First Reading Your God will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals (Zephaniah 3:14-18a). Psalm Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 12:6). Second Reading Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! (Philippians 4:4-7). Gospel Whoever who has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. Whoever who has food should do likewise (Luke 3:10-18). READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Gn 49:2, 8-10; Ps 72:1-4ab, 7-8, 17; Mt 1:1-17 Tuesday: Jer 23:5-8; Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19; Mt 1:18-25 Wednesday: Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a; Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17; Lk 1:5-25 Thursday: Is 7:10-14; Ps 24:1-6; Lk 1:26-38 Friday: Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a; Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Lk 1:39-45 Saturday:1 Sm 1:24-28;1Sm 2:1,4-8abcd; Lk 1:46-56 Sunday: Mi 5:1-4a; Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45 SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Tuesday: Friday: Third Sunday of Advent; International Migrants Day St. Peter Canisius; Winter begins TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION Years ago, the trick question on religion quizzes would be to name all the liturgical colors, or the colors of the vestments worn at Mass. Rose is a color seldom seen, used at most two days a year. Today, Gaudete Sunday, is one of those days. The name of the day is drawn from an opening verse in the old Latin Mass texts: Gaudete is Latin for Rejoice! This year s Gospel certainly reflects that mood as Elizabeth feels her infant within her leaping for joy at the presence of Mary. Mary s visit to her aged cousin is an act of compassion between women, as two kinswomen who are bearing children into the world share their joy. Some churches retain the custom of having the priest wear rose vestments today, and many will use a rose candle in the Advent wreath. Violet is the official color for Advent and Lent, but many parishes employ different hues for each season, trying to keep them distinct. In medieval times, dye was costly, and poor parishes used unornamented plain cloth for vestments. Dyes were expensive and some colors, particularly purple, difficult to achieve. In England, purple dye was made from mollusks, yielding at best a deep indigo or blue and not the desired violet. Thus, the color of Advent in the British Isles has long been a deep blue, reminding many people of Mary s presence at the heart of the Advent mystery. IMPRESSIONABLE A child s life is like a piece of paper on which every passerby leaves a mark. Ancient Chinese proverb WITNESSES Our actions are the best witnesses of our thoughts. Anonymous