The Epiphany of the Lord January 3, 2016 Readings: Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3,5-6; Mt 2:1-12 The Deacon s Speakin Dear friends, The Feast of the Epiphany is one of the church s oldest feasts. For Westerners, the Epiphany may be only the twelfth day of Christmas; but the feast is older than the feast of Christmas. In the East, this was, in fact, the original feast of Christmas. The East still celebrates the Birth of Jesus, as well as his manifestation at His baptism, and during the wedding feast of Cana. Among Hispanics and the people of Northwestern Europe, Epiphany is commonly known as the Feast of the Three Kings, celebrated in various cultural and family rituals. The Feast of the Epiphany enjoys greater solemnity in the East than it does in the West. The East follows the Scriptures by not identifying the number of visitors or by calling them Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar, the names given to the magi in the religious folklore of the West. With the celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany on the first Sunday of the year, rather than on January 6, the traditional day for its celebration, we have an opportunity to speak about the universal gift of salvation. Christians tend to see themselves as the privileged recipients of the promise of salvation, but today s second reading reminds us that with regard to salvation we Gentiles are coheirs with Jews. We are also reminded that God wills the salvation of all human beings (1 Tim 2:5 6). This is something we must all remember, especially in these days of suspicion of and hostility to Muslims and other religious minorities. For the most part, we are ignorant with regard to Buddhists, Hindus, and the millions of other people of good will who have no firsthand experience of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only at the Parousia will all of us begin to understand fully what it means for Jesus to be the one mediator between God and humankind. Only then will everyone come to realize that God wills the salvation of everyone, and how, perhaps, He is able to manifest His saving power even through religions other than our own. Our situation is not too different from that of the early church. Peace and Love, Deacon John Mission Statement Gifted by God, called by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul Catholic Newman Center is a parish committed to serving the academic community and all those who choose to be part of our parish family.
Newman Center Young Adults Join us for our Young Adult team meeting Monday Jan. 11, in the Library beginning at 5:45pm. Help us plan out our future events! High School Youth Group Confirmation class will resume Sunday, January 3. Reminder to first year students to return retreat registration forms to the front desk. Youth group will resume Monday, January 4, with an exciting treasure hunt! Contact Cristina Martinez, Cristina@csufnewman.com. Newman Center App Our new Newman Center app is now available to download for iphone and Android smart phones. Stay connected with our parish throughout the week with instant notifications, an easy-to-access event calendar, and the ability to quickly reply to or share messages via Facebook or Twitter. Also enjoy a bunch of additional features like prayers, daily readings, helpful reminders to silence your phone before Mass or Confession, and much more. Download our app today at myparishapp.com or search your phone's app store for myparishapp. Mardi Gras - Save the Date Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! Celebrate Mardi Gras 2016 with your friends at St. Paul Catholic Newman Center on Saturday, February 6 from 6:00pm to 11:00pm. The festivities will include dinner, a silent auction, and dancing. A wonderful dinner will be provided by Pardini s. Tickets will go on sale in January for $50 each. Contact 436-3434 for further information. Let the Good Times Roll!!! Giving Tree 2015 Thanks to your generous support hundreds of families, locally as well as in several rural valley communities, were able to enjoy a Christmas meal. Food insecurity remains a huge problem for many in our midst. While we can t solve this problem, our continuing support brought much joy to those who received your gift. God bless you all for caring and sharing! - Mickey Lord, Coordinator Our Lady of Victory Crab Feed The 8th Annual Msgr. Moreton Memorial Crab Feed sponsored by the OLV Alumni Association will be Saturday, January 30 at Holy Spirit s Logan Hall. $55 All you can eat crab dinner (crab, pasta and salad) 5:00pm No host bar 6:00pm Dinner Festivities include a silent auction, live auction and sweet shoppe. This event sells out early! Get your tickets before January 8 and you will have a chance to win big! Questions or to receive a registration form call David Castillo at 978-1703 or email olvcrabfeed@gmail.com. Family Life Ministry Married Couples Retreat Give your spouse the perfect Valentine s Day gift of a Married Couple retreat experience. This year s retreat is over Valentine s weekend, February 12-14, at St. Anthony Retreat Center in Three Rivers. The cost is $300 for the weekend. Theme: Learning to Love Like God Loves. Registration forms are available at the front desk. Men s Saturday Breakfast Group will be the 2 nd Saturday in January - January 9, from 7:30AM to 9:00AM in the Cafeteria. We will continue our exploration of our baptismal roles of priest, prophet and king. Please join us! Men s Morning Scripture Study Group meets Tuesday mornings at 7:30AM after morning Mass in the Community Room. Meditation Opportunities Christian Meditation meets Thursday mornings from 11:15AM to 12:15PM in CNH 104. Facilitator: Benita Lankford Evening Meditation meets Wednesday evenings from 7:00PM to 8:00PM in the Library. Facilitator: Veena Kapoor Tai Chi for Arthritis Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Beginner s class from 9:00AM to 10:00AM; Regular class from 10:15AM to 11:15AM. CNH 103. Instructor: Art Lopez. Thursday Evening Tai Chi has two different class offerings: Tai Chi 24 Short Form from 5:30PM to 6:30PM; and Tai Chi Chuan 108 Long Form from 7:00PM to 8:00PM in CNH 102-103. Fee: $10/month. Instructor: Bill Titus. For more information contact John Prandini: 436-3434 ext. 107 prandinij@csufnewman.com College Ministries EMMAUS We will not have Emmaus until we come back from winter break. College & Young Adult Bible Study During Winter break we will not have Bible Study. Lydia s House A gathering of women seeking and sharing spirituality 2016 Program Topics - A Season of Mercy January 16 February 20 March 19 April 16 May 21 June 18 Walking Our Neighborhoods Echo Village and the Homeless Birthing Mercy A Garden of Mercy Merciless: Offender/Victim 23rd L.H. Birthday Celebration Prison Ministry
Sunday, January 3 Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3,5-6; Mt 2:1-12 7:30am Mass for Jeanette Frye Chapel 9:00am Mass for Mary Brown Chapel 11:00am Mass for John O Sullivan Chapel 4:45pm HS Confirmation Class CNH 7:00pm Mass Chapel Monday, January 4 1 Jn 3:22-4:6; Mt 4:12-17 7:00am Mass for Mary Campbell Chapel 6:00pm High School Youth Group St. John XXIII Tuesday, January 5 1 Jn 4:7-10; Mk 6:34-44 7:00am Mass for Peter Day & Mattha Ngon Chapel 7:30am Men s Morning Scripture Study Community Room 9:00am Beginning Tai Chi for Arthritis CNH 102-103 10:15am Tai Chi for Arthritis CNH 102-103 4:00pm Confessions Chapel 6:00pm Faith, Family & Friends Cardinal Newman Hall Wednesday, January 6 1 Jn 4:11-18; Mk 6:45-52 7:00am Mass for Cleotilde Conanan Chapel 6:00pm Scriptural Rosary Community Room 6:30pm RCIA Inquiry Room 5 7:00pm RCIA Catechumenate CNH 103 7:00pm Adult Sacramental Prep Cafeteria 7:00pm Interfaith Meditation Library Thursday, January 7 Jn 4:19-5:4; Lk 4:14-22 7:00am Mass Intentions of Tom Kane Chapel 9:00am Beginning Tai Chi for Arthritis CNH 102-103 9:00am Scripture Study - Gospel of Matthew Cafeteria 10:15am Tai Chi for Arthritis CNH 102-103 11:15am Christian Meditation CNH 104 5:30pm Tai Chi - short form CNH 102-103 6:30pm RCIA Team Meeting Room 5 6:30pm Fresno Catholic Singles Cafeteria 7:00pm Tai Chi - long form CNH 102-103 Friday, January 8 1 Jn 5:5-13; Lk 5:12-16 7:00am Communion Service Chapel 6:00pm Food Recovery Network Cafeteria Saturday, January 9 1 Jn 5:14-21; Jn 3:22-30 7:30am Men s Saturday Breakfast Group Cafeteria 10:00am Tai Chi - long form St. John XXIII 5:00pm Mass for Randy Mendoza Chapel Sunday, January 10 Is 42:1-4,6-7; Acts 10:34-38, Lk 3:15-16,21-22 7:30am Mass for Antonio Prandini, Jr. Chapel 9:00am Mass for Cleotilde Conanan Chapel 11:00am Mass Chapel 2:00pm Baptism Prep Class Cafeteria 7:00pm Mass Chapel Prayers + Mass Intentions: Luz Elower, Sr. Ann Cornelia Sullivan (sister of Mary Ann Latimer), Michael & Catherina O Sullivan, Jeanette Frye, Mary Brown, John O Sullivan + Please pray for healing of our loved ones who are ill: Norma Thompson, Margie Maloney, Joshua Araujo, Danielle Quiroga, Alex Levario, William Barry, Evelyn Berman, Cathy Martin, Ron Zucca, Vaness French, Stephanie Schwab, Shirley Lea, Sue Noonkester (daughter of Alice Terhaar), Ollie Mae & Tom Godburn, Ernie Lee, Kenny Smith, Horace Spann, Kyle Springer Faith, Family & Friends Faith, Family & Friends We wish you all a Happy New Year!!! We will see you again on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 for our first Faith Family & Friend s gathering of 2016!!! Happy New Year!!! Fresno Catholic Singles Join the Fresno Catholic Singles for their first general meeting and potluck of the New Year! It will be Thursday, January 7, at 6:30pm in the Cafeteria at the Newman Center. Call Rose Marie for more info 439-2601. Pro-Life Essay Contest Right to Life of Central CA is having a Pro-Life Essay contest for students 12-16 years of age. Prizes are: 1 st - $100, 2 nd - $50, 3 rd - $25 (Gift Cards); for contest Guidelines and due date please call Right to Life at 229-2229 or visit RightToLifeCA.org/pro-life-essay-contest. Weekend Contributions December 26-27 5:00pm $1,157 7:30am $2,122 Directive During Flu Season During the flu season we will not be offering the Precious Blood during Mass in order to minimize the spread of the illness. The Diocese s directives also encourage for those with flu like symptoms to not attend Mass. Please take care of yourself and your family. 9:00am $5,891 11:00am $1,655 7:00pm $1,371 Received by Mail $3,220 Electronic Donations $420 Online Donations $1,300 Total Sunday Contributions $17,136 Christmas Donations $16,437.50