3rd Sunday of Advent

3rd Sunday of Advent

Saint John Paul the Great Parish Saturday Vigil, December 16th 2017 4:00pm St. Peter Mr. and Mrs. Tony Cetra by Fred Reichen and daughters Jenna & Tracey 5:30pm St. Francis Anthony Alexander by Mary & Jack Quinn Sunday, December 17th 2017 7:30am St. Francis Anthony & Irene Regis, Wanda & Bronislaw Neski and David Gracey Jr. by Jeanne Gracey 8:30am St. Peter Michael Walsh and Eugene Diorio by Mary Ann 10:00am St. Francis John F. Woolley, Jr. by Diane Edwards 11:15am St. Peter Elyse Paige by the Paige family 12:30pm St. Francis Mass in Spanish In thanksgiving to the Divine Child by a devotee 5:00pm St. Peter Deceased members of the Torlai family by Joseph Torlai Weekday Masses Saturday Vigil, December 23rd 2017 4:00pm St. Peter Dominic D Angelo - 2 year Remembrance by brother Charles 5:30pm St. Francis Richard Elliott, Sr. by Joe and Cynthia Battistoni Sunday, December 24th 2017 7:30am St. Francis Intentions of all parishioners. 8:30am St. Peter Joseph & Sara Silano, Nancy Kelson and Josephine Blandino by Rose Moranino 10:00am St. Francis Irene & Anthony Regis, Branislaw & Wanda Neski & David Gracey, Jr. by Jeanne Gracey 11:15am St. Peter Intentions of all parishioners. 12:30pm St. Francis Mass in Spanish Keith Perryman Joines by wife Agnes 5:00pm St. Peter NO LIFE TEEN Mass - Christmas Eve Monday 12/18 8:00am St. Francis Mary G. Maciora-Jacobs by Jill A. Szynski-Serino Tuesday 12/19 7:00am St. Peter Private Intentions by Lisa Lickwar Wednesday 12/20 8:00am St. Francis William Rampelli by Joe and Diane Middleton Thursday 12/21 7:00am St. Peter James Roy by Bob and Nancy Rakyta Friday 12/22 8:00am St. Francis Joseph Lovallo by Daughter and family Saturday 12/23 8:00am St. Peter Lillian Trivella by family Sanctuary Candle is being burned at St. Francis in memory of Jean DeAngelo and at Sacred Heart in memory of Michael W. and Michael J. Gerardi December 17, 2017 2 Third Sunday of Advent If you would like a ride to Mass, Northwestern CT Transit offers a Dial-A-Ride service. Please call 860-489-2535 for more info. Our Worship Sites St. Francis of Assisi - 160 Main St. St. Peter - 107 East Main St. Sacred Heart - 116 Grove St. St. Mary - 85 Pulaski St. Offices Pope Saint John Paul II Pastoral Center 160 Main Street Torrington, CT 06790 Office Hours Monday thru Friday 9am - 4pm Phone: 860-482-4433 Fax: 860-489-4070 SaintJohnPaulTheGreatParish@gmail.com Bulletin Requests: SaintJohnPaulTheGreatBulletin@gmail.com JohnPaulGreatParish.com

My Dear Friends, On this Third Sunday of Advent, we have for the second week in a row a Gospel passage that references St. John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist, according to St. Luke s Gospel, is a cousin of our Lord and six months older than our Lord too. He leapt for joy in the womb of his mother, St. Elizabeth, when the Blessed Mother visited her cousin after saying yes to God to becoming the mother of our Savior. This passage of the Visitation is one of the biblical passages used to show the depth of our Catholic teaching on the sanctity of life, including the life in the womb of its mother. St. John the Baptist also shows the sanctity of life in his death at the hands of King Herod, when he holds true to the teaching on immoral marriages. Jesus says of St. John the Baptist that among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." And St. John the that we hear repeated at every Mass when the priest holds the host up and says, Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world; blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb. In the Litany of the Saints, which has a hierarchy about it, St. John the Baptist comes immediately after the greatest saint, Holy Mary, Mother of God, and right before St. Joseph. His preaching of repentance and baptism is heard in the seasons of Lent and Advent. St. John the Baptist is an important saint for our times as he continues to show us the Lamb of God, especially with regard to the sanctity of marriage and sanctity of the baby in the womb. As we prepare for the birth of Christ, let us remember that it is a pregnant Mary who travels with St. Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. And it is a pregnant Mary who has no place to lay her head for there is no room for her in the inn. It is a pregnant Mary that must find comfort in stable as she prepares to give birth. May God bless you Fr. John Mondays: 5-7pm at St. Peter Tuesdays: 5-8pm at St. Francis Wednesdays: 5-8pm at St. Francis Thursdays: 5-8pm at St. Francis Fridays: 5-8pm at St. Francis (except 1 st Friday of the month) Christmas Eve Sunday, December 24th 4:00pm St. Peter 4:00pm St. Francis 10:00pm St. Peter 12 Midnight St. Francis Christmas Day Monday, December 25th 8:00am St. Peter 9:30am St. Francis 11:00am St. Peter ( 12 Noon St. Francis My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior View our bulletin online: JohnPaulGreatParish.com 3 Saint John Paul the Great Parish

@ St. Francis Church Gathering beginning at ending with Benediction at 8pm Come and be led into a reflection from the view of a young Virgin Mary, from her cousin Elizabeth and from our Patron Saint John Paul the Great. There will be periods of reflection, silent adoration and Praise and Worship of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. You are invited to join Fr. John Mondays from 12-1pm Sacred Heart for a holy hour Praying for priests. OUR LADY OF CALVARY RETREAT CENTER in Farmington Defending Our Religious Liberty Pope Francis has warned, When a sick person is not placed at the center and considered in their dignity, attitudes arise which can even lead to profiteering on other people s misfortunes. The growing health poverty among the poorest segments of the population is due precisely to the difficulty of access to care... Let us pray that in transforming the HHS federal mandate, religious rights of the Catholic Church will be safeguarded. 4 Third Sunday of Advent December 17, 2017 Adoration Scriptural rosary Silence Litany to Christ the High Priest followed by Benediction We see John the Baptist as one who leads us to Jesus. He came to testify to the light. Rejoice; never cease praying. Let us never cease praying for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. If you are considering a life of prayer as a priest or religious Call Fr. Jeffrey Gubbiotti, Director of Vocations Archdiocesan Center at St. Thomas Seminary, 860-242-5573 or email vocations@aohct.org or visit the web at www.hartfordpriest.com

Contributions to our parish for the week of December 10, 2017 $16,870.00 St. John Paul the Great Parish Annual Collection We are very grateful for the generosity shown by so many parish famies to our Annual Collection. If you have not yet had an opportunity to return your pledge card, please do so as soon as possible. Every gift is welcomed and sincerely appreciated! Thank you! SACRED HEART CANDLES Saint Ann: Agnes Nardine Lipinski Saint Theresa: Lestinsky and Dudley Families Retirement Fund for Religious... Religious give thanks... A religious sister writes, When we see the generous response of so many thousands of persons in order to help us, religious men and women, we are left speechless. Senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests across the country send heartfelt thanks and prayers for your donation to last week s Retirement Fund for Religious collection. Please pray for Donata Banks Josephine DiLaurenzio Fredrick Rick Hart recently deceased members of our parish family. Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon them. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. View our bulletin online: JohnPaulGreatParish.com 5 Saint John Paul the Great Parish Staff Pastor: Rev. John C. Granato Parochial Vicar: Rev. Carlos Zapata Deacons: Roy Dungan Peter Hyde Richard Hamel Religious Education Grades K-5 860-482-3121 Jen Owens Cell: 860-307-2291 Call/TEXT JohnPaulGreatReligousEd@gmail.com Office of Youth Ministry 860-489-7899 Middle School EDGE/Youth Group Marlene Carrier: Cell 860-309-7855 Call/TEXT JohnPaulGreatYouth@gmail.com High School Confirmation Program Donna Puzacke: Cell 860-309-1900 Call/TEXT JohnPaulGreatConfirmation@gmail.com Pastoral Minister: Peg O Meara 860-309-1707 Music Director: Francine Gryniuk Organist: Bill Mackstutis Office Staff: Anita Ressel Toni Tavano, Rose McMahon Trustees: John Janco Monica Diulio St. Peter / St. Francis School Principal Jo-Anne Gauger 860-489-4177 Sacraments Sacrament of Marriage: Arrangements for Marriage are made by calling the Parish Office to schedule an appointment with one of the priests at least six months in advance of desired wedding date. Sacrament of the Sick: Anyone who is seriously ill, advanced in age or preparing for surgery may receive. Please call the Parish Office to arrange. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: For adults who wish to become Catholic or for Catholic Adults who have not yet received the Sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation. Contact the Parish Office for more details. Sacrament of Baptism: Please call the Parish Office to arrange. Preparation class is held on the first Tuesday of the month, at 6:30 pm at the Pope Saint John Paul II Pastoral Center. Homebound or Hospitalized? If you, or someone you know is homebound and would like to receive Holy Communion, or hospitalized and would like a In Need of Prayers? Please call... Cheryl at 860-618-3533 to be added to our Prayer Line.

CHRISTMAS GIVING TREES St. John Paul the Great Parish will have Christmas Giving Trees again this year. The trees will be up Thank you for your continued support of the projects of the St. John Paul the Great Social Ministry Committee Quoting Saint John Paul the Great, If in his Providence God had given the earth to humanity, that meant that he had given it to everyone. Therefore the riches of Creation were to be considered as a common good of the whole of humanity. Those who possessed these goods as personal property were really only stewards, ministers charged with working in the name of God, who remains the sole owner in the full sense, since it is God's will that created goods should serve everyone in a just way. You can help area food banks feed the hungry in our community by donating a non-perishable food item to our monthly food collections. Items such as PASTA, PASTA SAUCE, RICE, TUNA, MAC & CHEESE, CANNED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, BEANS, JUICES, PEANUT BUTTER, JELLY and CEREAL may be left at any of the St. Francis or St. Peter th st the weekend of December 30-31 Gift cards to area grocery stores are also greatly appreciated. Many stores donate additional items when food banks make purchases with gift cards. Thank you for your continued support! Christmas Book Wrapping We are gratefully accepting donations of Christmas wrapping paper. Donations can be dropped off any time at the Pastoral Center. (If after hours, please leave at the back door.) Would you like to help? It is a great help to have the paper pre-cut. Paper can be cut to 10 x 13 pieces We have 1700 books to wrap! You are welcome to take paper and wrap at home or come wrap with us! If you would like to help with the wrapping or the cutting please email Donna Puzacke at JohnPaulGreatConfirmation@gmail.com or call/text 860-309-1900 Thank you! 6 Third Sunday of Advent December 17, 2017 THE CARE CLOSET... a resource for youth experiencing homelessness and youth in unstable housing, opened at Torrington High School earlier this year, as a result of a committed group of THS students including Jessica Power, Allie Chiravolo, Joseph Merrill and Natalia Miasek from our parish family. They have recently expressed that there are Teens in Need of * WARM HATS * * GLOVES * * WINTER COATS * Any donations may be dropped between 9am-4pm at the JPII Pastoral Center. or call the Office of Youth Ministry to make arrangements after hours. 860-309-7855

St. John Paul the Great Parish will host The ABC s of ANNULMENT th Thursday, January 11 7-9 pm at Sacred Heart Church basement 116 Grove Street Members of the Annulment Team Br. Larry Lussier CSC, Deacon Robert Macaluso, Deacon George Fredrick and Jim Tottenham will review the changes in the annulment process initiated by Pope Francis as well as those made in the Archdiocese of Hartford. They will help participants in writing their application in the follow-up workshops on Thursday, January 18th Thursday, January 25th & Thursday, February 1st from 7-9pm also in the church hall. The ABC s of Annulment event is open to all. A donation is requested to defray the cost of printed materials. No registration is required. For further information call, Brother Larry @ 1-475-221-8464 or @ larlus300sbcglobal.net Give the Christmas Gift of a Memory Brick in Mary s Memorial Garden Just $75 for a personalized brick paver. Name_ Address City State Zip Phone_ Scripture Discussion Group Please join this fun-filled and inspiring group as we enrich our understanding of the readings from last weekend s Holy Mass. Scripture Discussion Group meets on Mondays from 6 7:30pm in the John Paul II Pastoral Center. Please enter through the kitchen door. For more information, please call Mary Cashman @ 860-489-7568. WE THANK YOU for your continued support of our youth activities through the donation of your Redeemable BOTTLES/CANS Which may be dropped off in front of the St. Francis Garage 24/7. 7 Saint John Paul the Great Parish View our bulletin online: JohnPaulGreatParish.com Tickets as of June the new price will be Please note: NOW for pizza only All previously sold $10 Dinner/Pizza tickets will gladly be honored at $ 12 Available at the Pastoral Center or call St. Peter/St. Francis School ANGEL FUND Our Angel Fund is a used for tuition assistance for our students. Any size gift would go far to help a family afford Catholic education. Checks may be made out to St. John Paul the Great Parish Please note that it is for the Angel Fund. Drop any Boxtops for Education into canisters found at the entrances of St. Peter and St. Francis Churches to benefit St. Peter/St. Francis School.

Solidarity Council #55 Classes are held Sunday evenings Beginning with the Life Teen Mass @ 5pm with Class immediately following 6-7:30pm Calendars can be found at JohnPaulGreatParish.com come to the Upper Room Saturday, January 6th 1st Saturday s Middle School Volleyball/Basketball/Dodgeball Wii Just Dance/Air Hockey/Foosball 6-9pm @St. Peter Hall the Upper Room Shrine of Lourdes 50 Montfort Rd., Rte. 118. will be open from Monday to Saturday 10:30am to 4pm Sunday 11:30am (after Mass) until 4pm There is a varied selection of Christmas ornaments, cards & Fontanini Nativity sets. Also, unique gifts and books are available for all occasions, particularly baby & children's items. Saturday, January 13th 2nd Saturday s High School Volleyball/Basketball/Dodgeball Wii Just Dance/Air Hockey/Foosball 6-10pm @St. Peter Hall the Upper Room MUST RSVP by noon on day of event Marlene Carrier Cell 860-309-7855 call/text $5 Donation Pizza/Soda/Ice cream December 17th XLT 6-7:30pm at St. Peter Church Sunday, Discover why St. Paul Catholic High School has become the choice for more and more families for a truly great Catholic education experience! Visit us at our Open House Saturday, January 6th at 10am Pre-registration is suggested, but not required. To pre-register please visit www.spchs.com/openhouse. www.spchs.com/admissions Worldwide Marriage Encounter The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me. Let your spirits be augmented by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. For more information, call Dennis & Jane Lamondy at 860-481-3720 or visit them at https://wwmectw.org/ 8 Third Sunday of Advent December 17, 2017 Teens and their parents are invited to a time of Praise/Adoration with a presentation by Catholic Speaker/Apologist Bryan Mercier Wednesday, December 20th Come spread some Christmas cheer as we sing If you have a relative at a certain facility let us know and we will try to make a visit possible. Limited to 10 teens OR more if would like to help with carpooling :) January 18-19 We invite you to join with hundreds of thousands (many of which are teens) who respectfully march for the right to life, praying for an end to abortion. Marching from the National Mall up Capitol Hill to the steps of the Supreme Court as we recall the 45th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. See bulletin for details >>>

COMUNIDAD HISPANA EUCARISTIA DOMINICAL Please join us for the March for Life in Washington, DC, January 18-19, 2018 The pilgrimage includes a bus trip to the Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Thursday January 18th and March for Life in Washington, D.C. on the 19th. The two-day bus trip and the breakfast with Our guest speaker at the breakfast will be for the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, son of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. You are responsible for payment of your hotel stay. A block of rooms is being held for our group at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town, in Alexandria, VA. Call Pro-Life Ministry at 203-213-5079 or 203-639-0833 for guidelines in making hotel reservations. The Total Cost including Bus/Hotel is $100 Office of Youth Ministry... 860-489-7899 Anyone wishing to SPONSOR A TEEN please contact us. Thank you. Movimiento Juan XXIII 7 PM Martes. En las instalaciones de Sacred Heart Church (ubicada detrás del templo de Sacred Heart) El Movimiento Juan XXIII busca trabajar por aquellos alejados de la Iglesia y marginados de la sociedad, anunciándoles el Evangelio, mediante una espiritualidad de auténtico servicio, enmarcada en el Amor, la Entrega y el Sacrificio y expresada en esta opción de vida: Con Cristo Todo, Sin Cristo Nada. View our bulletin online: JohnPaulGreatParish.com 9 Saint John Paul the Great Parish SERVICIOS: POSIBILIDAD DE CONFESIONES, DIRECCION ESPIRITUAL, INSCRIPCION DE INTENCIONES PARA LA EUCARISTIA DOMINICAL, INFORMACION SOBRE LOS SACRAMENTOS DE BAUTISMO, PRIMERA COMUNION, CONFIRMACION, MATRIMONIO, QUINCEAÑERAS Y CATEQUESIS PARA ADULTOS. Todos los Martes 5:30 6:30PM Centro de Pastoral Juan Pablo II CHARLAS PREBAUTISMALES Requisitos: Asistir a la clase padres y padrinos. (Por favor llamar a la oficina para registrarse o al 860-307-7343 Lourdes también pueden enviar texto.) CHARLA PRE-BAUTISMAL: 3er Viernes de cada mes. Centro de Pastoral Juan Pablo II 6:00 7:00PM CEREMONIA DE BAUTISMO: 4to domingo de cada mes a la 12:30pm Saint John Paul the Great Parish GRUPOS APOSTOLICOS Y COORDINADORES PASTORAL HISPANA Servidores del Altar / Monaguillos: Elvia Orellana 860-459-1837 Legion de Maria: Jose Guambana 860-485-5473 Evangelizacion: Orlando Orellana 860-806-4522 Liturgia/Sacristia: Roberto Castillo 860-491-0200 RICA/Ministerios Musicales/Catequesis: Lourdes Rodriguez 860-307-7343 Pastoral Social: Doris Ramirez 860-459-6658 Ministros Extraordinarios de la Comunion: Carmen Fernandez 860-921- 3408 Monitores y Lectores: Sonia Sanchez 860-307- 8349 Ujieres/Ministros de Acogida: Honorato Nunez 860-459 - 0036 Pastoral Familiar: Yuneris Owens 860-307-2291 Movimiento Juan XXIII: Maria Colon 860-387-8133