St. Michael & St. Francis Xavier Bulletin December 24 & 25, 2016 Pastor: Fr. Harry Tully .

The Nativity of the Lord:Christmas

HERALD OF GLAD TIDINGSTo help understand the richness of the Christ-event, the

Church looks to the Hebrew Scriptures. One of the great passages that Christians turn to for insight about the role of the Messiah is found in Second Isaiah. Chapter 52, written during the Babylonian Exile in the sixth century B.C., tells about a messenger who brings glad tidings. He proclaims peace, brings good news, announces salvation, and says to Zion: “Your God is King” (Isaiah 52:7). For the captives in Babylon this message held out hope for returning to their home country, the land of Judah. That hope was indeed fulfilled just as Isaiah foretold when the Jews were allowed to return. But centuries later, Christians reading the same passage heard in Isaiah’s

proclamation a description of the role of Jesus. For truly he was a messenger of glad tidings; he brought the good news of the gospel, announcing a day of salvation.

THE LIGHT SHINES IN DARKNESSTo the early Christians Jesus was God’s messenger. As the Gospel of John explains, he was God’s Word who

became flesh and made his dwelling among us. As one living among us he taught us God’s way. Indeed he was a light shining in darkness, a herald of whom Christians would say, in the words of Isaiah, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings” (Isaiah 52:7).

Still, some did not accept him. Their hearts were hardened, unwilling to acknowledge that God could act through this humble, unassuming person. For “[h]e came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him” (John 1:11). But “to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12). In these words from the beginning of John’s Gospel echoes one of the early Christians’ most profound realizations: God’s love for all people is so great that all are intended to be God’s children, not servants or slaves, not distant participants in creation, but tied by the closest of bonds—children of a loving God.

Jesus announced the glad tidings of God’s love for all, and Jesus taught that there are no obstacles for those who wish to be God’s children. No power on earth, not even evil, sin, or death, can separate God’s children from their loving Creator. Let us rejoice at the coming of God’s messenger. Let us rejoice in the glad tidings he announced. Let us give thanks for the light who came into our world and continues to shine in the darkness.Today’s Readings: (Mass During the Day) Isaiah 52:7–10; Psalm 98:1–6; Hebrews 1:1–6; John 1:1–18 [1–5, 9–14

Fr. Harry Tully, Pastorfrht@att.net Emergency #812-218-9219 or 502-931-1499 Website - www.stmichaelstfrancis.com E-Mail - michaelsecretary@mw.twcbc.comSt. Michael - 101 St. Michael Drive, Charlestown, In 47111 Ph. 812-256-3200 Office Hours – 9:00 am-1:30 pm Tues. Wed., & Fri.St. Francis Xavier – 101 North Ferguson, Henryville, IN 47126, Ph. 812-294-4682 Office Hours – Thursday 10:30am-2:00pmReconciliation – 4:00 pm Saturday or call the RectoryMarriage – Please contact the pastor a year in advance. Advent and Lent are not times for celebrations.Baptisms of Infants or Adults Joining the Church – Must be a practicing/registered member for three months. Please contact the DRE: St. Michael–Juliann Eickholtz, St. Francis–Father TullyNew To The Parish: Please call the office to register. Please introduce yourself to the pastor at mass.Parishioners Who Are Ill: Please call the pastor if a relative or friend is sick. Bulletin Announcements: Get all bulletin announcements to the office in writing by Tuesday evening.Los Enfermos Es muy importante comunicarse con el Padre (debido a las leyes privadas, los hospitales no se comunican con las iglesias).Doctrina Cristiana: Las clases de educación religiosa para niños son cada domingo de 9:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. en la escuela. Recuerden que la Arquidiócesis requiere que los que van a recibir los sacramentos estén inscritos en las clases de religión. Monaguillos: Los niños que quieran ayudar como monaguillos en el altar tienen su ensayo el segundo domingo de cada mes después de la misa de 11:00 a.m. Estos niños y niñas tienen que haber hecho la Primera Comunión.  Los interesados comunicarse con Pbro.

Mass Schedule Mass Intentions St. M 1/2 Mon No MassSt. FXSt. M

1/3 Tue No MassSt. FX

St. M 1/4 Wed 5:00 PM Mass

St. FX 1/5 Thurs 4:30P

M Ma

ss

St. M 1/6 Friday 12:00 PM Mass

St. M 1/7 Sat 4:30PM Leonard Eickholtz

St FX

1/8 Sun

9:00AMEpiphany

Betty Jo Banet

St. M 11:00 AMFor the People of St. Michael & St Francis

Xavier12:30PM En Español

Dear Parishioners, Well, I guess we all will just have to settle for "dreaming of a white Christmas!" Isn't it

interesting that this image of Christmas and snow has become so associated that some are greatly disappointed if it doesn't happen? All because of a song... The truth of the matter is that the real Christmas story has little to do with the beautiful white stuff! The world changing moment that is at the heart of Christmas is more miraculous and important than having snow on December 25th. The one who created everything, who brought each of us into existence descends to us, becomes one with us, shares our ups and downs, our joy and sorrow, and even like us dies, so much does He love us! The greatest gift to give is one's very self. Yet for many this 'presence' takes a back seat to all the beautifully wrapped 'man' made items we rush around to find and soon forget. Yet these items can also teach us the truth of the greatest gift of all. The only perfect gift, the greatest love wrapped in a little baby who would one day die horribly should be the center of our holy day celebration. The baby becomes the man on the cross with arms outstretched to embrace you and me and upraised to offer us up with Him to the glory and love that warranted so mysterious a moment of grace, peace, freedom and life that does indeed change the world. Glory to God and peace to you, His beloved. Oh what joy! Now you give the glory by giving yourself to Him in emptying you life for love and eternity. Fr. Tully

The 2017 Calendars are at the church doors. Help yourself to the calendars they are donated to us by Grayson’s Funeral

Home.

ST. MICHAEL EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

812-256-3503 Rita Poff DirectorMon-Fri. 7AM-6PM

Infant Care/Day Care: Full or part timeBefore & After Care: ages 6-12

Summer Camp: ages 6-12Pre-School: 9-11:30AM Tues. & Thurs.

Pre-K: 9-11:30AM or 12:30-3PM Mon. Wed. & Fri

ST. MICHAEL Charlestown

EucharistSat – 4:30 pm

Sun – 11:00 amLa Misa en Español

Domingo – 12:30 pm

St Michael parish is in need of Mass Intentions.

Mass IntentionsSaturday Evening: The Jones FamilySunday 11:00 am: For the People of St. Michael & St. Francis Xavier

Christmas Information

Flower Offering at St. MichaelEnvelopes are in the back of Church for Christmas Flower Offering for Memory of or in Honor of someone special.

Faith Formation Classes are held on Sunday mornings for children three years of age up through high school. If your child does not attend a Catholic school, they should be enrolled in the FF program. Registration forms are available on the parish website. www.stmichaelstfrancis.com.

Pre-school to Grade 12. There is still time for additional students to join us. We are learning and deepening our knowledge of our Catholic faith-So we encourage parents who might be thinking about it, to go ahead and enroll their children and teens in our program. Our calendar and registration forms are available at www.stmichaelstfrancis.com.

Bible Study Class Update Classes are on Monday nights at 6:30-8:00pm in the Rectory meeting room.

Faith Formation News

Faith Formation Calendar:December 25th to January 1st- Christmas Break No ClassJanuary 8th- Session Seventeen Rosary & Music Practice 11:00 Mass Youth Choir (Gift Bearers High School) January 15th-Session Eighteen January 15th-Confirmation Class 2:00pm in Multipurpose Room Lesson 17-18January 21st- Birthday BashJanuary 22nd -Session NineteenJanuary 29th -Session TwentyClasses begin at 9:30 Please be on time & Arrive 5-10 minutes early.

Thank you to last week’s Assistant: Cheryl Mann

Assistants are needed each week. We encourage parents to attend Mass with their children. This enables the children to integrate what they learn in their Faith Formation classes with weekly participation in the liturgy.

We ask parishioners to please bring a non perishable item to be donated to the North Clark Outreach Center. There is a wooden box for donations in the church lobby. Thank you for your contribution.

Confirmation News: One must be in the state of grace to receive the sacrament of Confirmation, which means receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation before being confirmed. Retreats, reconciliation, service hours, homework and attendance for class sessions are a must to be completed during this sacrament preparation time. Parents and Sponsors please talk to your candidate and check on their progress. Our next Lesson is Sunday, January 15th @ 2:00pm., in the St. Michael Multipurpose Room. Please be working on those 20 service hours. Don't forget to read Lesson 17"Who’s calling?" and Lesson 18 "Are you talking to me?" Please have your homework up to date. We will be asking for service hours update.

Please keep in your prayers our Confirmation Candidates: Ky Baltz( RCIA), Abigail Banet, Jacob Coomes, Madison Coomes, Jovanny Alexis Guzman, Amanda Hernandez, Gage Higdon, Megan Jackson, Johnie Wayne Kinser, William Martin, , Aaron Ulrich.

Please keep in your prayers our First Reconciliation students: Luis Gomez, Andres Gomez, Ernesto Hernandez, & Ava Lathem.

HTTP://www.catholicfamilyfaith.org/ This is a good website. It is new & filled with catholic resources. It’s easy to navigate, so go & explore.

St. Michael Ministries ScheduleSat Dec. 31, 4:30 pm– St. Michael Eucharistic Ministers: S. Seals & J. SchaferServers: VolunteerGift Bearers: Robert Mueller Family Cantor: S. BuitMusician: Carolyn EickholtzLector: Steve Buit

Sun. Jan 1, 11:00 am – St. Michael Eucharistic Ministers: M. Edmond, C. Dunn & M. Cox Servers: VolunteerGift Bearers: John Kinser FamilyCantors: J/M Wafford Musician: Nancy Kinder Lector: M. Cox

The Rosary is said at St. Michael at 4:00 before Saturday Evening Mass and at 10:30 before Sunday

Mass

ST. FRANCIS XAVIERHenryville

EucharistSunday

9:00am

Saturday Mass Intention: Robert Masters

St. Francis Faith Formation Calendar:December 25th No Class January 1st No Class January 8th Class St. Francis Xavier Ministries Schedule

Sun. Jan 1, 9:00am Eucharistic Ministers: Lawrence Yochum, Dan Young & Kim YoungServers: Kaitlyn D’Angelo, Clayton Higdon & Conner MartinUshers: Jack Murphy & Tom NolotGift Bearers: Richard & Vickie Horine Family Lector: Philip Carter

CollectionDecember 17 & 18St. Michael $ 1,920.00St Francis Xavier $ 1,447.00

Angel TreeThank you to all who helped provide gifts for the Angel Tree. It always warms our hearts in giving at the same time it truly helps those in need.

Right to Life Signature Ad: We are collecting names for a full page ad which will publish on Wed. January 21th, in the Evening News & the New Albany Tribune. It will have the names of people who believe that every unborn child deserves a chance at life. A donation of $5.00 per line to publish a name or names, up to a maximum of 25 characters, including spaces is suggested. As always, if someone would like their name in the ad, but does not have suggested donation, we will be happy to include them. Thank you for your support for the Rite to Life Signature Ad. Signup sheets are in church lobby, deadline is January 9th.

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven a time to be born a time to love a time to heal a time to die and a time of peace.”

PLEASE PRAY FOR HEALTH & STRENGTH: Bruce Blair, Alicia Blair, Kayla Bowling, Sherry Buit, Bobby Caudill, Glen Cole, Tom Cooper, Ted Dean, Bernice Donahue, Erik Furnish, Adam Drury, Jeanette Drury, Dorothy Faris, Barbara Garrett, Rita Hamerla, Don Hamerla, Chris Harvey, Sandy Hostettler, Brenda Karns, Nathan Koons, James Korty, David Lerster, David Long, Jennifer Lynch, Terri Lynn Maples, Mary Ann Mattingly, Carol Maymon, Aldine McRae, Kathy Missi, Michael Murphy, Liz Cooper, Esther Toby Nelson, Ian Newland, Mitch Newland, Willard Nolan, Ms. Peyton, David Puzon, Carroll Schafer, Estelle Scott, Danielle Shipley, Clarence Smith, Dorothy Smith, Miriam State, Christy Stepp, Isabella ‘Izzy” Stepp, Jack Stewart, Mark Thise, Bonnie Uptain, Joseph Douglas VanDyke JR., Melissa Villegas, Lynn Vogt, Isabell Wade, Chris Wafford, Logan Westerhouse, Agnes Withers, George Wimsett, Rose Wimsett, Jim Witten, Tim Wolfe, Kay Yotter, Emma Yount, Donnie Zollman. Names will remain on the list for 6 months unless you tell us to remove them or request that they be kept longer.

Birthday Bash will be Saturday, January 21, after the 4:30pm Mass. It will be held in the Multipurpose Room. The meat, drinks and desert will be provided. Please bring your favorite covered dish. No Gifts Please. Your presence is gift enough. Please RSVP by January 15th to Glenda Minnick 812-256-0163 or Juliann 812-256-3280.

Servers: Some insight of the duties as an altar server will involve everything from assisting the priest to lighting candles, carrying the books used at

Mass and saying prayers. We are in need of Servers at St. Michael -Adults or Youth!! Please contact Fr. Tully for Altar Server Training.

Special Information: The 5th Sunday Collection Envelope donations are to support the North Clark Outreach Center in Charlestown and the Community Care Project in Henryville. Our communities need your support. Thank you for your support.

Feast of the Holy FamilyTheme: We honor the relationship of parents and children.Suring the Christmas season from December 24th until the Sunday after the Epiphany, we reflect upon the mystery of love that is made visible in the birth and early childhood of Christ.Step 1: As you hear the readings, what words or phrases catch your attention in this reading, what touches your heart? What image from Isaiah lingers in your memory?Step 2: Look into your life.Children: When is it hardest for you to obey your parents?Youth & Adults: We are invited to let the word of Christ dwell within us and direct our daily lives. Which one of the lifestyle suggestions in the reading speaks most loudly to you?

Adult Confirmation Program - The New Albany Deanery Catechetical Ministry Office is planning an Adult Confirmation Program beginning in February, 2017. This is a 6 session program designed for Adult Catholics who still have not been confirmed and is free to all registered parishioners of the New Albany Deanery. The classes will be held at the Aquinas Center from 6:30-8:30 on the following dates: 2/27, 3/13 3/27, 4/10, 4/24 & 5/8 & 5/22.  Adult Confirmation is Pentecost Sunday, June 4th held at the Cathedral in Indianapolis. Please call Christina Flum at 812-246-5044 or go to the Aquinas Center Website (www.aquinascenter.org) for more information. Pre-registration is requested

Catholic Story Time Returns! We will meet from 10:00 – 11:30 at the Aquinas Center on the 3rdWednesday of each month. Each month will have a theme based on the liturgical year and the morning will include prayer, stories and activities. This is open for children age 2 and up. If you have any questions please call or email Cindy at the

Aquinas Center: 812-246-5044 adminmc@sbcglobal.net

Proverbs Bible Study: Studying Proverbs people articulate what they have learned about the art of living. Simply, Proverbs spur us to think about life. Every Proverb beckons us to try to "complete" it-to connect it with a situation. Our group will meet the 4th Monday of October, November, January, February, March, April & May. We meet from 7-9p.m. at St. Joe Hill Campus. Please Contact Michele Ashby (502-592-3791) if you would like to join the group and for more information about your book for the program.

St. Michael Parish Fall 2016Parish Goal $10,651Amount Pledged $8,880Total $’s Received $4,090% of Goal 83%

Parish Households 193# of Pledges 57Parish Participation 30%

St. Francis Xavier Parish Fall 2016

Parish Goal $5,448Amount Pledged $3,595Total $’s Received $2,125% of Goal 66%

Parish Households 90

# of Pledges 20Parish Participation 22%

Servers: Some insight of the duties as an altar server will involve everything from assisting the priest to lighting candles, carrying the books used at Mass and saying prayers. We are in need of Servers at St. Michael -Adults or Youth!! Please contact Fr. Tully for Altar Server Training.

Special Information: The 5th Sunday Collection Envelope donations are to support the North Clark Outreach Center in Charlestown and the Community Care Project in Henryville. Our communities need your support. Thank you for your support.

Confirmation News: Please be working on those service hours. Don't forget to read Lesson 17"Who’s calling?" and Lesson 18 "Are you talking to me?" Please have your homework up to date. We will be asking for service hours update. Retreats are an important part of the Confirmation process and our candidates need to sign up with the New Albany Deanery (WWW.NADYOUTH.ORG). The parish picks up ½ of the cost. Parents and sponsors please talk to your candidate and bring registration to Juliann.

Remember Sacrament Preparation, the Faith Formation Commission and the Archdiocese states that a child must be enrolled and attend classes a year before receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, First Eucharist, or Confirmation. For Confirmation you must be in Grade 10, registered and attend Faith Formation this year.

Adult Confirmation Program - The New Albany Deanery Catechetical Ministry Office is planning an Adult Confirmation Program beginning in February, 2017. This is a 6 session program designed for Adult Catholics who still have not been confirmed and is free to all registered parishioners of the New Albany Deanery. The classes will be held at the Aquinas Center from 6:30-8:30 on the following dates: 2/27, 3/13 3/27, 4/10, 4/24 & 5/8 & 5/22.  Adult Confirmation is Pentecost Sunday, June 4th held at the Cathedral in

Indianapolis. Please call Christina Flum at 812-246-5044 or go to the Aquinas Center Website (www.aquinascenter.org) for more information. Pre-registration is requested

Adult Confirmation Program - The New Albany Deanery Catechetical Ministry Office is planning an Adult Confirmation Program beginning in February, 2017. This is a 6 session program designed for Adult Catholics who still have not been confirmed and is free to all registered parishioners of the New Albany Deanery. The classes will be held at the Aquinas Center from 6:30-8:30 on the following dates: 2/27, 3/13 3/27, 4/10, 4/24 & 5/8 & 5/22.  Adult Confirmation is Pentecost Sunday, June 4th held at the Cathedral in Indianapolis. Please call Christina Flum at 812-246-5044 or go to the Aquinas Center Website (www.aquinascenter.org) for more information. Pre-registration is requested

Proverbs Bible Study: Studying Proverbs people articulate what they have learned about the art of living. Simply, Proverbs spur us to think about life. Every Proverb beckons us to try to "complete" it-to connect it with a situation. Our group will meet the 4th Monday of October, November, January, February, March, April & May. We meet from 7-9p.m. at St. Joe Hill Campus. Please Contact Michele Ashby (502-592-3791) if you would like to join the group and for more information about your book for the program.

Servers: Some insight of the duties as an altar server will involve everything from assisting the priest to lighting candles, carrying the books used at Mass and saying prayers. We are in need of Servers at St. Michael -Adults or Youth!! Please contact Fr. Tully for Altar Server Training

Catholic Story Time Returns! We will meet from 10:00 – 11:30 at the Aquinas Center on the 3rdWednesday of each month. Each month will have a theme based on the liturgical year and the morning will include prayer, stories and activities. This is open for children age 2 and up. If you have any questions please call or email Cindy at the Aquinas Center: 812-246-5044 adminmc@sbcglobal.net

The New Albany Deanery Youth Ministry and the Aquinas Center makes available to all its members a

host of activities. Please consider taking advantage of these programs either on your own or form a group and go together. There are too many to list every week in the bulletin go to their websites for more information.

St. Michael and St. Francis Xavier Sacrament Preparation: The Faith Formation Commission, the Pastor, and the Archdiocese state that a child must be enrolled and attend classes the YEAR BEFORE and YEAR of receiving the Sacrament of First Reconciliation, First Eucharist or Confirmation. Baptism of children under school age requires the parents to meet with the pastor before the sacrament is received.If your child is going to be absent from class on Sunday, please call 812-256-3503. We ask parents to please contact the Catechist to get the current lesson plan & homework. We appreciate your cooperation in helping your child stay current with their studies & continuing their religious education.

World Mission Sunday is observed on the second-to-last Sunday in October. During this Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis reminds us that we are all "commissioned to announce the mercy of God, the beating heart of the Gospel." Offerings made to the World Mission Sunday collection benefit over one thousand mission dioceses across the globe, providing education, health care, and seminary and religious formation to those most in need.

"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.Where there is hatred, let me sow love;Where there is injury, pardon;Where there is doubt, faith;for Where there is despair, hope;Where there is darkness, light;Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seekTo be consoled as to console,To be understood as to understand,To be loved as to love;For it is in giving that we receive;It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life."

We ask the parishioners to bring nonperishable food items to be donated to the North Clark Outreach Center. There will be a wooden box in the church for donations. Thank you for your contributions. On Friday, September 9, the intention will highlight the National Day of Prayer for Peace in Our

Communities and the focus for the remaining nine weeks will be on the upcoming elections. In addition to the current invitation to fast on Fridays, participants will be encouraged to pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the week's intention and for our civic leaders and upcoming elections. 

Would you like to know more about the Catholic Faith? Have you found yourself asking questions about Catholicism on your faith journey and want to learn more? Do you want to become a Catholic but are unsure of the next step? Please contact Fr. Tully or Juliann about the RCIA process. We would love for you to join us at RCIA on Tuesday evenings from 7- 8:30pm starting on August 2nd. Ask Juliann about registration forms.

Prayer for Our Troops”Dear Lord… We thank you for the lives and service of our men and women in the Armed Forces. Strengthen them and give them guidance as they stand in harm’s way to protect our nation and way of life. May they face each day of their service the same way Your Son Jesus did: with courage dignity and faith. And if it be Your will when their work is through bring them safely home. Lord please also bless the families of our troops. Reward them generously for their sacrifices which are known only to You. May we never forget those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom and safety: those who have died in the service of our country. May they rest in peace forever with You in Your kingdom. Amen

 We stand before you, Holy Spirit,

conscious of our sinfulness, but aware that we gather in your name.

Come to us, remain with us, and enlighten our hearts. Give us light and strength

to know your will, to make it our own,

and to live it in our lives. Guide us by your wisdom, support us by your power,

for you are God, sharing the glory of Father

and Son. You desire justice for all;

enable us to uphold the rights of others; do not allow us to be misled by ignorance

or corrupted by fear or favor. Unite us to yourself in the bond of love and keep us faithful to all that is true.

As we gather in your name, may we temper justice with love,

so that all our words and deeds may be pleasing to you, and earn the reward

promised to good and faithful stewards. We ask this of You who live and reign with

the Father and the Son, one God, forever and

ever. Amen.

Adapted from a Prayer of the Second Vatican Council and contributed by Barbara Dowding, Archdiocese of Vancouver, Canada

A Message to Our Graduates.Christian graduates, whatever you do in life, you’ve been formed into more than professionals. You’ve been formed into disciples of Jesus

Christ. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. There is something you can give the world that ordinary graduates cannot. It’s something that 12 simple men brought to the world in 33 AD. As you go, you bring the light of Christ, the light of civilization, the light of human dignity, the light of hope.Remember what your parents see and what God sees in you. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We need you to remind us who He is and who we are.

Holy Days of Obligation and their MeaningMary, Mother of God

January 1 Commemorates Mary’s Motherhood

Ascension of the Lord

40 days after Easter or the 7th

Sunday of Easter

Commemorates Jesus’ return in glory to his Father

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

August 15 Celebrates Mary’s entrance into glory

All Saints November 1 Celebrates all those who enjoy the eternal presence of God

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

December 8 Celebrates Mary’s sinlessness from her first

moment of lifeNativity of the Lord

December 25 Celebrates Jesus’ birth

Our service project is to bring non perishable food items to be donated to the North Clark Outreach Center. There will be a wooden box in the church for donations.

Matthew Beer, Brandon Beswick, Donald Bloss ,Asher Boch, Michael Bower Jonathan Dean, Cathy Jo

Donahue, Christopher Donahue, Joseph Kyle Donahue, John Emery, David Fouts, Sam Goffinet, Bradley Guernsey, Christopher Hahn, Steven Hahn, Alex

Henson, Christopher Jackson, Joseph Brent Kaelin, Dustin Kavanaugh, Cody Kelshaw, Kyle Kelshaw,

Brittany Kraft, B. J. Meredith, Brian Meredith, Stephen Mulhall, Thomas Mulhall, Joshua Mullins, Roman

Nalley, Ashton Napier, Jay Rutledge, Olivia Vessels, Travis Williams If you know someone who needs to be put on this list please call PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR MEN & WOMEN WHO ARE SERVING IN

THE MILITARY

The Liturgical YearSeason Time Liturgical ColorAdvent Four weeks

preceding Christmas

VioletRose-3rd Sunday

Christmas Christmas Eve through the feast of Jesus’ Baptism

White

Ordinary Time Monday following Jesus’s Baptism to Ash Wednesday

Green

Lent Ash Wednesday to Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday

VioletRose-4th SundayRed-Palm Sunday

Triduum Mass of the Lord’s Supper through evening prayer on Easter Sunday

WhiteRed-Good Friday

Easter After evening prayer on Easter Sunday through Pentecost

White

Ordinary Time Monday after Green

Pentecost to first Sunday of Advent

 

Every person should have a special cemetery lot in which to bury the faults of friends and loved ones.And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32

Confirmation strengthens the gift of sanctifying grace we receive in Baptism. It unites us more fully to the Church. It gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to share our faith as witnesses of Christ and to never be ashamed of the cross or our faith. During the Sacrament of Confirmation, prayers are said that God will pour out his Holy Spirit so that we may be more like Christ by the way we live our lives.

Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers. On this day we honor all who have died in service to our nation. Please take a moment to reflect and pray.

 St. Michael and St. Francis Xavier Sacrament Preparation: A child (grade 1 through high school) must be enrolled and attend Faith Formation classes the YEAR BEFORE and YEAR of receiving the Sacrament of First Reconciliation, First Eucharist or Confirmation.. Baptism of children under school age requires the parents to meet with the pastor before the sacrament is received.

Remember Faith is a gift from God. Faith Formation is a life-long growth process. We encourage parents to attend Mass with their children this enables the children to integrate what they learn in their Faith Formation classes with weekly participation in the liturgy.

If your child is absent on Sunday morning, please give the office a call at 256-3503. If your children have been absent, please contact the catechist to keep up with their current assignment.

St. Michael and St. Francis Confirmation Update Confirmation deepens our relationship with God and strengthens us to live lives of faith and mission. As a parent you will want to talk with your son or daughter

about preparation for the celebration of Confirmation. If you will be a junior or senior in the next 2013-2014 year, and have attended Faith Formation classes or a Catholic High School and are currently enrolled in class, you will be eligible to be confirmed. We need another catechist for preparation for Confirmation, if interested talk to Juliann. The first planning meeting will be June 5th at 6:00pm in the Rectory Chapel. If you are an adult wanting to be confirmed, please contact Juliann to register for the RCIA class starting in August.

 The Eucharist and Unity

Imagine a person who receives Communion, accepts the Host when the priest says, "The Body of Christ," says "Amen," and then breaks off a piece, hands it back, and says, "Except this piece, Father!" This is what the person who rejects other people may as well do. In receiving Christ, we are to receive the whole Christ, in all his members, our brothers and sisters, whether convenient or inconvenient, wanted or unwanted, born or unborn.

As St. John remarks, Christ was to die "to gather into one all the scattered children of God." Sin scatters. Christ unites. The word "diabolical" means "to split asunder." Christ came "to destroy the works of the devil" (1Jn.3:8). The Eucharist builds up the human family in Christ who says, "Come to me, feed on My Body, become My Body." Abortion, in a reverse dynamic, says, "Go away! We have no room for you, no time for you, no desire for you, no responsibility for you. Get out of our way!" Abortion attacks the unity of the human family by splitting asunder the most fundamental relationship between any two persons: mother and child. The Eucharist, as a Sacrament of Unity, reverses the dynamic of abortion.