LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS, AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST December 26, 2021

THE PARISH and FAITH FORMATION OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED FROM

DECEMBER 24, 2021 – JANUARY 3, 2022.

Sacrament of Baptism Baptism will be celebrated

every 1st Sunday & 3rd Sunday of the month at

1:00pm. Please call eight weeks in advance of the date of baptism or email:

jennd@saintkateri.org.

Sacrament of Marriage Arrangement should be

made one year in advance of the marriage date. Please

call the office.

CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST

Daily Mass at 8:15 AM. (Monday to Friday)

Saturday at 5:00PM Sunday at 8:00AM, 9:30AM,

11:30 AM, & 6:00 PM. *****

Holyday: Vigil 7:30 PM; Holy Day - 8:15 AM and 12:00 PM

**** Spanish Mass at 7 PM every 1st and

4th Monday of the month ****

Our live streaming of Mass and Zoom Mass will continue during

weekend Masses at 9:30am.

Confessions: Every Saturday from 4:00pm. – 4:45pm. Please call the

office or email Fr. Vidal for an appointment. Wear facemask and

observe social distancing. ADORATION OF THE BLESSED

SACRAMENT

Held every Wednesday from 2:00 – 4:00PM.

(Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:00PM / Novena to our Mother

Perpetual Help at 3:45PM * * *

Every First Friday of the month from 2:00 – 6:00 PM.

* * * https://www.facebook.com/ groups/ saintkaterispartanj We will continue to keep you updated through our website,

E-mails, Flocknote and Facebook. To join Flocknote (text message

app) text "stkateri" to 84576

Parish Staff

Fr. Vidal Roberto Gonzales, Jr. Pastor

frvgonzales@saintkateri.org * * *

Deacon Bruce Olsen bruceo@saintkateri.org

* * * Jennifer Dottinger

Administrative Assistant jennd@saintkateri.org

* * * Tina Jurgaitis Bookkeeper

tinaj@saintkateri.org * * *

Cheryl Wallace DRE and Pastoral Associate

cherylw@saintkateri.org * * *

Dawn Green Administrative Assistant

Youth Protection / Safe Environment dawng@saintkateri.org

* * * Marc G. Dalio

Music Director marcd@saintkateri.org

* * * Mike Sawey

Carlos Gomez Maintenance

* * * Cathy Pivowar Timothy Dinan

Trustee

PARISH CENTER OFFICE HOURS: Mon. – Wed.: 9am. To 3pm. Thur. 9am to 11:00am. Office: 973 -729 -1682 Email: office@saintkateri.org Website: www.saintkateri.org FAITH FORMATION OFFICE HOURS: Tues. – Thurs.: 9am. To 3pm, and by appointment. All Offices are closed for Lunch,

12:30-1:30pm

WELCOME: New parishioners are asked to register by calling or visiting

the parish office or by speaking to one of the parish staff. You can also visit our website and register.

WHY A CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE A REGISTERED PARISHIONER

The precepts of the Church explain that: we need to belong to a parish (your parish is the Church in the City where you

are domiciled) and to contribute to its support. (Canon 107).

Everyone should do this in order to identify with a worshipping community of faith. Salvation comes to us by God in community. Religion is not meant to be individualistic.

Membership in a parish community is the norm. To allow the priest of the parish to know you so that Letters of

Recommendation can be given when needed. (Sponsorship/certificates)

ACTIVE MILITARY LIST - Please pray for our Active Military: Sean Schoch, Infantry Second Lieutenant; SSgt. Daniel Joseph (DJ) Duguay, US Air Force; James Schoch, Infantry Second Lieutenant; Frank Cutrone, First Lieutenant US Army; Lt Col Dan Murphy, US Marine

Corps; LTJG Katherine Garza, US Navy; LTJG David Garza, US Navy; LCpl Josh Jackson US Marine Corps. May God keep them safe and protect them from all harm. If you would like a loved one’s name added to the prayer list for the military, please call the Parish Center, 973-729-1682.

With the year coming to an end, many people plan to make a final year-end charitable contribution that has the most impact. Please consider the Diocesan Ministries Appeal which helps so many of your brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact, tens of thousands of people are supported each year by the work of our Diocese with assistance from the Appeal. All of us can play a part in the Diocesan Ministries Appeal – as either a contributor to the cause or as a recipient of its mission – and all are blessed as a result. Please make the Diocesan Ministries Appeal a priority in your year-end philanthropy. Gifts can be made

by check, credit cards, through gifts of securities or on-line at www.2021appeal.org. May God bless you for your generosity!

We are grateful to all those who have signed up for Electronic Giving and those who continue to mail in or drop off weekly donations. We truly appreciate your ongoing support and want to let you know we’re here for you. You

are valued members of our church family. Even though our church is quiet, facility utilities do not go away. The needs of our community, ministry, and families still remain. We cannot meet such needs without your help. As we are not able to serve in large groups or in person, our gifts of prayer and treasure are ever so important, even crucial to get us through this difficult time. If you haven’t already, please consider setting up a recurring gift online. It takes two simple steps and the rest is seamless, automatic, and very flexible. Please visit our donation page at: www.saintkateri.org/electronic-giving You can also continue to mail your gifts and envelopes to the parish at: 427 Stanhope Rd, Sparta, NJ 07871.

May God bless you and your loved ones. Weekly Week Ending 12/05/2021 Regular Collection $9,934 Cash $ 806 Checks $4,310 Online $4,818 Project Faith $251. Cash $101 Checks $ 85 Online $ 65

Week Ending 12/12/2021 Regular Collection $11,025. Cash $805. Checks $8,045. Online $ 65. Maintenance Collection $572. Week Ending 12/19/2021 - Not Ready for Counting MONTH OF DECEMBER: $ 20,959.00

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY

SUNDAY, December 26 8:00 am 9:30 am 11:30 am

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY Charlie D’Angelo / Gerald Job Peter Sherry Leonard Cagno

Mon. Dec. 27, 8:15 am. Special Intention for the Saveriano Family Tue. Dec. 28, 8:15 am.

Mary Wlazelek

Wed. Dec 29, 8:15 am. Anne Homa Thur. Dec. 30, 8:15 am. Helen Wallace

Fri. Dec. 31, 8:15 am. Special Intention of Bob and Thule Bodo Sat. Jan. 1, 8:15 am. 5:00 pm

People of the Parish Vidal Sr. and Teresita Gonzales

SUNDAY, January 2 8:00 am 9:30 am 11:30 am 6:00 pm

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD Garth Smalley Janet Caltagirone Paul LaPilusa Frank Spada

PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS THOSE WHO ARE SICK. We Pray For: Chuck Doyle, Patricia and Tom Sartain, Taylor Donnelly, Robert VanHoene, Kathy Hartwick, Rob McGurrin, Brian Naccarelli, Bill McCrossan, Carol Mohr, Mary Ann Wifler, Christopher Robak, Margie Frazier, Patrick Dilsworth, Chris Auger,

Brittany Johnson, Melissa Hoey Kelly, Michael Cordero, Margaret Brennan, Barbara Medina, Cecelia Radeloff, Connie Kasilag, Michael Alliegro.

PLEASE CONSIDER

GIVING GIFTS TO

SAINT KATERI PARISH.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY

WEEKLY MASS INTENTIONS

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY

This week, we are commemorating Feast of the Holy Family. With the closing of the year, this is an appropriate time to review the status of one’s family life. And with the opening of a New Year, this reflection provides the family with the opportunity to strive where weaknesses exist. We offer all the members of our own families on the altar for God’s blessing. What Life Messages / Lessons we can get as we celebrate this wonderful feast of The Holy Family. Fr. Antony Kadavil (Inside the Vatican) presented some wonderful points that I am going to share with you. By celebrating the Sunday following Christmas as the Feast of the Holy Family, the Church encourages us to look to the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for inspiration, example and encouragement. They were a model family in which both parents worked hard, helped each other, understood and accepted each other, and took good care of their Child so that He might grow up not only in human knowledge but also as a Child of God. Jesus brought holiness to the family of Joseph and Mary as Jesus brings us holiness by embracing us in His family. The Catechism of

the Catholic Church gives the following advice to the parents: “Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well-suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery – the preconditions of all true freedom. Parents should teach their children to subordinate the ‘material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones.’” The CCC adds: “Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children.” (CCC #2223). Marriage: a Sacrament of holiness. The Feast of the Holy Family reminds us that, as the basic unit of the universal Church, each family is called to holiness. In fact, Jesus Christ has instituted two Sacraments in His Church to make society holy – the Sacrament of priesthood and the Sacrament of marriage. Through the Sacrament of priesthood, Jesus sanctifies the priest as well as his parish. Similarly, by the Sacrament of marriage, Jesus sanctifies not only the spouses but also the entire family. The husband and wife attain holiness when they discharge their duties faithfully, trusting in God, and drawing on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit through personal and family prayer, meditative reading of the Bible, and devout participation in Holy Mass. Families become holy when Christ Jesus is present in them. Jesus becomes truly present in the parish Church through the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. Similarly, Jesus becomes truly present in a family when all the members live in the Christian spirit of sacrifice. This happens when there is mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual respect. There must be proper care and respect given by children to their parents and grandparents, even after they have grown up and left home. On the Feast of the only perfect Family that ever lived on this earth, all parents might examine themselves and see how well they are fulfilling the grave responsibility which God has placed on them. As they heard during their marriage ceremony: “children are a gift from God to you.” Children serve as the joy of their parents’ young years and the help and comfort of their old age, but above and beyond that, they are a gift for which their parents are accountable before God, as they must, in the end, return these, His children, to Him. Let us pray for the grace of caring for one another in our own families, for each member of the parish family, and for all families of the universal Church. May God bless all our families in the New Year.

LITURGICAL SCHEDULE

DEC. 26 Eucharistic Ministers Lector Altar Server Ushers Sun. 8:00 am. Margaret Lewis/Louise Viegas Julia Scales Leighton & Hope Mark , Martin & Tommy 9:30 am. Paul McFadden/Kathleen Piwko Bob Medina Mike Olko Mike D. 11:30 am. Cathy McCrossan/** Dorothy Armstrong John, Tony and Fred

JAN 01/02 Eucharistic Ministers Lector Altar Server Ushers Sat. 5:00 pm. Tom Gibbons / Mike Murphy Janet Murphy Sun. 8:00 am. Ed Tirpack / Laura Tirpack Joanne Miceli Leighton & Hope Mark , Martin & Tommy 9:30 am. Jim Brocato / Mary Fahsbender Joe Deluca Mike Olko Mike D. 11:30 am. Cathy McCrossan / Dawn Green Patricia Carley John, Tony and Fred 6:00 pm. Susan Weaver / Samantha LeValley

Saint Kateri is pleased to announce that a new Youth Ministry has been recently added--Saint Kateri Connections: A Youth Group focused on improving our relationship with God and better understanding His divine teachings while also bringing the youth

together in fun, positive ways. Free pizza, movie nights, and activities!

Ages middle school and up. Contact domvitorocco@gmail.com ===================

====================

LIFE LINE SCREENING RETURNS TO SAINT KATERI

There is a simple, convenient way for you to get preventive health screenings and learn your risk for stroke, heart disease and other chronic conditions.

These painless screenings go beyond your regular checkup to identify dangerous plaque buildup or blockage, a major risk factor for stroke and heart disease. The screenings are accurate, affordable and will give you valuable information about your health that you can share with your doctor. We are pleased to host Life Line Screening, who will be on site on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Church to conduct these valuable screenings. These 5 vital screenings are offered for only $139 and take 60-90 minutes to complete. Register by calling toll free 1-888-653-6441, text the word "circle" to 797979 or online at https://llsa.social/HSC ***************************************************

Saint Kateri Faith Formation Corner

SK Faith Formation Families, it has been wonderful seeing you at our Masses this year. Consider making a family resolution to attend Mass as a family every weekend throughout the New Year!

Please continue to submit your assignments to the Faith Formation Box in the Gathering Space.

We resume the regular Mass/Family Sessions schedule on January 9th. Please refer to the 2021-2022 FF Schedule given out at the beginning of this school year. It is also available on our parish website.

Have a blessed Christmas season and New Year with your families. May God continue to bless your families and keep you safe!

Consecration to the Holy Family

During Mass on Saturday, January 1 and Sunday, January 2 the Knights of Columbus invite each family in the parish to consecrate themselves to the Holy Family and to

devote themselves to the ideal model of familial love set by Jesus, Mary & Joseph. Prayer cards will be distributed prior to each mass.

SK Social Events! Come help us plan the next Saint

Kateri events! Join our SK Social Event Committee.

Contact dawng@saintkateri.org 973-729-0489

My dear Parishioners and Friends,

What a joy it is celebrating the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. This is the season when we celebrate the greatest event in the history of the world. During this season we have the opportunity to find renewed hope and joy in the overwhelming love of a God, the Emmanuel - God is with us.

In the midst of the challenges that the world is facing today, let us remember that Jesus,

who was born in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago, brings hope to the whole world. As our Holy Father, Pope Francis, said, through Christ’s birth, “hope entered the world”. The true meaning of Christmas is found in the act of God fulfilling his promise of salvation by becoming man. God “doesn’t abandon his people,” but "draws near." Despite the darkness in our lives, God’s light “shines out.” His gentle light doesn’t make us fearful, but rather, “God who is in love with us, draws us to himself with his tenderness, born poor and fragile among us, as one of us.”

As your pastor here at St. Kateri, I thank you for all the good deeds that you contributed to our parish. Your generosity helps our parish as we continue the mission of Jesus Christ. To all our staff and volunteers who serve in the various ministries of our parish. I treasure the gift of you and the dedication, sacrifices, and hard work you have shown to make this parish a beacon of Christ’s love during these challenging times.

With the shepherds, let us bow down before the Lamb, let us worship God’s goodness made flesh, and let us allow tears of repentance to fill our eyes and cleanse our hearts. This is something we all need!

Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas.

Fr. Vidal and STAFF

Parish Ministries/Contact Person Abortion Alternative: 1st Way Hotline: 800-848-5683 Adopt a Family: Mary Beth Dowd 973-945-3355 Adoration Society: Jim Brocato 973-729-6485 Altar Care: Valerie Macchio, 201-306-6148 valerie@cornerstonemkt.com Altar Servers: Ed Tirpack, edtirpackdmd@gmail.com; 973-903-9275 Art & Environment (Church): Paige Fitzpatrick 973-219-5204 Blood Drive : Mary Stanek 973-770-0429 Cub Scouts Pack #295: Ryan Dumpert; Cubmaster.Sparta295@gmail.com; 201-317-0428 Eucharistic Ministers: Pat Kane: 201-819-5105 Everyone Shops: Tina Jurgaitis 973-729-1682; tinaj@saintkateri.org Family Promise of SC: Patrick Dunn 201-835-0571 Feed the Working Poor: Janet and Stephen Goodwin 973-729-0446 Food Pantry – SEC: Valerie Macchio 862-266-0563, foodpantry07871@gmail.com Knights of Columbus: Greg Risco 908-619-1263, risco.g@gmail.com Squires Circle: Nick Cutrone 973-786-6844, cutronekofc@gmail.com Lectors: Dick Freiberger, rnfrei@gmail.com, 973-985-8858 Liturgy of the Word with Children: Elaine Alliegro -973-729-5268 Migrant Ministries: Pam Madzy: 973-202-3431 Hispanic Network Hotline: 973-863-7251 Music Director: Marc G. Dalio 973-534-5399, marcd@saintkateri.org Prayer Shawl Ministry: Sandy Cangemi 973-726-3549 Prayer Team: Sue Weaver , prayerteam@saintkateri.org Religious Education: Cheryl Wallace (973) 729-3021, cherylw@saintkateri.org; Dawn Green, (973) 729-0489 dawng@saintkateri.org Respect Life: Joe DeLuca 973-726-7392 RCIA: Deacon Bruce Olsen, bruceo@saintkateri.org Vocations to Priesthood or Religious Life: Fr. Vidal Gonzales, Jr., Office: 973-729-1682 Wedding Coordinators: Laura Luba Laurajune@rocketmail.com; Kathy McCrossan catmack24@yahoo.com Wine & Divine: Laura Tirpack, 973-222-5365, LTirpack@gmail.com Youth Ministry/Kateri Connections: Dominick Bartolomeo, domvitorocco@gmail.com Youth Protection/Safe Environment Coordinator: Dawn Green dawng@saintkateri.org

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