make straight the way of the lord john 1:7-8,...
TRANSCRIPT
Third Sunday of Advent – December 14, 2014
COMMUNAL ADVENT PENANCE SERVICES Mon. December 15: Holy Spirit 7:00 pm Wed. December 17: St. John 7:30 pm Sat. December 20: St. Patrick 9:00 am Mon. December 22: St. Mary Magdalen 7:30 pm
ST. MARY GIVING TREE
A very special thank you to all
who were able to give to our Giving Tree this year. Your generosity was greatly appreciated. We were able to extend a helping hand to 25+ families and six organizations including St. Louis Center, Salvation Army and Sacred Heart Adult Care Home. Thank you! Judy Jentzen
KNIGHTS
SWEATSHIRT DRIVE The Knights of Columbus held a sweatshirt drive for the children of Boysville
during the month of November. Because of your generosity, we were able to deliver 52 sweatshirts, about 40 hats & 5 cartons
of toiletries. We were one of the top leading parishes in the Lansing Diocese with the number of gifts. For a lot of these kids, these will be the
only gifts they receive at Christmas. The Knights of Columbus and the kids thank-you for your
generosity and wish you a very blessed Christmas.
Christmas Schedule
Christmas Eve Mass Schedule:
4pm, 6:30pm(Children’s Choir), 12 midnight (with
Christmas Carols beginning at 11:30pm)
Christmas Day: 10am Mass Only
There will be No Masses on December 26, 29, & 30.
The Parish Office: Will be closed December 24-26.
Adoration: Repose on December 23 at 5pm & resume
on December 28 after 11:30am Mass.
New Year Schedule
Mary, Mother of God: Masses will be held December
31 at 5pm & January 1 at 10am.
There will be No Mass on Friday, January 2.
The Parish Office: Will be closed December 31 –
January 2.
Adoration: There will be interruptions to the
Adoration schedule for the New Year.
St. Mary Catholic School Christmas Concert
The St. Mary School’s annual Christmas Concert will take place in the school’s gym on Thursday, December 18th at 7:00 p. m. The night will kick off with our 5th grade band playing a couple of tunes, followed by our Advanced band’s performance. While we change the stage over for the vocal portion of the evening, we will draw the names of the winners for the school raffle. The evening will continue with the school performing “A Play in the Manger”. You are invited to come and enjoy an evening full of the Christmas spirit.
Rejoice, the Lord Is Near
“Rejoice always, without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; fro this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for
you. Do not quench the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-19)
Make Straight The Way Of The Lord – John 1:7-8, 19-28 When the priests and Levites demanded to know who John was, he didn’t answer them in the way they wanted.
Instead, he quoted Isaiah, saying that he was “the voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord.”
“Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the
memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope.” -Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), See That Which Is Above
Where am I in my journey of faith this Advent?
What are some ways that I can express the joy of Gaudete Sunday with my family and friends?
What is one thing I can commit to praying about this Advent season?
Third Sunday of Advent – December 14, 2014
A SPECIAL THANK YOU
FROM THE MEN'S CLUB Without question the events of this past
weekend showed our Parish at its
finest. Beginning with the Christmas
Bazaar on Saturday and continuing with the Community
Christmas Breakfast on Sunday morning and culminating
with the Doran Robin Christmas Concert, Sunday evening,
our Parish demonstrated to our community that we live the
Stewardship we profess. On Sunday over 325 breakfasts
were served, over $4,000 in donations have been collected
and we still have contributions coming in from those unable
to attend. If you were unable to make the breakfast and
would still like to contribute to this noblest of causes, helping
our neighbors, please mail or drop off at the office your
contribution this week. Unfortunately the need this year is
large. All monetary contributions are welcome regardless of
the amount and tax receipts are available if needed. The
Men's Club wishes to express our appreciation for the
generosity of our patrons, our talented musical guests Patrick
Rutkowski and Tony Giamanco and the army of volunteers
who worked unselfishly to ensure the success of the
event. We thank you all for your time, your support and your
love. God Bless You.
ST MARY ROSARY ALTAR SOCIETY
THANKS YOU!!
The Ladies of the RAS want to thank the
following for providing us with your help and talent with the
Christmas Bazaar this past weekend: Thank you to Lavey
Insurance with providing us with the Raffle tickets, to the
crafters and vendors for joining us and providing us with all
the beauty seen on your tables. To Father Bill, the church
staff, the school staff, the auction committee, maintenance
staff Therese and Mike, the conformation and youth group,
the youth that helped in providing the vendors and crafters
with food at their tables, the men that worked in the kitchen,
the Men’s Club and the Knights of Columbus. To all the
members of our church that provided us with baked items for
our Bake Sale and to the ones that donated Christmas items
for our Craft table. It would be impossible for us to do
everything that was done without your help. The women of
the RAS are very Blessed to have a group that is always
ready to help us!
The following is the list of our raffle Donors and Winners for
the day. The quilt made and donated to us from June Darrow
was won by Virginia Bensinger. The afghan, made and
donated to us from Jan Hollister was won by M. Jorgensen.
The Baby Quilt made and donated to us by Cathy Phipps was
won by Elizabeth Bensinger. The $ 100.00 Gas card donated
by the RAS was won by Marg Hatchard.
The 50/50 winners are as follows: The 1st
place winner is
Dave Zielinski and the 2nd
place winner is Elaine Sherwood.
Thank you to all that did their shopping at our Bazaar and we
send our wishes to all our parishioners to have a Blessed
Christmas and a wonderful 2015.
St. Mary Men’s Club Proudly Presents
Breakfast
with Elsa Sunday, January 4, 2015
From 8:30am-11am
FREE WILL DONATION Elsa will be singing the favorite hits from “Frozen”
& other songs from her Princess friends. Come dressed as Elsa or your favorite Disney Princess
Elsa arrives at 9:45am Performance 10:15-10:45am
Proceeds: Support St. Mary School Auction Team 50/50 Drawing: 1st Prize Half Pot, 2nd Prize Certificate to Salon On Main, 3rd Prize Certificate for Bowling Party at Stockbridge Bowl
Area’s Best Menu: Eggs - Scrambled or Fried, Hash Brown Potatoes, Homemade Biscuits & Sausage Gravy, Quiche, Pancakes, French Toast, Raisin French Toast, Ham, Pork Sausage Links, Toast-Regular & Raisin, Coffee, Tea, Milk, & Orange Juice. And of Course the Waffle Station!
An Evening in Paris St. Mary School 18th Annual Auction
February 14, 2015
What better place to spend your Valentine’s evening
than Paris! On Saturday, February 14, you can be in
Paris for romance, fine cuisine, and people watching,
right here at St. Mary School, for our 18th annual
auction. Imagine that you are on the Champs-Élysées
as you enjoy a strolling dinner, bid on silent auctions
items, and take part in exciting games and raffles. Take
in the sights of Paris as you join in the fun of the live
auction, and top off the night dancing and socializing
with friends old and new. Contact: Julie Flaherty with
questions at 734-645-2264 [email protected]
ATTN: ADULT MEN OF ST MARY PARISH St Mary Men’s Club will be meeting this Thursday
December 18th, at 7:30pm in the Knights of Columbus
Room. The Men’s Club offers a gratifying opportunity to get
involved in this wonderful Parish of ours. With each event
we sponsor we strive to make a real difference in our Parish
and our community. We know your time is valuable, so we
do not ask you to commit a large block of time but rather as
you are able. We hope you will join us. A light snack and a
feeling of making a difference provided. If you have any
questions please feel free to contact Bob at 810-623-0300.
Third Sunday of Advent – December 14, 2014
REMINDER: For those of you who signed up
for photos for the Parish Directory
the dates are Monday, December 15th & Tuesday, December 16th.
Bring your SMILE!
RELIGIOUS CHRISTMAS CARDS
Still available
Contact Tom Czubaj at 734-878-6381.
Al Kresta at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Brighton
January 14 2015, 7 pm - 8:30 pm With the 42nd anniversary of the legalization of abortion in America upon us, the Respect Life Ministry at St. Patrick is bringing Al Kresta, President and CEO of Ave Maria Radio, for a talk on the “Cultural aftermath of Roe v. Wade and how we can instill change.” Come and let this wholesome and experienced man enlighten us on this subject, especially in such a time like this. An opportunity for Q&A will be extended. All are welcome. Free-will offering. Contact [email protected] for more information.
LIvingston Vicariate
Mission 2015
"The Lord is Risen, Do You Believe?" with Deacon Ralph Poyo
January 25, 26, 27, 28
St. Patrick, Brighton 7-9pm
We are excited to offer a Girls on the Run team
at St. Mary in 2015! Becoming a coach is the most rewarding way to get
involved with Girls on the Run. Two volunteer coaches
work together to deliver the Girls on the Run curriculum,
twice a week for 90 minutes to groups of 8-17 girls. You
don't have to be a runner to be a coach - coaches
simply must be passionate about the mission of Girls on the
Run, committed to working with a group of girls throughout
the ten week season (March – May) and able to bring energy
and joy to each practice. Please visit
www.girlsontherunsemi.org or email
[email protected] for more information.
RING THE BELL CAMPAIGN Tips for Christmas and Year-End Giving: Many people
enjoy using this as a special time to give to their favorite
charity or non-profit organization. Year-end gifts can
provide many advantages to you as the donor and the
receiving organization. St. Mary’s Ring the Bell Campaign
and St. Mary Catholic Parish invite you to remember us in
your gift giving this year.
Calculate Your Income. Try to get a handle on your tax
liability for the year. Did your unearned income increase?
Did you sell any appreciated assets: will you owe more
taxes? This alone may motivate you to increase your giving
before December 31st. In fact you may even want to move
some of next year’s giving to this current year in order to
create a larger income tax deduction for this year. Non-
itemizers may especially find this “grouping of gifts” useful
to take possible advantage of an itemized tax return every
other year. In any case, by the time you fill out your income
tax return in early 2014, it will be too late to make charitable
gifts for 2014 tax year. Take the time to do some planning
now while you still have an opportunity to make a year-end
gift.
Do Your Giving Early. This is especially true if you want
to make a gift of non-cash assets (Securities, real estate, etc.).
It also applies to life-income gifts (Charitable Gift Annuities,
Charitable Remainder Trusts, etc.). Some gift transactions
will take more time to finalize than others, so we recommend
that you complete your gift sooner rather than later.
Talk to Your Advisor. Before making any significant gift,
you should have your attorney, CPA or other advisor help
you understand the impact of your gift on your income tax
return or estate. The Church wants your giving to be not only
generous and joyful, but also as beneficial as possible to you.
Donations must be received or postmarked by December
31st to be eligible for you 2014 taxes. Please note that the
parish office will be closed on December 31st.
New donors to St. Mary Catholic Parish Capital Campaign
will have the opportunity to have your name(s) placed on the
recognition plaque in the gathering space.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact Debbie
at the parish office 734-878-3161 ext. 219.
VOLUNTEERS: TO MAKE ROSARIES If you are interested in meeting to make
rosaries please contact either
Marlene @ 734-878-3771 or
Mauvis @ 734-648-9034.
Third Sunday of Advent – December 14, 2014
RCIA RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITATION OF ADULTS
Do you know someone who may be interested in becoming
Catholic? Have you ever invited another to explore the
Catholic faith? Please join us for our upcoming meetings.
All are welcome to join us for any
subject meeting listed below!
12/14 (Sun) Baptism 10:15-11:15
12/21 (Sun) Christmas Celebration 12:45-1:45
01/04 (Sun) Confirmation 12:45-1:45
01/10 (Sat) Eucharist 6:15-7:15
01/18 (Sun) Reconciliation 10:15-11:15
01/25 (Sun) Reconciliation 12:45-1:45
01/31 (Sat) Beatitudes 6:15-7:15
02/08 (Sun) Ten Commandments 10:15-11:15
Religious Education K-8 & 2nd Grade Sacrament Prep 12/14 10:15-11:20am Class (K-8) 12/21&12/28 NO Class: Merry Christmas!
Confirmation 12/14 12:45-3:00pm Lesson, Advent Celebration 12/21-28 No Class Christmas Break No physical Class until January 31st! Teens will have homework and check in times! Please ensure they stay connected! Check out the Confirmation Information Hub:
http://www.stmarypinckney.org/#/faith-formation/confirmation-info-hub
Middle School Youth Group Schedule
Date: Time: Event: 12/14 7-8pm Adoration “Here I am Lord” 12/16 7-8:30pm Youth Night – 12/21 7-8pm Adoration “Here I am Lord” 12/23 NO YOUTH GROUP 12/28 7-8pm Adoration “Here I am Lord” 12/30 NO YOUTH GROUP
High School Youth Group Schedule
Date: Time: Event: 12/14 7-8pm Adoration “Here I am Lord” 12/17 7-8:30pm Youth Night – 12/21 7-8pm Adoration “Here I am Lord” 12/24 NO YOUTH GROUP 12/28 7-8pm Adoration “Here I am Lord” 12/31 NO YOUTH GROUP
Website: http://www.stmarypinckney.org/#/youth/
If you have any questions please call 734-878-2217 or email [email protected]
Report for December 8, 2014 Parishioner Donations - Giving Back To The Lord
YTD 07/01/14 – 12/08//14
Weekly YTD
Offertory $ 19,828.20 $ 346,699.52 Operating Budget Reqmnt. $ 15,940.00 $ 366,620.00 Variance $ 3,888.20 $ (19,920.48) Retired Religious Collection $1053.00 Debt Reduction/FaithQuest Collected $ 33,264.54
Ring the Bell Campaign $ 41,236.19 $164,616 needed to reach goal Mortgage Payment Requirement $ 187,575.00 Mortgage Amount Paid $ 100,000.00 Shortfall $ (87,575.00)
RETIREMENT FUND FOR RELIGIOUS SPECIAL COLLECTION DECEMBER 14, 2014
“Your generous contribution helps us to care for our retired
sisters and enables our younger sisters to continue in active
ministry,” writes a religious sister. Your gift to today’s
collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious provides
vital support for the retirement needs of senior sisters,
brothers, and religious order priests.
Third Sunday of Advent – December 14, 2014
MASS INTENTIONS
Sunday, December 14th
9:00am: In Memory of Maria Picano by Joe & Tina Sroka
11:30am: For Our Parish
Monday, December 15th
9:00am: In Memory of Joseph Muller by K of C
Tuesday, December 16th
9:00am: Communion Service
5:00pm In Memory of Agnes Sroka by Joe & Tina Sroka
Wednesday, December 17th
9:00am: In Memory of Bob Engel by Tom & Joyce Wilson
Thursday, December 18th
9:00am: Communion Service
Friday, December 19th
9:00am: In Memory of Thomas Brown by LeVasseur
family
Saturday, December 20th
5:00pm: In Honor of Alex Nicholas by Gary & Mary Jo
Nicholas and family
Sunday, December 21st
9:00am: In Memory of John Sroka & Antonio Picano by
Joseph & Tina Sroka
11:30am: In Memory of Nathaniel Wylie by Ann Acker
WEEKLY READINGS: Dec. 14th
-20th
Sunday:
Third Sunday of Advent
Is 61:1-2, 10-11; Ps Luke 1:46-54; 1 Thes 5:16-24; Jn 1:6-8,
19-28
Monday:
Advent Weekday
Nm 24:2-7, 15-17; Ps 25; Mt 21:23-27
Tuesday:
Late Advent Weekday
Zep 3:1-2, 9-13; Ps 34; Mt 21:28-32
Wednesday:
Late Advent Weekday
Gn 49:2, 8-10, Ps 72; Mt 1:1-17
Thursday:
Late Advent Weekday
Jer 23:5-8; Ps 72; Mt 1:18-25
Friday:
Late Advent Weekday
Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25; Ps 71; Lk 1:5-25
Saturday:
Late Advent Weekday
Is 7:10-14; Ps 24; Lk 1:26-38
OUR PRAYER LIST Lucille Barkowski, Richard Bennett, Wilma Brown,
Hannah Campbell, Denise Day, Claire Destrampe,
Michael Grossmeyer, Richard Jesionowski, Don Keiser,
LaVerne Keiser, Sr. Mary Kelly, RSM, Ben LaRosa,
Adeline Penrod, Linda Schneider and Allan Steinaway.
LAY MINISTERS: December 20th
& 21st:
Communion Service Leaders
Dec. 16: R. Boos Dec. 18: D. Hall
Dec. 23: T. Burke Dec. 25: D. Hall
Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
5:00pm 9:00am 11:30am
*Self-Scheduling by Sign-Up.
*Sign-Up In Meeting Room A.
Altar Servers
5:00pm M. Haynes, D. Haynes, J. Peltier
9:00am L. Hall, L. Cross, D. Schneider
11:30am S. Miller, M. Miller, B. O’Keefe
Proclaimers of the Word
5:00pm R. Gass, K. Schang
9:00am D. Hall, St. Wittrup
11:30am L. Lichwala, R. Gonza
Greeters
5:00pm Watson family
9:00am M. Nemeth
11:30am Jarvis family
Ushers
5:00pm 9:00am 11:30am
Please sign up if you’re available.
Offertory Gifts
5:00pm 9:00am 11:30am
Please sign up if you’re available.
Home Chalice Program
Please sign up if you’re available.
Linens
December: F. Kinsey, L. Lavey
Cleaning the Altar
December: J. Helmboldt
Collection Counters
December 15: R. Bartkovich, L. Wallace, M. Ulman
December 22: J. King, R. Miller, B. Zielinski
We always keep our military family close and
far in our thoughts and prayers. We would
love to add your soldier to our prayer list if
they are currently deployed overseas. Please
contact the church office to add your loved one
to our prayer list.