St. Francis catholic community

Orange, Texas January 1, 2017

READINGS FOR THE

WEEK

Monday: 1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 1:19-28 Tuesday: 1 Jn 2:29 -3:6; Ps 98:1, 3cd-6; Jn 1:29-34 Wednesday: 1 Jn 3:7-10; Ps 98:1, 7-9; Jn 1:35-42 Thursday: 1 Jn 3:11-21; Ps 100:1b-5; Lk 4:14-22a Friday:1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20; Mk 1:7-11 or Lk 3:23-28 [23, 31-34, 36, 38] Saturday:1 Jn 5:14-21; Sal 149:1-6a, 9b; Jn 2:1-11 Sunday: Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

On Saturday, January 7th at 5:00 p.m. Mass we are going to have the Epiphany Blessing over the door lintel at St. Francis Church and sharing with all those attending an Epiphany kit that parishioners can bring home to bless their own homes.

Saturday, December 31 5:00 p.m. Knights of Columbus and their families No 7:00 p.m. Mass Sunday, January 1 8:00 a.m. Dar’ton Kellum (D) 10:30 a.m. People of the Parish Monday, January 2 No Mass Tuesday, January 3 8:30 a.m. James Willingham (D) Wednesday, January 4 6:30 p.m. Michael Coy Darby (L) Thursday, January 5 8:30 a.m. Al Deranger (D) Friday, January 6 8:30 a.m. Edward Dubord (D) Saturday, January 7 5:00 p.m. St. Francis Altar Society & their families 7:00 p.m. Sunday, January 8 8:00 a.m. Benny Pouson, Gene Pousson, Ruth Pousson, & Benny Pousson

10:30 a.m. People of the Parish

New Year’s Day 2017 By Larry Rice

There’s always lots of talk at the end of each year about how horrible it is that Christmas has become a big secular marketing event. But the truth is the Catholic faith has a long, venerable tradition of co-opting secular holi-day, feasts, and seasons, and making them our own. The date of Christmas was chosen, in part, to override the Roman celebration of Sat-urnalia. The Solemnity of All-Saints is a Christian counter to the pagan or druidic observance of Samhain. St. Valentine’s Day superseded the Roman Lupercalia. It seems odd, then, that we haven’t had better success with a Christian celebration for the New Year. It’s a time that is ripe for intro-spection and personal renewal, out with the old year, and in with the new. Apart from the parties and champagne, it’s already a date with spiritual significance. Perhaps the problem is that the Church’s New Year, liturgically speaking arrives on the first Sunday of Advent and is almost entirely overshadowed by Thanksgiving and Christmas. The fact is, that January 1 is what we Catholics call a holy day of obliga-tion-a feast day on which we’re obligated to go to Mass. It’s the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. This coming year, since the 1st of January falls on a Sunday, the feast and the obligation transfer to Sunday as well. Perhaps we can make the Solemnity of Mary, the mother of God more relevant to the New Year by seeing in Mary a model for renewed Christian life: in her openness to the Holy Spirit, her radical assent to God’s will for her life, her patience through suffering and her willingness to bring the Savior into the world. Those are all qualities that would make any of us better people in the New Year.

The Chalking of the Doors: An Epiphany Tradition Explained Epiphany (also known as Twelfth Night, Theophany, or Three Kings Day) marks the occasion of a time-honored Christian tradition of “chalking the doors.” The formula for the ritual -adapted for 2016 -is simple: take chalk of any color and write the following above the entrance of your home: 20 + C+M + B + 16. The letters have two meanings. First, they represent the initials of the Magi -Caspar, Malchior, and Balthazar -who came to visit Jesus in His first home. They also abbreviate the Latin phrase, Christus mansionem bene-dicat: “May Christ bless the house.” The “+” signs represent the cross, and the “20” at the beginning and the “16” at the end mark the year. Taken together, this inscription is performed as a request that Christ to bless those homes so marked that he stay with those who dwell therein throughout the entire year.

The Octave day of the nativity of the Lord

Reconciliation The time for Reconciliation has been changed to 3:30-4:30 p.m. Father Sinclair Oubre will have to stop hearing confession at 4:30 p.m. to prepare for 5:00 p.m. Mass.

Make Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament a New Year’s Resolution:

“Jesus will bless you, your family and the whole world for this hour of faith you spend with Him in the Blessed Sacrament”

Adoration will begin with Morning Prayer and Exposition of the Blessed

Sacrament and will end with Evening Prayer and Benediction. Please sign up.

Adoration will be Tuesday, January 3

Office Closed Friday, December 30 and Monday, January 2. Office will reopen January 3.

A Cemi Course– January 5, 2016

LENT, SEASON OF BIRTH AND NEW LIFE? THE TRIDUUM , THE

GREATEST FEAST ON EARTH?

(A CEMI COURSE). Register throu gh the Office of Evangelization

and Catechesis, 409-924-4323.

Tuesday, 5 January 2016; 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM, Catholic Pastoral Center Presenter: Rosalind Sanchez How can we, the Church, celebrate the meaning of Lent and Easter throughout the Church Year? What goes into preparing the liturgies, the music, the lectors, and the Assembly to fully understand, participate and celebrate Lent and that greatest feast of the Church, that greatest Sunday of the Church, Easter.

Blessed Olive Wood Creations, a Christian group from the Holy Land will be visiting our church on January 7/8. They will be selling olivewood religious articles after all Saturday and Sunday’s Masses. The religious articles are hand made by the Christian Families living in the Holy Land and the sales will benefit the Christian families in the Holy Land. They will be selling beautiful articles such as rosaries, bracelets, necklaces, crosses, statues, gifts, nativity scenes, and much more. Support your brothers and sisters from the Holy Land and take home a beautiful article from the land of Christ.

America Needs Fatima January 17, 2017

5:30pm

Knights of Columbus Hall Council # 951

9505 College Street Beaumont, TX 77705

The Story of Fatima (Our Lady of the

Rosary) 1917-2017 - 100th Anniversary of the vision

Prayer for Peace

Contact: Guadalupe V. Clark (409) 679-5228 for more information

St. Francis catholic community

Orange, Texas January 1, 2017

Rosary for Religious Freedom will not be prayed on January 1 due to the holiday. It has been rescheduled to be prayed on January 8 at 7:00 p.m. in

the church.

Quinceanera Workshop

All parents and girls who will be turning 15 years old in the next two to three years who are wishing a Quincenera are required to participate in a Quincenera Workshop on Tuesday, January 10 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. The Workshop will be led by Father Sinclair Oubre, Deacon Hector Maldonado and Mr. Daniel Ibarra. The purpose of the workshop will be to familiarize families and girls with the qualifications of who is eligible to have a Quinceanera, the policy requirements and guidelines of the

Diocese of Beaumont that this Parish has to follow. Again this is a workshop for the adults as well as the girls.

Orange Christian Services staff and Board of Directors wish to thank all parishioners for your most generous holiday cash dona-tion of $1,598.00 collected as part of the St. Francis Catholic Church Christmas Food Drive”. Your gift exemplifies the caring support and outpouring of love of the parish-ioners of St. Francis Church. These funds have allowed them to provide assistance for more than 700 families with holiday food items and turkeys.

MANRESA – BEAUMONT

Silent Retreat for Men Fr. Ross Romero, S.J.

Thursday - Sunday, January 12-15, 2017

Check-in begins on Thursday at 5:00 pm. The retreat begins with dinner at 7:00 pm and ends after lunch on Sunday. To register or to obtain more infor-mation, contact:

Tim Bonnin at 409-617-3210. Cost: $204.00/person

Deposit: $102.00

Religious Education Classes will resume on Wednesday January 11. Keysis will resume on January 18.

The Octave day of the nativity of the Lord

Offices closed Dec 24, 25, Dec 31, Jan 1

Saturday, December 31 3:30-4:30 p.m. Reconciliation 5:00 p.m. Mass No 7pm Spanish Mass Sunday, January 1 8:00 & 10:30 a.m. Mass No chaplet led by Sonlight Choir Rosary for Religious Freedom rescheduled for January 8 Monday, January 2 No Mass Tuesday, January 3 8:30 a.m. Mass 9:00 a.m. Exposition and morning Prayer; Adoration 5:45 a.m. Men’s Faith Sharing 6:15 a.m. Women Faith Sharing 6:00 p.m. Benediction No RCIA/RCIC Wednesday, January 4 10:00 a.m Parkinson Support Mtg 6:30 p.m. Mass No RE or Keysis Thursday, January 5 8:30 a.m Mass 6:00 p.m. St. Vincent de Paul Mtg Friday, January 6 8:30 a.m. Mass 5:00 p.m. Boy Scout Catholic Award Class begins Saturday, January 7 5:00 & 7:00 p.m. Mass All day and night-Boy Scout Catholic Award Class Sunday, January 8 8:00 & 10:30 a.m. Mass All day– Boy Scout Catholic Awards Class

Online giving is an excellent way to fulfill your obligation to Support St. Francis parish. Go to: stfrancisorangetx.org and click the Online giving link.

Stewardship of Treasure December 24/25

Weekly Collection (Including

Building Fund) $16,718.00

Thank you for your generosity!

The Knights of Columbus

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo for

Superbowl Sunday which will be February 5.

All orders are pre-sale and need to be ordered on or before January 29. Frozen quarts of gumbo will be ready for

pick up in the San Damiano Center February 4th.

The cost will be $10 for a quart of gumbo.

Rice and potato salad is not being provided at this fund raiser.

Catholic Committee on Scouting Alert Attention all Catholic registered Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts. Completion time is drawing near for the Catholic Scouting awards this year. Cub scouts can earn their age appropriate Light of Christ (6-7) or Parvuli Dei (8-10) awards with their parents and Pastor. Work books are available at the scout shop or online. Completion page can be e-mailed to brucegrimes1@aol.com or mailed to the Diocese Melanie Ehrlich by January 5, 2017. Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts can earn their Ad Altare Dei (13-14) or Pope Pius (15-18 or up to 21 for Ventures) by attending a campout with your award workbook, and prep work. Campout for Ad Altare Dei starts at Jan 7th at 7:30 AM & cost $15.00. Pope Pius starts at Jan 6th at 5:30 PM & cost $30.00. Please bring your camping gear and workbook for either class. Both classes will be at St. Francis in Orange and should be complete by 7:00 PM on Sunday. If you need more information, please email the Diocesan Committee on Catholic Scouting Chair at brucegrimes1@aol.com with Catholic Awards in the subject line. All awards will be presented after Mass with the Bishop on Scout Sunday February 5, 2017 at noon at the Basilica.