"Make Christ's presence a

living reality in our lives

and in the lives of others."

SAT. December 24, 2016– CHISTMAS EVE 4 p.m. 30 Notzons (Mom & dad) + Mr. Humberto M. Herrera (Wife & son) + Geronimo & Elida Guzman (Family) 6 p.m. + Oscar L. Casso ( Cordelia Flores, daughter) + Richard Haynes (Family) + B.A. Puig Sr. (Mr. & Mrs. B.A. Puig III) + Carmelita Poblanno de Mendiola (Family)

SUN. December 25, 2016– THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD 12 a.m. For all parishioners 8 a.m. Familia García Cortez + María Elena Aranda (Familia) + Consuelo M. Pérez (Familia Pérez) 12 p.m. In thanksgiving (Keene Family)

+ Ben Garcia Jr. (Family) + Mr. & Mrs. A.C. de la Garza (Mr. & Mrs. A.C. de la Garza Jr.) + Mr. & Mrs. James H.. Richardson (Mr. & Mrs. A.C. de la Garza Jr.) + Benito & J.V. Juarez (Gutierrez Family) + Mr. & Mrs. Servando Benavides (Solis Family) + Adolfo Campero Estrada (Campero Family) + Florencio Gonzalez (Olivia, wife children & family) + John McKeown (Michelle Moser & Jenny Moser Harry) + Dr. George DePillo (Molano Family)

4 p.m. Steven Vielma– Cumpleaños (Familia) + José Manuel Solís (Familia Solís)

MON. December 26, 2016– St. Stephen, The First Martyr 7 a.m. + Elsa Pruneda (Laura Pruneda) 6 p.m. Felisa Garza (Family)

+ Jose T. Moncivais Jr. (Irma M. Moncivais & Family) + Karen J. Anderson (Dennis Evelan, son & Family)

TUE. December 27, 2016– Late Advent Weekday 7 a.m. Padre Luis Efraín Mares- 20o aniversario sacerdotal 6 p.m. + Jose Angel Flores Jr. (Family)

+ Anita Macdonald (Ann Macdonald)

WED. December 28, 2016– St. John, Apostle & Evangelist 7 a.m. + Raúl Treviño (Familia Treviño) 6 p.m. + Alicia Esparza (Mr. & Mrs. B.A. Puig III)

THU. December 29, 2016– Late Advent Weekday

7 a.m. + Elsa Pruneda (Laura Pruneda) 6 p.m. + Iris Cordelia LaLonde– Birthday (Parents)

FRI. December 30, 2016– The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph

7 a.m. Familia Mireles– Año Nuevo

6 p.m. + Juanita Z. Garcia (Daughter) + Maria de la Garza Farias (Mr. & Mrs. A.C. de la Garza Jr.)

THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD December 25, 2016

“A holy day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations, and adore the Lord. For today a great light has come upon the earth.”

SAT. December 31, 2016– Late 7th Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord 8 a.m. + David Vasquez (Raquel & David Alcocer) 5 p.m. 30 Notzons (Mom & Dad) + Mr. Mario Cortez (Family) + Mr. & Mrs. Rogelio Rios (Family)

THE GIFT OF GOD’S WORD

On this day of gifts

and gift-giving, it seems

appropriate that we take a

moment to reflect on the

great gift of God’s Word.

Because it is creative, God’s

Word always points to its author, always

calls us to respond. Because it is powerful,

God’s Word can link the sublime with the

ridiculous, the transcendent with the

immanent, the divine with the human.

Because it is graceful, God’s Word

establishes a relationship of deep intimacy

between us and God.

At the heart of God’s Word lies a

tantalizing tension between the mysterious

and the mundane. In our liturgical

celebration, this unresolved tension both

reveals the meaning of life for us and calls

us to respond, to act upon that meaning.

Once accepted and opened, the gift of

God’s Word is a gift that keeps on giving and

keeps on calling us to give in return. It dares

us to be like the gift-giver and to become

gifts for others, not only at Christmas, but at

every moment of life.

Copyright © J.S. Paluch Co.

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION By now, the first Christmas carols are Heard in the home, but usually not yet in church. What is a “carol” anyway? Originally, a carol was any kind of communal song sung at a festival such as a harvest. By the thirteenth century or so, carols were associated

with household celebrations. “Carol” comes from the Old French carula, meaning a circular dance. Carols weren’t for church, since the lan-guage of liturgy was Latin and the carols were in the common language. Their characteristic sound comes from medieval chord patterns, and they of-ten have strong refrains for everyone to sing. even in the churches of the Reformation, carols ser-vices until the 1870’s or so, since there was a pref-erence for psalms. Anglicans resisted popular car-ols; most of our beloved carols came via the Meth-odist, an offshoot of the Church of England. The Catholic Church generally didn’t admit carols to liturgy either, but we didn’t make laws against them. We are told that the beloved carol “Silent Night” comes from Catholic Austria and worried parish music director. Joseph Mohr, the pries of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, had written the words in 1816, but offered them to his music director, Franz Gruber, when the church’s organ broke. Mohr asked him to write a melody that be played on guitar as a prelude to Mass. Gruber finished the tune just hours before midnight Mass in 1818. The people were shocked to hear a guitar in church, but were charmed by the sweet lullaby. The church was swept away by a flood in the 1990s and the village later relocated, but the townspeople have set up the “Silent Night Memorial Chapel” at the site. Today the carol is in print in some three hundred languages. How wonderful that the pipe broke on that night!

—Rev. James Field, © Copyright, J.S. Paluch Co.

SMALL PACKAGE

Our salvation comes from something small, tender, and vulnerable, something hardly noticeable. God, who is the Creator of the Universe, comes to us in smallness, weakness, and hiddenness. I find this a hope-ful message. Somehow, I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God's saving power; but over and over again I am reminded that spectacles, power plays, and big events are the ways of the world. Our temptation is to be distracted by them and made blind to the "shoot that shall sprout from the stump" (Isa. 11:1).

—Henri J. Nouwen, Gracias! A Latin American Journal

PAQUETE PEQUEÑO

Nuestra salvación viene de algo pequeño, tierno y vulnerable, algo difícil de notar. Dios, que es el Creador del universo viene a nosotros pequeño, débil, y Escondi-do. Esto es un mensaje lleno de esperanza. De alguna manera, sigo esperando alborote y eventos impresionantes para convencerme a mi mismo y a otros del poder salvador de Dios; pero una y otra vez recuerdo que los espectáculos, jugadas de poder y los grandes eventos son cosas del mundo terrenal. Distraernos con estas cosas es una tentación que nos hace ciegos al “Una rama saldrá del tronco de Jesé, un brote surgirá de sus raíces” (Isa. 11:1).

—Henri J. Nouwen, Gracias! A Latin American Journal

Saturday, December 24 4:00 p.m. in English 6:00 p.m. in Bilingual

Sunday, December 25 12 midnight English 12 noon English 8:00 a.m. Español 4:00 p.m. Español

Sábado, 24 de Diciembre 4:00 p.m. en Ingles 6:00 p.m. bilingüe

Domingo, 25 Diciembre 12 media noche en Ingles 12 medio dia en Ingles

8:00 a.m. Español 4:00 p.m. en Español

THANK YOU!!!

To all the students and parents who

donated and participated in our Christmas

Food & Toy Drive. There was outstanding

participation from everyone during the

packaging and delivery to Santa Rita, Santa

Monica, and Santa Teresita Missions. You

have blessed and made a difference in the

lives of families who attend church at these

missions.

God bless each of you who so kindly

and generously gave of your time & talent.

The Sanctuary Lamp Is burning this week for:

+ B.A. Puig Sr.

El próximo retiro de ACTS de hombres en Español

será del 4-7 de Mayo, 2017. El director

seleccionado por el Espíritu Santo es Memo

González. Para registrarse y formar parte del

equipo, favor de accesar el link o el código.

Las inscripciones se cierran el 25 de Diciembre.

Applications for the English Women's ACTS Retreat, February 23-26 will be available on line starting Monday, December 12. Deadline to apply is February 1, 2017.

Attention parishioners,

Please remember the Catholic Sharing

Appeal pledges can be to turn-in in the

Sunday collects or in the parish office. Our

yearly goal has not yet being met.

The following are St. Patrick Church analysis:

Parish goal: $102, 519.00

Amount pledge: $111, 680.75

Gifts: $90, 594.75

Pledge balance: $21, 086.00

Percentage of goal: 88.37%

Percentage of pledged amount: 81.12%

We pray that the Lord continues to give you strength, that Jesus keeps walking by your side

and that the Holy Spirit protects you from any danger We hope this day is full of blessings surrounded by those who love you!

Thank you for all your dedication to our community!

ENVELOPE BOXES

Please pick up your envelope b o x e s a s s o o n a s possible. Families with out a box number please stop by

the office so we can issue you the appropriate box number or re-register you, if necessary.

OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED Monday, January 2, 2017

Happy New Year!

Dear parishioners, What will Christmas be like for us this year? Will it be as happy as we hope? Will its celebration simply end with the day or will its message of love and promise of peace carry over into our lives in the New Year? Enjoy the good things that are Christmas to the fullest—greetings, gifts, friends, get-togethers, but remember: it is Jesus’ birthday and the reason we are celebrating is that He came into our world for our salvation. May we express today, to you and to your loved ones, best wishes for all the happiness of our Savior’s birthday and an abundance of blessings and peace He came to bring. We would like also to express our deepest thanks for your love and goodness to St. Patrick Church and to us your priests.

Father Wojciech

Father Jacinto

& Father Luis

Oremos por nuestros hermanos enfermos

Señor Jesucristo, redentor de los hombres, que en tu pasión quisiste soportar

nuestro sufrimiento y aguantar nuestros dolores.

Te pedimos por nuestros hermanos; tu que lo has redimido,

aviva en el la esperanza de su salvación y conforta su cuerpo y su alma.

Tú que vives y reinas por los siglos de los siglos

Amén.

Richard Camacho Rene San Miguel Aurora Gonzalez Chrissy Garza Michael ‘Mikey’ Leija Jr. Refugio ‘Cuco' Escobedo Alex de la Garza Adolph Puig

Jesse Rodríguez Francisco Velásquez Alberto P. Cárdenas Juan Eduardo Riojas Frances Rizo Rosa Vidaurri Guadalupe Medina