HOLY FAMILY PARISHDon Bosco ChapelFortbaan 792900 Schotenwww.holyfamilyantwerp.org

February 2016 Year CSunday Mass 10:30am

Fr. Francis Peerlinck, Pastor

MESSAGE FROM FATHER: THE LITURGICAL CALENDER FOR FEBRUARYDear Parishioners!This February is blessed with these liturgical celebrations, worth remembering:– February 2: The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The evangelist Luke describes the event: “When the day came to purify them according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to the temple of Jerusalem, so that he could be presented to the Lord, for it was written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male shall be consecrated to the Lord. Mary and Joseph came to offer in sacrifice a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accord with the dictate in the Law of the Lord.”In Antwerp Cathedral Mgr John Bonny will celebrate a solemn evening Mass with a procession of the faithful bearing lighted candles as a symbol of Jesus, being the Light of the world. As it also is the “Day of Religious Life” many priests, brothers and sisters will be present.– February 10: Ash Wednesday. The Church begins her Lenten Season as preparation to the solemn celebration of Easter. Some people go to church, participate in the blessing of the ashes, and receive the ashes as a reminder of the transitoriness of all earthly life. Ash Wednesday is a day of abstinence in Belgium.Lent traditionally means: 1) a time of fasting, 2) a time of prayer, and 3) a time of sharing. To go through the Bible we see all great people, from Moses to the prophets and Jesus, combined fasting and prayer, when they prepared themselves for some special event in their lives. After his baptism by John in the Jordan, Jesus went to the desert, where he prayed and fasted for forty days, as a preparation to his public life. Today many Christians do not directly see the meaning of fasting and abstinence in their life. To leave out something in our daily way of life can strengthen our will, and set us free to do – in special/difficult circumstances – what people expect from us.The Church proposes to work out the Lenten Season by helping a project in underdeveloped countries. Holy Family Parish helps some students in Rwanda, and it is helping “Ziekenzorg” of Don Bosco, so that some

social activities can be organized for the elderly people in the course of the year.Father Frans PeerlinckPRAYERS AND SPECIAL INTENTIONS † Please pray for all parishioners, past and present who are looking for work, either from necessity or because they are looking for a different path to follow, may they be successful in their endeavors and find fulfillment in their work and lives.† Please pray for friends and relatives who are suffering mental and physical illnesses, that God give them comfort and hope that their lives will improve and they may return to good health and happiness.† For families going through difficult times, please give them the strength and courage to get through each day and to trust that they will, with God’s grace, be OK in the end.† For new mothers with sick children, please guide them and keep them calm so they can make smart decisions based on knowledge and not panic or fear.† For the victims of the snowstorms in America and the families who lost loved ones. Give them courage and strength to move forward and continue their lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~VACANCY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Parishioners,We would like to inform you about 2 upcoming vacancies on the parish council.If you are interested and already were pondering the issue to lend a helping hand this is the moment. If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at editing and layout please contact Rosanne Pizzella. She will be happy to guide you and help you to learn what it means to publish the monthly church bulletin.The other function is the one of being the treasurer of Holy Family Parish. If you are interested in filling this position please contact Brigitte Preusz. Both email addresses you will find on the back of the bulletin or see us after mass.Thanks for your consideration and we hope to hear from you soon!

THE INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE (A brief history) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ALANThis devotion took origin in the heart of St. Teresa of Avila (1582) and of St. John of the Cross (1591) who handed it over to the Carmelite Order as a spiritual treasure. In 1628 it was revived in the newly founded Carmel of Prague. In their chapel the Carmelites began to venerate the statue of the Infant Jesus given to them by the Princess Polixenie Lobkowitz, remembering the words of the gospel, “Unless you become like one of these little children you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. (Mt: 18.3)From the beginning onwards many favors and graces were received which brought thousands of other people to this statue of the Infant Jesus.In 1889 Fr. Leopoldo Beccaro, who as a missionary spread devotion to the Infant Jesus Prague in Kerala-South India, founded a Carmelite Monastery at Arenzano near Genoa, Italy. There the Infant of Prague was venerated in a small chapel until 1905, when building was begun on the splendid and famous sanctuary to accommodate increasing devotion to the Infant Jesus.St. Therese of Lisieux, for a period of 4 years from 1883-1887, venerated the Infant Jesus of Prague statue over the tabernacle of the novitiate chapel. St. Benedicta (Edith Stein 1891-1942) visited the church of the Infant Jesus at Prague and had devotion to Him.PRAYER TO THE CHILD JESUS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALANO Holy Infant Jesus, who shed Your blessings on whoever invokes Your name, look kindly on us who kneel humbly before Your holy image and hear our prayers. We commend to Your mercy the many poor and needy people who trust in Your Divine Heart. Lay Your all powerful hand upon them and help them in their needs. Lay Your hand upon the sick, to cure them and sanctify their suffering; upon those in distress, to console them; upon sinners, to draw them into the light of your divine grace; upon all those who, stricken with grief and suffering, turn trustingly to You for loving help. Lay Your hand also upon all of us and give us Your blessing, O little King, grant the treasures of Your divine mercy to all the world, and keep us now and always in the grace of Your love!

Amen

THE CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATIONAs the bishop of Antwerp no longer allows us to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation in our chapel, we shall join the celebration of the sacrament of Confirmation in Saint Cordula church, to which Don Bosco chapel belongs. The celebration will take place on Saturday April 16, at 3.00pm. Some official papers should be filled out by the confirmands/parents by mid February.Father Frans Peerlinck

~~~~ I got the following email from Pastor Steve Swanson:… “Finally, I shared some important news with our congregation last Sunday. Barbara and I will be leaving Antwerp during the summer of 2016.We have been invited to join a missionary team working with refugees and immigrants in Europe. We will move back to the USA for one year and then return to Europe in 2017 with new colleagues in a new location still to be determined. I will miss our wonderful ecumenical times of worship and ministry, but I am sure AIPC will continue the tradition with their new pastor. Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement over these past 12 years. God bless you, Pastor SteveI answered the email:Dear Pastor Steve,That is good news for you, as you like that kind of pastoral work, but it is bad news for us. We thank you for all the sympathy, friendship and love, and wish you and Barbara – all the best for the future. We will miss you, and remember the Ecumenical Services we celebrated over the years together. Also our prayers go with you.Sincerely,Father Frans Peerlinck

On “SAYING A PRAYER” Or "SAYING A MASS”You can always ask Father to „say a prayer” for a special intention. For example: somebody is ill or died. Write the intention / name of the person down, and give the intention to Father in the sacristy before mass. He will include the intention at the end of the General Intercessions, saying, „ We also pray for…”A Mass Card is not given!

You can also ask Father to „say the Mass” for a special intention.Then Father will say  at the end of the General Intercessions: „ This Mass is offered for…”   An offering is given to the priest, and is fixed in Belgium at 13 euro. In this case you can also ask for a Mass card, and send the card to the person / family for whom the Mass was offered. 

You can also write down your intention in the Prayer Book on the table in the back of the chapel.The Book is brought together with the offerings to the altar, and laid on the altar.This is practical, when any explanation of the prayer is given, that is not necessarily mentioned.Father Peerlinck

LENT BEGINS ~~~~~~ ASH WEDNESDAY ~~~~~~ FEBRUARY 10TH

On February 10th, Ash Wednesday, no evening Mass will be celebrated at Don Bosco Chapel. You can however take this opportunity to check out one of your local Flemish churches as most will have some service at various times in the day.It is a nice opportunity to begin Lent as our preparation to Easter.

WHO’S DOING WHAT IN FEBRUARYLiturgy readers: After mass bakers:31/01/16 ~~~~~~ Rosanne 31/01/16 ~~~~~~ Lauren Peloquin07/02/16 ~~~~~~ Alan 07/02/16 ~~~~~~ Becky14/02/16 ~~~~~~ Rosanne 14/02/16 ~~~~~~ Eszter21/02/16 ~~~~~~ Barbara 21/02/16 ~~~~~~ Corbo

28/02/16 ~~~~~~ Brigitte 28/02/16 ~~~~~~ Alan & Marie06/03/16 ~~~~~~ Mike 06/03/16 ~~~~~~ Eric & Olga

ECUMENICAL SERVICE WITH AIPCSunday, January 24th we celebrated our annual Ecumenical Service with AIPC. There was a very nice turn out from both parishes. We enjoyed a wonderful morning of service, social gathering and eating. Our biggest Thank You to Becky for organizing the event.

Thank you to everyone who brought something to share after the Ecumenical mass. It made for a wonderful hospitality buffet. Thank you also to everyone who came to the mass. It was a lovely mass with wonderful music, readings and a very prayerful feel. Becky

Monthly Prayer Connection ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tuesday February 2

A small group of women meet each month at someone’s home for a quiet time of fellowship, prayer and reflection. The International Christian Women’s Club of Antwerp organizes this and invites you to join them. Many women from Holy Family parish are part of this

group. Herewith the International Christian Women’s Club invites you to the next prayer connection which will be held on Tuesday February 2, 2015 at the home of Marie Lyn Lauwereins, Gezondheidslei 139, Brasschaat

We meet at 10 o’clock in the morning. Prayer time starts at 10.30h. If you need more information please do not hesitate to contact one of us. If you have a prayer request and are unable to come please let us know.God bless,Sharmini (03-354 01 43)Marie-Louise (03-605 71 88)The meeting for March will be the World Day of Prayer, hosted by St. Boniface Church and held On Friday March 4th at 10:00. Please see more information further in this bulletin.

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCISFOR LENT 2016

“I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Mt 9:13).The works of mercy on the road of the Jubilee

 1. Mary, the image of a Church which evangelizes because she is evangelized

In the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, I asked that “the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy” (Misericordiae Vultus, 17). By calling for an attentive listening to the word of God and encouraging the initiative “24 Hours for the Lord”, I sought to stress the primacy of prayerful listening to God’s word, especially his prophetic word. The mercy of God is a proclamation made to the world, a proclamation which each Christian is called to experience at first hand. For this reason, during the season of Lent I will send out Missionaries of Mercy as a concrete sign to everyone of God’s closeness and forgiveness.After receiving the Good News told to her by the Archangel Gabriel, Mary, in her Magnificat, prophetically sings of the mercy whereby God chose her. The Virgin of Nazareth, betrothed to Joseph, thus becomes the perfect icon of the Church which evangelizes, for she was, and continues to be, evangelized by the Holy Spirit, who made her virginal womb fruitful. In the prophetic tradition, mercy is strictly related – even on the etymological level – to the maternal womb (rahamim) and to a

generous, faithful and compassionate goodness (hesed) shown within marriage and family relationships.2. God’s covenant with humanity: a history of mercy

The mystery of divine mercy is revealed in the history of the covenant between God and his people Israel. God shows himself ever rich in mercy, ever ready to treat his people with deep tenderness and compassion, especially at those tragic moments when infidelity ruptures the bond of the covenant, which then needs to be ratified more firmly in justice and truth. Here is a true love story, in which God plays the role of the betrayed father and husband, while Israel plays the unfaithful child and bride. These domestic images – as in the case of Hosea (cf. Hos 1-2) – show to what extent God wishes to bind himself to his people.

This love story culminates in the incarnation of God’s Son. In Christ, the Father pours forth his boundless mercy even to making him “mercy incarnate”. As a man, Jesus of Nazareth is a true son of Israel; he embodies that perfect hearing required of every Jew by the Shema, which today too is the heart of God’s covenant with Israel: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Dt6:4-5). As the Son of God, he is the Bridegroom who does everything to win over the love of his bride, to whom he is bound by an unconditional love which becomes visible in the eternal wedding feast.This is the very heart of the apostolic kerygma, in which divine mercy holds a central and fundamental place. It is “the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead” (Evangelii Gaudium, 36), that first proclamation which “we must hear again and again in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of catechesis, at every level and moment” (ibid., 164). Mercy “expresses God’s way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe” (Misericordiae Vultus, 21), thus restoring his relationship with him. In Jesus crucified, God shows his desire to draw near to sinners, however far they may have strayed from him. In this way he hopes to soften the hardened heart of his Bride.3. The works of mercy

God’s mercy transforms human hearts; it enables us, through the experience of a faithful love, to become merciful in turn. In an ever new miracle, divine mercy shines forth in our lives, inspiring each of us to love our neighbor and to devote ourselves to what the Church’s tradition calls the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. These works remind us that faith finds expression in concrete everyday actions meant to help our neighbors in body and spirit: by feeding, visiting, comforting and instructing them. On such things will we be judged. For this reason, I expressed my hope that “the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy; this will be a way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty, and to enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of God’s mercy” (ibid., 15). For in the poor, the flesh of Christ “becomes visible in the flesh of the tortured, the crushed, the scourged, the malnourished, and the exiled… to be acknowledged, touched, and cared for by us” (ibid.). It is the unprecedented and

scandalous mystery of the extension in time of the suffering of the Innocent Lamb, the burning bush of gratuitous love. Before this love, we can, like Moses, take off our sandals (cf. Ex 3:5), especially when the poor are our brothers or sisters in Christ who are suffering for their faith.In the light of this love, which is strong as death (cf. Song 8:6), the real poor are revealed as those who refuse to see themselves as such. They consider themselves rich, but they are actually the poorest of the poor. This is because they are slaves to sin, which leads them to use wealth and power not for the service of God and others, but to stifle within their hearts the profound sense that they too are only poor beggars. The greater their power and wealth, the more this blindness and deception can grow. It can even reach the point of being blind to Lazarus begging at their doorstep (cf. Lk 16:20-21). Lazarus, the poor man, is a figure of Christ, who through the poor pleads for our conversion. As such, he represents the possibility of conversion which God offers us and which we may well fail to see. Such blindness is often accompanied by the proud illusion of our own omnipotence, which reflects in a sinister way the diabolical “you will be like God” (Gen 3:5) which is the root of all sin. This illusion can likewise take social and political forms, as shown by the totalitarian systems of the twentieth century, and, in our own day, by the ideologies of monopolizing thought and techno science, which would make God irrelevant and reduce man to raw material to be exploited. This illusion can also be seen in the sinful structures linked to a model of false development based on the idolatry of money, which leads to lack of concern for the fate of the poor on the part of wealthier individuals and societies; they close their doors, refusing even to see the poor.For all of us, then, the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year is a favorable time to overcome our existential alienation by listening to God’s word and by practicing the works of mercy. In the corporal works of mercy we touch the flesh of Christ in our brothers and sisters who need to be fed, clothed, sheltered, visited; in the spiritual works of mercy – counsel, instruction, forgiveness, admonishment and prayer – we touch more directly our own sinfulness. The corporal and spiritual works of mercy must never be separated. By touching the flesh of the crucified Jesus in the suffering, sinners can receive the gift of realizing that they too are poor and in need. By taking this path, the “proud”, the “powerful” and the “wealthy” spoken of in the Magnificat can also be embraced and undeservedly loved by the crucified Lord who died and rose for them. This love alone is the answer to that yearning for infinite happiness and love that we think we can satisfy with the idols of knowledge, power and riches. Yet the danger always remains that by a constant refusal to open the doors of their hearts to Christ who knocks on them in the poor, the proud, rich and powerful will end up condemning themselves and

plunging into the eternal abyss of solitude which is Hell. The pointed words of Abraham apply to them and to all of us: “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (Lk 16:29). Such attentive listening will best prepare us to celebrate the final victory over sin and death of the Bridegroom, now risen, who desires to purify his Betrothed in expectation of his coming.Let us not waste this season of Lent, so favorable a time for conversion! We ask this through the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, who, encountering the greatness of God’s mercy freely bestowed upon her, was the first to acknowledge her lowliness (cf. Lk 1:48) and to call herself the Lord’s humble servant (cf. Lk 1:38).From the Vatican, 4 October 2015Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi

FRANCIS

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WHAT’S HAPPENING THAT COULD BE FUN OR INTERESTINGAalst is famous for its carnival festivities, celebrated every year in February. A big parade crosses the city on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, this year it will be February 7th, with about 70 groups of costumed volunteers and parade cars.The parade starts at 1:00PM and end up at its final destination at about 8:00PM.The floats and costumes are as colorful and imaginative as any you would expect to see in Rio, New Orleans or anywhere else. The theme is anything that has been in the news over the past year with a huge emphasis on political satire.As the parade takes up most all entry streets into the town, I recommend you take the train to Aalst. When you step out of the station, you are in the middle of the festivities. It’s important to remember that most everything you see in Aalst during Carnival is NOT as it seems. With the imaginative and colorful costumes,

you don’t have to be in the parade to be dressed in crazy and satirical attire.I recommend this for everyone at least once, for the experience, and if it’s for you, you’ll go back again and again each year. Be sure to take your camera as there will be things you’ll see that, without a picture, you just won’t be able to explain to people later what it was you actually saw.Dress warm! Rosanne

A letter of thanks from Zenith for the donations of The Giving Tree…

A kind note from Rwanda:

Answers for the Christmas Quiz in the Dec/Jan bulletin:1. C. Some scholars say it was first regularly observed in 354 A.D.

2. A. Scholars trace it to 16th Century Germany.

3 B. The date was chosen to overtake a pagan celebration focusing on the “light of the world.” Scripture (St. John 1:5; 8:12) speaks of Christ as the Light of the World, the Light no darkness can overcome—especially the darkness of paganism. Besides, who created the light in the first place? The Lord! Some interpreters also held that Christ was born on or near the Winter Solstice.

4 B. Two hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter. They would gather this evergreen plant that is parasitic upon other trees and used it to decorate their homes. They believed the plant had special healing powers for everything from female infertility to poison ingestion. Scandinavians also thought of mistletoe as a plant of peace and harmony. They associated mistletoe with their goddess of love, Frigga. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe probably derived from this belief.

5. D. The early church banned the use of mistletoe in Christmas celebrations because of its pagan origins. Instead, church fathers suggested the use of holly as an appropriate substitute for Christmas greenery.

6. C. Poinsettias are native to Mexico. They were named after America's first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett. He brought the plants to America in 1828. The Mexicans in the eighteenth century thought the plants were symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem. Thus the Poinsettia became associated with the Christmas season. The actual flower of the poinsettia is small and yellow. But surrounding the flower are large, bright red leaves, often mistaken for petals.

7. C. The Christmas Tree originated in Germany in the 16th century. It was common for the Germanic people to decorate fir trees, both inside and out, with roses, apples, and colored paper. It is believed that Martin Luther was the first to light a Christmas tree with candles. While coming home one dark winter's night near Christmas, he was struck with the beauty of the starlight shining through the branches of a small fir tree outside his home. He duplicated the starlight by using candles attached to the branches

of his indoor Christmas tree. The Christmas tree was not widely used in Britain until the 19th century. It was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans in the 1820's.

8. C. Christmas was slow to catch on in America. The early colonists considered it a pagan ritual. The celebration of Christmas was even banned by law in Massachusetts in colonial days.

9. D. Santa Claus is in part based on St. Nicholas, was born in Turkey in the 4th century. He was very pious from an early age, devoting his life to Christianity. He became widely known for his generosity for the poor. But the Romans held him in contempt. He was imprisoned and tortured. But when Constantine became emperor of Rome, he allowed Nicholas to go free. Constantine became a Christian and convened the Council of Nicaea in 325 which wrote the Nicene Creed. Nicholas was a delegate to the council. He is especially noted for his love of children and for his generosity. He is the patron saint of sailors, Sicily, Greece, and Russia. He is also, of course, the patron saint of children. St. Nicholas’ Day is December 6. Gifts from “Nicholas” used to be given on that day.

10. A. According to an urban legend, in the late 1800's a candy maker in Indiana

wanted to express the meaning of Christmas through a symbol made of candy. He came up with the idea of bending one of his white candy sticks into the shape of a Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols of Christ's love and sacrifice through the Candy Cane. First, he used a plain white peppermint stick. The color white symbolizes the purity and sinless nature of Jesus. Next, he added three small stripes to symbolize the pain inflicted upon Jesus before His death on the cross. There are three of them to represent the Holy Trinity. He added a bold stripe to represent the blood Jesus shed for mankind. When looked at with the crook on top, it looks like a shepherd's becomes the letter J symbolizing the first letter in Jesus' name. The candy maker made these candy canes for

Christmas, so everyone would remember what Christmas is all about. (note) Please understand the answer to number 10 is just what it says…. An Urban Legend and should not be taken as fact. You can check out the whole lengthy and wordy explanation at: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/candycane.asp if you need to know the real facts.

PARISH COUNCIL 2015/2016

Pastor Fr. Francis Peerlinck.............. 03 232 2546frans.peerlinck@scarlet.be

President Mike Olbrich.......................... 0472194948olbrichm@aol.com

Vice President Alan Barnett.......................... 03 464 2468Treasurer Brigitte Preuss...................... 01470.78.28 brigitte.preusz@telenet.beReligious E VacantParish Registration Paul Van den Bossche....... 03 322.7753

44meurope@gmail.comBulletin Rosanne Pizzella .................. 03 322 7753 mswazoo@gmail.comSunshine Vivianne Staplehurst........... 03 633 0797 viv@verijke.comHospitality Becky Olbrich........................ 0472194948

olbrichm@aol.com Liturgy Rosanne Pizzella .................. 03 322 7753 mswazoo@gmail.comAdvisor Barbara Noels....................... 03 664 7231

barbara.noels@hotmail.comMusic EricWouters&OlgaVelez........

eandohfp@gmail.com ----------------

UPCOMING EVENTS:

February 10th - Ash Wednesday 14th - Valentine’s Day ~ Tell the one you love they are important to you.

March 4th - World Day of Prayer – St. Boniface Church, Antwerp 10:00am

13th - Penitential Service and Stations of the Cross 10:30 mass 20th - Palm Sunday 27th - Easter Sunday – mass 10:30am

AprilMay 6th – Pentecost Sunday

PLEASE send ROSANNE all submissions for the March bulletin no later than February 23rd. Thank you!