December 18, 2005 BulletinFOURTH SUNDAY OF
ADVENT
December 18 2005 Week of Dec. 19, 2005 - Dec. 25, 2005 The child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. ---Luke 1:35 Today's Readings Readings for the Week Priest Intentions for the Week Holiday Schedule of Services Announcements --Parish ----School of Faith and Formation ----Youth Ministry and Confirmation ----Other Parish Announcements --Diocese --Community Finances Today's Readings First Reading -- I will fix a place for my people. I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance (2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16). Psalm -- For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 89). Second Reading -- To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever and ever (Romans 16:25-27). Gospel -- Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:26-38). ECHOING MARY'S DECISION The angel Gabriel today confronts Mary with a mystery. In a way, it is the ultimate "Whodunit?" that Mary expresses in her question "How can this be?" The mystery of salvation in Christ is not a mystery that is solved, but a reality beyond our comprehension that we must choose to enter into. In the liturgy of the Eastern Church, everyone waits to see if Mary will enter into the mystery: God waits, Adam and Eve and all the souls of the dead who long for Paradise wait, angels wait for new heavenly companions. And there is much rejoicing when her decision is "yes." We have less dramatic choices offered to us, but the mystery of our salvation in Christ is by no means "solved." We may understand it a bit better due to Mary's "yes." We may be a bit closer to it through the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But ultimately, it still remains a reality beyond our comprehension, a mystery to which we all must give our own "yes." Soon we will be singing "O come, let us adore him." May our Advent prayer, our echo of Mary's "yes," continue then, so we may enter into the mystery of our salvation in Jesus Christ, God among us. (c) Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co. TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION By the year 800, when anointing was defined as the proper office of priests, very complicated rituals began to take shape. Perhaps this was to reassure the laity, who had memories of an earlier practice, that the new way was not only better, but impossible for a layperson to conduct. Blessings and sprinkling of holy water, the singing of as many as seven psalms, penance, anointing of all the senses, viaticum, all capped off by the clothing of the sick person in penitential garments, were part of the rite. This proved unwieldy, and creative spirits got to work. By the 1500s people made distinctions between visiting the sick, anointing, and viaticum. The attempt of the Church to be faithful to the image of a healing Christ has some complicated history, including centuries when the celebration was rare. Most sick people had no access to the rites at all; only monastics or the well-off had much hope of this care. Today, those unhappy days are long behind us, and the care of the sick is an essential task in every parish's life. As Christmas approaches almost everyone comes in contact with someone who is a candidate for pastoral care. You live out the best of our tradition when you arrange for a sick person to receive Holy Communion or the sacrament of the sick and the consolation of regular contact with the faith community. --James Field, (c) Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co. Readings for the Week
Priest Intentions
Holiday Schedule of Services Dawn Mass - Simbang Gabi - Misa De Gallo Everyone is invited to attend the Dawn Masses starting Thursday, December 16th - Saturday, December 24th, 5:30 A.M. Refreshments will be served after each Dawn Mass. Our Lady of Guadalupe, 40382 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, is also hosting Dawn Masses beginning at 6:00 A.M., December 16th - 24th. Christmas Eve Saturday, December 24, 2005 5:00 pm - Children's Family Mass 8:00 pm - Vigil Mass 11:30 pm - Christmas Carols 12:00 am - Midnight Mass Christmas Day Sunday, December 25, 2005 8:00 am, 10:00 am, & 12:00 pm (There will be no 6:00 pm Mass) Announcements School of Faith & Formation Children's Christmas Choir Rehearsals Monday, December 19, 6:00-7:00 p.m. - Church Tuesday, December 20, 6:00-7:00 p.m. - Church Wednesday, December 21, 6:00-7:00 p.m. - Church Children must attend two rehearsals to participate in the Christmas Eve Family Mass. Christmas Eve Family Mass Saturday, December 24, 5:00 p.m. - Church We invite all children (grades K-8) to be part of this celebration and to join our special children's choir. Christmas Break NO CLASSES - Monday, December 19, 2005 to Monday, January 2, 2006. Classes resume Tuesday, January 3, 2006. We wish all our children and their families a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year 2006!! Youth Ministry and Confirmation Youth Ministry & Confirmation Holiday Pot Luck St. Anne Youth Ministry will not meet until after the New Year! Our next meeting will be Monday, January 9, 2006! Confirmation Retreat We had a GREAT retreat last weekend. Please watch for the slide show on: www.stanneconfirmation.com Los Angeles Youth Day St. Anne's Youth Ministry will be attending the Los Angeles Youth Day from March 29 thru April 1. If you are interested in going please call (471-7766) or email (stayouthministry@sbcglobal.net) the Youth Ministry Office to obtain more information. We're trying to have the group set by Christmas break....so act fast! Other Parish Announcements Parish Office Closed for Christmas Holiday Please Note.... the parish office will be closed on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, December 24, 25 & 26. Lector Schedules Attention Lectors: Your new schedules are ready to be picked up. they will be outside the sacristy Safe Environment for Children Project Attention all parish and school volunteers! For those volunteers that attended the November 15th training session and did not receive an information packet, please pick up your packet at the parish office. You will need to fill out and return the "Policy Guidelines" to the Diocese of Oakland, 3014 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland, CA 94610. The Diocese of Oakland requires that ALL parish volunteers, (liturgical ministers, ushers, lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, choir members, sacristans, ministers to the sick), Religious Education Catechists, substitutes and teacher aides) attend a Safe Environment training in order to continue as a volunteer. If you missed the training at St. Anne's on November 15, check the Diocesan Safe Environment website for alternate training dates and locations . Safely Home - Bereavement Grief Support Ministry There will be a Safely Home, Bereavement Grief Support Ministry, Christmas Group Meeting Wed., Dec., 21, 6:30-8:30 pm. Join us in your Season of Grief, many loved ones have passed away this year and are celebrating their first Christmas in Heaven and those of us left behind will celebrate Christmas for the first time without them. Knowing they are very close to us in spirit and in our hearts. We will continue on until the day we are reunited Safely Home. In the Season of Light, remember the light your loved one brought to your life. Join us! The Christmas Season is the Season of Love and Jesus is the reason for the Season! Jesus is Love! Thank you to Hometown Buffet for donations of cookies for our group-meetings since we began in October 2005. And a special thank you and God Bless to our dedicated staff of volunteers who's hearts and compassion filled the hearts of our special group of Bereaved friends. Gift wrapped with smiles and hugs and understanding: and their precious time. I know God called them each by name. Merry Christmas, Merry Life and Merry Reunion - Safely Home. God Bless ! Christmas Trees And Flower Donations Environment and Art is accepting potted poinsettias and monetary donations towards flower arrangements and live Christmas trees. Please bring your monetary donations to the parish office: Mon.-Fri., 9:am-7:30 pm. Deliver poinsettias Dec. 19-24th. Thank you! Environment and Art: Give Us A Helping Hand Christmas setup is scheduled for Saturday, December 24th starting at 9:00 am. You can help with the linen setup, flowers or decorations for the entrances, hall, back wall and altar. Extra 6-8 foot ladders are also needed. Contact Zella Yanos at the parish office, 471-7766 (Mon.-Fri., 3:45-7:30 pm) or Beth Florendo at 487-3789. Thank you! New Year's Eve Dance Party Join us in greeting "Year 2006" with our New Year's Eve Dance Party. Lots of fun, great company, entertainment, food and drinks await you! Come celebrate with our new pastor, Father Geoffrey. Tickets @ $25 each are available from the following: Parish Office, Finance Council, Schola Cantorum (8am choir), Choir of Unity (12pm choir) and Knights of Columbus. Seating is limited. Payment is required for confirmation. St. Anne CYO, Girls Basketball All girls in grades 2-8 are eligible to play basketball for St. Anne's Parish. The program plays other Catholic Parishes in Newark and Fremont for league play in division levels of grades 3-8. We are trying something new this year: we have our sign-up forms put on the St. Anne Web page. Please download all the registration forms and print them out. Please fill out all the forms completely, and mail all the supporting documents to the address on the information face page. If you have friends that don't go to St. Anne, but would like to play, please feel free to tell them about the program. Practice will start in Feb. 06. Diocese Announcements no announcements this week Community Announcements Songs of Advent and Christmas, Holy Spirit Church, Fremont Come and hear the Holy Spirit Church choirs of all ages, plus the local Couples for Christ choir, in concert: Sunday, December 11th at 3:30 p.m. in the church. We’ll sing a variety of short choral pieces and favorite carols for all to sing. Please come, and find a bit of peace, joy and spiritual refreshment in the Advent season. 37588 Fremont Blvd at Central; call 510-797-3409 for further details. "The Forgotten Carols" Glenn Yarbrough, world-famous folk singer from the 1960s, will narrate and sing "The Forgotten Carols" on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 13 & 14, 8 PM, Old Mission San Jose, 43300 Mission Blvd., Fremont. A touching Christmas story with backup singing by the local Deo Gloria choir, directed by Sharon Xavier de Sousa. Tickets $25-$35. For information or reservations, please call 510-793-6375 or email acdocker@sbcglobal.net Finances Weekly Collections
SCRIP Program The Holidays are around the corner. Make your holiday shopping easier with great gift certificates.
Special Orders available too. If you shop at Albertson's and do not have a Community Card, pick one up in the SCRIP room after one of the Masses. All proceeds from this fund-raiser go toward the "Building Our Future" project. Home: |