January 8, 2006 BulletinTHE EPIPHANY OF THE
LORD
January 8, 2006 Week of Jan. 9, 2005 - Jan. 15, 2006 All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him --Psalm 72:11 Today's Readings Readings for the Week Priest Intentions for the Week Announcements --Parish ----School of Faith and Formation ----Youth Ministry and Confirmation ----Other Parish Announcements --Diocese --Community Finances Today's Readings First Reading -- You shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow (Isaiah 60:1-6). Psalm -- Lord, every nation on earth will adore you (Psalm 72). Second Reading -- The Gentiles are copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6). Gospel -- The magi were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother (Matthew 2:1-12). PARTNERS IN THE PROMISE As a society, during these days we can be in something of a "postpartum" depression. Our celebrations of Christmas and the New Year are over, and after today many of us will put away the decorations and the last visible remnants of the celebrations of the past weeks. The apostle Paul today uses the expression "partners in the promise." This is an uplifting phrase for us to reflect upon, and to think of as our own calling in these days following the birth of the Lord. What is this promise? We can find it in the gifts the magi bring: it is a promise of being a royal priesthood (gold), a holy nation (frankincense), a people set apart for self-giving (myrrh). We find more of the promise in Isaiah--a light shines upon us! In the psalm we know a promise of a world of flowering justice, profound peace, the poor rescued, pity for the lowly and the poor. This is the promise; and one of the best ways for us to lift ourselves out of any possible low spirits we may be suffering is to live out our partnership in this promise each and every day. (c) Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co. TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION Epiphany celebrates the wake-up calls of life, the showings of God's majesty and power in the person of Jesus. The feast alerts us to look for signs of the Lord's grace and action in our lives today. In this context, the call of the Second Vatican Council to reform the sacramental life of the Church, including our pattern of care for the sick, is indeed a holy awakening. Prior to the 1960s, our care for the sick had collapsed in the popular imagination into something everyone called "last rites." An immensely complicated ritual, with anointing accompanied by quickly muttered Latin prayers, was enacted for a marginally conscious person at "death's door." By the time a priest was called, the sick person might not be able to receive viaticum, or derive much personal benefit from the ritual. The healing effects of the sacrament, investing suffering with the dignity of a link to Christ's cross, and the immense assurance of forgiveness for a person reviewing the life journey, were hidden. Suddenly, an epiphany swept through the Church, and the way we care for the sick was utterly transformed. Next week, we'll begin looking at the Church's pastoral plan for caring for you in sickness. --James Field, (c) Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co. Readings for the Week
Priest Intentions
Announcements School of Faith & Formation First Communion: We are Forgiven This week the young people of the parish preparing for Reconciliation are reflecting on the story of the prodigal son and the forgiving father. Each time we pray the Our Father we are reminded of God's forgiving love and our call, as children of God, to share that forgiving love with others. How do we, as a parish, welcome people unconditionally with a heart filled with joy? Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday No Classes on Monday, January 16 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Youth Ministry and Confirmation Youth Ministry St. Anne Youth Ministry will not meet until after the New Year! Our next meeting will be Monday, January 9, 2006! Confirmation Confirmation candidates are reminded that we are meeting on Sunday, January 8 at 3:30 p.m. in the Hall. See you there! EMMAUS Peer Ministry Meeting There will be a EMMAUS Peer Ministry Meeting on Sunday, January 8 at 10:00 a.m. in classroom #3. Youth Ministry SNOWTRIP Now that the rains are here that means SNOW in the hills! St. Anne's is joining with Corpus Christi in Fremont and St. Joseph's in Pinole and renting a bus for a one-day snow trip to Dodge Ridge and Leland Meadows. So whether you ski, snowboard or just want to go sledding...this trip is for you! The date of the trip is Saturday, February 12, 2006. There are fifteen (15) spots open for youth and/or young adults. To sign up, or for more information, please email the Youth Ministry Office at: stayouthministry@sbcglobal.net Other Parish Announcements New to the Parish? Please Register If you are new to the parish (or have been here awhile), please stop by the parish office and fill out a registration form. 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 JESUS SAID; "Blessed are the sorrowing, they shall be consoled. Come to me all who labor and are burdened. I will give you rest" Come join our grief support group. A safe haven for grievers to walk through their grief process. Give yourself permission to grieve. Grieving is the way towards healing. Our group offers compassion, companionship and personal understanding for we have also lost loved ones and know the pain and the healings! The following are the dates and times for the Wednesday night meetings: January 11, 2006, January 25, 2006 February 8, 2006, February 22, 2006 March 8, 2006, March 22, 2006 All meetings 6:30-8:30 pm at the St. Anne Group Meeting Room 101. No reservations are needed. For more information call, Roseann Langley 510-471-6545 or email VIINBUR@AOL.COM God is guiding you, He has a plan and purpose for you. You never walk alone. He will give you strength to carry on! We would like to add special thank you to business food donators for our Christmas Party, Bronco Billy Pizza, Goldilock's Bakery and Tony Roma's Restaurant. And thank you to Francis Rojas and the Youth Choir who sang terrific Christmas Carols....Awesome Young People! 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. SPRED: Can You Help? There are 6 children with special needs on a waiting list to begin their journey in faith. A new year begins and you have the opportunity to "start anew!" You are being invited to join the SPRED community here at St. Anne for children 11-16. Training is provided; the one requisite is a desire to share and grow in faith with others. So, reach out for this golden opportunity - a chance to share your faith. Every child has the right to grow in the faith and life of their parish community. You can make it happen. To learn more about this ministry please call Warren Chauvin @785-9321, Maria Garcia @471-5798 or Geneveva Bagaoisan @471-9128. Free-throw Contest St. Anne Knights of Columbus council # 8627, in cooperation with St. Anne CYO, is conducting their annual KofC Free-throw Contest on January 27th, 6:00pm at the Alvarado Middle School gymnasium. The contest is open to all boys and girls ages 10-14, (proof of age is required). Certificates and trophies will be awarded to winners. Winners can have the chance to further advance in the district, state and nationwide free-throw contest. For contest registration, rules and regulations, please contact the following: GK Ed Lerona - 510-329-2671, Bro. Chris Hernandez - 510-429-0242 or CYO Youth Dir. Tom Kells - c/o St. Anne - 510-471-7766. Diocese Announcements no announcements this week Community Announcements Walk for Life Join our second annual Walk for Life - West Coast, on Saturday, January 21, in San Francisco, to show support for all those who have been hurt by abortion. There is an 8:00 am Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral and the walk at 11:00 am, Justin Herman Plaza. The walk along San Francisco's waterfront will commence with a short series of speeches. Come join thousands as we celebrate life! For more information call 415-596-1576 or www.walkforlifewc.com . Finances Weekly Collections
SCRIP Program
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: |