December 14th - Weekly Newsletter

Santa's Toy Closet, Christmas Mass Schedule, "Did you know?", and more ...

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Raise your voice and tell the Good News: Behold, the Lord GOD comes with power. Dear Friends,  Happy Wednesday everyone! Hope you're staying warm and dry ... Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish, Santa's Toy Closet - The Parish "Toy Closet" will be open THIS Sunday, December 18th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please see below for more information. Christmas Mass Schedule - We hope to see you at one of our Christmas Masses, see the schedule below. 9:45 a.m. Family Mass - Don't forget that THIS Sunday at the 9:45 a.m. Mass is our monthly "Family Mass". Bring your family to Church on this last Sunday of Advent. There will also be coffee and donuts afterwards! SJB School Christmas Concert - As many of you already know, the annual School Christmas Concert will be TOMORROW, December 15th at 6 p.m. Come one, come all! (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.) BCAP Food Pantry - The Parish Food Pantry, located at SJB, has been RESTOCKED and ready to distribute food to those in need. Please spread the word ... you do NOT have be a parishioner to receive food. Being Catholic - Did you know?! - Many of us grew up attending Catholic School, or CCD classes, etc ..., and knew "about" things, but we didn't really remember what they're called or knew the meaning behind a word/phrase. In this weekly newsletter, we will feature a "Did you know?!" It will sometimes be a word, or a place, or an object related to our Catholic Faith. So, did you know ... ? Parish Forms on the Website - https://www.carloacutisparish.org/parish-forms.html Did you know that many of our forms and requests are on our website? Inquiring about a Baptism ... Need a copy of your Baptismal Certificate ... Want to schedule your wedding? It's all on our website! Simply fill out the form and we'll get back to ya. Mass Intentions - All parishioners and friends are invited to request Mass intentions for those who have died, for loved ones on their birthdays or anniversaries, or for any other occasion or concern. As the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most powerful prayer of the Church, this is a very effective way to honor the living or pray for the dead. The suggested donation for these Masses is $10 per Mass. In order to ensure availability of your preferred day and time, please submit an electronic request on our website, or call the Parish Office at least two weeks in advance. Prayers for the Sick - Both in the Sunday Bulletin, and here in the Weekly Newsletter, we list the names of those who are in sick and in need of our prayers. If you would like to add you someone's name to the sick list, please email the Parish Office. Please also email us when it's ok to remove them from the sick list. This helps to ensure our list is up to date. MASKS are OPTIONAL - Use your best judgement when it comes to your own safety and the safety of others, and do not come to church if you are feeling ill. As always, be kind and respectful to one another if the person choses or not to wear a mask. Remember, we're all in this together! We hope to see you at one of the Masses this weekend, wear a mask or not, and don't forget to bring a friend or two!!    God Bless, see you in Church! Michael White, Director of Music and Liturgy AND Weekly Newsletter Editor Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish Mission Statement   We are a multicultural, intergenerational Catholic parish community of people who through the help of the Eucharist, are on the journey to learning about, celebrating, serving and proclaiming our faith in the Risen Jesus.   Vision Statement   Our vision is transforming spirits, hearts and minds.   Core Values   We are welcoming, learning, believing, serving, celebrating, understanding, sharing, diverse, community and focused on quality. Goals 1). To have vibrant, welcoming liturgies. 2). To be an evangelizing community. 3). To reach out to youth. 4). To provide social justice education and outreach to the poor.   Your input is welcome. Please send suggestions to Father Paul Sims, C.R. at [email protected]. Being Catholic - Did you know?! The "O Antiphons" of Advent   The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah. You may recognize these antiphons as the text for the Hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", which we sing at Mass during the Season of Advent. As we finish up the Season of Advent in this next week, try to include one of these Antiphons in your prayers starting on December 17th. Saint John of the Cross Saint of the Day for December 14 (June 24, 1542 – December 14, 1591) Saint John of the Cross’ Story John is a saint because his life was a heroic effort to live up to his name: “of the Cross.” The folly of the cross came to full realization in time. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34b) is the story of John’s life. The Paschal Mystery—through death to life—strongly marks John as reformer, mystic-poet, and theologian-priest. Ordained a Carmelite priest in 1567 at age 25, John met Teresa of Avila and like her, vowed himself to the primitive Rule of the Carmelites. As partner with Teresa and in his own right, John engaged in the work of reform, and came to experience the price of reform: increasing opposition, misunderstanding, persecution, imprisonment. He came to know the cross acutely—to experience the dying of Jesus—as he sat month after month in his dark, damp, narrow cell with only his God. Yet, the paradox! In this dying of imprisonment John came to life, uttering poetry. In the darkness of the dungeon, John’s spirit came into the Light. There are many mystics, many poets; John is unique as mystic-poet, expressing in his prison-cross the ecstasy of mystical union with God in the Spiritual Canticle. But as agony leads to ecstasy, so John had his Ascent to Mt. Carmel, as he named it in his prose masterpiece. As man-Christian-Carmelite, he experienced in himself this purifying ascent; as spiritual director, he sensed it in others; as psychologist-theologian, he described and analyzed it in his prose writings. His prose works are outstanding in underscoring the cost of discipleship, the path of union with God: rigorous discipline, abandonment, purification. Uniquely and strongly John underlines the gospel paradox: The cross leads to resurrection, agony to ecstasy, darkness to light, abandonment to possession, denial to self to union with God. If you want to save your life, you must lose it. John is truly “of the Cross.” He died at 49—a life short, but full.   Reflection In his life and writings, John of the Cross has a crucial word for us today. We tend to be rich, soft, comfortable. We shrink even from words like self-denial, mortification, purification, asceticism, discipline. We run from the cross. John’s message—like the gospel—is loud and clear: Don’t—if you really want to live! Saint John of the Cross is the Patron Saint of: Mystics ~ Franciscan Media “The only thing we have to ask God for, in prayer, is the desire to be holy.” Pope Francis is cautioning people not to get accustomed to the war in Ukraine, and is calling for the faithful to keep those suffering "this tragic reality" in our hearts and prayers. "The thought of the people of Ukraine, afflicted by war, should remain vivid in our hearts."  Please continue to pray for them. Online Book of Intentions   Praying for each other's intentions is an important part of our parish life. If you would like the parish to pray for your intention, please write the intention in a sentence or two in this Online "Book of Intentions."  These intentions will be remembered in our intercessions at our Sunday masses. Click HERE Please pray for the Sick of our Parish Fr. Paul Reicher, Martha Ibarra, Natividad Galeana, Doreen Maneely, Anna Mann, Nicole Vilches, Karel O’Brien,Angela Rivera, Mary Anne Sedey, Linda Klickmann, Barbara Durbin, Danny Olivero, Junior Burgos, Dolores Kryszak, Joseph Price, Teresa Ellison, Grace Gauss, Tallulah Andresen, Robert Bauer, Antionette Krerowicz, Ana Flores, Apolonio Alarcon, Antonio de Vera, Patricio A. Yanez Guerra, Manglio Bonilla Gail, Jason & Family, Basilisa M. De Guzman, Daniel Brady, Cyndi De Lira, Carolyn S. Duckunue, Transito Alvarez, Frances Alequin, Alejandro Carmona, Sophie Hernan, Eleanor Jura, Monika Kloniecka, Joseph Wyse, Verena Tonnesen, Berenice Sosnowski, Nick Jurado, Jackie Schuman, Terry Brady, Salomea Olszewska, Hertha Runowski, Angie Schuman, John Graff, Joseph Murphy, Linda Riske, Margaret Flisiak, Jazzmyne Aguilar, Hailey Marose, Sarah Ellison, Nancy Idaszak, Sally Cox, Daniel Salas, Eleanor Rylko, Nancy, Brian, Jimmy Denges, & Crystal Mohetano. Please follow us on our Social Media platforms by clicking the links below! View this email in your browser Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*