December 28th - Weekly Newsletter

Prayers for Pope Emeritus Benedict, about the Christmas Season and more...

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We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Dear Friends,  Happy Wednesday everyone, so good to see so many of you at our Christmas Masses this past week! Let us try and keep that Christmas spirit going for days to come ... Prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict -  At the end of his general audience today, Pope Francis has asked the Universal Church to pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict whose health has declined.  December 31/January 1st Mass Schedule - The USUAL Weekend Mass schedule will be celebrated at both churches this weekend for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. MASKS are still OPTIONAL, BUT ...  With Covid and the Flu on the rise, please 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! Feast of the Holy Innocents - Today the church remembers those who were slaughtered as King Herod orders the massacre of all boys 2 and below in jealousy over the birth of Jesus. 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. 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. 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 pasims@ameritech.net. The Christmas Season   This year our Liturgical Calendar is quite unique in respect to when we celebrate the different Feasts and events during the Christmas Season! See if you can follow me here ... As you know, Christmas was on a Sunday this year! The Feast of the Holy Family would normally place on the Sunday after Christmas,  unless Christmas is celebrated on a Sunday (as it was this year). So, it is instead celebrated on December 3oth. Why? Because the end of the Octave of Christmas (Octave meaning 8 days, including the Feasts) is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, which is a Sunday this year! And then we know that the Epiphany or the Feast of the Three Kings is celebrated on January 6th in most places ... except in the US Church, where it's transferred to the first Sunday AFTER January 1st. So, on Sunday, January 8th, the US Church will celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. Unlike popular belief, the official end to the Christmas Season in the Catholic Church is not the Feast of the Three Kings, but rather the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is normally celebrated on the Sunday AFTER January 6th, except when Epiphany falls on Sunday January 7th or 8th (which it does this year on the 8th) in which case we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord on Monday the 9th. Long story/short ... Friday, December 30th is the Feast of the Holy Family Sunday, January 1st is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Sunday, January 8th is the Feast of the Epiphany Monday, January 9th is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. If you had trouble following that don't worry, many of us "in the business" are confused by it as well! So keep those Christmas decorations up until Monday, January 9th if you can!! Saints of the Day for December 28 The Story of the Holy Innocents Herod “the Great,” king of Judea, was unpopular with his people because of his connections with the Romans and his religious indifference. Hence he was insecure and fearful of any threat to his throne. He was a master politician and a tyrant capable of extreme brutality. He killed his wife, his brother, and his sister’s two husbands, to name only a few. Matthew 2:1-18 tells this story: Herod was “greatly troubled” when astrologers from the east came asking the whereabouts of “the newborn king of the Jews,” whose star they had seen. They were told that the Jewish Scriptures named Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born. Herod cunningly told them to report back to him so that he could also “do him homage.” They found Jesus, offered him their gifts, and warned by an angel, avoided Herod on their way home. Jesus escaped to Egypt. Herod became furious and “ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under.” The horror of the massacre and the devastation of the mothers and fathers led Matthew to quote Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children…” (Matthew 2:18). Rachel was the wife of Jacob (Israel). She is pictured as weeping at the place where the Israelites were herded together by the conquering Assyrians for their march into captivity. Reflection The Holy Innocents are few in comparison to the genocide and abortion of our day. But even if there had been only one, we recognize the greatest treasure God put on the earth—a human person, destined for eternity, and graced by Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Holy Innocents are the Patron Saints of: Babies ~ Franciscan Media “The Virgin Mary is the only woman in my life.” 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. 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