January 11th - Weekly Newsletter

Holiday Concert, Coffee & Donuts Sunday, "Did you know?", and more ...

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My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord. I know them, and they follow me. Dear Friends,  Happy Wednesday, hope you have been able to enjoy the sunshine a bit lately! Holiday Concert -  There will be a Holiday Concert on Saturday, January 14th at 6:30 p.m. at St. Hedwig. Coffee and Donuts Sunday - After the 9:45 a.m. Mass this weekend, there will be an opportunity for continued fellowship and there will also be Coffee and Donuts! Black Christ of Esquipulas - On Sunday, there will be a reception in the Parish Hall following the 11:30 a.m. Mass celebrating the Black Christ of Esquipulas. 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! 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 ... ? 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. Photo Credit   Novena in Memory of Pope Benedict XVI The entire Church mourns the death of our Emeritus Holy Father, Benedict XVI. In cathedrals, basilicas, parish churches, shrines, and chapels the Holy Eucharist will be offered for the repose of his soul. Communities and individuals will ask God to bestow his infinite mercy on the man who served the Church as Bishop of Rome. This novena has been prepared to help pray for the Pope Emeritus during this time. The daily novena – lasting from his funeral on Thursday, January 5 through Friday, January 13 – consists of a short reading from Scripture or some other ecclesiastical text and some brief prayers, including orations drawn from the Roman Missal and the Order of Christian Funerals.   NOVENA in ENGLISH Novena en Memoria del Papa Benedicto XVI Toda la Iglesia lamenta la muerte de nuestro Santo Padre emérito, Benedicto XVI. En catedrales, basílicas, iglesias parroquiales, santuarios y capillas se ofrecerá la Sagrada Eucaristía para el descanso de su alma. Las comunidades y los individuos pedirán a Dios que conceda su infinita misericordia al hombre que sirvió a la Iglesia como Obispo de Roma. Esta novena ha sido preparada para ayudar a orar por el Papa emérito durante este tiempo de duelo. La novena diaria –que dura desde su funeral del jueves 5 de enero hasta el viernes 13 de enero– consiste en una breve lectura de las Escrituras o algún otro texto eclesiástico y algunas oraciones breves, incluyendo las oraciones extraídas del Misal Romano y del Ritual de exequias cristianas. NOVENA en ESPAÑOL Black Christ of Esquipulas   The statue of the Black Christ (El Cristo Negro) was commissioned by Spanish conquistadors for a church in Esquipulas. It was carved in 1594 by Quirio Cataño in Antigua and installed in the church in 1595. By 1603, a miracle had already been attributed to the icon, and it attracted increasing numbers of pilgrims over the years. The history of the Basilica begins in 1735, when a priest named Father Pedro Pardo de Figueroa experienced a miraculous cure after praying before the statue. When he became Archbishop of Guatemala, he commissioned a beautiful basilica to properly shelter the beloved statue. The church was completed in 1759. The main church, which the Vatican upgraded to the category of Basilica in 1968, is the home of the “Cristo Negro de Esquipulas” or “Black Christ of Esquipulas,” in English. It is one of the most popular images of the Catholic faith, because of the many miracles attributed to it, devotees all over the country pray to the Black Christ for personal petitions. The sculpture of the Black Christ dates back to 1595 and is made of cedar wood. It was commissioned by Spanish conquistadors for a church in Esquipulas. It was carved in 1594 by Quirio Cataño in Antigua and installed in the church in 1595. It inspires one of the most important Catholic pilgrimages, topped only by the Virgin of Guadeloupe in Mexico. Quirio Cataño sculpted the dramatic art piece in March 9, 1595. Nine years later, in 1603, it had already performed at least one miracle. In 1736, the Bishop of Guatemala XV and first metropolitan Archbishop Fray Pedro Pardo de Figueroa began the process of the construction of a grand Baroque temple to house the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas. On November 4, 1758, the church was inaugurated, that now shelters the venerated image . The Basilica Esquipulas is the second most important religious site in the Americas, after the Virgin of Guadeloupe in Mexico. Catholic Culture Being Catholic - Did you know?! Ordinary Time   If you come to Church on Sunday, you'll notice all the Christmas Decorations and Manger Scene have been taken down and the decorations and colors have changed. Why? Because the Christmas Season ended on Monday with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. We have now entered into a short stretch of "Ordinary Time" before Ash Wednesday and Lent. "The Easter cycle and Christmas cycle are so rich with religious traditions that the remainder of the year often seems ordinary at first glance. The remaining 33 or 34 weeks are in face called Ordinary Time. This title, however, does not mean that these weeks, and the Sundays around which they revolve, are unimportant. On the contrary, it is during these weeks that the special character of Sunday is experienced. Except for four special devotional feasts of Christ after Pentecost, no special theme "distracts" from the wonder of the original meaning of Sunday as the Lord's Day. Very few religious traditions are directly connected with the weeks of Ordinary Time. The traditional color used for liturgical vestments and church decoration is green, the color of hope and life. Other popular religious traditions occur briefly, but they are connected with other special holidays that are independent of the liturgical season, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving." ~Greg Dues "Catholic Customs & Traditions" “The biggest gift that God made to men was to send his only Son, Jesus Christ... It is very important to pray that Jesus Christ be loved and known by all peoples throughout the world.” 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|*