Office Hours Parish Staff Our Offices are open: Mo. 9am – 5pm Tu.-Th. 9am – 7pm Fri. Closed Sat. 10am -2pm Sun. Closed Our offices close for lunch: 1pm – 2pm daily Pastor Rev. Donald C. Baker [email protected]Associates: Rev. Msgr. Leslie J Ivers msgrlivers@stmonicanyc,org Rev. Joslin K. Jose [email protected]Pastoral Associate: Ms. Maryann Tyrer [email protected]Parish Manager: Mr. Michael Ward [email protected]Interim Music Director: Ms. Lora Cohan [email protected]Cantor: Mr. Joseph Neal Wedding Coordinator: Ms. Debbi Burdett [email protected]Mass Schedule Saturday: 12:00pm Saturday Vigil: 5:30pm Sunday: 7:30am 9:00am 10:30am 12:00pm 5:00pm Monday – Friday: 7:30 & 12:00pm Confessions: Saturday 5:00 – 5:30pm and by appointment Our church is open: 7am – 4pm daily for private prayer St. Stephen of Hungary School Pre-K through 8 th Grade Catholic Parochial School 408 East 82 nd St., New York, NY 10028 (212) 288-1989 Fax: (212) 517 – 5788 Principal: Ms. Caroline Walker www.saintstephenschool.org Interested in admissions to our parish school? [email protected]Church of Saint Monica Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Saint Stephen of Hungary ——————————————————————————————————————— 413 East 79 th St., New York, NY 10075 Church Offices and Parish Center: 406 East 80 th St., New York, NY 10075 (212) 288-6250 Fax: (212) 570 - 1562 Third Sunday of Advent– Sunday, December 17th, 2017
Saint Stephen of Hungary ———————————————————————————————————————
413 East 79th St., New York, NY 10075
Church Offices and Parish Center:
406 East 80th St., New York, NY 10075
(212) 288-6250 Fax: (212) 570 - 1562
Third Sunday of Advent– Sunday, December 17th, 2017
First Reading -- As a garden makes its growth spring up, so will GOD make justice spring up before all the nations (Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11). Psalm -- My soul rejoices in my God (Luke 1:46-50, 53-54). Second Reading -- Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24). Gospel -- I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord (John 1:6-8, 19-28). The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass (c) 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
SATURDAY December 16th Vigil 5:30 PM Brian Thompson
SUNDAY December 17th Third Sunday of Advent 7:30 AM Maria Mota 9:00 AM Frances Marzek 10:30 AM Mary & Walter Ferber 12 NOON Parishioners of St Monica, St Elizabeth of Hungary, St Stephen of Hungary 5:00 PM Joseph & Rose Zedrosser
MONDAY December 18th Late Advent Weekday 7:30AM Marie Greene 12NOON Deirdre Le Fevair
TUESDAY December 19th Late Advent Weekday 7:30 AM Kavanaugh Family 12 NOON Thanksgiving to St. Agata
WEDNESDAY December 20th Late Advent Weekday 7:30 AM Alt Family 12 NOON Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Finn
THURSDAY December 21st Late Advent Weekday 7:30AM Anderson Family 12NOON Stephen Geosits FRIDAY December 22nd Late Advent Weekday 7:30AM Magdalena & Raimund Perz 12NOON Maria Mota SATURDAY December 23rd Late Advent Weekday 12 NOON Mary, Matthew Tscherne & Family
TODAY’S READINGS
PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED
If you wish to add the name of a loved one to the prayer list, please notify the parish center: (212) 288-6250
SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES
PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
Please remember in your prayers Fr. Peter Colapietro, Fr. Jim Gavin, Rosemary
Catalano, Sotero Matta, James Baker, Kathleen Reddington, Bette Dewing, Ed Lucas, Benjamin Soleo, Roger & Franklin White, Manuel Cuenca, Edgardo Halagao, John Healey, John Shegina,
Tobias Bustamante, Victor Worizid, James Leung, Raymond Feeley, Broley Gus, Frank Krescanko,
Luis Gonzalez
AND ALL VICTIMS OF MILITARY ACTIVITY
Sunday: Third Sunday of Advent Thursday: St. Peter Canisius; Winter begins Saturday: St. John of Kanty
Monday: Jer 23:5-8; Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19; Mt 1:18-25 Tuesday: Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a; Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17; Lk 1:5-25 Wednesday: Is 7:10-14; Ps 24:1-4ab, 5-6; Lk 1:26-38 Thursday: Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a; Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Lk 1:39-45 Friday: 1 Sm 1:24-28; 1 Sm 2:1, 4-8abcd; Lk 1:46-56 Saturday: Mal 3:1-4, 23-24; Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-10, 14; Lk 1:57-66 Sunday: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29; Rom 16:25-27; Lk 1:26-38
Bridget Murray, Donald Fitzgerald, Patricia McGuire-Randt, Larry Eivens,
John Gambino, Donald Fitzgerald & Gerhard Goede,
Please pray for our deceased parishioners and family members
Sunday, Dec. 17 – K-8 Religious Education and Adult Faith Formation 10:15-11:45am.
No K-8 Religious Ed, Adult Faith Formation, or RCIA on Dec. 24 and 31. All sessions resume on January 7.
Catechist Assistants and Greeters Needed – Can you give us two hours of your time a cou-ple of Sundays a month? We need some extra adults to help with our larger classes, and to mind the front door of the parish center during Religious Education. Safe Environment train-ing will be provided. Middle School Catechist needed! We are grateful to Anh Duong for her awesome service, but she is moving away, and we need a catechist to work with our small but dynamic middle school group beginning in January. Maryann will provide training at your convenience.
Considering becoming Catholic? Catholic adult but not yet confirmed? Contact Maryann to continue your faith journey with our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults or Adult Confirmation processes.
All events are held in the Parish Center, 406 East 80th Street, unless otherwise specified. Contact our Pastoral Associate, Maryann Tyrer, with questions or to sign up for any of
Attention All Young Adults – On New Year’s Eve, we will have a champagne reception in the church following the 5pm Mass. Let’s worship together, and then toast the New Year before heading out to holiday parties.
Discover the Trail of Martin Luther The Reformation in Germany
Hosted by Father Donald C. Baker
September 12 – 22, 2018 11 days – 14 meals included
Highlights...
Mainz ● Worms ● Gutenberg Museum ● Erfurt
Wartburg Castle ● Lutherhaus ● Eisleben
Dresden ● Leipzig ● St. Thomas Church
Wittenberg ● St. Mary’s Church ● Berlin
Holiday Mass Schedules Masses for the 4th Sunday of Advent: Saturday, Dec. 23 at 5:30pm, and Sunday, Dec. 24 at 7:30am, 9am, 10:30am, and 12noon (no 5pm Mass!) Masses for Christmas (a Holy Day of Obligation): Sunday, Dec. 24 at 5:30pm Vigil (Family Mass), Mon-day, Dec. 25 at Midnight, 7:30am, 9am, 10:30am, and 12noon Masses for the Feast of the Holy Family (the Sunday after Christmas): Saturday, Dec. 30 at 5:30pm, and Sunday, Dec. 31 at 7:30am, 9am, 10:30am, 12noon, and 5pm Masses for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: Monday, January 1 at 9am
For information con-tact
Maryann Tyrer Pastoral Associate
St. Monica – St. Elizabeth of Hungary – St. Stephen of
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Every Friday after the Noon Mass to 3 PM, with Benediction following the Divine Mercy Chaplet
Devotions
Miraculous Medal on Mondays after each Mass
Divine Mercy The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed each Friday
afternoon at 3 PM
Sacrament of Reconciliation: 5:00 PM on Saturdays Anytime by appointment
TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION
BAPTISMS & MARRIAGES: Please call the rectory office for more information.
COMMUNION FOR THE
HOMEBOUND: If you know of anyone who cannot attend church because
of illness or age, and would like to have communion brought to them, please contact the parish office, so that
we can arrange for a Eucharistic Minister to bring communion to them.
Last week, we looked at a form of nativity scene called a presipio, characterized by framing the crèche of Jesus with a vast array of personalities and a rich geographical con-text. The tradition was carried to the New World, and finds very rich expression in Latin America today. While in Europe the presepio was reserved mostly to the homes of wealthy nobles and great churches, in Latin America it was claimed by the poor and expressed the skills of native artisans. In Mexico, you can still find clay figures in every village market. In a way, the native people took the reli-gion of Spanish rule and baptized it with their Indian cul-ture by surrounding the crib of Jesus with local geography and people. In Brazil, where Christmas falls in summer, the figure of the baby Jesus is wrapped in gold and gems, and set on a hillside surrounded by flowers and animals of all kinds. Sometimes there is a double presepio, presenting both Nativity and Crucifixion. In some places in Latin America, even non-religious peo-ple take care to have a presepio in the home, sometimes dedicating one whole room in the house or apartment to the scene. Some cities have markets where people from the countryside sell plants and figurines. In Cuzco, churches and families provide hot chocolate for the chil-dren of the poor who come down to help create the nativi-ty scenes. In Paraguay, the baby Jesus grows--the small infant who arrives on Christmas Eve is replaced at New Year with a toddler Jesus who holds in one hand the globe and in the other a cross. Few Christmas traditions have the vitality and variety of presepios and crèches honoring the Nativity. --Rev. James Field, Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co.
On Thanksgiving Day , the 9th Annual Thanksgiving dinner was held in St. Stephen
of Hungary Auditorium. The day was a huge success! We could not have done it
with out the generous of our local merchants and organizations, including:
Ottomanelli’s
Morton & Williams
D’Agostino’s
Gracie Mews Diner
Three Star Diner
Eva’s Garden Shop
CERTS (Community Emergency Relief Team)
Glaser’s Bake Shop
Fairway
Two Little Red Hens
Big John’s Moving Company
Le Pain Quotidien
Agata & Valentina
East 82nd Street Greenmarket
Tony’s Farm /Deli
St. Stephen School Students
Students from St. Vincent Ferrer
All Our Friends & Neighbors in the Community
Also, Thank You
To all parishioners who donated to and volunteered for this event.
THANKSGIVING
We are looking for volunteers to
decorate the Church for Christmas
for the 3rd Weekend of Advent .
A decorating session will be held
Friday, December 22nd at 6pm
If interested, please call the Parish
office to sign up.
Dear Parishioners, Your Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts would like to thank you for supporting
our fund raising event for Caney Creek High School in Texas and the Girl Scouts of the Caribe.
You helped us raise $1,200 which we were able to
split equally between the two causes.
Your generosity will help many young adults and sister scouts enjoy their holidays a little bit more.
Rejoice! I am told that many New Yorkers are bird watchers. They travel all over the city to catch a glimpse of birds (Goldfinches? Black Throated Green Warblers?) that show up in our city’s parks. Well if you keep your eyes open today you yourself will be glimpse a rare bird - a rose breasted priest! Indeed, this sighting hap-pens only twice a year – on the 3rd Sunday of Advent and the 4th Sunday of Lent. On these days, the Church asks her priests and deacons to wear rose (pink)-colored vestments. Originally, Advent was a forty-day feast of penance and preparation for Christmas, (just as Lent is for East-er) beginning after the feast of St. Martin on November 11th. Abstinence from meat and dairy was a part of this fast, as well as other penitential practices. But six weeks is a long time. So, in both seasons, a week was established where the disciplines were light-ened, and people could relax before the final plunge into the penitential preparation for Christmas or Easter. These weeks became the third week of Advent and fourth week of Lent. Churches were decorated with dif-ferent colors throughout the year to tell people where they were in the Church’s liturgical year. The color for both Advent and Lent was purple – a color associated with royalty due to the cost of purple dye. Thus, dur-ing the weeks of lighter fasting and penance, the color was lightened, from deep purple to a lighter rose col-or. Although Lent still retains its fasting and abstinence, Advent’s focus is now expectation and hope. The only remnants of the older penitential emphasis are in folk customs – like the dinner of the seven fishes Italians eat on Christmas Eve (fish – no meat). However, the lighting of the rose-colored candle on Advent wreath remains a powerful visual sign, that the time of waiting is almost over and the celebration of Christmas is at hand. Officially, the Sundays of Advent all have names. The names come from the first word in the official re-sponsorial psalm that is supposed to be sung at the start of mass. The name of the third Sunday in Advent is Gaudete Sunday. It comes from the response for the Psalm which is “Rejoice(Gaudete) in the Lord always again I say rejoice” (which actually comes from Philippians 4:4–6). By the way, did you know that there are official psalms that we are supposed to sing at the start of mass? There are. Hymns, which we normally sing, are permitted by the Church – however the norm is this psalm, which is called the Introit. The only time we normally hear the Introit is the Entrance Antiphon used at daily mass. It is that little phrase the priest reads before he says, “In the name of the Father and of the Son . . ..” and all make the sign of the cross at the start of mass. I am very aware of these Introits. I have been hearing them all week. For although you will see me wearing rose vestments this weekend, as I am writing this I am on retreat with the Benedictine monks of St. Meinrad Archabbey in Southern Indiana. It has been for me what Advent should be for everyone – a time of restful preparation for the celebration of Christmas. Rejoice! Christmas is almost here. May you all find a bit of that rest in the coming week! Father Baker
COVER SHEET
CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS 511510: Church of St. Monica/ St Elizabeth of Hungary / St Stephen of Hungary 406 East 80th Street, NYC., NY 10075 PHONE: 212 288-6250 CONTACT PERSON: Office SOFTWARE: Windows XP Professional Microsoft Word 2010 Adobe Acrobat X Microsoft Publisher PRINTER: Adobe PDF NUMBER OF PAGES: Cover + 6 content pages + this page = 8 (8-S-JL) SUNDAY DATE OF PUBLICATION: December 17th, 2017 TRANSMISSION TIME: SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:
