Holy Rosary Catholic Church December 14, 2014 — Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent)

Rev. Fr. Bryan W. Jerabek, J.C.L., Parish Administrator Fr. Jerabek may be reached at St. Barnabas Catholic Church, 205-833-0334

Sunday Mass – 8:30am

Wednesday Mass – 8:00am

Rosary – Before all Masses

Confession – Sunday 8:00am a nd u pon r e q u es t

7414 Georgia Road

Birmingham, Alabama 35212 http://www.holyrosarybirmingham.com

holyrosarybirmingham@gmail.com

205-595-0652

Mailing – P.O. Box 321576 – Birmingham, AL 35232

Third Sunday of Advent – December 14, 2014 – Brothers and sisters: rejoice always.

Parish Mass Intentions

Sunday 12/14 People of the Parishes Wednesday 12/17 Fr. Michael Wrigley+ Sunday 12/21 None scheduled

To request a Mass intention, please speak with Father Jerabek.

Our Prayers Go Out

In solidarity with the Pope: that parents may be true evangelizers, passing on to their children the precious gift of faith.

For those suffering as a result of unrest in South Sudan: especially Christians who are being hurt.

For the sick: especially Bishop Baker, Deb & Michael, Mary (Father Tony’s sister), Mildred & Don.

For Coach Harri: that his ankle and foot may heal quickly.

For the repose of Faye Goff’s soul, and that her family, who cared for her for so long, know God’s peace.

For a special intention for Romel.

Scripture Readings for Next Sunday – 12/21

1st Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16 Responsorial: Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27-29 2nd Reading: Romans 16:25-27 Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Parish Calendars

Our 2015 parish calendars will be blessed and distributed at the end of Mass next Sunday, December 21. We pray that this blessing will extend to every day of the upcoming year!

RCIA – Instruction in the Catholic Faith (at St B)

The final class for the year will be on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 6:30pm in the Fireside Room at St. Barnabas. Classes will resume after New Year.

COATS NEEDED

As every year, we have noticed several children coming to our youth program not dressed appropriately for the weather. Coach Murphy would like to be able to offer jackets to them. Please talk to your family and friends and take up a collection of no-longer-needed children’s jackets for the church; they will go to good use!

CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR SCHEDULES HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION

Plan ahead so that you can fulfill your religious obligations! Missing Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation is objectively a mortal sin (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2181), requiring sacramental confession to be forgiven.

Wednesday-Thursday, December 24-25 Christmas: The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Mass at Holy Rosary: 8:30am Xmas Day Mass

Masses at St. Barnabas: 5:00pm Xmas Eve Family Mass (4:30pm Carols) 8:30pm Xmas Eve Spanish Mass 10:00am Xmas Day Mass

Wednesday-Thursday, December 31-January 1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Mass at Holy Rosary: 8:30am New Year’s Day

Masses at St. Barnabas: 6:00pm New Year’s Eve 7:00am & 8:30am New Year’s Day

NEW! Senior Citizens’ Lunch at St. Barnabas

The monthly Senior Citizen Mass and Luncheon at St. Barnabas will take place on Thursday, December 18, with Mass in the Church at 12noon followed by lunch and bingo in the School cafeteria. All “seniors” and retired parishioners and friends are invited to attend. A donation of $5.00 (or for workers, $4.00) is suggested to defray the cost of food and prizes.

NEW! Holiday Help

Check with Don Monin! With the holidays there may be a need for some extra help in the Food Pantry or Clothes Closet, as regular volunteers take days off to prepare for their family holidays and travel. Perhaps you can come by and train one day and then help on another?

NEW! Knights Meeting and Other News

The Knights of Columbus will meet at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Thursday, December 18 – Mass at 6:30pm, followed by a Business Meeting at 7:00pm. The Knights will also soon be collecting children's coats, reading materials, and flash cards. The drive will be on the weekends of December 20/21 and December 27/28. Start spreading the word! We will collect both new and gently used coats and learning materials.

2015 Offering Envelopes

Offering Envelopes for the coming year are now available in the back of the church. This service costs the parish a sizable amount, so please use your envelopes! For those who give cash in the collection, it is not possible for the parish to issue a contribution statement at the end of the year (for tax purposes), unless the contributions have been made through envelopes. Thank you to all of our faithful envelope users! — Fr. Jerabek

TODAY: Advent Service at Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Lourdes will host a traditional Holy Hour w/ Benediction today, Sunday, December 14 at 3:00pm, in the church. All are invited! Diocesan Priest Necrology

Please pray for the following deceased priests: 12/01/1999 Fr. Timothy Burns 12/03/1972 Msgr. Francis McCormack 12/10/1971 Fr. Sean O’Connor 12/13/1988 Fr. Thomas Sadler 12/17/2013 Fr. Michael Wrigley 12/26/1983 Msgr. John McGonegle

GENERAL PARISH INFORMATION

Baptisms – Contact Father Jerabek, preferably during the pregnancy so as to be able to schedule the baptism soon after birth.

Weddings – Contact Father Jerabek no less than six months in advance, to begin preparations.

Anointing of the Sick – For those who begin to be in danger of death due to serious illness and/or old age. Discuss with Father Jerabek to determine if now is the right time for this sacrament; in sacramental emergencies, call Father at 833-0334 at any time, day or night.

Food Pantry and Clothes Closet – Open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 10:00am – 12:00pm for residents of the 35212 zip code; registration required.

Youth Program – Monday to Friday, 3:00 – 5:00pm. Open to students from Gate City. Tutors are available to assist with homework, then games are available on the basketball court (inside the Oratory in case of rain). Contact Coach Allen Murphy at 595-0652. Could you help tutor for just one hour per week? Please let Coach know!

Soccer Program – Will resume after the new year. Contact Harri Haikala at 492-4245 for more information.

Our Wonderful Catholic Faith

Not Thusly For Any Other

I would be surprised to hear of a church in Mexico that did not have a special altar dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe: her image is surely in every Mexican church, to say nothing of the countless other places – public and private – that it can be found in that beautiful country. The Mexican people have a remarkable devotion to Mary under this title. And this past Friday, December 12, we celebrated her feast, the 483rd anniversary of her appearance on the Tepeyac Hill in what is now Mexico City (1531).

In many of the older Mexican churches, near the image of La Guadalupana, there is also a Latin inscription, taken from Psalm 147. It says, “NON FECIT TALITER OMNI NATIONI” – in English, “He has not done thus for any other nation”. The association of this psalm verse with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe arises from something that happened in 1754. A Jesuit priest from Mexico brought a painted copy of the image to Rome, to Pope Benedict XIV, and recounted to him the history of the apparition and the great wonders that followed thereafter. Upon hearing about it, the Holy Father fell to his knees and exclaimed this Latin phrase – a phrase that he would have known by heart, since he would have prayed it at least weekly in the Breviary.

Well, what were the great wonders that followed Our Lady’s appearance in 1531? By that point the Spanish conquistadores had already been in Mexico for about 15 years, along with their missionaries (principally Franciscan and Dominican priests), trying to convert the native peoples to Catholicism – with very little success. Once Our Lady appeared, however, Mexico became Catholic. Within ten years, nine million people were baptized. As Cardinal Ratzinger once wrote, “In Mexico, at first, absolutely nothing could

be done about missionary work – until the occurrence of that phenomenon at Guadalupe, and then the Son was suddenly near by way of his Mother... and suddenly the Christian religion no longer wears the terrible face of the conqueror but the kindly face of the Mother.”

God had truly not done thus for any other nation, intervening through his Mother, to work such a prodigy of conversions in such a short time after such a period of failed missionary efforts! Again: nine million new Catholics in only ten years!

Pope Francis has repeatedly reminded us that the Church is missionary in nature – that we are called to go out as missionaries into our world and bring Christ to others. Our Lady of Guadalupe has also been proposed as the special patroness of the New Evangelization. May we learn from her, then: may we show to others the kindly face of God’s love. The Lord himself taught us this powerful lesson, at Tepeyac Hill, 483 years ago. He has not done thus for any other nation!

— Father Jerabek