Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church 300 Fulton Street ▪ Redwood City, CA 94062

Tel. (650) 366-3802 ▪ Fax: (650) 366-1421 parish@mountcarmel.org pastor@mountcarmel.org ▪ www.mountcarmel.org

Parish Center Hours Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Mass Schedule Sunday: 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm (español), and 5pm Saturday: 8: 15 am and 5:00 pm Vigil Mass Monday to Friday 8:15 am Reconciliation/Confession Saturday 3:30 –4:30 p.m.

Parish Staff Pastor: Rev. Ulysses D’Aquila - 306-9583 Deacon: Rev. Mr. Thomas J. Boyle - 366-3802 Principal: Teresa Anthony - 366-6127 Development: Nori Jabba - 366-8817 Kid’s Place: Maureen Arnott – 366-6587 CCD: Magdalena Hernández - 368-8237 Youth Ministry: Kendra & Jason Rickwald - 918-0815 Youth Confirmation: Paula Martinez – 366-6194 Director of Music: Bianca Remlinger - 366-3802 Spanish Music Ministry: Andres Garcia -366 -3802 Administrative Assistant: Alba Canelo – 366 -3802

Baptisms / Bautismos Call parish at least two months in advance. Llame a la parroquia a lo menos dos meses antes. Weddings / Bodas Call parish at least six months in advance Llame a la parroquia a lo menos seis meses antes.

Mission Statement Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish is a Christ-centered community in the Roman Catholic tradition. We try to share the Good News of salvation with others. As a diverse community, we value and respect individual differences. As God’s people, we gather in the Spirit to pray, to celebrate the sacraments, to teach, to learn, to console, to rejoice, to minister and to renew our faith with one another.

Second Sunday of Advent December 6, 2015

Notas del Párroco

It is fitting that, during these four weeks of Advent as we await the birth of our Lord Jesus at Christmas, we should honor his

Blessed Mother in a special way. There are two major celebrations of Mary that both occur this coming week, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. The first of these refers to a theological dogma concerning Mary’s birth, while the second recalls Mary’s four apparitions to an Indian, Juan Diego, at Tepeyac (a hill near Mexico

City) in the year 1531. The phrase ‘Immaculate Conception’ has understandably caused confusion. It does not refer to Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus, nor does it have anything to do with the way Mary was conceived by her parents, Anne and Joaquim. The dogma, instead, holds that the Blessed Vir-gin Mary was “from the first moment of her conception, by the singular grace and privilege of almighty God and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ the Savior of the human race, preserved free from all stain of original sin.” In other words, although Mary was fully human in every way, to make her a more suita-ble vessel for the reception of Christ, God brought about Mary’s redemption the moment she came into being. In the Catholic imagination, this signifies God’s ultimate power over the forces of evil and sin in the world. While no human person, including Mary herself, has ever escaped the consequences of sin – physical suffering, the effects of political corruption and social injustice, and death itself – God’s grace allows us to overcome negativity and to triumph over evil. Mary modeled this grace for us from the beginning when she assented to be the mother of Jesus, submitting to God’s will by her own ‘yes’. In doing so, she risked her reputation and her safety, and she continued to take those risks in following her Son all the way to the cross. Her appearance to Juan Diego as the Lady of Guadalupe was an assurance to the native people of Mexico that she was their protector and their compassionate mother. Devotion to Guada-lupe has continued to inspire the people of the Americas where Mary is seen as an advocate for the oppressed, the powerless and the poor. In 1830, the Blessed Mother appeared to a French nun, Catherine Labouré. In this vision, Mary was stand-ing on a globe with rays of light streaming from her hands. Surrounding her were the words, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.” Twenty-eight years later, Mary appeared again, this time to a young peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous. When asked by Bernadette to identify herself, our Lady responded, “I am the Immaculate Concep-tion.” The many healings at the waters of Lourdes attest to Mary’s loving concern for us.

Es apropiado que, durante estas cuatro semanas de Adviento, mientras esperamos el nacimiento de nuestro Señor Jesús en la Navidad, debemos honrar a su Madre Santísima de una

manera especial. Hay dos grandes fiestas de María que toman lugar en la semana que viene, la solemnidad de la Inmaculada Concepción el 8 de diciembre, y la Fiesta de Nuestra Se-ñora de Guadalupe el 12 de diciem-bre. La primera de ellas se refiere a un dogma teológico acerca del nacimien-to de María, mientras que la segunda recuerda las cuatro apariciones de María a Juan Diego, en el cerro de Tepeyac en el año 1531. La frase

"Inmaculada Concepción" ha causado confusión. No se refiere a la concepción virginal de María de Jesús, ni tiene nada que ver con la forma en que María fue concebida por sus padres, Ana y Joaquín. El dogma, en cambio, dice que la Santísima Virgen María fue "desde el primer momento de su concepción, por la singular gracia y privilegio de Dios omnipotente y en vista de los méritos de Jesucristo, fue preservada libre de toda mancha del pecado original.” En otras palabras, aunque María era totalmente humana en todos los sentidos, era para hacerla digna para recibir a Cristo, Dios dio la redención del pecado original a María desde el momento de su concepción. Para nosotros los católicos, esto significa el poder que Dios tiene sobre las fuerzas del mal y del pecado en el mundo. Mientras que ninguna persona humana, incluyendo la propia María, ha escapado las consecuencias del pecado - el sufrimiento físico, los efectos de la corrupción política, la injusticia social, y la misma muerte - la gracia de Dios nos permite superar la nega-tividad y triunfar sobre el mal. María modeló esta gracia para nosotros desde el principio cuando ella aceptó ser la madre de Jesús, sometiéndose a la voluntad de Dios por su propio "sí". Al hacerlo, ella arriesgó su reputación y su seguridad, y conti-nuó tomando esos riesgos al seguir a su Hijo hasta la cruz. Su aparición a Juan Diego como la Señora de Guadalupe era una garantía para las personas nativas de México de que ella era su protectora y su madre compasiva. La devoción a Guadalu-pe ha seguido inspirando a la gente de las Américas donde María es vista como una defensora de los oprimidos, los débi-les y los pobres. En 1830, la Virgen se apareció a una monja francesa, Catalina Labouré. En esta visión, María estaba de pie en un globo con rayos de luz brillando de sus manos. Alre-dedor de ella se lee las palabras: "Oh María, sin pecado con-cebida, ruega por nosotros que recurrimos a ti." Veintiocho años después, María se apareció de nuevo en Francia, esta vez a una joven campesina, Bernadette Soubirous. Cuando Bernadette le preguntó que se identificara, la Virgen respondió: "Yo soy la Inmaculada Concepción". Las numerosas curacio-nes en las aguas de Lourdes demuestras la preocupación amorosa que la Santísima Virgen María tiene para nosotros.

Notes from the Pastor

Fr. Ulysses

PARISH COLLECTION ENVELOPES 2016 For those of you who are regular users of the Parish Collection Enve‐lopes, please note that they are now available in the Parish Office.

NEWS Please welcome into the Cat-echumenate, those seeking baptism, confirmation, and 1st eucharist , Ismael Salinas, Bobby Asem, and Maitai Tangufauwho, Adolfo Cruz, Michelle Fuentes, Damian Gonzalez,

Larisa Montiel, Algela Ramirez, Rachel Salinas, Alberto Santibañez, Oswaldo Santibañez, Gisella Solchaga and Zoe Zemanek.

Also celebrating the Rite of Acceptance and the Rite of Welcome, are Carlos Bedregal, Clara Nava, Alex Perez, Lorena Betancourt, Alejandro Garcia, Joseph Vinet, and Andres Garcia. They are Catholic Candi-dates seeking to complete their sacraments and be-come full members of the Church.

Branch 6 of the Italian Catholic Federation

Invites you to their annual Christmas dinner on De-cember 9th at 6:30pm in the small hall. There is no charge for the dinner but each person must bring an unwrapped gift for an adult or child. The menu is honey ham, sweet potatoes, salad, focaccia bread, holi-day punch, wine, coffee, tea and dessert. Please re-serve by December 7 by calling Sylvia Row, 650-368-1795.

La Sociedad Guadalupana De la Iglesia de Mt. Carmel, los invita a su tradicional Fiesta en honor a Nuestra Señora de Gua‐dalupe.

Sábado 12 de Diciembre, 2015 a las 7:00 PM

Misa y Serenata comenzando a las 7:00 pm. (Después de Misa se ofrecerá Chocolate y Pan)

Domingo 13 de Dicembre Misa Solemne a las 12:00 pm Oficiada por nuestro Párroco Rev. Ulysses D’Aqui‐la. Tendremos Mariachi, Danza Azteca y la drama‐tización de las Apariciones de la Virgen a San Juan Die‐go. La celebración se ini‐ciará con una procesión con las familias que traigan flo‐res a la Virgen. Después de Misa, todos están cordial‐mente invitados a celebrar en el Salón Grande de la Iglesia Mt. Carmel, 300 Fulton St., Redwood City, CA.

ARCHBISHOP’S ANNUAL APPEAL 2015 Thank all of you who have contributed to the Archbishop Annual Appeal. Our assessment for 2015 is $64,500. To date we have received 57,930. Our balance $7,270. Please consider how you can help us meet our goal.

Christmas Eve Family Mass

Children of the school and parish (grades K‐5) are invit‐ed to participate in the Entrance Procession at the 4:00 pm Christmas Eve Family Mass. Children will dress in costumes (they will be provided) and carry orna‐ments or birthday cards in the entrance procession be‐fore the mass begins. You must be able to meet in the back of the church at 3:30 pm on December 24th. If you are interested in participating, please email Karen Samons at kaegs@aol.com with your child’s name and grade. Please response by Friday, December 18th so we will be able to have an accurate head count.

Saturday, December 5, 5:00 PM Alison Huber † Sunday, December 6: 8:00 AM Charles and Theresa Elacqua † 10:00 AM Aimee Barias (int.) 12:00 PM(Español) Juvenal Contreras Salas † 5:00 PM Raymond Albano † Monday, December 7, 8:15 AM Augusto Saguin † Tuesday, December 8, 8:15 AM Cecilia Harris † Estra Mass Immaculate Conception at 700 pm Wednesday, December 9, 8:15 AM Bill Brennan † Thursday, December 10, 8:15 AM Ken Bret Fisse † Friday, December 11, 8:15 AM Aladi-na Matteucci † Saturday, December 12, 8:15 AM Irio Rigali † 7:00 pm Extra Misa en Español

Intenciones de Misas de la semana

This week at Mt. Carmel Sunday, December 6: CCD Classes 8:45 am School R.C.I.A. Session 9:00 am Chapel Children’s Liturgy 10:00 am Chapel Breakfast with Santa 11:00 am SH/LH/K Confirmation Session 5:00 pm Church/LH Monday, December 7: Carismáticos (Directiva) 7:00 pm O. Chapel Sister Parish 7:00 pm P. Center-Tuesday, December 8: School Liturgy 8:15 am Church Immaculate Conception Mass 7:00 pm Church-Men’s Sports 8:30 pm L. Hall Wednesday, December 9: CCD Classes 6:30 pm School Grupo de Oración (Carismáticos) 7:00 pm L. Hall S.V.D.P. Det. Ministry 7:00 pm P. Center I.C.F. 7:00 pm S. Hall/K Thursday, December 10: Good Grief 6:00 pm Old Chapel CCD Classes 6:45 pm School Men’s Club 6:30 PM S. Hall/K Friday, December 11: Ensayo Coro (Español) 7:00 pm P. Center Saturday, December 12: Guadalupanos All Day L. Hall

Welcome Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish

Registration Form The following confidential information will be entered in our parish data system. It is only for the purpose of knowing and serving you better.

Name (s):

Address:

city zip

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Others in your household:

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SAINTS AN SPECIAL OBSERVANCES

Sunday: Second Sunday of Advent; Hanukkah begins

Monday: St. Ambrose; Pearl Har bor Remembrance Day

Tuesday: The Immaculate Con ception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Wednesday: St. Juan Diego

Friday: St. Damasus I Saturday: Our Lady of Guadalupe

GOOD GRIEF MINISTRY

The loss of every loved one creates many changes, chal-lenges and pain. “Good Grief”, an ongoing support group, meets every Thursday at the Parish Center, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. We care. We share. Do come.

HOMEBOUND MINISTRY If someone in your family is homebound, lives nearby and is unable to attend Mass, but would like to received the Eucharist, please contact Julie O’Leary at (650) 361-8681. Communion ministers are needed to bring the Eucharist to homebound parishioners. Please call Julie O’Leary if you would like to participate in this worthy ministry.