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Celebrating 168 years of Pastoral Service to the Catholic
Community of Berea
Parish Pastoral Staff
Reverend John P. Singler, Pastor
Reverend Thomas E. Stock, Parochial Vicar
Reverend Robert J. Cole, Retired, In Residence
Deacon Thomas A. Cully, Pastoral Associate
Mrs. Angela Kovic, Music Director
Parish Support Staff
Mrs. Diana Lipfird, Homebound Coordinator
Mr. John Mastandrea, Adult Faith and Education Coordinator
Mrs. Johanna Garr, Religious Education Coordinator
Parish Office Staff
Mrs. Janel Abraham
Mrs. Lorri Masie
School Administrative Staff
Mr. Andrew Carner, Principal
Mrs. Sandi Ziegler, Program Coordinator
Mrs. Nancy Kaesgen, Director of Development
School Office Staff
Mrs. Mary Beth Hennessy
Mrs. Diana Zjaba
Parish Mass Schedule
Weekday: 9:00am Monday through Friday
Weekend: 4:00pm Saturday Vigil
7:30am, 9:30am, & 11:30am
Holy Day Consult Bulletin
Sacramental Ministries
Baptisms: On Sundays After 11:30am Mass
Reconciliation: Saturdays 3-3:30pm
Seasonal Celebrations
Marriage: Contact Parish Office
Anointing of the Sick: Contact Parish Office
Seasonal Celebration
Communion Calls: Contact Parish Office
Saint Mary Parish
250 Kraft Street, Berea, Ohio 44017-1499
Rectory: 440-243-3877 · FAX: 440-891-9417 · Website:
www.stmaryberea.org
Mission Statement
St. Mary is a faith community which worships together, follows
the teachings of Jesus Christ in our everyday lives,
evangelizes others by our lives and actions, gives generously of
our time and resources in service to others, shows
compassion and love towards one another, provides religious
education and works for social justice for all.
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December 20, 2020
“How can this be?” are possibly the among the most jarring words
of the Gospels and today
on this 4th Sunday of Advent Mary asks this question of the
angel Gabriel, “How can this be?” And her
response to angel Gabriel’s announcement is so immedi-
ate and so sure, but I know that it came from a deep
seated place in Mary’s heart. She knew the Lord Yah-
weh, having been steeped in her tradition and she knew
the longing of her people for the Messiah. Did she
know when and where and how? No. But she did
know the why – to save us! And after years of prayerful
presence and devotion to Yahweh, Mary simply and
clearly responded from that deep seated place in her
heart and said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
This lesson, her lesson is a teachable moment to us as we
have walked these past nine months in somewhat of a
darkness – a cloud of disease, sadness, losses and pain
and yes, glimmers every now and again of hope and
perhaps similar thoughts and questions have been on our
minds and lips, “How? Why? When? What?” and the
answers have come to us from the Office of the President, the
CDC, County Boards of Health, Gover-
nors and Doctors and are unusual – the physical distancing, the
wearing of masks, the frequent wash-
ing of hands, the curfew, the stay-at-home order, the working
and learning
from home, on-line everything from Mass, meetings, school,
socials, prayer
meetings, Devotions and on. It is all NEW to us who enjoy being
WITH
and need to be WITH one another. But a lesson, yes indeed and
our faith-
ful response to it all will indeed lead us through this darkness
to the Light!
So, keep at it and keep strong and pray and pray some more. Be
like Mary
and say, “Yes Lord, I will be faithful for I know you are with
us!”
My words of appreciation and thanks go out to ALL OF YOU for
your faithfulness throughout these many months. We are a
resilient people
and your gracious words, your presence, your commitment to keep
us go-
ing, your prayers, your tuning in to our technology, your
jumping in to
help, to clean, to sanitize, to give and give is your hallmark
here at St.
Mary and I am humbled and privileged to be your leader. Thanks
for ALL YOU ARE and DO!
May the joy of Christmas be yours! Soon enough we will be
together to celebrate as a Family of Faith
Fr. John
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The Christmas celebrations are Thursday and Friday and remember
we have ADDED a
few more Masses to help you in your decision to come to Church
to celebrate the Birth of the
Savior and be socially distant in our seating. We are doing
everything we can to assure your
safety and health.
Ushers and Ministers will be at the Entrance Doors of both the
Church and the Fr. Gar-
rity Center to count and make sure you are wearing your mask and
to receive your Christmas
Donations. Please be considerate of them and follow their
instructions. They are here to help
us stay safe
December 24th Christmas Eve
4:00pm Church (SEATING IS CLOSED)
4:00pm Fr. Garrity Center
6:00pm Church
10:00pm Church
December 25th Christmas Day
7:30am in Church
9:30am in Church
11:30am in Church
CHRISTMAS FLOWER MEMORIAL GIFT PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY:
Donor:
__________________________________________________________________________
Telephone: ______________________ Donation Amount
__________________________ Please indicate: Check # __________ or
Cash __________
In Memory of:
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Donor and memorial names will be printed in the bulletin. Your
donation of any amount will help defray the cost of maintaining a
beautiful Christmas Season when we celebrate the Birth of Our
Savior.
Please return this slip to the Parish Office, along with your
donation by December 21st, Attn: Christmas Flowers. Thank you!
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Please remember in prayer all who are ill or homebound,
especially the following:
Michael Baran Patricia Beekman Christine Burrell Hilda Denk
Kathleen Dorsey Nancy Grau Dorothy Hunter
Gerri Irvin Marcel Liberge Chet Talarczyk Donald Ziehn
To add a name to the Prayer
List, please call the Rectory
Office: (440) 243-3877 or
email:
[email protected]
Bulletin Prayer List
Mother Teresa
One thing I ask of you: Never be
afraid of giving. There is a deep joy in
giving, since what we receive is much
more than what we give.
Excerpted from: Do Something Beautiful for God: The Essen-
tial Teaching of Mother Teresa (Copyright 2020, Published by:
Blue Sparrow)
In Your Charity
In your charity, please remember the
repose of the soul of Charles Doss.
May he rest in eternal peace.
2021 Mass Book - OPEN
for scheduling your Mass
Intentions.
Contact the Office to schedule or submit your request in writing
- please include a phone number in case we need to contact you. We
will do our best to accommodate your requests.
Weekend of December 20 Fourth Sunday of Advent 4:00pm Bill
Skvarch Tom & Alice Kulwicki 7:30am Stefan Urbancic Family
9:30am Richard Woelfle Natalie & Family 11:30am William B.
Nicholson, Sr. Jane Savinsky
Monday December 21 Late Advent Weekday Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a
/ Lk 1:39-45 (197) 9:00am Eileen Pappas Family
Tuesday December 22 Late Advent Weekday 1 Sm 1:24-28 / Lk
1:46-56 (198)
9:00am Donald Ball Dick & Rose Marie Boll
Wednesday December 23 Late Advent Weekday Mal 3:1-4, 23-24 / Lk
1:57-66 (199)
9:00am Christopher Jackman Family
Thursday December 24 Late Advent Weekday 8b-12, 14a, 16 / Lk
1:67-79 (200)
4:00pm (Church) For All St. Mary Parishioners 4:00pm (FJG) For
All St. Mary Parishioners 6:00pm For All St. Mary Parishioners
10:00pm For All St. Mary Parishioners
Friday December 25 The Nativity of the Lord Vigil: Is 62:1-5 /
Acts 13:16-17, 22-25 / Mt 1:1-25 or 1:18-25 (13) Night: Is 9:1-6 /
Ti 2:11-14 / Lk 2:1-14 (14) Dawn: Is 62:11-12 / Ti 3:4-7 / Lk
2:15-20 (15) Day: Is 52:7-10 / Heb 1:1-6 / Jn 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14
(16)
7:30am For All St. Mary Parishioners 9:30am For All St. Mary
Parishioners 11:30am For All St. Mary Parishioners
Saturday December 26 Saint Stephen, The First Martyr Acts
6:8-10; 7:54-59 / mt 10:17-22 (696)
4:00pm Sonny Laubert Family Sunday December 27 The Holy Family
of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sir 3:2-6, 12:14 / Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17
/ Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22, 39-40
7:30am Frank Viccari Sender Family 9:30am Kay Mushahwar Mary
Mabry 11:30am Margo Fabian Debbie Miodragovic
Anniversary Wishes
If you will be having a wedding anniversary in the month of
DECEMBER and would like your names listed in the bulletin,
please call the parish office (440) 243-3877 or email
[email protected]
Jeffrey & Diana Tichy
December 3rd - 32 years
Chuck & Sue Scanlon
December 27th - 51 years
Family Perspective
In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul names God as “him who
can strengthen you.” This time of living through a global
pandemic has brought many in our families to challenges,
events, hardships and trials. Which of these events might
God be calling you to turn over to God’s strengthening pow-
er? In the gospel reading, Gabriel greets Mary, “Hail full
of
grace! The Lord is with you.” What would your reaction be
if these words were directed toward you?
Lions Recycle for Sight Program
“BLESSINGS” to parishioners who
dropped their used eyeglasses in our
Trinity vestibule donation basket. This
month TWO boxes of glasses were de-
livered to Kevin and Linda Barrett of the WestShore
Lions Club. These prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses
and reading glasses will be recycled and distributed to
developing countries where eye care is often unafford-
able and inaccessible. Your donation also helps to min-
imize landfill waste. Thank you for the gift of sight!
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Music Ministry & Liturgy Notes By Angela Kovic, Director of
Music and Liturgy
JOY FOR JESUS
The fourth week of Advent is all about joy in our hearts. In the
gospel reading from Luke (which you will recognize
from the feast of the Immaculate Conception) Mary is told that
she will bear God’s son to us. While first put off by
her vision of the angel, she confidently accepts her calling to
be Jesus’ mother. The reading ends there, but if you
continue on, a little while later Mary visits Elizabeth, whose
baby leaps in the womb with joy at the presence of Je-
sus. Even the very idea of Jesus, before his birth, should bring
us all this inherit joy. This week might be stressful due
to planning zoom meetings and getting presents shipped on time,
but that shouldn’t take away from the beauty and
grace of the Advent Season.
I want to wish everyone such a lovely and blessed Christmas this
holiday season! Whether you come to church or are
celebrating from home, our hearts are together as one in Christ
to welcome our newborn King to our home! Our
musicians have been carefully practicing especially hard in
these last two weeks to make sure that our music will
warm your heart with joy in the absence of singing along. Thank
you for all of your support throughout this year,
and please be ready for when we come back singing!
Contact me via phone (440.243.3877 ext. 27) or email
([email protected]) for anything involving
our Music!
Ministry Schedules
Mass Lector Cantor Extraordinary Ministers Servers
Christmas Eve:
4:00pm (Church) Deacon Tom D Kovic (H) M Dober, V Dober, Deacon
Tom 4:00pm (Garrity Center) M Mucic (H) L Famiano, R Gareau, J
Abraham 6:00pm J Haas P Hickey (H) R Heitz, R Davenport, M McGinty
10:00pm Deacon Tom M Reid (H) K Laneve, Deacon Tom, R Laneve
Christmas Day:
7:30am J Irvin K Zanotti (H) P Flandera, D Lipfird, L Madzy
9:30am Curt Lindsay M Schuetz (H) L Richter, P Hultquist, M Dole
11:30am T Morgan J Schwarz (H) P Hickey, D Hickey, M Mucic B
Hunter
Mass Lector Cantor Extraordinary Ministers Servers
4:00pm D Canepari D Kovic (H) M Olsen, C Pacer, P Pacer 7:30am
Deacon Tom/ K Zanotti (H) Deacon Tom, L Sullivan, M Mucic K Zanotti
9:30am Deacon Tom/ M Reid (H) Deacon Tom, C Rose, M Mucic B Cully
11:30am R Davenport P Hickey (H) J Savinsky, M McGinty, J
Abraham
Christmas - December 24th & 25th
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph - December 27th
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Academic Achievements
Holy Name High School
1st Honors Brooke Culp Claire Geither Emma Graham Adam Humenik
Liam Hustak Margaret-Anne Hustak AJ Leopold Celeste Leopold Olivia
Petitt Samantha Pryzbys Madelyn Schmitt Megan Slattery Colin Vrabel
Matthew Vrabel Gabriel Young 2nd Honors Joseph Abraham Luke
Klingerman Jack Kuhlenschmidt Ashely Kulwicki Sophia Ray
As we receive additional achievement notifications, we will
publish them in a future bulletin.
Religious Education News
The December Sacramental Session for First Sacraments
& Confirmation (2nd grade/8th grade) has been CAN-
CELLED. Please refer to your emails for updated infor-
mation and instructions.
In-person PSR for December has been moved from in-
person instruction to emailed content.
Question regarding PSR and Sacramental Preparation:
Contact: Johanna Garr
[email protected]
St. Mary Catholic School News Corner Educating the Mind,
Nurturing the Soul
We would like to take this opportunity to
wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a
healthy and peaceful New Year. We realize
and appreciate that 2020 has been a challeng-
ing year for all of us, and we appreciate your
support to St. Mary Catholic School. We are
grateful to all our school families for keeping up with
their monthly tuition payments. We are thankful your
children are adhering to the wearing of face masks and
social distancing while at school. And, for the SMC pa-
rishioners who generously continue to help support St.
Mary Catholic School - - - we are ever so grateful and
appreciative. We extend a wish of peace and hope to all
during this joyous season. Enjoy your Christmas break, be
safe, and we will see everyone back at school on January
4th.
Andrew Carner, Principal
St. Mary Catholic School recently conduct-ed Vision &
Hearing screening for all Pre-school students. This was a
complimentary service provided to families with children in
Preschool. Please do not hesitate contacting Mrs. Duldner, the
school nurse ([email protected]), or Mrs. Schmitt, the school
health aide ([email protected]) should you have any questions
or concerns about your child’s screenings. Thank you.
Help support the St. Mary Stewardship Christmas Food Collection
for Church Street Ministries. Church Street Ministries is hoping to
provide 100 families with Christmas dinner. Please help by donating
side/dessert items: stuffing, cranberry
sauce, gravy, canned vegetables, boxed mashed potatoes, boxed
rice, boxed mac & cheese, chicken broth, cornbread mix, biscuit
mix, cake mix, frosting, or brownie mix. Your support during the
holiday season is greatly appreciated. Items may be dropped at the
parish rectory by Sunday, De-cember 20th. Thank you for your
support to those in need. DON’T FORGET…St. Mary Catholic School is
participating in the SchoolStore program again this year. This
online pro-gram helps SMS earn cash without students selling
door-to-door, collecting money or delivering products. Over 400
merchants are available on this website. It is a perfect
opportunity to use for your Christmas shopping from the safety and
convenience of your home while helping SMS raise funds. Merchants
such as Kohl’s, Old Navy and Wal-Mart have agreed to give back up
to 50% of all sales just for shopping through School-Store.com.
This opportunity is available to all St. Mary School, Parish &
extended families during the Christmas season AND throughout the
entire year for all those other special days on your calendars!! We
thank you for your support!!
School Corner - cont..
Catholic Schools – Faith, Excellence, Service - We are busy
preparing for our 2021-2022 Open House. We have updated our
Registration & Re-Registration packet. These packets were sent
home to our current families last week. At this time, due to
COVID-19 we will not be conducting our Annual Open House as we have
in the past. We are working on a Virtual Tour of the school and
classrooms for any new family inter-ested in St. Mary Catholic
School. New families can call the school office, 440-243-4555, ext.
10 and the school’s Admin. Ass’t. will gladly answer any questions
you may have. Important Dates: 12/19/20 First Reconciliation 12/21
– 01/03/’21 No School Christmas Break
mailto:[email protected]:blank
