We, the parish of Saints Mary and Mathias Catholic Church, WELCOME all to CELEBRATE, TEACH and LIVE the Mission of JESUS CHRIST Ss. Mary & Mathias Church 215 W. 8th St. Muscatine, IA 52761 From the Pastors Desk December 22nd , 2019 4th Sunday of Advent Happy 4th Sunday of Advent! Merry Christmas! On behalf of Fr. Hai and our enre parish and school staff, we are so thrilled that you are here to worship with us this Christ- mas! For many of us, coming to Mass to worship God at Christmas me is part and parcel of who we are as Catho- lics. In fact, if you break down the word Christmas, you get Christ-Mass. Christmas is all about coming to Mass to wor- ship Christ, to experience, as we do at every Mass, the power of God's presence among us as we hear God's Word proclaimed and partake in the very real Body and Blood of Christ. Christmas is a holiday that is a normal part of who we are. It's something many of us look forward to each year, the gatherings with family and friends, the Christmas cards, the Carols, the twinkle in the eyes of children. Yet, I wonder what the first Christmas must have been like for those who found themselves in the right place at the right me to witness this great miracle of God being born among us. In parcular, I wonder what the shepherds must have thought as they were tending their flock in the night and were suddenly visited by an angel. The shepherds were the lowest of the low, they were certainly not even close to being religious and an angel decided to visit them. Not only that, they are the first besides Mary & Joseph to re- ceive the incredible news that Jesus, the Messiah and Sav- ior, has been born among us! God is certainly a God of surprises. The lowly shepherds are the first to hear the angelic proclamaon of Christ's birth. The Messiah and Lord of the Universe is born in a lowly manger, a feeding trough for animals! What is going on here? The story of Christmas reminds us that God loves us so much (connued on page 2 ) FORMED.ORG (Online Faith Formaon Resource) *Sign Up *I belong to a Parish or Organizaon *Enter Parish - SS Mary & Mathias *Create a New Account (name and email address) December Liturgies & Events Dec. 16th—23rd—Posadas 6PM Gannon Hall Christmas Mass Schedule Christmas Eve 4:00 pm at St. Mathias 4:30 pm Mass in School Gym (2407 Cedar St.) 6:00 pm Mass (Spanish) at St Mathias Christmas Day 12:00 am Midnight Mass at St. Mathias 10:00 am Mass at St. Mathias
Transcript
We, the parish of Saints Mary and Mathias Catholic Church, WELCOME all to CELEBRATE, TEACH and LIVE the Mission of JESUS CHRIST
Ss. Mary & Mathias Church 215 W. 8th St. Muscatine, IA 52761
From the Pastors Desk December 22nd , 2019 4th Sunday of Advent Happy 4th Sunday of Advent! Merry Christmas! On behalf of Fr. Hai and our entire parish and school staff, we are so thrilled that you are here to worship with us this Christ-mas! For many of us, coming to Mass to worship God at Christmas time is part and parcel of who we are as Catho-lics. In fact, if you break down the word Christmas, you get Christ-Mass. Christmas is all about coming to Mass to wor-ship Christ, to experience, as we do at every Mass, the power of God's presence among us as we hear God's Word proclaimed and partake in the very real Body and Blood of Christ.
Christmas is a holiday that is a normal part of who we are. It's something many of us look forward to each year, the gatherings with family and friends, the Christmas cards, the Carols, the twinkle in the eyes of children. Yet, I wonder what the first Christmas must have been like for those who found themselves in the right place at the right time to witness this great miracle of God being born among us.
In particular, I wonder what the shepherds must have thought as they were tending their flock in the night and were suddenly visited by an angel. The shepherds were the lowest of the low, they were certainly not even close to being religious and an angel decided to visit them. Not only that, they are the first besides Mary & Joseph to re-ceive the incredible news that Jesus, the Messiah and Sav-ior, has been born among us!
God is certainly a God of surprises. The lowly shepherds are the first to hear the angelic proclamation of Christ's birth. The Messiah and Lord of the Universe is born in a lowly manger, a feeding trough for animals! What is going on here?
The story of Christmas reminds us that God loves us so much (continued on page 2 )
FORMED.ORG (Online Faith Formation Resource)
*Sign Up *I belong to a Parish or Organization *Enter Parish - SS Mary & Mathias *Create a New Account (name and email address)
December Liturgies & Events Dec. 16th—23rd—Posadas 6PM Gannon Hall Christmas Mass Schedule Christmas Eve 4:00 pm at St. Mathias 4:30 pm Mass in School Gym (2407 Cedar St.) 6:00 pm Mass (Spanish) at St Mathias Christmas Day 12:00 am Midnight Mass at St. Mathias 10:00 am Mass at St. Mathias
December 22nd , 2019 Saints Mary & Mathias Parish, Muscatine, Iowa Page 2
6 PM-Posada-G 7:30-8:45PM– Adult Choir For Christmas Mass Practice-CH
December 24th Christmas Eve
4PM Christmas Eve Mass– Larry Kaska-CH 4:30 PM Christmas Eve Mass School Gym-Henry & Mary Miller Family-SG 5:30PM-Posada-G 6PM Christmas Eve Mass Spanish-CH
December 26th No Daily Mass No Adoration 12-6:30 KC Blood Drive-G
December 27th 7AM Daily Mass-Cynthia Alcorta –CH 7:30AM-5PM-Adoration-CH 10AM Mass at Bickford 5:30-8PM-Hispanic Choir Practice-G
December 28th 3:45-4:45PM-Reconciliation-CH 5PM-Mass-Patricia Offerman –CH 6-7PM-Rectory Open House 6-6:30PM Financial Peace Informational Video– G
December 29th 8AM Mass-Karen Kloser –CH 9-9:30AM Financial Peace info.-G 10AM-Mass-AOP –CH 11-11:30AM Financial Peace info.-G 12:30 PM Mass -Para una pareja que cumple 46 años de casados
Open Mass Intentions Please call the Parish office if wanting to set up one of these dates. 7AM Mass–2-21 9AM Mass (March) 5:15PM Mass (March)
Did You Know: A Walk Through the Mass: Reception of Holy Communion
Having prayed the Eucharistic Prayer, the Our Father, and having given and re-ceived the Sign of Peace, we come to the high point of the Liturgy of the Eucharist and of the Mass as we prepare to receive Holy Communion. The rubrics of the Mass call for a Communion chant or hymn to be sung as the faithful process for-ward to the altar to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Our participation in song and prayer unites us more as members of the Body of Christ so that we may be-come what we receive.
As we come forward to receive the Body of Christ, the minister says, “The Body of Christ,” and we bow our heads as a sign of reverence as we say, “Amen.” The Body of Christ may be received on either the tongue or in the hand. If received in the hand, one should place one’s dominant hand on the bottom and their non-dominant hand on the top so that the Body of Christ may be received and con-sumed immediately. Likewise, if receiving the Blood of Christ, the communicant should respond to, “The Blood of Christ,” with the bow of their head and an “Amen.”
After receiving Holy Communion, this is a wonderful time to enter into prayer. We have received Jesus and Jesus has received us. This is as close as we will be to the Lord on this side of heaven. In this time of intimacy with the Lord, we may enter into a heart to heart conversation with God, pray a short prayer of thanksgiving, or simply quiet our hearts and be still before the Lord. After a moment of silent pray-er, the priest calls all to unite their prayers into one in the Prayer after Communion.
(continued from page 1 ) he was willing to be born among us. Jesus was born in the messy, humble stable in Bethlehem and desires to be born in anew in the messiness of our lives. When we are unable to pay our bills and face tough finan-cial decisions, Jesus is there with us. When we are struggling with a relationship or our marriage is being tested as never before, Christ is there, a sturdy rock to lean on. When we or a family member faces a troubling diagnosis, the Lord, the Divine Physician, draws near to offer us healing, strength, and new hope.
The truth is, the story of Christmas is really a love story. The Lord who is so deeply in love with us cannot help but come to our rescue. The babe of Bethlehem laid in the wood of the Manger would one day be nailed to the wood of the Cross. The Christ child born in Bethlehem which literally means "House of Bread" would be-come the Bread of Life, feeding us with His Precious Body and Blood. This Christ-mas, as we encounter Christ here at Mass, let us pray that as we receive Jesus in Holy Communion the Lord will draw near to us and we will be blown away by the incredible depth of God's love for us. Christ is born among us in Bethlehem's Stall, Christ is born among us upon the Altar at every Mass, Christ desires to be born anew in our heart this Christmas!
December 22nd , 2019 Saints Mary & Mathias Parish, Muscatine, Iowa Page 3
FAITH FORMATION December 21-22
Some dates: December 23 Lectio Divina with Kent Ferris at 7:00am in Gannon Hall December 24 Family Christmas Eve Mass at 4:30pm at Saints Mary & Mathias Catholic School Gym
The Religious Education Office will be closed from December 23, 2019-January 6, 2020
May each of you be wrapped with love and warmth this Christmas season. May each of your families know and experi-ence peace and joy this beautiful Christmas season. May 2020 hold many blessings and lots of beautiful happenings for each of you and for your family! With Christmas love and New Year blessings—Molly, Tommy & Sister Cheryl
Faith ALIVE and ACTIVE
Saints Mary & Mathias School Corner From the Principal's Desk
Upcoming Events:
We are wanting to invite our parish members to join our students for weekly mass at the schools every Tuesday at 8:30 AM, here are the upcoming masses and the classes that are in charge of that weeks mass: January 7 Grade 8 January 14 Grade 4 January 21 Grade 2 January 28 Catholic Schools Week Mass--All Grades
Manus Christi 2020 It's time to register for Manus Christi 2020. Each summer our parish sends a group of high school students to the heart of West Virginia to engage in a week of service and prayer taking place in the Appa-lachian Mountains. Spots are first come, first serve so get your child's deposit in soon
Catholic Youth Camp - Summer 2020 Parents, did you know there is an outstanding Cath-olic Summer Youth camp right here in Iowa? Check out CYC located at the Saint Thomas More Center in Panora IA. There's multiple sessions for elementary, jr. high and high school age levels all at reasonable prices. This could make a great Christmas gift. Check out the website for more info.
Preschool Registration for Saints Mary &
Mathias Parish members, as well as current
students and families of SsMMCS opens
Monday, December 16th.
December 22nd , 2019 Saints Mary & Mathias Parish, Muscatine, Iowa Page 4
Readings for the Week Upcoming Events
Scripture Readings for the Week of December 22, 2019 Sunday Fourth Sunday of Advent Is 7:10-14; Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24 Monday Saint John of Kanty, Priest Mal 3:1-4, 23-24; Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14; Lk 1:57-66 Tuesday 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29; Lk 1:67-79 Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 or Mt 1:18-25 Wednesday Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20 Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6; Heb 1:1:6; Jn 1:1-18 or Jn 1:1-5, 9-14 Thursday Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17; Mt 10:17-22 Friday Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist 1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Jn 20:1a and 2-8 Saturday Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs 1 Jn 1:5—2:2; Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8; Mt 2:13-18 Sunday Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5; Col 3:12-21 or Col 3:12-17; Mt 2:13-15, 19-23
December 28th Rectory Open House– following the 5pm Mass
New Years Mass Schedule
Holy Day of Obligation December 31st
5PM– Mass with Adoration to follow until midnight
January 1st 10 AM– Mass
CATHOLIC MESSENGER
With this year starting to dwindling down, if you haven't already paid for your subscription of the Catholic Messenger we ask that you do so. Please place the subscription amount of $29.00 in an envelope marked Catholic Mes-senger in the collection at mass. Also if you would like to be taken off and or added to the list for the Catholic Messenger please let Den-ise or Maria know by calling the parish office, sending an email or putting a note in the offering basket.
Give yourself an amazing Christmas gift this year by signing up to attend our parish-based, Light of the World retreat and
take that step towards strengthening
and deepening your relationship with
Our Lord.
Join us March 27-30, 2020
Call Jon Eads (563.263.0388) or Lori Niet-zel (563.264.5838) for more information or to register. You can also register online at: https://forms.gle/uAsp2XdyV3zfSULS6
Fr. Troy & Fr. Hai welcome all to stop by the St. Mathias Rectory for a time of Fellowship and a Christmas treat or two Sat. 28th following the 5pm Mass. This is a change from the previously scheduled date of Dec. 14th.
Celebrating Eternal Life
Celebrando La Vida Eterna Shirley Birkhofer 83, November 23,
December 22nd , 2019 Saints Mary & Mathias Parish, Muscatine, Iowa Page 5
MINISTROS LITURGICOS
Monaguillos: Cecilia Ocampo, Claudia Lagunas, Kenya Lopez
Lectores: Jose Franco, Clara Franco
Hospitalidad: Carmen Najar, Alicia Rivas, Teresa Ochoa, Lupita De La Paz
Vino Sagrado: Maria Ceniceros, Maria Najar
Celos, destilen el rocío; nubes, lluevan la salvacion; que la tier-ra se abra, y germine el Salvador. Cfr. Is 45, 8
LA SANTA MISA DE HOY ES EN MEMORIA PARA TO-DOS LOS DIFUNTOS DE LA FAMILIA
VICTORINO GARIBAY
Feliz 4o Domingo de Adviento! ¡Feliz Navidad! En nombre del Padre Hai y de todo nuestro personal parroquial
y la Escuela, ¡estamos muy emocionados de que esté aquí para adorar con nosotros esta Navidad! Para muchos de nosotros, venir a la Misa a adorar a Dios en Navidad es parte integral de lo que somos como católicos. De
hecho, si rompes la palabra Navidad, obtienes La Misa de Cristo. La Navidad se trata de venir a Misa para adorar a Cristo, para experimentar, como lo hacemos en cada Misa, el poder de la presencia de Dios entre no-
sotros mientras escuchamos la palabra de Dios proclamada y compartimos el cuerpo y la sangre real de Cristo.
La Navidad es un día festivo que es una parte normal de lo que somos. Es algo que muchos de nosotros espera-mos cada año, las reuniones con la familia y amigos, las tarjetas de Navidad, los villancicos, el brillo a los ojos de
los niños. Sin embargo, me pregunto cómo debe haber sido la primera Navidad para aquellos que se encontra-ron en el lugar correcto en el momento adecuado para presenciar este gran milagro de que Dios naciera entre nosotros.
En particular, me pregunto qué pensaron los pastores mientras cuidaban a su rebaño en la noche y de repente fueron visitados
por un ángel. Los pastores eran los más bajos de los bajos, ciertamente ni siquiera estaban cerca de ser religiosos y un ángel de-cidió visitarlos. No sólo eso, son los primeros además de María y José en recibir la increíble noticia de que Jesús, el Mesías y el
Salvador, ha nacido entre nosotros!
Dios es sin duda un Dios de sorpresas. Los humildes pastores son los primeros en escuchar el anuncio angelical del nacimiento
de Cristo. ¡El Mesías y el Señor del Universo nace en un humilde pesebre, un comedero para los animales! ¿Qué está pasando aquí?
La historia de la Navidad nos recuerda que Dios nos ama tanto que estaba dispuesto a nacer entre nosotros. Jesús nació en el
establo desordenado y humilde de Belén y desea nacer de nuevo en el desorden de nuestras vidas. Cuando no podemos pagar nuestras cuentas y enfrentar decisiones financieras difíciles, Jesús está allí con nosotros. Cuando estamos luchando con una rela-
ción o nuestro matrimonio está siendo probado como nunca antes, Cristo está allí, una roca robusta en la que apoyarse. Cuan-do nosotros o un miembro de la familia enfrentamos un diagnóstico preocupante, el Señor, el médico divino, se acerca para of-recernos sanación, fuerza y nueva esperanza.
La verdad es que la historia de la Navidad es realmente una historia de amor. El Señor que está tan profundamente enamorado de nosotros no puede evitar venir a nuestro rescate. El bebé de Belén puesto en la madera del pesebre algún día sería clavado en
la madera de la Cruz. El Cristo niño nacido en Belén, que literalmente significa "Casa de Pan" se convertiría en el Pan de Vida, alimentándonos con Su Precioso Cuerpo y Sangre. Esta Navidad, mientras nos encontramos con Cristo aquí en la Misa, Oremos para que cuando recibamos a Jesús en la Sagrada Comunión el Señor se acerque a nosotros y seamos arrastrados por la increíble
profundidad del amor de Dios por nosotros. Cristo nace entre nosotros en el puesto de Belén, Cristo nace entre nosotros so-bre el altar en cada Misa, ¡ Cristo desea nacer de nuevo en nuestro corazón esta Navidad!
Unas Palabras del Padre
Troy
ILUMINACION DE LA CORONA DE ADVIENTO Y OFRENDAS
4er DOMINGO DE ADVIENTO
Iluminación de la Corona: Rafael y Mahiely Lopez
Ofrendas: Mario y Blanca Madrigal
MISAS DE NAVIDAD
La Natividad Del Señor
Nochebuena
4:00pm - San Matias
4:30pm - Escuela Catolica
6:00pm en Español - San Matias
Misa de Media Noche
12:00 media noche San Matias
Dia de Navidad
10:00am - San
Matias
31 de Diciembre
5:00pm (Adoracion
Eucaristica hasta la Medianoche) - San Matias
Santa María, Madre de Dios
1 de Enero 2020
10:00am - San Matias
December 22nd , 2019 Saints Mary & Mathias Parish, Muscatine, Iowa Page 6
NOTICIAS DE FORMACIÓN DE FE
Algunas Fechas:
23 de Dic. Lectio Divina con Kent Ferris - 7:00am en
Gannon Hall
24 de Dic. Misa de Nochebuena Familiar a las 4:30pm en
el Gimnacion de la Escuela Catolica Santa Maria y Matias
La Oficina de Educación Religiosa estará cerrado desde
el 23 de diciembre de 2019 hasta el 06 de Enero 2020
Que cada uno de ustedes esté envuelto en amor y
calidez en esta época navideña. Que cada una de vues-
tras familias conozca y experimente la
paz y la alegría en esta hermosa época
navideña. Mayo 2020 tienen muchas
bendiciones y un montón de aconteci-
mientos hermosos para cada uno de
ustedes y para su familia! Con amor navideño y bendi-
ciones de Año Nuevo: Molly, Tommy & Sister Cheryl
FE VIVA Y ACTIVA
ESQUINA DE LA ESCUELA SANTA MARIA Y MATIAS
Estamos invitados a nuestros miembros de la parroquia a
unirse a nuestros estudiantes para nuestra misa semanal en las escuelas, todos los martes a las 8:30 am. Los siguientes
grados están encargos de las siguiente Misas: 07 de Enero - Grado 8, 14 de Enero - Grado 4, 21 de
Enero - Grado 2, 28 de Enero - Misa de la Semana de las Escuelas Católicas, Todos los Grados
CALENDARIO DE EVENTOS
Domingo 22 de Dic. - * Rosario antes de Misa @12pm, Misa a las 12:30pm
Lunes 23 de Dic. - * Confeciones @4:30pm, Misa @5:15pm, Posada @6pm en Gannon Hall
Martes 24 de Dic. - * Misa @4pm en la Iglesia, Misa en el gimnacion de la escuela @4:30pm, Posada @5:30pm en Gannon hall, Misa @6pm en Español en la Iglesia, Misa de Media Noche
Sabado 28 de Dic. - * Confeciones @3:45pm, Misa @5pm
Que tengan una Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo. Estos son los deseos del Personal de la
Parroquia Santa Maria y Matias
GRACIAS
Gracias a todas las Familias que participaron con la Ilumi-nacion de la Corona de Adviento y las Ofrendas. Hasta el
proximo año. Hermana Cheryl y Maria Frausto
ORACIÓN DESPUÉS DE LA COMUNIÓN
Habiendo recibido esta prenda de redención eterna, te roga-mos, Dios todopoderoso, que cuanto más se acerca el día de
la festividad que nos trae la salvación, con tanto mayor fervor nos apresuremos a celebrar degnamente el misterio del naci-
miento de tu Hijo. Él, que vive y reina por los siglos de los siglos.
OFICINA PARROQUIAL
La Oficina Parroquial estara CERRADA el Martes 24 de Dic-iembre hasta el Miercoles 01 de Enero 2020. En caso de una
emergencia (enfermedad grave o muerte), Por favor hable al 263-2321
Maria no regresa hasta el 06 de enero.
POSADAS
Domingo 22 de Dic: Refugio Ceniceros y Familia
Lunes 23 de Dic.: Martes 24 de Dic.: Comunidad
Muchas Gracias a todas las familias o grupos que patrocinaron una de las Posadas. Tambien muchas gracias a todas las per-sonas que asistieron a una o a todas las Posadas. Gracias por
su participacion.
CASA EN EXHIBICIÓN DE LA NAVIDAD DE LA RECTORÍA
EL SÁBADO, 28 DE DICIEMBRE
El Padre Troy y el Padre Hai dan la bienvenida a todos para
pasar por la Rectoría de Santa Mathias por un tiempo de com-pañerismo y un trato de Navidad o dos. Sábado 28 de diciem-
bre después de la misa de las 15:00. Este es un cambio con re-specto a la fecha programada previamente del 14 de diciembre.
