ST. PIUS X CATHOLIC COMMUNITY 16 Smithville Crescent, St. John’s, NL A1B 2V2 Tel.# 754-0170 Finding God in All Things 1 st SUNDAY OF ADVENT November 29, 2020 ADVENT CANDLES Fr. Earl Smith, SJ (Pastor and Superior of St. John’s Jesuits) ([email protected]) Fr. Wayne Bolton, SJ (Associate Pastor) ([email protected]) Maria R. Kelsey (Pastoral Assistant and Religious Education Coordinator) ([email protected]) Parish E-mail: [email protected]Webpage: www.spx.ca Archdiocesan Webpage: www.rcsj.org www.spx.ca
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ST. PIUS X CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
16 Smithville Crescent, St. John’s, NL A1B 2V2Tel.# 754-0170
Finding God in All Things
1st SUNDAY OF ADVENTNovember 29, 2020
ADVENT CANDLES
Fr. Earl Smith, SJ (Pastor and Superior of St. John’s Jesuits) ([email protected])
You could read/discuss/pray with your family,with friends or by yourself.’
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 2 Peter 3:8-14 85
First Reading: Second Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Mark 1:1-8
OUR ‘PIUS’ SMILE
The census taker knocked on Donna's door. She answered all his questions except one. She refused to tell him her age."But everyone tells their age to the census taker," he said."Did my next door neighbours, Miss Maisy Hill and Miss Daisy Hill, tell you THEIR ages?" she asked. "Certainly," he replied."Well, I'm the same age as they are!" she snapped. "As old as the Hills," he wrote on his form.
*********
A plane hit a patch of severe turbulence and the passengers were holding on tight as it rocked and reeled through the night. A little old lady turned to a minister who was sitting behind her and said, "You're a man of God. Can't you do something about this?" He replied, "Sorry, I can't. I'm in sales, not management."Source: Joke Resource Site
SOMETHING TO THINKABOUT ...
“One way to remember who you are is to remember who your heroes are”.
Steve Jobs
Advent RetreatThe CWL of Canada invites you to anAdvent Retreat - "This is a Time to Go
Slow… a Time to Pause on the Advent Journey in a Time of Uncertainty" .
It will be held Saturday, December 5th 2020, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm (central time) that is 1:30pm to 3:00 pm NL time.
You have to register. You can go to the CWLwebsite : www.cwl.ca or googlehttps://cwl.ca/advent-retreat-with-fr-con-omahony..
Advent Reflection ServiceSt Pius X CWL will be hosting anAdvent Reflection Service on Tuesday,
December 8, 2020 in the Church, after the 9:30 am morning Mass (approximately 10:00 am). We invite our members and parishioners to join us for this Service. You are requested to follow the usual COVID-19 guidelines for attending church.
A Christmas TreatYour Council is unable to make afinancial donation this Christmasto the many very worthy charities
as we did in previous years (no fundraising this year). We realize many of you donate to the different appeals (MacMorran Community Centre, Food Bank, Single Parents Assn. of Newfoundland, etc.), so with that in mind we are asking that you consider, besides your usual donation to these appeals, you do something special this Christmas to brighten up the life of a person who may not otherwise receive a special treat.
Consider filling a gift basket or bag with special goodies beyond the necessities they may receive from the usual donors. First, have a person in mind. It may not be someone you know. Think will it be a child, an elderly person, a woman in the Clarenville prison, a single mother, a woman in Kirby House, or a woman who is trafficked. Then
fill the basket/bag accordingly with some treats, something you would like to receive yourself -- a nice box of chocolates, a bag of Christmas candies or nuts, peppermint knobs, a bottle of hand lotion, a gift card for a treat ( a coffee or bakery), personal items, like toothpaste, toothbrush or deodorant and who doesn’t appreciate a fancy pair of warm socks. Your generosity will be appreciated.
Your Council cannot be responsible for pick up or delivery but would be more than pleased to help you with contact information so you can make delivery to the person you have in mind. You can contact [email protected] or 722 3860.
PARISH WEB PAGE AND
FACEBOOK PAGE
Many parishioners have been introduced to ourparish facebook and/or parish web page as we usedthese social media tools for our virtual Bazaar andChristmas Bake Sale. Thank you for exploring thesenew tools. Starting with Advent we are hoping tohave some regular postings with Adventinspirational quotes and icons to help make thisseason more prayerful.
SOUL-MAKING: IN THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT
This session, led by Fr. Wayne Bolton, SJ, is another in our series “Finding God in Spiritual Reading”. Topics to be discussed include - - why were early Christians concerned about life
after death?- how might God be preparing people for eternal
life?- what might “soul-making’ be?- what contributions were made by
St. Irenaeus and St. Augustine?- what purposes might purgatory have?This will be held Thursday, December 3, 2020. Register for our 9:30 am Mass and after Mass join us in the Church Library from 10:10 - 11:10 am. Social-distancing and masks will be adhered to.
FALL BAZAARAND
CHRISTMAS BAKE SALE
This is the big weekend for the sale of Christmas cakes and many other home made baked items by our great bakers.
1. We will be at the Parish Hall collecting itemsbetween 2:30 and 5:00 pm on Saturday, November 28.
2. Following Saturday, 4:45 pm Mass and Sunday, 10:00 am Mass, we will be distributing those items that people have ordered through the Facebook event page or through the Parish webpage in the alcove between Church and Hall entrances.
3. You are asked to bring cash or cheque and a bag to carry your goodies away.
4. There are many items that were not orderedonline, so we will be displaying them for saleafter each weekend Mass.
5. Please come and purchase delicious cakes,cookies, muffins, breads, rolls, tea buns, teabreads, etc. We ask you to support this eventand help us make it a great success.
We hope to see you on the weekend. Thank youfor all you do to support your parish andcommunity.
Nina Beresford, Mabel Ryan, Mary Power, Mary Prowse, and Anne MacDonald
OFFERTORYCOLLECTION
November 21 and 22: $4,003.00Envelopes: $3,948.00; Loose: $55.
We have some special activities for our children and families each week for the four weeks of Advent. Some of these you will find in our Sunday bulletin, and some in our parish web page www.spx.ca and some in our new parish facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/stpiusxnl. You can also go to youtube and find "Advent in 2 Minutes" for a lively presentation about what this season means. We will also be contacting our families by phone or by e-mail.
One special activity that many parishioners have found very meaningful in past years is the Advent Wreath. You can make a real one if you wish or one from paper materials, such as a paper plate coloured green and "candles" from toilet paper or paper towel tubes. Colour candles purple and one pink, and for each Sunday add a yellow paper flame.
FAMILY ADVENT PRAYERS
Each Sunday of Advent, the family gathers aroundthe Advent wreath and lights an additional candle. The following prayers can be used:
First Sunday (light one candle)Dear God, bless this wreath and help ourfamily to remember thatChristmas is a time to celebrate
the birthday of Jesus, the Son of God, who ishuman and true God.
Second Sunday (light two candles)Dear God,as we watch mothers and fathersprepare for Christmas, we thinkabout Mary, Mother of Jesus,and Joseph, foster-father of
Jesus, who lovingly took care of baby Jesus. Helpus to be thankful for those who lovingly take care ofus.
Third Sunday (light three candles, includingpink)Now Jesus’ birthday is nearer. We think of praying to theFather, and the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. We say “Thank you, God, for Jesus your Gift to us”.
Fourth Sunday (light four candles)Now Jesus’ birthday is verynear. May his brithday bringjoy and happiness to all of us aswe try to be more like Jesus
“Our true home is in the present moment. Themiracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is towalk on the green earth in the present moment.Peace is all around us--in the world and innature--and within us--in our bodies and ourspirits. Once we learn to touch this peace, we willbe healed and transformed.”Thich Nhat Hanh, b.1926Living Buddha, Living Christ
(How much at home are you in the presentmoment? Pray the grace to be here, now, in love.)
All that should be sought for in the exercise of prayer is conformity of our will with the divine will, in which consists the highest perfection. St. Teresa of Avila, 1515-82Carmelite Religious, mystic, Doctor of the Church
Our part in prayer is to try to raise our minds andhearts to God, to spend time making the effort.'Trying to pray' is prayer, and it is very goodprayer. The will to try is also His gift.Archbishop Basil Hume (of Westminster, London) 1923-99 , To Be a Pilgrim
SPIRITUALITY FOR ADVENT,CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY
This free series continues this week on Monday, November 30, 2020, from 7:00 - 8:15 pm.
For more information and/or to register for this presentation, you can e-mail Queen's College, [email protected] .
24TH ANNUAL ADVENT FESTIVAL OF CAROLS AND SCRIPTURE
This will be held on Sunday, November 29, 2020, the 1st Sunday of Advent at 7:00 pm. It will be l ived streamed from the Basi l ica -www.thebasilica.net .
ELDER MINISTRY
Unfamiliar Doors
Each of us is a traveller of the heart.As we traverse the road of life,we come to unknown and unsought doors revealing further truth about our authentic self. These unfamiliar doors of lifehide pieces of beneficial wisdom.They contain information for our transformationeven though we may not understand thisfor quite a while.
Today: I pray to be a courageous traveller of the heart.
SOURCE: Open the Door, page 44
SENIORS NL WEBINAR
This webinar will be held Wednesday, December 2, 2020, from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm (ET).
The Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA) and Elder Abuse Ontario are partners in this webinar.
To register see https://mailchi.mp/60a1ef3aa588/dec2_webina r
FINDING GOD IN THEUNIVERSAL APOSTOLICPREFERENCES (UAP’s)
Praying with the UAP's in AdventThe four UAP's can offer us a unique way to pray during the Advent season. - to show the way to God through the Spiritual
Exercises and discernment- to walk with the alienated in a mission of
reconciliation and justice- to accompany young people in the creation of a
hope filled future- to collaborate in the care of our Common
HomeThey can offer us, not only to see the world through the world of "today" but also to see the world through "God's today", the coming of God's kingdom among, here and now. We invite you to pray with the Readings this Sunday, especially how we can accompany our young people in the creation of a hope filled future.
In the First Reading, Isaiah 2:1-5, the imagery captures the beauty and glory in which the God who is coming "recreates" all that God has made and especially we who are made in God's image.(UAP-4).
Psalm 121 invites us to be women and men of peace to others. (UAPs 1-4)
In the Reading from Romans 3; 11-14, we are asked to be in God's time, in which all untruths, false narratives, distortions and exploitations will be exposed in light of God's justice. The voices of the innocent ones who have suffered will be heard and their lives will have an infinite value and their names will be known . (UAP's 2- 4)
The Gospel Reading, Matthew 24: 37- 44 reminds us dramatically that God's time is always now. How can we make our now, God's time? A challenge for this Advent and for the year to come
In Advent, God gives us time to renew body and soul, to recover perspectives and to establish once again the true and lasting values that shape and govern our lives. (UAP - 1)
Reflection: What does God ask me to see? What is the knowledge and desire God wishes to place in my heart?
AN ADVENT JOURNEYINTO
IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY
Jesuits are known for their distinctive spirituality. St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, developed a way of praying that helps people “find God in all things”. Ignatian Spirituality is grounded in the conviction that God is active in our world. The spiritual path laid out by Ignatius is a way of discerning God’s presence in our everyday lives. You are invited to register for these zoom sessions, which will be in French or English, with live translation. All sessions will be at 7:00 pm ET. Tuesday, December 1
The Spiritual Exercises, with Joseph Schner, SJ Tuesday, December 8
Ignatian Values: Hope, Reconciliation and Justice, with Peter Bisson, SJ
For more information contact Patricia O’Reilly - [email protected] .
JOURNEY THROUGH
ADVENT
On Monday, November 23, 2020 the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) announced a new online weekly video series created to help Canadian Catholic faithful to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The videos serve as an introduction to the liturgical Season and present reflections on the Gospel readings for each Sunday in Advent.
This video series is especially relevant given the COVID-19 pandemic that places limitations on in-person gatherings for faith communities. It is hoped that this series will be a source of deep spiritual solace and insightful preparation for all. The videos will be available on the CCCB website each Monday in advance of the upcoming Sunday celebration (23 November, 30 November 7 December and 14 December), 2020. We invite you to share this information with catechists and all with whom you work. To follow the series: https://www.cccb.ca/liturgy-sacramentsresources-in-english/liturgical-calendar/video-reflections
Behind the scenes planning in anticipation of our Advent and Christmas Season continues.A significant focus is the Christmas through New Year’s Mass schedule (ie. December 24, 2020 - January 2-3, 2021). There is going to be Mass schedule changes for reasons of COVID-19 protocols that necessarily require the sanitation and cleaning of our Church. Another over arching concern includes the availability of our church volunteers and employees who need not be overburdened during this special time of the year when family and recreation time needs to be respected.
There is going to be pre-registration for ONLY Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses. Therefore, the following is the Christmas Season Mass schedule:
Thursday, December 24 - Christmas Eve: 4:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm
Friday, December 25 - Christmas Day:
Saturday, December 26:
Sunday, December 27:
Tuesday, December 29:
NO 9:30 am Mass
10:00 am
NO 4:45 pm MASS
10:00 am
9:30 am
Thursday, December 31 - New Year’s Eve: NO 9:30 am or 4:45 pm MASSES
Friday, January 1 - New Year’s Day:
Saturday, January 2:
Sunday, January 3:
10:00 am
NO 4:45 pm MASS
10:00 am
The dates for this pre-registration are from December 1 - 8, 2020 by email or by phone. Requests may be forwarded to our Parish Front Office at [email protected] or by phone at 754-0170. Parishioners will receive confirmation of their registration and will receive a Christmas Mass number. They can inform the Hospitality Ministers of this number when they arrive at their requested Mass. This will help the Hospitality Ministers immensely and make check-in at Christmas Masses more efficient. There will be a record of the timing of an email received and/or phone call. [Emails supply a record of that time they’ve been written.] God forbid…if by some chance the maximum capacity is reduced by Provincial Health Authorities the timed list will be used to determine the cut off point of seating capacity.
On the weekend of December 12 - 13, 2020 there will be an update on the numbers of persons who have pre-registered to inform us about any possible openings.
