The Church of St. Christopher

130 Midland Avenue

Staten Island, New York 10306

Parish Office: (718) 351-2452

Fax: (718) 351-1174

Office Hours: Monday - Friday,

9:30am - 4:00pm

Web: www.stcstmmsi.org

The Church of

St. Christopher and

St. Margaret Mary

December 18th 2016 - 4th Sunday in Advent

The Church of St. Margaret Mary

560 Lincoln Avenue

Staten Island, New York 10306

Church Office: (718) 351-2612

Fax: (718) 987-0446

Office Hours: Monday - Friday,

9:30am - 2:30pm

Web: www.stcstmmsi.org

Rev. Joseph M. McLafferty, Pastor

Rev. John P. DeLora, SIUH Chaplain, in residence

Rev. Edgar Devina, in residence

Rev. John A. Boehning, Weekend Celebrant

Rev. Deogracias Lingao, Weekend Celebrant

Rev. Thomas J. Mullin, Weekend Celebrant

Deacon Patrick Graham

MASSES Monday - Friday: St. Christopher …… 9:00am St. Margaret Mary ... 8:00am

Monday: Island Shores ….….. 10:30am, Residents Mass

Saturday: St. Christopher ….… 9:00am and 4:30pm (Vigil)

Sunday: St. Christopher ….… 9:15am, 12:00pm and 7:00pm St. Margaret Mary ... 8:00am and 10:30am

Holy Days of Obligation ……………… as announced

CONFESSION Saturday: St. Christopher ….... 1:30pm - 2:30pm Otherwise by appointment; call ……… (718) 351-2452

BAPTISMS By appointment. Interviews of parents seeking baptism for their

children are arranged by calling the Parish Office; (718) 351-2452.

MARRIAGES By appointment with one of the priests at least six months in

advance of the wedding date. Please contact the Parish Office for further information; (718) 351-2452.

SICK CALLS Please call the Parish Office; (718) 351-2452.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Monday - Friday: St. Christopher …… 12:00pm - 4:30pm

Coordinators: Barbara Fiore (917) 593-4743 or Terry Warner (718) 979-0258

NEW PARISHIONERS All new parishioners are invited to register at the Parish Office

and to participate in our parish life.

ST. CHRISTOPHER SCHOOL 15 Lisbon Place, 10306 (718) 351-0902

Mrs. Catherine Falabella, Principal

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION and RCIA 560 Lincoln Avenue, 10306 (718) 351-2119

Mrs. Barbara Regan, Coordinator

PARISH CENTER 136 Midland Avenue, 10306

MASS INTENTIONS

Saturday, Dec 17th 9:00am (C) 4:30pm (C) Sunday, Dec 18th 8:00am (M) 9:15am (C) 10:30am (M) 12:00pm (C) 7:00pm (C)

Monday, Dec 19th

8:00am (M) 9:00am (C)

Tuesday, Dec 20th 8:00am (M) 9:00am (C)

Wednesday, Dec 21st 8:00am (M)

9:00am (C)

Thursday, Dec 22nd 8:00am (M) 9:00am (C) Friday, Dec 23rd 8:00am (M) 9:00am (C)

Saturday, Dec 24th 9:00am (C) 4:30pm (C)

6 :00pm(M)

Midnight(C) Sunday, Dec 25th 8:00am (M) 9:15am (C) 10:30am (M) 12:00pm (C)

Matthew Pietromonaco David Kettyle

Marie Evers Members of the Legion of Mary Alan Giordano Frank Della Jacono, Imre Potoczki and George DeAbreo Richard Willis

Kevin Walsh Christopher Fahy

Gerard Petillo Isabella & Giuseppe Mauro

Anthony Saltarelli Mary Ramirez

Roy Dennis (47th Anniversary) Dec’d Members of Galati & Puleo Fam. Jorge Santi Gary P. Charles Dec’d Members of the Vito Family Dec’d Members of the Gillick & Costanzo Families Msgr. James Malley O’Connor Family Andrew Dana Sister Josepha & James Gormley William Collins Dec’d Members of the Kenny & Mercurio Families

(C) St. Christopher Church (M) St. Margaret Mary Church

PRAY FOR OUR SICK “... touch only the tassel on his cloak,

and as many as touched it were healed.” -Mark 6:56

NOTE: Those in bold were added this week.

Dear Jesus, Divine Physician and Healer of the sick, we turn to you in this time of illness. O dearest com-forter of the troubled, alleviate our worry and sorrow with your gentle love, and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden. Dear God, we place our worries in your

hands. We place our sick under your care and humbly ask that you restore your servant to health again. Above all, grant us the grace to acknowledge your will and know that whatever you do, you do for the love of us. Amen.

Carol Albunio Daniel Arnone Ann Basso Paul Cigliano Sal Cigliano Terence Crowley Mary Graham Delmar Edwina Dunne Brendan Fitzpatrick Marie Flannery Frank Gillick Kathleen Gillick Cornelius Keane Shannon Klatt Michael Leone

Nicholas Lombardi Jake LoNigro Diego Lopez Baby Milo Maggiore Richard Malanga Delia Mandia Delia Mayott Anne McGovern Jeffrey Miller Timmy Mohin Stephen Murray Frank O’Donnell Matthew Onorato Grace Parker

Judy Paul Robert Pisani Franco Poire Thomas Puleo Steven Rivera Ryan Ryszetnyk Robert Sabatino, Sr. Grace Sasanelli Alexis Savattere Phyllis Savattere Eleanor Shields Helen St. John Roe Vasquez Janet Viso Alice Wilson

REFLECTION DECEMBER 18, 2016 4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT

"She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus." Joseph heard these prophetic words in a dream. They were words of anticipation, of what was to come. And in a sense, they ushered in a kind of Advent for Joseph. With this divine message, Joseph began a period of holy waiting. He now knew that the Messiah was going to be coming into his own home, and he had just nine months to prepare! We can only imagine how Joseph might have spent these precious days. Most likely he did more than prepare a physical home for his soon-to-be-born Son; he must have also used these days to prepare his heart, mind, and soul for such a tremendous mission.

Today, we stand in a position not all that different from St. Joseph. We also know that the Messiah will be arriving--not just in remembrance at Christmastime, but in reality at the second coming. But unlike Joseph, we don't have an exact timeframe. We don't know when Jesus will return. We just know that we need to be ready!

During the season of Advent we are challenged to recall this fact and strive to get our hearts in order. The days are short now until Christmas, and for all we know they might be short until Christ's return as well. What remains to be done? Aside from wrapping presents and planning parties, where do we yet need to tidy up our habits to properly celebrate the real meaning of this festive season? How can we make sure that we don't get swept away in the external preparations, forgetting the work that needs to be done in the invisible silence of our souls?

God may not speak to all of us directly in our dreams, but he does speak to us clearly through his word. May we recognize today the mission he has laid before us.

ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

Join us each weekday for Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Eucharistic adoration is observed from 12:00 Noon to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday in St. Christopher Church. Please try and find some time in your day to visit and pray. We are always in need of more people for a visit because the Blessed Sacrament cannot be left unattended. If you are interested in signing up for a specific time please call the rectory.

MEMBERS IN THE SERVICE

Please remember the following members of our Parish Family currently serving in the US Armed Forces.

ARMY Major Suzanne L. Jones, DDS,ABGD,FAGD NAVY Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Matthew Gardiner Max Davidson, Navy Fighter Pilot Benny Davidson, Submarine Officer AIR FORCE Master Sgt. Elisa Nickolic MARINES Pvt Vincent Gennaro Master Gunnery Sgt. Frederic Zeyer PFC Denis Hugh Corrigan, Jr.

If you have a family member who is an active duty military member please notify Peggy Rybarczyk (718) 351-2452 of their their name, rank and branch so we can add them to our prayer list.

“… A TIME TO MOURN …” - Ecclesiastes 3:4

Pray for the souls of Fr. William Delaney and Faith Kettyle and their families.

“I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live” - John 11:25-26

FOR THE WEEK OF December 18th

The Bread and Wine at St. Christopher Church are being offered in memory of Cannavo &

Vasta Families and at St Margaret Mary Church they are being

offered in memory of William T. Harris Sr.

The Scantuary Light at St. Christopher Church is being lit in memory of Dolores and Eugene Callegari & the Bertani Fam.

YOUR ENVELOPE COUNTS

Dec. 8, 2016 Immaculate Conception $1,678

Dec. 11, 2016 Joint 1st collection $7,135

School Support $1,486

Thank you for your continuing generosity

ST. FRANCIS CATHOLIC SINGLES' CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

Saint Francis Catholic Singles’ (for those in their 30s, 40s, and 50s) Christmas celebration is Sun-day, December 18, 6:30 – 9:30 pm at the West Shore Inn, 3955 Victory Blvd., SI 10314. Cost is $35 and includes a three course meal, dessert and wine, followed by Karaoke at 9:30 pm. Please mail CHECKS made out to CASH with your name, phone number and email to:

Holy Family Parish; Attn. Singles Christmas Dinner

366 Watchogue Rd. SI, NY 10314

Your check needs to be received by Fri., Dec. 16 in order to be applied OR email us by 2:30 pm Sunday, Dec. 18 to let us know

you’ll be attending-- sfcssi@gmail.com For more info., find us on Fb/StFrancisCatholicSingles or check our website: www.sgspsi.org. Please bring a new, unwrapped toy for a child 3 to14 years of age.

OUR LADY OF POMPEII

Save the Date! On Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 7:00pm the parish of Our Lady of Pompeii at 25 Carmine Street in Greenwich Village will be hosting a gala Dinner Dance Reunion. All OLP alumni, family and friends are invited! Please go to their Facebook page titled, “OLP Reunion” for future announcements.

RECONCILIATION MONDAY

On Monday, December 19, every parish in the Archdiocese of New York will be available for confessions from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. That is true for us here at St. Christopher and St. Margaret Mary. Confessions will be heard from 4:00pm to 8:00pm only at St. Christopher Church. Please keep in mind there will only be one priest at any given time, so plan accordingly.

ALTAR SOCIETY

The Altar Society is looking for new members. The Altar Society does the work of cleaning the altar linens used at Mass, as well as some light cleaning of the altar and sacristy. The schedule will work in such a way that each volunteer would be assigned two hours every seven weeks. Please

call Barbara Fiore at 917-593-4743 to volunteer or for more information.

FORMED

I want to tell you about an early Christmas present from the Archdiocese. It is called FORMED, an online resource that has access to Catholic programs, movies, talks, Catholic eBooks, and audio presentations. Each parish has been given a subscription to this service free for the next year. To sign on to a great selection of programs from good sources you will need to sign on to the website and sign in using our parish code. Here they are:

www.Formed.org Enter parish code, GDTTQQ, under “Does your parish already have FORMED?” You can enjoy great Catholic content all in one place right now.

THE GIVING TREE

Please select an angel from our Giving Tree. There are trees in each of our churches. So if all the angels are gone from one, you may still be able to participate by selecting an angel from the other. The angel will have some hints as to whom it is for (a child, an adult, a boy or a girl), and therefore you’ll know the appropriate store to get a gift card from. Once you’ve purchased the gift card, please put the card and angel, in an envelope, writting the name of the church the angel is from on the outside, and drop in the collection basket. Thank you.

HE IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!

Enrich your faith this Advent and Christmas with special programming throughout the season on EWTN. Attend Mass in Vatican City with Pope Francis, enjoy concerts from Europe and travel to the sacred sites of the Holy Land. Find EWTN in your area by visiting “www.ewtn.com/channelfinder”.

FRANCISCAN SPIRIT TOURS

Franciscan Friars Fr. Michael Sevigny, OFM Cap, and Fr. Julian Jagudilla, OFM will lead several upcoming pilgrimages to Holy sites around the world, including a special pilgrimage for Fati-ma’s 100th Anniversary with Pope Francis. Proceeds benefit the work of the Franciscans. For more information, or to arrange a private, custom pilgrimage, please contact “FranciscanSpiritTours.com”. Mention you were referred by the bulletin and the parish will receive a contribution. Our up-coming pilgrimages include:

“Fatima” 100th Anniversary with Pope Francis

“Franciscan Italy”

“Great Women of Faith” - Paris/Lourdes/Lisieux

“Holy Land” - The Living Rosary

“Footsteps of St. John Paul II” - Poland/Prague 0

“Our Lady of the New World” - Guadalupe/Mexico

“Catholic Spain”

“Footsteps of Pope Francis” - Argentina/Uruguay

“Journey to Peace” - Medjugorje

“Catholic Ireland”

“Church of John and Paul” - Greece/Turkey

OUR LECTOR SCHEDULE

For the weekend of December 24 & 25 the following are asked to Lector at the Mass indicated:

12/24 @ 4:30pm(C) I Doherty; 12/24 @ 6:00pm(M)

12/24 @ Midnight(C) J. O’Connor ; 12/25 @ 8:00am(M) MB Brown;

12/25 @ 9:15am(C) B. Hagan; 12/25 @ 10:30am(M) P. Mooney;

12/25 @ 12:00pm(C) Nancy Gonzalez.

OUR ALTAR SERVERS

For the Christmas weekend of December 24 & 25 we have not published the altar servers assignments for St Christopher Church due to the special nature of the Masses. Altar Servers should

contact the Rectory in order to be granted an assignment.

St Christopher

12/24 @ 4:30pm ; 12/24 @ Midnight; 12/25 @ 9:15am ;

12/25 @ 12:00pm ;

St Margaret Mary

12/24 @ 6:00pm - - Peter & Mary Krawiecz & Walter Traina; 12/25 @ 8:00am Erin & Abby Memmesheimer;

12/25 @ 10:30am - Isabella Campoverde & Michael & Gianna Granucci

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

Saturday, December 24 1:30PM to 2:30PM Confessions at St. Christopher Church 4:30PM Christmas Eve Mass at St. Christopher Church 6:00PM Christmas Eve Mass at St. Margaret Mary Church 12:00AM Midnight Mass at St. Christopher Church Sunday, December 25 8:00AM Christmas Day Mass at St. Margaret Mary Church 9:15AM Christmas Day Mass at St. Christopher Church 10:30AM Christmas Day Mass at St. Margaret Mary Church 12:00PM Christmas Day Mass at St. Christopher Church

**Note: - there is no 7:00PM Mass on Christmas Day