The Parish of - John Patrick Publishing Company

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Sunday, December 22, 2013 Page Three Consider this. . . “The Catholic Church feeds, clothes, houses, and educates more people than any other organization in the world. And when the modern media and the secular culture have finished tearing down the Church as best they can, let me ask you, who will take our place? Who will feed the hungry? Who will cloth the naked? Who will visit the lonely and imprisoned? Who will house the homeless? Who will comfort the sick and the dying? Who will educate the masses? The world needs the Church. Even your hardened and cynical politicians . . . recognize this reality with alarming clarity. If for no other reason than from an economic standpoint, they know they wouldn’t be able to pick up the broken pieces that would be left if the Church disappeared from their community.” (Matthew Kelly, Dynamic Catholic) I share the above with you not for us to have a reason to boast but to remind you of the goodness of the Church to which you and I belong and to which we want others to return and still others to join. T `xÜÜç tÇw UÄxááxw V{Ü|áàÅtá àÉ TÄÄ4 How delighted I am to welcome all of you who will be with us during the next several days as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, which took place in Bethlehem on that first Christmas! Christmas is such a joyful season! Celebrating its spiritual meaning is a wonderful way to begin the day and to usher in the Christmas Season! Thank you for being here! The Season of Christmas runs from Christmas Day until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which falls on January 12, 2014. This feast reminds us of God’s great love for all of us as He brings to fulfillment the promise that He made to our ancestors in assuring them that he would send them a “savior.” We used the Jesse Tree to mark those centuries of “expectant hope” for the fulfillment of that promise. Now in the fullness of time, Jesus was born of Mary in the town of Bethlehem to fulfill what the prophet had foretold, “And you Bethlehem are by no means least among the tribes of Israel for from you shall come a savior.” The Best Year of Your Life! - 2014 Matthew Kelly, from Dynamic Catholic, wrote the following last year about preparing for the New Year which I would like to share with you. “What would it take to make (2014) the best year of your life? Every year between Christmas and New Year's I spend an hour or two each day putting together a personal strategic plan for the coming year. This year I got started early over the Thanksgiving weekend, and I want to encourage you to set aside some time. . .to join me in this exercise. Here are some questions to ponder: 1. If you could only accomplish three things next year, what would they be? 2. What new habits are you going to adopt in 2014 to grow spiritually? 3. What are you going to do to ensure you have more energy next year than you did this year? 4. What relationships do you want to improve and how? 5. What bad habits are you going to eliminate? 6. What are you going to spend more time doing? 7. What are you going to spend less time doing? Life is a fragile and precious thing. Don't waste it. Decide right now to make 2014 an extraordinary year in your life.” So, let’s do ourselves a favor and take the time to sit down and prayerfully consider these questions posed by Matthew Kelly. They can help each of us to begin the New Year focused and committed to change making 2014 “The Best Year of Your Life.” < 435 St. James
Page Four Fourth Sunday of Advent St. James Parish Online Giving Weekly Stewardship of Treasure Report WEEK OF: December 8, 2013 Christmas Flowers CHURCH CAPACITY 850 MASS 1ST COLLECTION 2ND COLLECTION MASS ATTENDANCE 4:00 PM $3,414.50 $1,123.00 506 8:00 AM $2,372.00 $665.00 253 9:30 AM $2,231.00 $602.00 362 11:00 AM $1,984.00 $646.00 335 12:30 PM $1,797.00 $782.00 352 Online Giving $0.00 $.00 Weekly Env. $0.00 $.00 TOTAL $11,798.50 $3,818.00 1808 Did you know that you can make your contributions to St. James online? If you would like to, simply go to our Website: www.stjamesrcchurch.org Click on St. James Online Donation System button on the parish home page and follow the instruction to sign up. It’s fast and easy. Did you know that you are now able to use a Credit Card to pay for Religious Education Tuition, for purchases in the Book Nook, to make your offerings for Mass Intentions in the Parish Office and/or "online" to make your Weekly Sunday Contributions to the parish? 12/12 - Madeline Cobb 12/12 - Paul Clarke 12/13 - Florence DeClementi The Parish Center will Close at 12 Noon on Tuesday, December 24, 2013 in Observance of Christmas Eve & will be Closed on Wednesday, December 25, 2013 in Observance of Christmas Day!!! MEMORIALS FOR THE WEEK OF DEC. 20TH THRU DEC. 26TH The Altar Bread is in Memory of Priscilla Dersamo and was donated by Agnes & Pat Daly. The Candle Oil is in Memory of Mary E. and James V. Barry and was donated by Mary Barry. Readings For Sunday, December 29, 2013 THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH Sir 3:2-6,12-14 Ps 128:1-5 Col 3:12-21 Mt 2:13-15,19-23 435 St. James
Page 1 and 2: The Parish of Saint James 80 Hicksv
Page 3: Page Two St. James R.C. Church MASS
Page 7 and 8: Page Six Thirty-Third Fourth Sunday
Page 9 and 10: Page Eight Twenty-Sixth Thirty-Thir
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Page 15 and 16: Page Fourteen St. James R.C. Church
Page 17: James FUNERAL HOME 540 Broadway, Ma

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