The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph ~ December 30, 2018

First reading:
“I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.” (1 Sm. 1:27-28)

Psalm:
Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord. (Ps. 84)

Second reading:
And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. (1 Jn. 3:23)

Gospel:
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. (Lk. 2:46-47)

Live the Liturgy—Inspiration for the Week:
Families are complicated systems. They can be the most transforming or the most hurtful of experiences. Our families of origin have a huge claim on who we are and who we will become. While families need to help us fulfill some of our human needs, this cannot be their sole purpose or focus. Healthy and happy families consist of folks who always have their eyes on the needs and best interests of the other individuals who make up their family unit. We live in the greater family of the world, which is also God’s family. It can’t only be about us. We must focus our gaze on the needs and well being of our brothers and sisters. This whole seeing allows us to see others as God sees them. The Holy Family is the perfect example of how all families can work: our families of origin, the families in which we now find ourselves, and the family of our world. May we look to their example in helping us fine-tune our systems of family life so that God’s presence can truly be revealed in and through them!

Catholic Quotes—Words to Inspire the Faithful:

© Liturgical Publications Inc.

Events:

• AA Meetings:
  • Tuesdays, 8:00 p.m., St. Francis Solanus, Interlaken
  • Thursdays, noon, St. James the Apostle, Trumansburg
• Food Pantries:
  • Ovid Federated church: Mondays, 10:00 a.m. Food Truck is every other Tuesday, 3:00 p.m. (Jan. 8)
  • Interlaken Reformed church: Fridays, 3:00 p.m.
  • Trumansburg Food Pantry: Methodist church every other Monday, 1:00–2:00 p.m. and 5:30-6:00 p.m. (Jan. 7)
• Bernard is Available: Fridays, 6:30 p.m. at St. Francis, no appointment needed
• Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA): Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m., St. James
• Confirmation Candidates: Eighth and ninth graders, Sundays, 4:00 p.m., St. James
• Robotics: Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 6:00-8:00 p.m., St. James
• Holy Day of Obligation: Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, is January 1, 2019
• Coffee Hour: January 6, following the 9:00 a.m. Mass, St. James
• Family Religion Education Program: January 6 at 6:00 p.m., St. James

New Year’s Day:
January 1, 2019, is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God and is also the eighth day of Christmas. It is a holy day of obligation and our parish will have two Masses, both at St. Francis Solanus church in Interlaken. The Vigil Mass will be on Monday, December 31, at 6:00 p.m. and the Mass on Tuesday, January 1, will be at 9:30 a.m.

2018-2019 Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA):
The CMA report of December 17 stated that 94 parish households have pledged $23,272 toward our given parish goal of $29,979. Thank you. If you have not yet responded, please consider your financial participation. In the vestibule of the churches there are CMA pledge envelopes. CMA has produced an extraordinary video in connection with this year’s Appeal. It is posted to the diocesan website (www.dor.org) and the CMA page (www.dor/org/cma).

Church Calendars:
2019 church calendars are available in the church vestibules. Please take only one calendar per family.

Card Ministry:
Card ministry is a working group of the parish’s Witness Committee. They are looking for parishioners who would be interested in writing and sending cards to our home bound or parish members in nursing home. As a member of this work group, you would send cards once a month to (currently) seventeen individuals. If you are interested please contact Marilynn Frank at [email protected].

Sainthood for Benjamin Joseph Salmon:
The National Council of Pax Christi USA, at their annual meeting in August, unanimously supported the cause for sainthood of Ben Salmon, a native of Denver, CO, who was a conscientious objector in the first World War. Ben Salmon was explicit that his Roman Catholic faith and his understanding of the life and example of Jesus made it impossible for him to participate in warfare. Because of that, he served a lengthy imprisonment, solitary confinement, and ruined his health. Many people see Ben’s life, faith, and suffering as those of a saint and are actively working to petition the Catholic Church to formally recognize Ben Salmon as a saint. To learn more about Ben Salmon and to endorse the petition advocating his canonization, go to the website: www.bensalmon.org and scroll down to the yellow background that provides links to the sainthood page.

Notice:
Victims of sexual abuse should always report the abuse to the civil authorities. To receive help and guidance from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, please contact the Victim Assistance Coordinator, Debora Housel, 585 328 3228 ext. 1555 or by email to [email protected]. “You do not have to deal with this alone.”

Prayers from the Sisters of St. Joseph:
The Sisters of St. Joseph have a prayer ministry and Sr. Dolores Bachman and Sr. Anne Marie Burns will be praying for our parish throughout 2019. Let us keep the sisters in our prayers as well.

Thanks from the Kitchen Cupboard:
Georgianne Bakker, director of the Interlaken Reformed church’s Kitchen Cupboard, wrote to the parish thanking us for the donation resulting from “Operation Rice Bowl.” In the note she writes that the number of families in need is on the increase. “We are having weeks where we have over 100 families come in. This is a large increase over where we were three years ago when sixty was the average weekly number.”

Parish Cemeteries:
Our parish has two cemeteries: St. James the Apostle and Holy Cross. The cost to purchase a plot for the right of burial for a body or cremains is $650. St. James has a green burial section that costs $950. For further information please phone the parish office.

Pregnancy Care Center of the Finger Lakes:
Pregnancy Care Center of the Finger Lakes, located at 551 Exchange St. in Geneva, is offering a “Forgiven and Set Free” post abortive ten-week session beginning October 4 until December 13. There is no cost involved. “If you regret your abortion, you are not alone. Let us help you learn to forgive yourself. Pleased join us for this healing ministry program.” For more information phone 315 789 0708.

Cancer Services Program (CSP):
Cortland and Tompkins Counties offer free cancer screenings to those who are uninsured or have health insurance that does not cover these screenings. The screening services are provided in local health centers, doctors’ offices, and hospitals. For more information, contact CSP at 866 442 2262.

Toiletries and Hygiene Products:
There is a basket in the vestibule of St. James church for donations of toiletries. The request comes from Catholic Charities which is in need of items like shampoo, toothpaste, diapers etc. The items will be transferred to the Catholic Charities office in Ithaca.

Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 p.m.

December 29 (fifth weekend):
Lectors: Kathleen Rourke, Ann Buddle
EMs: Millie Messmer, Robin Hamula, Patty Messmer

January 5 (first weekend):
Lectors: Barbara Willers [for Marie Roloson], Scott Hamula
EMs: Kathleen Rourke, Millie Messmer, Robin Hamula

Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m.

December 30 (fifth Sunday):
Lectors: Nancy Olszewski (for Lynne Stager) and Barbara Willers
EMs: Mark Scibilia-Carver, Joan Hogan, Tom Duff (for Tim O’Boyle)

January 6 (first Sunday):
Lectors: Lynne Stager and Barbara Willers
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Joan Hogan, Mark Scibilia-Carver