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The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, & Joseph December 29, 2013

This weekend I am reminded of the words the priest speaks at the end of the funeral liturgy which I paraphrase here: Trusting in God, we have prayed together and now we come to the last farewell. There is sadness in parting, but we take comfort in the hope that one day we shall see each other again and enjoy our friendship. As I say farewell to you today, I thank God that we have indeed trusted in God and that we have prayed together. And while I experience the sadness of leaving you, I am comforted in my hope to see you again and continue to enjoy the friendships I have made here. Thank you for all you did or said or prayed that helped me, even if you were unaware of it. Forgive me for anything I did or did not do which may have hurt you. As we all know from experience, time has a way of fleeing from us so quickly. I may have received some head knowledge during my three years in the Doctor of Ministry Program, but I received much more heart knowledge from my 4 years with you. As St. Paul wrote, I thank God every time I think of you. I believe that you will find in Father Tom Stock a good and loving priest. He will pray with you and for you and I ask that you remember us both in your prayers so that we may serve others well in the vocation we have received. If you are ever in the Old Brooklyn area of Cleveland, please be sure to stop by! Im sure that from time to time Ill be making the long journey back to West Salem. Continue to pray well and to use your many gifts for the building up of Gods kingdom for that is what we are all called to do whether we are north or south, east or west. May God always be praised.

Saturday, December28th 5:00 PM For All Priests Sunday, December 29th 9:00 AM For the People of the Parish 11:15AM Betty Walker and All Departed Souls+ Monday, December 30th 8:30 AM Freda Brazis+ Tuesday, December 31st 8:30 AM Ed & Ann Macika+ Wednesday, January 1st Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 9:00 AM - Intention Available Holy Day of Obligation 7:00 PM For the People of the Parish Thursday, January 2nd 8:30 AM Intention Available First Friday, January 3rd 8:30 AM Intention Available Saturday, January 4th 5:00 PM Intention Available Sunday, January 5th 9:00 AM For the People of the Parish 11:15 AM Betty Walker and All Departed Souls+ Liturgical Minister Schedule Saturday, January 4, 2013, 5:00pm Lector: Mia Preston Servers: M. Levanoff / C. Walker E.M.s: R. Hirsch / J. DuRell Sunday, January 5, 2013, 9:00am Lector: Jane Cullin Servers: J. Mycek / Jared Alberts E.M.s: R. & C. Cooke, C. Stupi, A. Froelich Sunday, December 29, 2013, 11:15am Lector: Mary Mennell Servers: M. Haburay / X. McLain E.M.s: S. Havel / C. Jones

Readings for the Week of December 29, 2013 Sunday The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Ps 128; Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17; Mt 2:13-15, 19-23 Monday 1 Jn 2:12-17; Ps 96; Lk 2:36-40 Tuesday Saint Sylvester I, Pope 1 Jn 2:18-21; Ps 96; Jn 1:1-18 Wednesday Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21 Thursday Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen Bishops and Doctors of the Church 1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98; Jn 1:19-28 Friday The Most Holy Name of Jesus 1 Jn 2:293:6; Ps 98; Jn 1:29-34 Saturday Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious 1 Jn 3:7-10; Ps 98; Jn 1:35-42 Sunday The Epiphany of the Lord Is 60:1-6; Ps 72; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

Sunday, 10:00am 10:00am 5:30pm Monday, 7:00pm 7:00pm Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 8:00pm

December 29th Offertory Counter Team 4 NO PSR (Hall) NO Adult Ed. (Church Meeting Room) Solemn Christmas Evening Prayer (Church) December 30th Guitar Group Practice (Church) Boy Scouts/Webelos (Hall) December 31st Office Closed January 1st New Years Day Office Closed January 2nd No Events Scheduled January 3rd No Events Scheduled January 4th AA Meeting (Hall)

Last weeks collections: Due to our Bulletin Providers Holiday Schedule, last weeks collection amounts will be listed in next weeks bulletin. Please remember the sick in your prayers: Ron Guidetti, Eleanor Roe, Margie Keep, Pat Siddall, Louise Bauer, Tracy Lenhoff, Mary Cooke, Alene & Raymond Smith, Bob Coon, Jim McWeeny, Sr. Clare Ellen Wittman, Ray Hirsch, Marilyn Reith, Lilly Gawlinski, Jared Johnson, Deacon Joe Johnson, Barb Ciuca, Dan Klamert, Nancy Catalano, Jessica Johnson, Lois Yehlik, June Kost, Juanita Cullin, and all those on our prayer board. DEACON'S CORNER: Patricia and I hope that everyone had a blessed Christmas and that you are looking forward to a wonderful New Year. We would also like to pass on our condolences to Ed Brazis and his family upon the death of his beloved wife of 50 years, Freda. Freda inspired me and many others who knew her. She was patient, loving and most of all filled with faith especially during her 4 plus years of cancer treatments. Since I have to write this column a week before Christmas, I cant tell you how my Christmas was, but I am sure that it will be great. We are hoping to entertain 10 to 12 guests on Christmas day, which isnt a big problem for me because I dont cook. I generally do the little things like set the table and stay out of Patricias way. Happy New Year, Deacon Pete. Girls Evening Retreat! For those in grades 7-12. Saturday, January 11th, 2014, from 6pm to 8pm St. Stephen Church: 44 Britton St, West Salem, OH, 44287 Hosted by Leah McKee, student of Franciscan University Please RSVP to 330-262-1096 or wtm@embarqmail.com if you can come. This will be a (free) night of faith, friends and fun! Help us celebrate Jesus at our Epiphany Party on January 5th! Lets show Fr. Stock how we party around here by doing what we do best! On Sunday, January 5, 2013, we start gathering in the hall at 12:00 noon. Bring a main dish and a side or dessert along to share with others. Place setting is also welcome. We need entertainment young or old ....there is a list in the Gathering Room, so sign up to provide us with some of your talents, music, story telling, dancing or singing. We would love to have you! Father Jim's Farewell Please join us to say goodbye to Father Jim and thank him for the spiritual and scriptural guidance that he has given us over the past four years. We will meet in the Gathering Room after each Mass on December 28th and December 29th. Ladies Guild will be providing drinks and pastries. If you are able to bring a pastry to the Mass you are attending that would be appreciated. Thank you. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Please keep 5, 6, and 7 of March 2014 open on your calendars! These are the dates for the 2014 Collaborative Revival and you wont want to miss even a minute of these events. Deacon Royce Winters from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will the Revivalist and the Church of St. Dominic @ 19400 Van Aken Boulevard in Shaker Heights will be hosting the Revival.

RETROUVAILLE Retrouvaille is a weekend and six follow-up sessions for couples who are struggling in their marriage. The next Retrouvaille (hope for troubled marriages) weekend will be held at the Doubletree in Beachwood, OH on 10-12 January 2014. Visit their website at www.helpourmarriage.org, call Al & Diane Miskinis at 330-6653506 or email at cleveland@retrouvaille.org to register or for more information. Stephens Meals & More Volunteers: NO MEAL THIS WEEK CHRISTIAN UNITY LECTURE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Please join the St. Mary Seminary Community on 17 January 2014 at 1:30 p.m. in the aula room for a lecture by Sr. Dr. Lorelei F. Fuchs, SA on Sharing the Fruits of Ecumenical Dialogue. Sister Lorelei is a member of the international Methodist-Roman Catholic Joint Commission and a member of the World Council of Churches Faith and Order Plenary Commission. She holds a degree of Sacred Theology from Louvain University in Belgium. She is presently working on a contribution to The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies and is summer lecturer at the Centro Pro Unione, Rome. She will offer her assessment in particular of the dialogues of the Catholic Church with four churches: Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed Churches. We ask that priests, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers extend the invitation to any of their colleagues from other Christian churches. As long as you make a reservation, the Ecumenical Office will cover the cost of lunch for you and your guest(s) at the Center for Pastoral Leadership at 12:30 p.m. (Please make your reservation with Paula Moscovic- 216-6966525 ext. 3500) Family Perspectives Raising a family is a roller coaster of ups and downs. It was no different for Mary and Joseph. The visit of the Magi must have been a thrill for these young, proud parents. But that was followed by news that Herod was looking for their son, to kill him. Every family is called to be a holy family, to hear and follow the Lord, not only on the good days, but also in the hard times. Celebrate Poverty Awareness Month in January January is Poverty Awareness Month! Visit PovertyUSA.org and PobrezaUSA.org today to begin planning how you can raise awareness about poverty. In December, look for a simple calendar with suggestions for learning and action on each day of January. Daily Twitter-length suggestions will be available for re-posting to get out the word about poverty and its root causes via social media. Type O donors are needed. Seasonal shortages of type O are common because of the tremendous demand. The American Red Cross is constantly recruiting type O positive and type O negative donors. And since blood types can differ among ethnic groups, the Red Cross asks people of diverse backgrounds to consider blood donation as a volunteer activity that can help save lives. More than 50 percent of African-Americans have type O blood. About 60 percent of Hispanics have type O blood. And about 45 percent of Caucasians have type O. Please give blood. Tell others about the need for blood, too. Our first blood drive of 2014 is January 13th! How to Pray When praying, dont give God instructions just report for duty! Happy New Year from the Staff!!!!