Christmas Day Mass · 23/12/2018  · MERRY CHRISTMAS! and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Adult Bible Study Opportunities Men The men’s study group, led by Fr. Timothy, has completed the first

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and

they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means "God is with us."

Matthew 1:21

Christmas Eve Masses

5:00 P.M. – “Children’s Mass”

10:00 P.M. - “Midnight Mass”

Christmas Day Mass

9:00 A.M.

4TH Advent Sunday

December 22 - 23, 2018

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29; Lk 1:67-79 Tuesday: Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20 Wednesday: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 8ab, 16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22 Thursday: 1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Jn 20:1a, 2-8 Friday: 1 Jn 1:5 — 2:2; Ps 124:2-5, 7b-8; Mt 2:13-18 Saturday: 1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96:1-3, 5b-6; Lk 2:22-35 Sunday: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Ps 128:1-5; Col 3:12-21; Lk 2:41-52

MASS INTENTIONS “Mass is Heaven on Earth” – St. John Paul II SATURDAY, DEC. 22: 4TH Advent Sunday

4-4:45 pm Confessions 5:00 pm +Humberto “Slim” Lara

(Anniversary), by Margie Lara SUNDAY, DEC. 23: 4TH Advent Sunday 9:00 am +Louis & Dorothy Wiesman, by

Marilyn Wacksmann 11:30 am +Manuel Aragon, by Maria Aparicio 5:00 pm +Humberto Cortez, by Familia

Rodriguez MONDAY, DEC. 24: Late Advent Weekday No 6:30 am Mass MONDAY, DEC. 24: CHRISTMAS 5:00 pm +Prudencio Minjarez, by His

Daughter 10:00 pm Prayer Intentions of Donna Fikes TUESDAY, DEC. 25: CHRISTMAS 9:00 am People of St. Elizabeth’s No 5:30 pm Mass No CONFESSIONS, NO ADORATION WED’DAY, DEC. 26: St. Stephen Martyr 6:30 am Prayer Intentions of Donna Fikes 5:30 pm All Souls Memorial Mass THURSDAY, DEC. 27: St. John the Apostle 6:30 am +Andres & Romelia Mata, by Family 6:00 pm All Souls Memorial Mass FRIDAY, DEC. 28: Holy Innocents 6:30 am All Souls Memorial Mass 5:30 pm Special Intentions of Martin

Haggerty SATURDAY, DEC. 29: Holy Family 4-4:45 pm Confessions 5:00 pm +Simona Mancha, by Luis Mancha SUNDAY, DEC. 30: Holy Family 9:00 am Karen Cleere (B’D), by Marilyn

Wacksmann 11:30 am For the People of St. Elizabeth’s 5:00 pm Blessings on the New Year If a Mass you requested for a specific date

does not appear, please notify the office 367-4657 as soon as possible.

Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother Of God

Holy Day of Obligation

January 1, 2019 Masses:

Dec. 31, 2018 – 5:00 pm January 1, 2019 – 10 am

Catholic Charities Collection 12/16/2018 $ 1,778.00

Church Debt Balance Nov. 18: 2,373,710.91 Dec. Payment: $ 23,845.37

Balance Dec. 30: 2,349,865.54

Loose Plate 1,944.63 Total $ 34,846.38

Budget to Actual

Weekly goal $ 25,900.00 Week of 12/16/2018 34,846.38 THANK YOU! $ 8,946.38

12/16/2018

Envelope Receipts $ 24,488.00 Online Giving 8,413.75

ADULT CONFIRMATION CLASSES If you are over 20 and are not yet confirmed, please come to our Adult Confirmation Class. The next class will be Monday, Jan. 7 at 7 pm in the parlor. Bishop Sis will be here at St. Elizabeth’s on Sunday, February 24 for a special adult confirmation Mass. We need a baptismal certificate for you. Call Fr. Mark at 367-4657 to join, or come to the class.

Pope’s December Intention Evangelization: In the Service of the Transmission of Faith That people, who are involved in the service and transmission of faith, may find, in their

dialogue with culture, a language suited to the conditions of the present time.

BREAKING OPEN THE WORD

Interested in Becoming Catholic?

No Meetings

Dec. 23 & 30!

Question of the Week

How do you do the will of God?

MARRIED COUPLES RETREAT Our next married couples retreat will be held January 25th - 26th. There are registration forms on line, in the halls of the church, and in the office. The cost is $50. This retreat is for couples who wish to strengthen their relationship and/or prepare for marriage in the church.

HONORING MARRIED COUPLES St. Elizabeth’s is honoring married couples with a special blessing on the last Sunday of each month. The couples married in December will be honored December 30TH at all masses.

Knights of Columbus Poster Contest The Knights of Columbus for St. Elizabeth’s is having a “Keep Christ in Christmas” Poster Contest for our parish children and youth. There are 3 age groups that can participate, the groups are as follows: Age 5-7(Grade K-2), Age 8-10(Grade 3-5), Age 11-14 (Grade 6-8) Parents have to sign the form if they wish to compete. The poster must be done on a 11 x 17 piece of paper (Nothing larger or smaller will be accepted). The deadline for entries will be December 23 and must be turned in to the church office or the box in the church. The winners in each age group will get a $25 gift card and a chance to move on to the district judging.

YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY Stay up to date with our monthly events on the parish website, on Facebook at SEAS- Awakened Young Adults or @y.a.faithseekers or on Twitter @yafaithseekers Stay tuned for January’s events!!!

Please pray for: Donovan Crawley, Dan Carpenter, Stephanie Velasquez, June Ponsetti, Elva Hurst, Mary Chew, Belen Rangel, Orion Campos, Esther Paschal, Vianey Gatica, Sandra Anaya, Sabrehna Everett, Teresa Miranda, Melissa Navarrette, Ramiro Salazar

PARISH APP & LIVE STREAMING

The 11:30am mass is now being livestreamed on our website. There is a chance your image may be broadcast during our liturgies. If you are uncomfortable, please consider attending a different liturgy. If you have any questions,

please contact Fr. Mark or Christopher.

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION In ancient pagan Rome, these days in mid-December were a time for general slacking off at work and far too much rejoicing. The period of leisure after the harvest and a whole cluster of pagan festivals were a force for the church to reckon with. The Saturnalia, breaking out on December 17, was a time of high living and loose morals. Christians were advised by their bishops to drop out of the mayhem and do some serious fasting. A famous church council at Saragossa in Spain made a season of fasting mandatory from December 17 to December 23, exactly coinciding with the Saturnalia. The bishops at that time were perhaps less concerned with preparing for Christmas than with resisting the kind of loose living going on. Modern times have restored a bit of the Saturnalia spirit to our culture, so that a general period of partying with a vague connection to religion is now upon us. How does a Christian keep balance? The practice of charity by remembering the poor in our gift-giving, of hospitality in finding a place at our holiday tables for the poor and lonely, and of daily prayer in the home and at church are great helps. Although Advent is not a penitential season like Lent, it is a time for making room in our lives for what matters most. —James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

BAPTISM PREP CLASS-Our next baptism preparation class is Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 6:30pm. You must

call to register for this class. Please call after Dec. 26. If there is no answer, dial 121 for Vickie’s ext. and leave a message. To Schedule a Baptism-In order to baptize at St. Elizabeth’s, the parents of the child should be registered members of St. Elizabeth’s, or live within our boundaries. Parents please come to the office to schedule your child’s baptism. You will need to bring in the baby’s birth certificate, from the county, the godparents’ confirmation certificates, if the godparents are married, a copy of their church marriage certificate and proof of Baptism prep classes for parents and godparents. We do baptisms the 1ST, 2ND and 3RD weekends of each month. Baptisms held on the 3RD weekend will be in Spanish, if requested. The first person to come into the office with all necessary paperwork to register for a weekend will get to pick which day, Saturday or Sunday, for all baptisms that weekend. You must register in

the office, before the date of your child’s

baptism and you must have all paperwork!

Elementary CCD December/January News

NO CCD Dec. 23, 26, 30

Jan. 2, 6, 9

MERRY CHRISTMAS! and

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Adult Bible Study Opportunities

Men The men’s study group, led by Fr. Timothy,

has completed the first part of Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained provided by the

Augustine Institute. They will not meet again until January 14.

Women Women’s bible study, has ended for the fall. For information on the spring study please

contact Sondra Eoff, [email protected]

Spanish Monday: Spanish Bible Study 7 – 9 pm in the

classrooms. Thursday: Rosary and prayer 6 – 9 pm.

MEMORIES AND DREAMS Throughout our lives, we retain the language and habits of our native region and family of origin. Should we return to our home after a long absence, we quickly revert to its familiar speech and practices. Our deep memory is reflected in old stories and words and speech patterns. This familiarity runs like an underground river and accompanies us wherever we go. Not only do we remember, we are incorporated into and made part of a greater memory. In remembering and recollecting, we are in turn gathered up and re-collected. Today we remember Mary, a small figure travelling the country roads to visit Elizabeth. All the great pronouncements and dreams of the prophets point to this time when the Lord’s words to Mary would be gathered and fulfilled. The memories of her people are alive in her, and memories of her nourish our own living faith. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

— Luke 1:42

CATHOLIC CHARITIES A BIG thank you to everyone who has contributed to our Gift of Hope Campaign! We greatly appreciate your donations and donations made during the second collection! You give us the opportunity to serve those most in need in our community. We would also like to thank the SEAS Youth Group for decorating the agency for Christmas!! It has brought so much joy to our clients to see a festive environment during their time of need. Please keep our agency in your prayers! God bless you and your family!

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY! Dec 23 –Mary Baeza, Dylan Brazell, Danny Carroll, Kris Darby, Victoria Detiveaux, Klarisa Dominguez, Tiffany Fino, Jesus Gutierrez, Rico Munoz, Miguel Olague Dec 24 – Magan Bermea, Korina Bustamante, Jesus Duran, Ricardo Fierro, Nataly Hernandez, Adrian Kinman, Gregoria Lee, Kristan Legaspi, Marissa Magallanez, Lou Navarrette, Greg Martin, Diane Martinez, Sharon Massey, Angie Root, Marissa Salcido Dec 25 – JESUS CHRIST, Isabella Aldas, Karime Covos, Adrian Escobedo, Richard Garza, Maci Gutierrez, Emilio Ibarra, Cuauhtemoc Rodriguez, Alyssa Vasquez Dec 26 – Veronica Caballero, Raul Carrillo, Margaret Carpenter, Jaime Castillo, Esteban Garcia, Carol Hinojos, Sandra Medrano, Araceli Perez, Albert Rincon, Jose Rodriguez, Francisco Ruiz, Mary Stutes, Brian Voss Dec 27 – Fr. Mark Woodruff, Johnny Aldas, Miranda Baumguardner, Joshua Carrillo, Gladys Chavarria, Alina Franco, Alberto Garcia, Casey Hunt, Sydney Martinez, Michael Mendoza, Carissa Rede, Isaac Rios, Jason Trevino Dec 28 – Eddy Bello, Annaleah De La Cruz, Mary Gonzales, Agustin Munoz, Joseph Munoz, Perla Ramos, Debra Sanchez, Juan Terrazas, Katherine Watkins Dec 29 – Rylee Chavez, Jane Anne Dial, Erika Fanous, Jenifer Flores, Yaritzah Galindo, Michael Hyde, Beyonce Garcia, Oscar Hernandez, Emily Kopenitz, Leticia Ramirez, Tomasa Telles

HOW BRIGHT IS YOUR LIGHT?

Our parish is growing in size and activities. As such, we need more volunteers to help spread the word of God. Please commit to helping the people of your community and yourself by volunteering in one of these ministries.

Religious Ed teachers and aides

First Communion teachers and aides

Quinceanera class teacher

RCIA team member

Youth Group leaders and chaperones

Youth Confirmation leaders/teachers

Steubenville chaperones

Marriage Retreat team

Baptism Prep class teacher

Choir member

Cantor

Bell Choir member

Hospital and Homebound Minister

Eucharistic Minister

Lector

Ushers at all Masses (Sat. & Sun.)

Marriage Retreat team member

Altar server

Altar linen laundering group

Catholic Charities Volunteer Call the office (367-4657) for more information. To help us share our time and talents with our church community we have these opportunities to enrich our faith.

Rosary Group

ACTS

Men’s Bible Study

Women’s Bible Study

Spanish Prayer Groups

Knights of Columbus

Adoration Corinthians 12:7-11 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. What is your gift?

Are you helping others?

Life Teen

& EDGE

Youth 2000 A Eucharistic Centered Retreat

A 3-Day Retreat

High School (9th – 12th grades)

Where: St. Stephen’s Catholic Church

When: January 11, 12, 13, 2019

Registration Fee: $50 due by January 4th (make checks payable to St Stephens)

Registrations & Information at the Church exits.

focus

ON DECEMBER 23RD, 30TH &

JANUARY 6TH WE WILL NOT BE

HAVING CLASSES DUE TO

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S

BREAK! CLASSES RESUME

JANUARY 13TH.

NO LIFE TEEN NIGHTS ON

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26TH

AND JANUARY 2ND. YOUTH

NIGHT RESUMES ON JANUARY

9TH.

YOUTH NIGHT is

a privilege and a necessity,

it is Community Building and

OPEN to

All who desire to grow in faith!

(6th – 12th)

Thank you for a wonderful year!

Youth ministry is vital to helping teens integrate into the larger, intergenerational

community of the church.

Youth ministry resists the status quo, helping the church stay relevant.

Youth ministry focuses on inviting those who are not already part of the church into the

deeper narrative of God’s plan.

Youth ministry reminds the church that teens are not marginalized members of the body,

but co-creators and conspirators in the divine work of the church.

Youth ministry helps the church focus on the way of Jesus, which fosters tradition, dogma,

and works.

Please have a Merry Christmas!

STEUBENVILLE 2019 – ST. PAUL

PARENT MEETING ON JANUARY

31ST. 1ST PAYMENT OF $150.00

DUE. MARK YOUR CALENDARS

TO ATTEND!

“Do not say, 'I am only a child'; for you shall go to all to whom I

send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be

afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” –

St. Jeremiah

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Attendance

Middle School and High School programs both have an attendance

policy.

We allow 7 absences per year for

Middle School and 5 for High School.

Is your child missing too much class?

We may have valid reasons for the absences, but it is important that if

they desire to progress to the next grade that they are attending classes on the

calendared days.

Letters will be sent out over this break that will give status of students who are

about to exceed or have exceeded the

allotted absences for the year.

“…that Jesus wants to enter with His word, with His presence”

-Pope Francis; message for WYD in Rio