1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES HOUSTON, TX
DECEMBER 21, 2014
MASS INTENTIONS
Sunday,
8:00 am
10:00 am
12:00 pm
2:00 pm
5:00 pm
†
†
†
†
†
Monday,
8:15 am
7:30 pm
Tuesday,
8:15 am
Wednesday,
4:30 pm
7:00 pm
9:00 pm
12:00 am
Thursday,
9:00 am
11:00 am
1:00 pm
Friday,
Saturday,
8:15 am
5:00 pm
7:00 pm
†
†
†
†
†
†
†
†
READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 21, 2014
December 21:
Casimiro & Bebiana Sequeira, † Marie Pavlicek
Fr. Wayne Wilkerson, † Perrault Family,
Prejean Family
St. Francis de Sales Parish
Anna Nguyen Thi Mung Thuy,
Daminh Nguyen Van Minh, † Peter Thai Hoang
Pat Martin, Anthony Moreign,
Jerry Markantonis
December 22:
Bibiana Ozuzu (B-day), Marie Pavlicek,
Ralph De La Garza
Odila Rojas, † Juan Manuel Pérez
December 23:
Juan Garcia (B-day), † Victoria Reyes,
Sosamma Abraham
December 24:
St. Francis de Sales Parish
Parish Families, Difuntos Legionarios
St. Francis de Sales Parish
St. Francis de Sales Parish
December 25:
Phyllis Reimer
Priests/ Deacons– Religious Life
Rita Nwazojie & Family
December 26:
No Mass
December 27:
Pasquale Palazzolo, † Manuel Cusco,
Leslie Dixon
Gertrude Ploch, † Floyd Kowalski,
Rose & Leonard Chambers
Juan Manuel Pérez, † Mario & Sara Munguia
Sunday
Fourth Sunday of Advent
2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89;
Rom 16:25-27;Lk 1:26-38
Monday
1 Sm 1:24-28; 1 Sm 2; Lk 1:46-56
Tuesday
Saint John of Kanty, Priest
Mal 3:1-4, 23-24; Ps 25; Lk 1:57-66
Wednesday Morning: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16;
Ps 89; Lk 1:67-79
Vigil: Is 62:1-5, Ps 89; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25,
Mt 1:1-25 or 1:18-25
Thursday
The Nativity of the Lord
Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14
Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20
Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98; Heb 1:1-6;
Jn 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14
Friday
Saint Stephen, The First Martyr
Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59; Ps 31; Mt 10:17-22
Saturday
Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist
1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97; Jn 20:1a, 2-8
Sunday
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 or Gn 15:1-6, 21:1-3; Ps 105;
Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 or Heb 11:8; 11-12,
17-19; Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22, 39-40
THIS WEEK AT ST. FRANCIS DE SALES
Sunday,
Monday,
Tuesday,
7:00 pm
Wednesday,
LET US PRAY FOR THE SICK
Lora Kowalski
Barbara Rourke
Richard Byrd
Joana Ochoa
Rosalinda Luna
Freda Zatalo
C.J. Ruth Jr.
Denise Johnson
Larry Ramos
Gabriela Pinedo
Irma Mendenhall
Mary Huff
Luis De la Cruz
Mary Overbeck
Georgina Angiano
Richard Meaney
Danielle Person
Delores Anderson
William &Beatrice Reeves
Rosemarie Ryan
Richard Edwards
Margaret Biesymeyer
Sister Doloretta Bieter
Russell Fullen
Don Wenglar
Ralph De La Garza
Joann De La Garza
Narcisa Placino
Joe Selesky
Gracie Romero Mendoza
Joe Rodriguez
Mary Kay De La Houssaye
Jim Holzhauser
Ileana Zeis
Ma. Rosalina López
Yanira Larios
Dorothea Benitez
Mariana Moreno
Maya Wong
Zain Wong
Carrie Peters
Minnie Licea
Michael Williams
Cindy Morfin
Melany Alvarez
Thursday,
Friday,
Saturday,
December 21:
No Events Scheduled . . . . . . . .
December 22:
No Events Scheduled . . . . . . . .
December 23:
Las Posadas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FLC
December 24:
Parish Office Closed.
December 25:
Parish Office Closed.
December 26:
Parish Office Closed.
December 27:
No Events Scheduled . . . . . . . .
You can now View bulletin online at: www.sfds-Houston.org or www.TheCatholicDirectory.com
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FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
My Dear Parishioners,
Merry Christmas! Don't be afraid to say it. Merry Christmas!
Wishing you all of the joy and happiness and blessing of God that can come to us in the birth of our Lord, Jesus
Christ.
A story is told about a nine year old girl named Juanita selling cookies on a Lima street corner. A car pulled up to
the curb and the girl ran over, hoping for a sale. However, instead of making a purchase, the woman went to her
trunk, took out a beautiful doll and gave it to the girl. Juanita put down her cookies and clasped the doll to her
heart. Can you imagine the joy on her face as she looked at her doll was beyond words. The unexpected gift – isn't
that what God gave us in the person of Jesus on that first Christmas?
By his birth Jesus gives us beautiful - and unexpected gifts: hope in the face of despair, light in a world of darkness,
comfort for troubled hearts and forgiveness of sins.
As we gather in Church, I would hope we can humble ourselves enough to truly worship the Christ Child in the
manger scene and acknowledge him for who he truly is, and not what the world wants him to be. It is so easy to
belittle our human dignity, itself a gift from God, and attach the vices of our world to somehow being OK with God.
I pray that all of us, who profess that we are Christians, can kneel in humble prayer before the Christ Child and
acknowledge that God allows us to know how to be human. That Christ’s coming in a human body allows us to
experience His divine person. That Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God who enters into the history of man and
allows us to participate in the timeless reality of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
His divine love coming into the world as a baby is irresistible and allows us the opportunity to initially experience
God incarnate with awe and joy. May we love Him always, at every moment, with all our heart, soul, mind, and
strength.
With gratitude for how you have graced me in my life journey, I am holding you in my heart and prayer this
Christmas season, asking God to bless you and your family with love, happiness, and peace.
A Merry and Blessed Christmas to all of you.
Fr. Joseph Son Phan
Pastor
You can now View bulletin online at: www.sfds-Houston.org or www.TheCatholicDirectory.com
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ST. FRANCIS DE SALES HOUSTON, TX
DECEMBER 21, 2014
GIFTS OF STEWARDSHIP
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE
For the weekend of December 13 & 14, 2014
your gifts of treasure resulted in:
Sunday Collection “Budget”:
Sunday Collection:
Electronic Giving:
Children’s Collection:
Total Sunday Collection:
Difference (OVER):
$
$
$
$
$
$
21,000
22,527
620
454
23,602
2,602
Special Collections
2nd Collection: : Retirement Fund for Religious: $
5,383
Loan Beginning Balance:
Loan Debt as of Dec 10, 2014:
Monthly Payment on Loan:
$
$
$
VIETNAMESE CHRISTMAS EVE MASS
Wednesday, December 24, 2014 – 5:00 pm
George R. Brown Convention Center
CHRISTMAS EVE
No Morning Mass
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
4:30 pm Vigil Mass - English
7:00 pm Vigil Mass - Spanish
9:00 pm Vigil Mass - Vietnamese
11:00 pm –Carols
12:00 am (Midnight Mass) - English
CHRISTMAS DAY
Thursday, December 25, 2014
9:00 am Mass - English
11:00 am Mass - English
1:00 pm – Spanish
A holy day of obligation.
No Evening Mass
4,414,764
2,571,598
31,129
Next week’s 2nd Collection:
St. Vincent de Paul Society
NEW YEAR’S EVE
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
6:00 pm Vigil Mass - English
7:30 pm Vigil Mass - Vietnamese
Thank you for your generosity!
THANK YOU
NEW YEAR’S DAY
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Thursday, January 1, 2015
9:00 am Mass - English
11:00 am Mass - Spanish
A holy day of obligation.
Thank you! “We can cer tainly call you fr iends because of the
way you care for our retired members,” writes a religious brother.
Your gift to last week’s collection for the Retirement Fund for
Religious benefits some 35,000 senior sisters, brothers, and
religious order priests. May God bless you for your generosity!
The parish office will be closed on Wednesday, December 24 th
and re-open on Monday, December 29th at 9:00 am.
The parish office will be closed Wednesday, December 31 st and
re-open on Monday, January 5, 2014. The clergy and the parish
staff wishes you a blessed Advent and our gracious Lord’s gift
of peace and joy during the Christmas season and New Year!
STAFF E-MAIL ADDRESSES CHANGED
The staff e-mail addresses have changed.
If you need to e-mail a staff member,
please add a dash after the parish initials.
(sfds-) Example [email protected]
If you have any difficulty contact the
church office 713.774.7475.
STEWARDSHIP REFLECTION
F O URT H S UN D AY OF A DV E NT :
D E CEM BER 2 1
That we take time to open our hearts through
prayer to receive the gift of God’s grace.
FLOWERS ON THE ALTAR
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” — Luke 1:28
Flowers on the altar is a wonderful way to honor
a special occasion or to remember a love one.
We have many available dates for the year.
The donation begins at $75.00.
Please call the office to reserve your special date.
Faith is a gift from God. During this Christmas season take
time in silence and pray to God. Thank Him for all the gifts He
has given you. Try to set aside any anger or resentment you have
and really open your heart to receive the gift of God’s grace.
You can now View bulletin online at: www.sfds-Houston.org or www.TheCatholicDirectory.com
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FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
MESSAGE FROM FR. JOSEPH
USHER MINISTRY
Dear Parishioners,
THE USHER MINISTRY IS IN GREAT NEED
OF MEN AND WOMEN TO VOLUNTEER
HELP FOR THE SUNDAY MASSES.
Soon after I arrived here at St. Francis de Sales I was approached
by the Vietnamese and Spanish communities regarding their
Mass schedule. It has been a year since we switched the
Vietnamese Mass to 2:00PM on Sunday and Spanish Mass to
7:00PM on Saturday.
PLEASE CONTACT TOM MITCHELL AT
713.771.8062 OR CALL THE PARISH OFFICE AT
713.774.7475 #115 TO OFFER YOUR ASSISTANCE.
TECHNOLOGY MINISTRY
These past six months I have held numerous meetings, and have
listened and met with many of you individually. I sensed that it
is the will of majority of you wanting to switch back to what it
was before. After prayerful discernment, Fr. Alvaro and I have
reached the consensus to change the Spanish and Vietnamese
Mass times. Effective on Saturday, January 3, 2015 the
Vietnamese Mass will be held at 7:00 pm. Effective on
January 4, 2015 the Spanish Masses will be at 12:00 and 2:00 pm.
St. Francis de Sales is establishing a new Technology Ministry.
We are planning to display the words of the hymns at all the
Masses. We are asking for volunteers to help
operate the power slide show. Training will be
provided. For further inquiries contact the
church office 713-774-7475.
2015 LECTOR’S WORKBOOKS &
ST. JOSEPH MISSAL ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE
Although change is never easy and convenient for everyone, it is
our desire and hope that many will be able to attend masses at
St. Francis de Sales. Our effort is to accommodate both the
Spanish-speaking and Vietnamese-speaking communities and
everyone.
Let us continue to pray for one another during this time of
transition. For “All are Welcome in This Place!”
LECTOR’S WORKBOOKS FOR 2015 ARE
AVAILABLE IN THE CHURCH OFFICE. A
DONATION OF $10.00 IS APPRECIATED.
THE ST. JOSEPH MISSAL IS NOW AVAILABLE
FOR PURCHASE AT THE CHURCH OFFICE.
THE COST OF THE MISSAL IS $5.00.
Thank you and God bless,
SAVE THE DATE!
Fr. Joseph Phan.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
SEMINARIAN FISH FRY
Friday January 9th 6:00 PM.
LITTLE ROCK SCRIPTURE STUDIES
Little Rock Scripture Studies begins
the New Year with a study of The
Passion and Resurrection Narratives
of Jesus. The class runs from Friday,
January 9, to Friday, February 20.
All Proceeds go to assist our Seminarians
and Women in Religious Life Formation.
INDIVIDUAL, MARRIAGE, & FAMILY
COUNSELING AVAILABLE!
Through a detailed examination of the passion and
resurrection accounts of each of the four Gospels, we can
experience the person of Jesus more deeply. Through
reflection on these accounts, we can understand more fully the
central events of our Christian faith. By seeing how each
writer responded to the mystery of Jesus in his own life, we
can enter more completely into the saving death and
resurrection of Jesus for ourselves.
Are you in need of emotional healing?
Are you discouraged by your relationships with loved ones?
Now is the time to get the help and healing you need.
Through our collaboration with Rejoice Family Apostolate,
parishioners and their families can receive counseling onsite at the
parish while making use of a discounted sliding scale fee.
*English and Spanish available.
For more information or to schedule an
appointment please call Chris Stravitsch,
LPC, LMFT at (832) 900-2082, email
[email protected], or visit
RejoiceApostolate.com.
This class will help us be better prepared for the upcoming
Lenten season. We hope you will join in this study by calling
Grace Moore Hewett at 832-243-5210 by Monday, December 29.
You can now View bulletin online at: www.sfds-Houston.org or www.TheCatholicDirectory.com
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ST. FRANCIS DE SALES HOUSTON, TX
DECEMBER 21, 2014
HORARIO DE LAS MISAS DE
ADVIENTO Y NAVIDAD
MISA VIETNAMITA VESPERTINA DE LA VIGILIA
Miércoles, 24 de diciembre del 2014 - 5:00 pm
George R. Brown Convention Center
MISA DE LA VIGILIA
DE LA NATIVIDAD DEL SEÑOR
NO HABRA MISA EN LA MAÑANA
Miércoles, 24 de diciembre del 2014
4:30 pm Misa de Vigilia –en Ingles
7:00 pm Misa de Vigilia –en Español
9:00 pm Misa de Vigilia –en Vietnamita
11:00 pm – Cantos de Navidad
12:00 am (Misa de Media Noche) –en Ingles
Queridos Parroquianos,
Pronto después que llegue a nuestra Iglesia, se me acercaron
personas de las comunidades Vietnamita y Hispana. Ha sido un
año que llevamos con el cambio de las Misas en Español los
sábados a las 7:00 pm y la Misas en Vietnamita los domingos a las
2:00 pm.
Los últimos 6 meses hemos tenido muchas juntas y he hablado con
muchos de ustedes individualmente. Veo que muchos quieren que
se haga el cambio como horario de antes. Después de discernir
todo en oración, el Padre Alvaro y yo hemos llegado a la
conclusión de cambiar el horario de las Misas. Empezando el
3 y 4 de Enero, la Misa en Vietnamita será a las 7:00 pm el sábado
y la Misa en Español será a las 2:00 pm el domingo.
DIA DE NAVIDAD
Jueves, 25 de diciembre del 2014
9:00 am Misa -en Ingles
11:00 am Misa -en Ingles
1:00 pm Misa -en Español
2:00 pm Misa -en Vietnamita
Día de obligación
NO HABRA MISA POR LA TARDE
Aun que el cambio no es fácil y conveniente para todos, es nuestro
deseo que muchos puedan asistir a misa en nuestra Iglesia de San
Francisco de Sales. Nuestro esfuerzo es para acomodar la gran
mayoría de personas. Sigamos orando el uno por el otro durante
este cambio. Todos están bienvenidos en este lugar.
MISA VIGILIA DEL AÑO NUEVO
NO HABRA MISA EN LA MAÑANA
Miércoles, 31 de diciembre del 2014
6:00pm Misa de Vigilia -en Ingles
7:00pm Misa de Vigilia -en Vietnamita
Gracias y que Dios los bendiga,
AÑO NUEVO
Solemnidad de María, Madre de Dios
Jueves, 1 de enero del 2015
9:00 am Misa -en Ingles
11:00 am Misa -en Español
Día de obligación
Padre Joseph Phan
TALLERES DE ORACION Y VIDA
PARA JOVENES ADULTOS
La oficina parroquial estará cerrada el martes, 24 de diciembre
y abrirá el lunes, 29 de diciembre a las 9:00 am. Al igual estará
cerrada se cerrara el miércoles, 31 de diciembre y abrirá el
lunes, 5 de enero de 2015. De parte de los cleros y empleados de
la parroquia les deseamos un bendito tiempo de adviento y que
Nuestro Dios los colme de paz y gozo durante este tiempo
navideño y año nuevo.
Empezando el martes 6 de Enero a las 7:00 pm en el salón
San Marcos, tendremos los Talleres de Oración y Vida para
Jóvenes Adultos de 18 a 35 de edad. Las clases son de 2 horas,
para los que quieren empezar a orar mejor y conectarse con Dios
mas. Son 10 clases en total. Por mas información, hablen con el
Padre Alvaro Interiano.
¡Gracias!
¡FELICIDADES!
Fr. Alvaro I.
Felicidades a los nuevos lectores de Misa en Español.
Agustin Diaz Urieta
Rubenia Urieta
Luiz Guachisaca
Elsa Guachisaca
Luiz Rodriguez
Cesario Ramirez
Maria Arellano Zanchez
Jose Ramos
Karen Ramos
Orlando Corona
Lourdes Corona
De Maria Numquam Satis
LIBROS DE LECTORES DISPONIBLES
LOS LIBROS DE LECTORES PARA
EL 2015 YA ESTAN DISPONIBLES.
POR FAVOR DE CONTACTAR AL
SEÑOR EVER FUNETES AL 832-258-6317.
DONACION DE $11.00.
You can now View bulletin online at: www.sfds-Houston.org or www.TheCatholicDirectory.com
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