Church of Our Saviour ON MURRAY HILL IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK Fifty-nine Park Avenue (at East Thirty-eighth Street) New York, NY 10016 Rev. Robert J. Robbins, K.C.H.S. (212) 679–8166 FAX (212) 213–0352 www.oursaviournyc.org Mrs. Kathleen T. Ullmann Pastor Mr. Paul J. Murray, K.C.H.S. Director of Music Pastoral Associate for Lay Ministries Mr. George Sim Johnston Director of Adult Religious Education Mr. David W. Ford and Mr. Robert Striano, K.M. Parish Trustees FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 21 December 2014 MASS FOR THE LORD’S DAY ANOINTING OF THE SICK Saturday (Anticipated Mass): 5:00 p.m. Sunday: 9:00 a.m. (Children especially welcome), 11:00 a.m. (Choral), 5:00 p.m. By appointment. Please call (212) 679–8166 x210. DAILY MASS Monday–Friday: 7:45 a.m. Monday–Saturday: 12:05 p.m. HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION As announced. EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT Fridays after the 7:45 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 11:55 a.m. SACRAMENT OF PENANCE (CONFESSION) Monday–Friday: 7:00–7:30 a.m., 12:35–1:00 p.m. Saturday: 4:30–4:55 p.m. Sunday: 10:30–10:50 a.m. SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY Arrange at least six (6) months in advance. For information, please call (212) 679–8166 x220. SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM For information, please call (212) 679–8166 x220. RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS (RCIA) Classes meet on Thursdays from 6:30–8:00 p.m. To register, please contact Mr. Sim Johnston at (212) 410–4254 or [email protected]. NOVENA DEVOTIONS after the 12:05 p.m. Mass Monday: Miraculous Medal Tuesday: St. Anthony Wednesday: St. Jude Thursday: St. Anne Friday: Sacred Heart NEW PARISHIONERS Welcome to the Church of Our Saviour! To register, please fill out a registration form in the Parish Office. SPACE RENTALS Please contact Mr. Angel Falcon, Coordinator of Special Projects and Ad Hoc Advancement Initiatives, at (212) 810–2004 or [email protected]. MASS INTENTIONS Sunday, 21 December – Fourth Sunday of Advent 5:00 p.m. Esilda Aranguren + 9:00 a.m. Bled Worou (L) 11:00 a.m. Cruz Colon + 5:00 p.m. Ives Worou (L) Monday, 22 December – Advent Weekday 7:45 a.m. Keren Worou (L) 12:05 p.m. Sonja Kostic + Tuesday, 23 December – Advent Weekday 7:45 a.m. Rita Cossolini + 12:05 p.m. Sally, Helena, & Colleen Lehane (L) Wednesday, 24 December – Advent Weekday 7:45 a.m. Shiloh Worou (L) 12:05 p.m. Katharina Grobe + Thursday, 25 December – The Nativity of the Lord 11:00 p.m. Edith M. Robbins + 11:00 a.m. Grazia & Vincenzo Russo + Friday, 26 December – St. Stephen, the First Martyr 7:45 a.m. Salomon Worou (L) 12:05 p.m. Carol A. Doran-Murray + Saturday, 27 December – St. John, Apostle, Evangelist 12:05 p.m. Albert Worou (L) IN YOUR PRAYERS, please remember Betty Ammann, David Bobalki, Connie Crist, Karl Crist, Kathy Baker Cross, David Grand, Kathianne Lamb, Colleen Lehane, Helena Lehane, Sally B. Lehane, Lisa Martin, Paolo M. Miranda, Jared Monfort, Doran Mullen, Mary Eileen Paprocki, Masu Savice, Elizabeth Smith, and Mara Clare Sweeney who are ill. Prayer intentions for the sick will be listed for one month and may be renewed by calling the parish office. THE HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR DECEMBER Universal. That the birth of the Redeemer may bring peace and hope to all people of good will. For Evangelization. That parents may be true evangelizers, passing on to their children the precious gift of faith. ! FROM THE HOLY FATHER’S TWITTER @Pontifex: Let us learn from the Virgin Mary how to be bolder in obeying the word of God. WELCOME If you are a visitor, we welcome you to the Church of Our Saviour and hope that you will come back soon. Those who wish to join the parish may register in the parish office. Departing parishioners are asked to notify the office, <[email protected]>, to enable us to keep our records up to date. WEEKLY MEETINGS AT THE PARISH Tuesday 6:30–8:00 p.m. Pre-Cana 6:00–8:00 p.m. Book Club N.B. Third Tuesday of the month Thursday 6:15–7:15 p.m. 6:15–7:45 p.m. 6:30–8:00 p.m. Friday 7:45 a.m. Legion of Mary Centering Prayer Adult Religious Ed. (RCIA) Guild of Catholic Lawyers N.B. First Friday of the month WEEKLY STEWARDSHIP Thank you for your generous support of the Church of Our Saviour! Collections for the week ending 14 December: Sunday Collection: $4,295 • ParishPay: $1,411 Immaculate Conception: $1,774 Weekdays: $340 • Shrines: $566 Retirement Fund for Religious: $1,787 Parishioners are encouraged to make their donations online through ParishPay, which is accessible via our website, <www.oursaviournyc.org>. SEVEN DAY VIGIL LAMPS The Sanctuary Lamp burns this week in loving memory of Andrew Murphy. To reserve a Vigil Lamp, visit the Parish Office. The weekly offering for a Vigil Lamp is $15. ! CHRISTMASTIDE GIVING The parish relies greatly on Christmastide and year-end offerings and especially invites visitors to take this opportunity to support our parish’s witness in our crucial location in Manhattan. This is particularly important at a time of rising costs and difficulties in the world economy. Thank you for your generosity. CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE CHRISTMAS EVE – WEDNESDAY, 24 DECEMBER 5:00 p.m. – Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary 7:30 p.m. – Church of St. Stephen 11:00 p.m. – Church of Our Saviour The 11:00 p.m. Mass will be preceded by a Festival of Lessons and Carols, presented by our Choir, at 10:15 p.m. CHRISTMAS DAY – THURSDAY, 25 DECEMBER 9:00 a.m. – Church of St. Stephen 11:00 a.m. – Church of Our Saviour 12:30 p.m. – Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary COFFEE HOUR Please join us after the 11:00 a.m. Mass in the narthex every Sunday for coffee and conversation. Those interested in helping to prepare the weekly coffee hour are asked to contact Andrea Moore at <[email protected]>. CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS Placing a poinsettia plant in the sanctuary is a special way to bring the memory of our loved ones and friends, both living and deceased, close to the altar at Christmastime. Your contributions will make this possible. Flower envelopes have been placed in the narthex of the church and in the rectory office for your offerings. FROM THE PASTOR As many of you were, I was shocked at the announcement of the closing of St. Stephen’s Church. The recommendation did not come from our cluster of parishes (St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Our Saviour, St. Agnes, St. Stephen/Our Lady of the Scapular, and the Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary), which is where such recommendations were supposed to emanate. After a month of trying to get an explanation, I received the following from Bishop John O’Hara who has the unenviable job of guiding “Making All Things New.” “The recommendation to merge St. Stephen with Our Saviour was made by the Archdiocesan Advisory Board on June 25. The action of the Advisory Board was accepted and ratified by the Priest Council in early July. As you know, Cardinal Dolan elected to accept the recommendation.” As you may have seen in this past Monday’s New York Times, additional mergers and closures have been announced to be followed by a third group before next August. “In the new cases, however, the proposals came directly from Cardinal Dolan and other senior archdiocesan officials, who felt the advisory group had not gone far enough in recommending changes,” said Joseph Zwilling, the archdiocese’s spokesman. FRAGILE Life is fragile. We like to consider ourselves strong and independent, but when it comes right down to it, we are pretty fragile. It does not take much to throw off our independence and strength. A medical setback, the process of aging, a personal loss, a severe storm, and even a brokendown car, can remind us how dependent we really are. Our culture glamorizes strength, beauty, and freedom and provides all sorts of temporary fixes for the realities of our humanness. We can join a health club, dye our hair, eat organic food, and drive an all-terrain vehicle, but eventually our fragility catches up with us. Perhaps we should just recognize the fact that being fragile is a part of life. God certainly recognizes it. God even cherishes and celebrates it. In fact, he values our human fragility so much that he chose to embrace it personally in order to save us. Consider the Creator of the universe, humbling himself to the point of becoming the weakest of persons: the human embryo of an unwed mother, the unborn child on a dangerous journey, the newborn infant surrounded by smelly animals and outcasts, the migrant child fleeing the violence of a murderous king. God certainly understands and embraces our fragility. By his own personal witness, he even shows us that fragility is beautiful. Recognizing our fragility helps us to remember and love those who are weak and defenseless. At this holy time of year, when we contemplate artfully composed manger scenes and attractive Christmas cards, let us remember the message in God’s personal witness: there is profound beauty in all human life, even the most vulnerable. Even when people are small, weak, defenseless, dependent, demanding, or disgusting by worldly standards, God sees beauty. So should we see this beauty in ourselves and in others. Pope Francis recently captured this when he reflected: “Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.” Life is truly fragile. Life is incredibly beautiful. May we remember God’s deep and profound love for us and cling fast to Him. May we find the strength and encouragement in this great season of joy to assist and protect all those who are especially fragile. 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