Nativity of Mary Church and School 10017 E 36th Terrace Independence, MO 64052 Parish: (816) 353-2184 School: (816) 353-0284 Web: www.nativityofmary.org “My attitude must be Christ’s.” - Philippians 2:5 December 28, 2014 Parish Staff Rev. Robert Stone, Pastor Dr. Elizabeth Baker, Principal Donna Arnone, Business Manager New Parishioners If you are new to our parish and would like more information please contact the Parish Office. Pastoral Care Sacraments for the Sick and Homebound and Pastoral visits to the Homebound and Hospital Contact Fr. Bob Stone 816-353-2184 Emergency Assistance Contact St. Mary’s Food Pantry and Clothes Closet - 816-252-8649 Youth Ministry Debbie Page, Parish Office School School, Early Childhood and Extended Care Carmen Wolfgeher, school office Sacrament Preparation Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Confirmation, Adult Initiation (RCIA), and Matrimony Contact the parish office for information Music Ministry Dr. Helena Vasconcellos, parish office Diocesan Victim’s Advocate Mary Bultmann 816-714-2387 - [email protected] Ombudsman Jenifer Valenti, 816-812-2500 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph Mass Schedule Monday: Weekday: Saturday: Sunday: Holy Day: 8:30 a.m. Communion Service 8:30 a.m. Tuesday - Friday 4:00 p.m. 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Confessions Saturday: 3:00 p.m. or by Appointment DECEMBER 28, 2014 - THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH MASS INTENTIONS Sat., Dec. 27 – Vigil of the Holy Family 4:00PM + Alex Greuter & Jimmie Weber Sunday, Nov. Dec. 28 - The Holy Family 8:00AM + Patricia Eker, Tom Ronan + Mary Therese Carroll 10:30AM Communion Service Tuesday, December 30 8:30AM + Ineva Ludwig Wednesday, December 31 - St. Sylvester I 8:30AM + Al Flowers Thursday, January 1 - Solemnity of Mary 10:00AM + Edgar Schaefer & Int. of Bernie Cassity Fri., Jan. 2 - Sts. Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen 8:30AM + Nativity of Mary Parish Sat., January 3 - Vigil of the Epiphany of the Lord 4:00PM + Carole Mucke Sun., January 4 - The Epiphany of the Lord 8:00AM + Tom Ronan 10:30AM + Jimmie Van Bibber PLEASE PRAY FOR: Mike Anthony Vern/Margaret Ault Rex Bartley Dick Baylie Catrina Bellis Bernie Cassity Bill Crystal Leann Dandorff Willie DeJesus Bill Dierkes Kathy Dunbar Ruth Duvall Barb/John Eimer Lacy Faherty Rick Fletcher Aidan Gonzalez Bernadette Greufe Margaret Heckman Cynthia/Dennis Jones Debbie Layden Marty Mosbauer Mary Perez Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday: Sunday: + Nadine Eckstein Mon., December 29 - St. Thomas Becket 8:30AM READINGS FOR THE WEEK - DEC. 29, 2014 - JAN. 5, 2015 Carlos/Eva Pinon Mike Rooney Betty Rynish Chris Salas Sylvia Simone Lilyanne Smith Bernice/Norm Steffen Paul Varsalona Bud Vitt Ayden Wright Joe Zapien 1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96:1-3, 5b-6; Lk 2:22-35 1 Jn 2:12-17; Ps 96:7-10; Lk 2:36-40 1 Jn 2:18-21; Ps 96:1-2, 11-13; Jn 1:1-18 Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21 1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 1:19-28 1 Jn 2:29 -- 3:6; Ps 98:1, 3cd-6; Jn 1:29-34 Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12 Please pray for the repose of the soul of Kenny Johnson, husband of Rosie and father of Wade, Brock, Cale, and Luke. The Johnsons are long-time parishioners and a school family. We offer our prayers and sympathy to Rosie, the boys and all the Johnson family. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen. TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION In the last century, a few new feasts were blended into the Church year, including today's. After World War I, the chaos of daily life in Europe made its impact felt on the family structure. Partly to offer Christians an image of hope and holiness in married family life, and also to promote the welfare of children, today's feast was "invented" in 1921. In 1969, it became a feast of Christmas. The prayers today remind us not only of family life, but of life in the community of faith. We ponder the mystery of a God who loves us dearly enough to embrace the struggles, joys, and daily sorrows of family life. The message of Christmas shines through: God-with-us is available to us in the ordinary patterns of our lives and commitments. The lives of people who raise their children in difficult circumstances, and of people who remain faithful to life in the Church in spite of some of their own family struggles, occupy a special place in our hearts today in prayer. NATIVITY OF MARY CONTRIBUTION REPORT DECEMBER 13 & 14, 2014 Envelopes Plate Worship Space Pisces Fund EFT & Credit Cards TOTAL $ 6,815.00 $ 1,038.00 $ 7,974.00 $ 115.00 $ 320.00 $16,262.00 Religious Retirement $ 1,181.00 Tuition Deposit $18,120.23 St. Mark’s School Support $ 3,500.00 Matching Grant -Marsh/McLennan $ 3,640.00 DECEMBER 28, 2014 - PARISH NEWS Reminder: Mass on January 1, 2015, the Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God, is at 10:00 a.m. This is a Holyday of Obligation. DID YOU KNOW…….? …in January we will be replacing 3 members of the Parish Ministry Council? January 2015 4:00 PM Mass 8:00 AM Mass 10:30 AM Mass Lectors Marilyn Fellows Helen Sibert Nancy Ronan Wilma Christensen Joe Harris Eucharistic Ministers John Cook Sherri Eaton Loretta Krawczyk Marilyn Mineart Cindy Mosbauer Mike Mosbauer *Helen Sibert John Felz Mercy Kimbrough Lucy Lamb Mary Ann McClure *Pete Quiroga Laura Rosenberg Larry Lamb Manny Martinez Frank Milazzo Rosa Milazzo Anne Reilly *Madge Sutherlin Volunteer *Denotes Captain *Denotes Captain * Denotes Captain Luke Moore Juliana Diaz Evie Akamoto Amber Walter Servers Devotional candles are kept in the kiosk. If you would like to light one just ask an usher for assistance. There is a slot and envelopes available in the kiosk to place your $5 donation. If you have a suggestion, concern, or comment you would like the Parish Ministry Council to address there are cards on the kiosk you can fill out and drop in the slot. The Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph is committed to combating sexual abuse in the Church. If you are a victim of sexual abuse, or if you observe or suspect sexual abuse: 1. 2. 3. Call the Missouri Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-392-3738 (if the victim is currently under the age of 18), and Contact your local law enforcement authorities or call 911 After reporting to these civil and law enforcement agencies report suspected sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult to the Diocesan Ombudsman, Jenifer Valenti, at 816-812-2500 or [email protected], if the abuse involves a priest, deacon, employee, or volunteer of the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph. The Diocese has a sincere commitment to providing care and healing resources to victims of sexual abuse and their families. Please contact Victim Advocate Mary Bultmann at 714-2387 or [email protected] for more information. Rebecca Hanch Hughes Family Gluten-free hosts are available. Talk to Fr. Bob before Mass. We have 2 wheelchairs and hearing assist devices available for your use during mass. Please contact an usher. CALENDAR - 2014 AND 2015 Sunday 28 8:00AM Mass 10:30AM Mass Monday 29 8:30AM Communion Serv. Tuesday 8:30AM Mass 30 9AM - Quilters Wednesday 8:30AM Mass 31 Thursday 1 10:00AM Mass No Choir Practices Friday 8:30AM Mass 2 9AM-Noon Eucharistic Adoration No RCIA Saturday 3:00PM Confession 4:00PM Mass 3 No Youth Group Ministry Center Closes at Noon Ministry Center Closed Ministry Center Closed 4 8:00AM Mass 10:30AM Mass Breaking of the Word Begins 5 8:30AM Communion Serv. 6 8:30AM Mass 7 8:30AM Mass 9AM - Quilters School Resumes 1PM - Liturgy Mtg. 8:30AM Mass 7PM - Parish Ministry Council School Denim & Dogs 10 3:00PM Confession 4:00PM Mass 7PM - Choir 7PM - JACOMO Chorale 7PM - RCIA 7PM - PTO after Mass 11 8:00AM Mass 10:30AM Mass Breaking of the Word 9 8 8:30AM Mass 12 8:30AM Communion Serv. 13 14 16 15 8:30AM Mass 8:30AM Mass 8:30AM Mass 8:30AM Mass 9AM - Quilters 3PM - Youth Choir 7PM - JACOMO Chorale 7PM - RCIA 7PM - Choir School Noon Dismissal Parent/Teacher Conferences 17 3:00PM Confession 4:00PM Mass First Saturday Devotion January 3 , 2015 On behalf of the Music Ministries at Nativity, we would like to thank the Nativity Youth and Parish Choirs for their help as we offer our parishioners an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the Christmas season. Music is a divine element and an effective reminder of the mission of our savior on Earth. As we sing “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” “Joy to the World,” and many other traditional Christmas songs, we join the baby Jesus as He uplifts our hearts and souls. Then that little baby Himself is born within each one of us. Our choir members rejoice for being God’s instruments in the strengthening of the faith and spirituality of our community. St. Peter's, 815 E. Meyer Blvd., KCMO 8:00 a.m. Confession, Rosary and Meditations 9:00 a.m. Holy Sacrifice of the Mass The request for these devotions was made known by her and Jesus to Sister Lucia on December 10, 1925. Mary promised to assist those at the hour of their death, who fulfill the requirements of five consecutive First Saturdays, with the graces necessary for salvation. The greatest gift to Our Lady is observing this devotion separate from the Obligatory Mass observance, however, if one cannot make the earlier Saturday Mass, this devotion may be fulfilled at any Saturday Vigil Mass or Sunday Mass, with the rosary and meditations of 15 minutes on the mysteries done individually, and Confession within 8 days. Visit www.pray4america.net for more information on First Saturday Contact Jacelyn Gosselin at (816) 5097494 or e:mail [email protected] for more information. DECEMBER 28, 2014 - SCHOOL JANUARY CALENDAR January 5 January 7 January 11 January 16 January 19 January 25 Classes Resume Denim/Dog orders & money due Full day of school Denim and Dogs Lunch Report Cards Noon Dismissal Parent/Teacher Conferences 1:00 p.m. - 6 p.m. No School Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Catholic Schools Week Begins As a leader, I am privy to many stories of people’s lives-the happiness and the struggles. These stories make me humble in the respect that one can clearly see at times the Holy Spirit working in the lives of others. I asked the faculty and staff to reflect on how the Holy Spirit has worked in their lives to bring them to Nativity and what their mission is for our school and parish community. The following is a story from Chris Everhart, who is our Kindergarten teacher: Open House Thursday, February 26th 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Kindergarten Round-up Thursday, March 5th 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Please help us spread the word about our wonderful school by talking to your friends and neighbors about our annual Open House and Kindergarten round-up that will be taking place at the beginning of March. Word of mouth is an excellent opportunity to let people know who we are! Attention 8th grade students and parents: Archbishop O'Hara High School High School Placement Test Saturday, January 10, 2015 Parents are asked to pre-register their student for the event by going to www.oharahs.org and clicking on the Admissions tab. Follow the links for the 8th grade students and you will be able to register. The cost of the exam is $15 and students need to arrive at 7:45 AM with two #2 pencils and their Social Security Number. We will serve a pizza lunch immediately following the test and students should be available for pick-up by noon. If you should have any questions please feel free to contact Kim Felz at (816)763-4800 ext. 206 or email at [email protected]. As a young girl, my parents took us on many trips around the world. Dad was a scientist and was able to travel very inexpensively. My parents took us to many Catholic Churches and we grew up with a great respect for the Catholic Church. When my husband and I moved to Kansas City I stayed home with our baby son, Nicholas, for one year. In August of 1985, there was an ad in the paper for a teacher at St. Martin de Porres. I called and got an interview with Sr. Carol. As I walked in, she said, "Oh good, I had a candle burning for you." From that moment on, I have been hooked on Catholic Schools. My life has been touched in so many ways by the wonderful people I have met over these past 29 years; parents, students, co-workers, and parishioners. My husband and I have been married for 35 years; had four children; struggled with sickness and death and financial difficulties. We have celebrated joys and happy times. Through it all, our lives have been supported and enriched by the people we have met through my Job as a teacher. I truly feel, God called me on this great journey! DECEMBER 28, 2014 - THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph The teenager with the starring role in the school Christmas play moaned and sighed to herself as her dad arrived late. Again. A litany of thoughts crossed her mind: "He missed my solo! His work is more important than me. He doesn't love me!" It was when the teenage star took her bows before the admiring audience that it all came clear. Her dad, with both feet propped on their heels, cheered the loudest, but his daughter couldn't take her eyes off the holes in the soles of each shoe, the ones he hadn't replaced for years. And she, in her beautiful gown and expensively designed hair, finally realized, "He did it all for me." Your love for your family is enduring, even when it goes unnoticed. Take some time for one another. Show honor and respect. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, always be thankful. Let Christ's message find a home in your home WHO'S A HOLY FAMILY? If you are reading this, there is a good chance that you meet the definition of a "holy family," given that this may be at least the second Mass of at least four that you and your family will have participated in over a very short period of time. Meeting a religious obligation, like attending Mass on Sundays and holy days, is not the only criterion for a holy family, of course, but as today's Gospel reminds us, it's one of them. The presentation of Jesus in the Temple portrays his parents as devout Jews who took him to Jerusalem as the Law of Moses required. According to the Law, the mother who gives birth to a boy is not to touch anything sacred or enter the Temple for forty days. At the end of this time she is to offer a year-old lamb and a pigeon or turtledove as an atonement for sins. Mary offered a pair of birds, as was permitted a person who could not afford a lamb. MEETING OBLIGATIONS If only it were that easy to be holy. If only holiness could be determined solely by our attendance at Sunday liturgy and fulfilling a list of rules. But as any Christian knows, the way to holiness passes by way of the cross. Holiness is never a state of being that we reach or achieve, but a constant personal and communal battle that embraces penance, mortification, and suffering, which only then lead to peace. Mary knew that. Simeon--the prophet who held the infant Jesus and put into words what Mary must have felt, that the child is "destined for the fall and rise of many . . . a sign that will be contradicted"--also knew (Luke 2:34). Many in our own families have tripped over the stumbling block of faith that is Jesus. Yet they remain with our families and may even have shared our holidays together. We pray for these wayward ones and always remember that they, too, help make our families holy.
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