Weekly Schedule Weekend Masses Merry Christmas Saturday 5:30pm, Sunday 8am & 10:30am Weekday Masses Masses Monday and Friday at 12n Holy Day Masses see below Reconciliation ~ Saturdays at 4:30pm Upcoming Events at St. Agnes Parish Thurs, Dec 25 The Nativity of the Lord Dec 26  Feast of St. Stephen, the first deacon  Office Closed Sun, Feast of the Holy Family Dec 28  No RCIA or CFF Wed, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Vigil Mass at 5:30pm Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God ~ Holy Day Mass 10:30am Fri, Dec 31 Thurs, Jan 1 Sun, Jan 4  Office Closed  St Agnes Perpetual Memorial Mass 8am  RCIA—9am Historic Chapel  NO CFF  Youth Mass—5pm Remember in Prayer Mass Intentions Sunday, 8am Mass for Joan Moler Sunday, 10:30am Mass for Joan Woods May Joan and Joan share in the fullness of God’s mercy and peace. Requesting Masses for the Living & Deceased Mass intentions for the living or deceased may be arranged by simply calling or emailing the parish office or use one of the Mass Intentions Request Envelopes available in the narthex. Mass cards are always provided. In your kindness, please pray for Michael Joseph Schaefer the husband of Susan Schaefer and Edwin Lee Miller, Jr. father of Ariana Miller and brother of Lisa Saghy who died this week. May Michael and Ed share in the fullness of God’s mercy. End-of-Year Giving Thank you to so many of you who responded to Please pray daily for those serving in the military our year end appeal. If you would like to make an and those recently ill especially Gary Budd, Mike end-of-year gift for 2014 tax purposes, please be Bozel, Linda Harper’s mother Catherine Wallace, sure to write your check by December 31, 2014, Manny Cabral, Doris Collier, Marie Botsford, Beth and bring it to the office by Friday, January 2, Yates, Mary Cain, and Ryan Shaffer. Together we 2014. Donations received for the Solemnity of pray as a community for all those listed in our Mary will be processed in 2014. prayer book displayed near the reconciliation chapel. My Brothers and Sisters, Our Advent waiting is over and the cry of the people, "Come, Lord!" has been answered with a baby's cry in a small town of Bethlehem and the angelic chorus proclaiming God's glory to all the earth. Through intimacy as familiar as a mother giving birth, yet reaching out to all the stars of the universe, God is present and promises to remain with his people. Where we had been the ones waiting, now it is God who waits, God who cries to us, "Come!" ...........Come to the Child who witnesses that God is not some distant being far away, but rather God is clearly in our midst, sharing our humanity that we might share in all things divine. Born in a stable, laid in an animal's eating trough, Jesus gives us confidence to believe that he can also be born in the weakest and most unsure heart. Jesus can and desires to be born in each human heart. Love makes him small...his silence makes him un-demanding...his humanity challenges us never again to act in an inhuman way. My prayer is that the heart of each one of us may be touched by that child calling us to come near! I share with you a portion of "Five Days Old," from The Poetry of Francis Webb, (Harper and Row Publishers, 1991). Christmas is in the air. You are given into my hands Out of the quietest, loneliest lands. My trembling is all my prayer. To blown straw was given All the fullness of Heaven... In the sleeping, weeping weather We shall all kneel down together. I extend a warm welcome to all who have come to be with us as we celebrate the feast of Christmas. Perhaps you are an active participant in your parish and you have come to be with family and friends, or you might not be an active member in any church community and you are looking and searching for that gathering that might help you find the Lord. I truly hope that you will feel comfortable among us here at St. Agnes. We are a community founded upon the Roman Catholic tradition that strives to live the gospel with a mission to serve those in any need. We strive each day to become more and more one with the Lord Jesus. If you would simply like to sit among us and not make any commitment, then by all means sit and relax and let the Lord speak to your heart. If you would like to know more about us and even learn more about the sacred word and the teachings of this Catholic Church, there are opportunities for that to take place and happen. Where ever you might find your heart this day, please know that you are always welcome here at St. Agnes! A Blessed Christmas to one and to all! Book Discussion Eileen Dooley at 304-876-3320 [email protected] The January/February book selection is Jesus: The Christmas Memorial Flowers Our parishioners donated flowers in loving memory of Ethel & Earl Ashurst ~ George & Dorothy Buys Winnifred E. Coody ~ Violet Coffey Gertrude H. Denzer ~ Ada Darling Joseph L. Dzuris ~ Gevas family Pilgrimage by James Martin, SJ. We’ll read and discuss Chapters 1 through 18 in January, and Chapters 19 through 25 in February. In March we’ll read and discuss selections from Seek Justice That You May Live by John Donahue, SJ. Our discussion group meets at 10:30am on the third Friday of the month in the Parish Center. No RSVP is required. If you are able to read the book (or the majority of it), join us for the discussion each month! Joan Hopkins ~ Rob Hopkins Hirschfelt & Dzuris families ~ Philip Mueller Kenneth & Anna McCullough Feed the Hungry Can you bring 3 items to help stock Evelyn Merhaut ~ Albert Merhaut JCCM Food Pantry? They are in need Elsie McCafferty ~ Clement McCafferty of jelly, cereal, rice, crackers, peanut Jack Merhaut ~ Hank McQueeny butter, oatmeal, pancake mix, beans, Moler, Thompson, Burleigh, Greaser & Robertson families ~ Family of Harry Duncan Oatha & Brian Marken FEED y the Hungr th Oct 12 return canned goods (chili, meat, fish, soup, fruit), toilet paper, shampoo, tooth paste, & laundry detergent. Please leave your items in the narthex or parish center for pick-up by our volunteers. Thank you! Richard & Elizabeth Niemeier ~ Jane O'Brien Richard Olson ~ John & Elsie Piccolomini Alfred & Marie Pulaski ~ Lawrence Pulaski Esther Quigley ~ Lorraine W. Roller Jr. ROTC Helps Local Children Thank you for your generous donations to the Jefferson County Coat and Shoe Fund recently. Jr. Joanne B. Stebbins ~ Francis Snowden ROTC members collected $724 after weekend Phyliss Smallwood ~ Ellen Stanford Masses this year. Over $11,000 was collected Trio family ~ Joseph & Marie Tlsty countywide to purchase winter coats and shoes for Jefferson County school children. Frank & Cecila Vassallo Woods & Dooley Families Webber family and family & friends of St. Agnes Parish Youth Mass Join us for our first Youth Mass of 2015 on Sun, Jan 4 at 5pm (this counts as your Sunday obligation). Afterwards we’ll enjoy a potluck dinner in the Parish Center featuring traditional winter comfort food. Please bring a dish to share as we bring in 2015 with friends and fellowship. Contact Brigi e Schmidt StAgnesCFF@fron er.com ~ 304-876-6436 We want to make sure we are keeping in touch with you 365 days a year. Here are great ways to keep in touch with St. Agnes: Our Website Catholic Formation is a lifelong process and our goal at St. Agnes is to provide the kind of foundation for our children and youth that supports a desire to live out our faith daily. We offer weekly classes for children in kindergarten through Grade 12. www.StAgnesShepherdstown.org Here you can find the latest bulletin, the latest homily, upcoming events, and an easy link to online giving. Make sure we are one of your favorite bookmarks! Our CFF program strives to stand on Jesus Christ and the Trinity by living the example of our Catholic faith which Jesus gave us, passing on our beautiful faith to our children, and constantly seeking out and teaching others to seek the answers to the following: How can we meet Jesus? How can we know Jesus? How can we love Jesus? Facebook To help our young people build a foundation of faith, we integrate catechetical and curriculum -based learning with service, experiential, and retreat opportunities in order to build up both a knowledge of the Church and Her teachings; as well as foster a foundational encounter with the Living God. We prepare children for First Reconciliation, First Eucharist (Communion) and Confirmation. Please contact the parish office to enroll your children in formation and for information on preparation for the Sacraments. If you are interested in becoming Catholic, we offer preparation in our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program. You are accepting the responsibility of training [this child] in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring [this child] up to keep God's commandments. Rite of Baptism, 377 Spending time with God? To have the daily scripture readings sent to your email each day visit the below site and add your email address. http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings St. Agnes Catholic Church (picture of the upper baptismal font as our profile pic). We don’t overload you with posts, and it’s a nice place to see some pictures and find some St. Agnes friends. Email Our greatest & often most efficient communication tool today! We typically send only 1-3 emails each month, and they are always important. Whether updating you on events or sharing urgent parish news, we rely the most on email. Please make sure we have you on our email list (you know if you got an email on 12/22). We can now add multiple emails for a family. Please email your information to our parish office at OUR NEW EMAIL ADDRESS…. [email protected]. The mail Yep, we still use it! Specifically, we send each registered household offertory envelopes each month and the Diocese send The Catholic Spirit Newspaper monthly. If we don’t have your correct address, let us know. Telephone We have this old fashioned thing called a telephone. If you ever need us, it’s 304-876-6436. Our Parish Office is open Mon-Fri, 9am-3:30pm (see holiday schedule for closures). CASH CARD 10th Annual Foul Shooting Contest CORNER getting cash back for St. Agnes $639.80 Earned from Last Week’s Sales $14,615 in Sales 64 Participating Families Thank you for using Cash Cards for your gas & groceries, holiday gifts & entertaining, and so much more! Sponsored by St. Agnes Church Knights of Columbus Join us Sat, Jan 17 at 9am-12n at Shepherdstown Middle School. Free and open to ALL boys & girls ages 9-14. Winners will receive trophy & certificate and move on to regional competition. Contact Bob Hamilla at 301-4327974 for more information. Yoga Nidra Balance Yoga Nidra is a very deep meditation that allows individuals to achieve complete body relaxation and enter into a state of awareness where perspective broadening can occur. This series will focus on inner balance and strength. Free weekly sessions will be offered at the Parish Center on Jan 8, 15, 22, & 29. Session time, afternoon or evening, is yet to be determined. Contact Bob Cronin for ad- Save the Date!! Please mark your calendar and plan to join ditional information and let him know your time preference. Phone 703-928-7745. Catholics and others throughout the United States for the 42nd Annual March for Life, Thursday, January 22nd, in Washington, DC. Special events for all WV youth will be held in area parishes. Contact Brigitte for more information. Date Change Clothing Collection & Giveaway Drop off gently used clothing/shoes/ "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit." (1 Corinthians 12: 4-7) outerwear for men, women, & children in the narthex of St James Catholic Church, Charles Town from Thurs, Dec 26 These words of St. Paul are still true today. The Catholic through Sun, Jan 11th (extended). Items Church provides the compassion of Christ in countless should be clean and in bags. ways in the United States, including through health care institutions, schools and universities, charities and social FREE Clothing Giveaway on Sat, Jan 17th service agencies and the work of individuals, parish from 8:30am to 2pm at St James Catholic communities and diocesan entities. To discover how you Church in Charles Town. This annual can become involved visit the US Conference of Catholic event is sponsored by the American Biships website or our website to find out about local Heritage Girls local troop. efforts.