First Sunday of Advent - November 29-30 2008
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Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the
way. Advent is a winter training
camp for those who desire peace. By
reflection and prayer, by reading and dedication, we can make out hearts a place
where a blessing of peace would desire to abide and where the birth of the
Prince of Peace might take place. First
Friday Adoration and Mass This Friday, December 5th,
offers the opportunity to come and pray before the exposed Blessed Sacrament in
the Chapel – anytime between the 8:00 A.M. Mass on Friday and the 8:00
A.M. Mass on Saturday. The First
Friday Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 P.M. in the Church. CATECHUMENS
– WELCOME -CANDIDATES Next
Sunday, December 7th, at the 9:15 A.M. Mass, we celebrate the Rite of
Acceptance into the Catechumenate and Rite of Welcome of Candidates (already
baptized) preparing for Confirmation and Eucharist.
These Rites celebrate the assembling publicly for the first time those
who have completed the period of inquiry. They now declare their intentions to
join the Church and we the Church accept their intentions and desire.
We mark them with the Sign of the Cross, asking them to walk with us in a
new way of life. We ask them to
reflect more deeply upon the Word of God. We
pray for them: “For all of these we give thanks and praise to the God who has
led them by various paths to oneness of faith.
You are welcomed in the name of Christ.” Our Lady of
Guadalupe Celebration
Please join us on Sunday, December 7th, at the 12:15 P.M. Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Parish
Adult Communal Reconciliation Service All parishioners are invited to an Adult Parish
Reconciliation Service on Wednesday, December 10th, at 7:30 P.M. in
the Church. The service will include
scripture readings, time for reflection and individual confession and
absolution. Come and experience the
sacrament of Reconciliation in a community setting during this season of Advent.
REMINDER: Please remain in the Church until the end of the
service for the communal penance.
SCRIPTURE
READINGS DECEMBER 6-7, 2008 ISAIAH 40:1-5, 9-11 2 PETER 3:8-14 MARK 1:1-8 PRAYER
OF THANKSGIVING.
Most gracious Father, during this weekend of remembrance and praise, we
thank You for the blessings that have been showered upon us: for health and
strength, for eyes to see the beauties of the autumn coloring, for ears to hear
the voices of friends, the harmonies of song, for voices with which we can speak
words of love and cheer to all. Grant
us Lord, that we may use these gifts as You would choose, sharing them in the
building of Your kingdom of love and friendship here on earth.
Teach us that gratitude is active, manifesting itself in service to You
and to others. Amen. PLANNED
GIVING NOTES Is Your Will
Valid? If your will was written in another state or your financial and/or family circumstances have changed, or it has been three years since it was last reviewed by a professional, it may be obsolete! If you want to know more about this, the Diocese can provide free assistance. Call Robert Serventi @ 983-0168, or write to him at: 900 Lafayette St., Suite 301, Santa Clara, CA 95050. Simbang
Gabi MARK YOUR CALENDARS. St.
Victor’s Parish Community will celebrate Simbang Gabi (pre-dawn worship), also
called Misa de Gallo (rooster Mass) from December 16th-24th.
(The schedule will be inserted into the bulletin on December 7th.) OLIVEWOOD HANDCRAFTED ITEMS FROM THE HOLY LAND
will be available to purchase after all Masses the weekend of December 6th
& 7th. The olivewood carving industries has evolved as a cultural
tradition of Christians over many centuries.
Many Holy Land Christians in the Bethlehem area alone rely upon income
generated from this art form, carved by the local craftsmen.
Less than 2% of the population in that area is now Christian, as many
families are now leaving the area to find relief from the difficult conditions
of their homeland. Please help protect this very important culture and industry. THANK YOU AND REMINDERThe Catechetical Ministry Office THANKS all those who ordered
items for the Cherrydale Farms Fund Raiser that supports the religious
education programs for all of St. Victor’s children.
Your generosity is appreciated. MARK
YOUR CALENDARS – Orders must be picked-up on Thursday,
December 11th, from 2:30-8:00 P.M. in the parish hall. A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU also to all those who are still faithfully fulfilling their Catholic Foundation and ADA payments for the year. Please mail payments directly to the appropriate address, as they will soon be closing their books for 2008. IMPORTANT
USHERS MEETING
There
will be an important ushers meeting on Tuesday, December 9th, at 7:30
P.M. in Room 7 of the School. All
ushers are asked to attend this meeting in preparation for Christmas.
Mass
Intentions for the Week Monday December 01 8:00 A.M. Deceased Members of the Huu Tran Family Tuesday December 02 8:00 A.M. Ponciano Santos Wednesday December 03 8:00 A.M. Margaret A. Perrin Thursday December 04 8:00 A.M. Simplicio Orais & Benigno Sescon Friday December 05 8:00 A.M. Donald R. Jansen 7:30 P.M. Thanksgiving Saturday December 06 8:00 A.M. Catherine Fumia 5:00 P.M. Frances Wanda Klingensmith Sunday December 07 9:15 A.M. St. Victor’s Alumni & Their Special Intentions 10:45 A.M. Dr. Philip Neri & Pat, Amelia & Connie Rapa 5:00 P.M. Thanksgiving
St.
Victor’s Christmas Boutique Saturday,
December 6th from 10:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M., Sunday, December 7th,
from 9:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M. Come to the parish hall and see all the handcrafted items, enjoy delicious food, meet Santa and take a photo, enter the raffle (1st Prize is a Sharp 26 inch flat screen LCD TV), create at the kid’s craft area, have fun and much more. For more information, please contact the Rectory Office @ 251-7055. Thank
You The U.n.I. Lord teens would like to THANK all those who supported our BAKE SALE last weekend. The proceeds will benefit the needy family that they have “adopted” to help for the Christmas holidays. SOCIAL
JUSTICE ISSUES... NEEDY FAMILY – Our St. Vincent de Paul Society volunteers are working with several families in our parish community in need of a twin bed set, crib, several dressers and a clothes washer. If you are able to help, please call the Rectory Office @ 251-7055. EASTSIDE F.I.S.H. HOLIDAY NEEDS. EASTSIDE F.I.S.H. will again be accepting your donations of turkeys,
chickens and hams. Call the Rectory Office @ 251-7055 to arrange delivery/pick-up. Please
DO NOT leave any perishable foods in the FISH
box in the Church vestibule. We
wish to THANK our supporters for their donations throughout the year.
Our clients directly benefit from your generosity. The ANNUAL LAYETTE SHOWER, co-sponsored by the Office of Women of the Diocese of San Jose and St. Victor’s Altar Society, Catechetical Ministry and School, will be held on Sunday, December 7th, at St. Frances Cabrini (15333 Woodard Rd.) beginning at 2:00 P.M. Please take the time to pick up a new infant item [newborn to 6 months only]. Santa Clara County social workers then distribute these layettes to those mothers and infants most in need, as they leave the hospital throughout the year. {Please bring your layette items and drop them in the designated box in the vestibule.} If you would like to make a monetary donation, please make checks payable to St. Victor’s Altar Society and on the memo write Layette. Your donation may be dropped into the collection basket C/O St. Victor’s Altar Society. Thank you for your generosity. Parishioners are invited to take a tag from the GIVING TREE in the
vestibule representing a needy individual of our parish community.
Please purchase a gift and return the gift unwrapped with the
tag attached, to the designated box in the vestibule.
[The tag is the only way that our volunteers have of identifying the
family/individual. The tags also indicate sizes for clothing; however, if
you wish to purchase another type of item, please feel free to do so.]
Please return the gift by the designated date of December 20th,
so that our St. Vincent de Paul Society volunteers have time to sort, box
and distribute them to all of the families before Christmas.
(Please return the gifts during the weekend Masses only!)
Also this year, because we are assisting so many families, our
St. Vincent de Paul Society could use a few “extra hands” to deliver the
gifts. If you are able to help,
please call the Rectory Office @ 251-7055 ASAP.
THANK YOU from the Knights of Columbus and our St.
Vincent de Paul Society volunteers – Thank you, parishioners, for your
generous support during the Thanksgiving holiday.
You did much more than provide food for those in need. You shared the
love of Christ in a very practical way through the donations of your time,
talent and treasure. WORLD AIDS DAY is
December 1st. Forty-two
million people are living with the disease worldwide.
More than half live in Africa, where hunger walks the same path as
HIV. And, many live in this
community as well, where AIDS continues to find victims.
Let us focus our hearts and minds with this prayer from Zambia: Oh
God, You are the Creator of all. Today
we your creatures prostrate ourselves before You in supplication.
We have no strength. You
who have created us have all power. We
bring You our seed and all our implements, that You may bless them and bless
us also, so that we may make good use of them by the power, which comes from
You, our Creator. Amen WALK FOR LIFE WEST COAST 2009 – will be held on Saturday, January 24th.
Join upwards of 25,000 pro-lifer’s for this 5th annual
walk in San Francisco, as we peacefully proclaim our message that abortion
hurts! For more information
visit their website @ www.walkfoflifewc.com,
or call (415) 586-1576.
The Carmelite Christmas Boutique and Choral Concert – on Sunday,
December 7th, in the seminary library at Mt. St. Joseph Monastery
(12455 Clayton Rd.) from 10:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M.
Special entertainment at the boutique, The Sounds of Christmas,
by “Singers Around the Bay,” will be held in the seminary chapel at 2:30
P.M. with a reception to follow. Please
support the Carmelites who assist us with our weekend services. The 13th Annual Season of Hope Performance Series takes
place in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph from December 12th-23rd,
from 7:30-8:30 P.M. Admission is free with a different performer or group
each evening. The schedule in
posted on the bulletin board in the vestibule or may be viewed @ www.stjsoephcathedral.org
. For
information or an application for St. Victor’s School, please call the
School Office @ 251-1740. “Take heed, watch: for you do not know when the time will come.” (Mark 13:33)
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