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St. ’s Church 1 Elma, New York St. Gabriel’s Church 2 Elma, New York

 RECTORY  Pastor: Secretaries: Deborah Grabowski, Rev. Walter Grabowski Rosanne Depczynski, Amy Dittmar Parochial Vicar: Bookkeeper: Kris Iwankow  Rev. Aaron Kulczyk FAITH FORMATION Permanent Deacon: Coordinator, Patricia Palumbo Deacon Gregory Moran Secretary, Sandy Bloom  Youth Minister, Jean Czerniak Hours: Mon., Tues., Fri., 9:00am  3:00pm Also, during all class times  MASS SCHEDULE 6682070 MondayMFriday8:00am & 11:30am  Saturday8:00am Mass MUSIC Saturday Evening Vigil4:00 & 6:00pm Director, Emma Dus Sunday 6:00, 8:00, 10:00am & 12:00pm   TRUSTEES Rosary  MondaySaturday……………7:30am Kathy Moriarity Tom Henninger

 Dear Parishioners and Guests,  Merry ! Wesołych Świąt!  On behalf of our Priests, Deacon and Staff, we wish you hope, love and peace that Christ’s birth brings  As we celebrate Christmas, we would like to thank you for your presence and prayers with our Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church. I would like to extend a special welcome to those who are joining us for the first time, if you are visiting from other places, or if you do not worship with us on a regular basis.  Just as the shepherds were lead to the stable in to worship the new born Savior, so have we been brought to be together at this time and in this church to sing with the angels: “Glory to God in the highest and peace to all people on Earth”.   I pray that God’s presence and love will be made know to you not only at Christmas, but everyday.  Please know that we welcome you and pray for you and your loved ones daily. Thank you for your prayers as well and your helping us share the Good New of our salvation.  May you have a Blessed and joyful Christmas and hopefully, better New Year. May we meet each day in our prayers, praising God, and sharing the Eucharist.  Śzcześć Boźe!  You are in my heart and my prayers.  Yours, Fr. Walter with our Parish Staff St. Gabriel’s Church 3 Elma, New York  The Nativity of the Lord  Our hearts are aglow with the joy of Christmas! Our senses are alive with the season, from the rich smells of evergreen and to the feel of crisp air on our skin and the warmth of a loved one’s embrace.   At some point in the holiday hustle and bustle, take a few moments of quiet. In the silence, reflect on the other senses of the season. Imagine the cool damp of an animal stable, the earthy smell of hay and feed, and the crisp night air blowing in softly. Imagine kneeling beside an exhausted, joyful mother and a relieved, protective father. Imagine an infant wrapped in cloth scraps held out to your open arms. Imagine holding the infant . As his eyes meet yours, welcome into your heart the greatest gift of Christmas.



Everyday Stewardship

Last year we waited much too long to buy our Christmas trees. We usually have one in the living room and then one by the large window in our room that sits at the front of the house. Essentially, there is one for us to see and then one for all the neighbors walking their dogs in the December cold. If you wait too long to buy a fresh tree you might just not find a tree. But last year I found one tree lot I had not bought from in the past. Luckily, they had some great trees. The price was a little higher than I was used to but a tree would be mine no matter what.

What I found interesting at the lot was a group of about nine young people sitting around a fire, laughing and drinking coffee. I wondered, “All of these people for a tree lot late at night and this late in the season?” What I found out was these weren’t paid workers. These were recovering drug and alcohol addicts. This was their rehab’s tree lot and this was their service and group therapy. I spoke to a couple of them and found they were the nicest people around. They were full of joy for the new life they had found and thankful for the people who helped bring them through the trial of their lives. Suddenly, that tree they sold me seemed more beautiful and majestic than it had when I first drove up.

This Christmas, may the Lord that slept in a manger provide for you rest. May the God that gives many gifts to all of us bless you abundantly. And may the Prince of Peace help you to find true gratitude for the gift of life. May you and yours feel the joy of the season, like a group of recovering addicts around a campfire on a cold December night.

NTracy Earl Welliver, MTS St. Gabriel’s Church 4 Elma, New York 

A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE

One of the most beautiful things about the Christmas story is its human simplicity. How very ordinary! How relatable! We see a young family caught up in government regulations, encountering difficulty booking travel arrangements. We see a belated baby shower filled with the most unlikely attendees. Yet, if you attended Christmas Mass during the day, the Gospel does not contain the familiar story of overcrowded inns and haylined mangers. It features something much more mysterious. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God … all things came to be through him.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke give us the Christmas story from the human perspective. John’s Gospel tells the Christmas story from the divine perspective.

“What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race.” C.S. Lewis described Christmas as God parachuting down behind enemy lines. Jesus entered into a world darkened by sin, and it isn’t so different today. We can find it in the complications of our own lives and the lives of our families. We can find it in our cities, our nation, our world. But it wasn’t only the star that shone on Christmas night. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

In the midst of all that is so very human N whether the humdrum or the horrible N “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” No matter what we bring into this Christmas day, God enters our existence. He enters our experiences. When we allow God into our lives in a new way, when we surrender to Him our lingering areas of darkness, then we will “[see] his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” It’s time to welcome Him.

 Let us celebrate “Little Christmas” The   Please join us on Sunday, 5, 2020 at 3pm for a concert featuring Ted Szymanski and his band playing ’s and reflections of the scriptures.  After this celebration, the will be refreshments in the Parish Hall.  What a beautiful way to start your new year!  

 “Let the children come to me…”  Jesus said, “Let the children come to me…” and we would like to invite our newly baptized children and all our children, to come to St. Gabriel’s, along with their parents, Godparents, grandparents and siblings to celebrate a special Mass on the feast of the , December 29, 2019 at 10pm.    We will be serving light refreshments following the Mass in our Parish Hall.   Please join us to celebrate our families.