St. Michael & St. Francis Bulletin December 10 & 11, 2011 Pastor: Fr. Steve Schaftlein

Third Sunday of Advent

AN UPSIDE DOWN WORLD The Church has just celebrated two great Marian feasts: the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is appropriate in this Advent time that we look to Mary’s great song, the Magnificat, as a lens for today’s readings, and to her life as the first of faithful disciples. In her canticle, Mary describes a world similar to the one for which Isaiah tells us the Spirit anoints the prophet: where the mighty arm of God scatters the proud and lifts up the lowly (the Lectionary, unfortunately, omits this verse today), where the hungry are filled with good things and the rich are sent away empty. This world is upside down from the one most of us experience. But if we are to follow our call to be disciples of Jesus, as Mary did, we must be committed to believing in and proclaiming a world like this.

SENT IN THE SPIRIT Today we hear from John’s Gospel, which serves as the first of a number of interjections during this year of the proclamation of Mark’s Gospel. (This is because Mark’s is the shortest of the Gospels.) John the Baptist once again speaks of his role as the forerunner, the herald of the light. He himself is not the light, but the one who “makes straight” the way before the Lord. John is describing our own vocation, the one given to us when we were baptized in water and the Spirit. We proclaim the coming of the light by living out our own Spirit-anointing to bring glad tidings to the poor, to strive for the world God desires, the one described by Isaiah. As Paul tells us today, it is through our witness that we do not despise the prophetic utterances of John, Mary, and Isaiah, and that we do not quench the Spirit. As we prepare for the coming of the light in whatever vocation God has anointed us for, we must live as Paul insists: in continual prayer, and always rejoicing!

Today’s Readings: Isaiah 61:1–2a, 10–11; Luke 1:46–50, 53–54; 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24; John 1:6–8, 19–28

Fr. Steven Schaftlein, Pastor [email protected] Website - www.stmichaelstfrancis.com St. Michael St. Michael - 101 St. Michael Drive, Charlestown, In 47111 St. Francis Xavier Charlestown Ph. 812-256-3200 - Fax 775-307-6142 Henryville E-mail [email protected] Office Hours – 8:30 am-1:00 pm Tues. Wed., & Fri. St. Francis Xavier – 101 North Ferguson, Henryville, IN 47126 Ph. 812-294-4682 - Fax 775-307-6142 E-mail – [email protected] Office Hours – Thursday Afternoon Reconciliation – 5:00 pm Saturday or call the Rectory Eucharists Marriage – Please contact the pastor a year in advance. Advent and Lent are not times for celebrations. Eucharists Sat – 5:30 pm Baptisms of Infants or Adults Joining the Church – Please contact Sun – 11 am the DRE: St. Michael–Juliann Eickholtz, St. Francis–Father Steve Sunday Misa en Español New To The Parish: Please call the office to register. Please introduce At 9:00 am Domingo – 1:00 pm yourself to the pastor at mass. Parishioners Who Are Ill: Please call the pastor if a relative or friend is sick. Due to privacy laws hospitals no longer inform churches. Bulletin Announcements: Get all bulletin announcements to the office in writing by Tuesday evening. Corpus Christi Place - A spiritual support ministry with gay people & their families. www.corpuschristiplace.com Confidentiality is assured. St. Michael Early Childhood Center – Infancy Care, Pre-S, Pre-K, Kindergarten & Day Care Rita Poff – Director – Ph. 256-3503 Infancy Care – 256-3500 Mass Schedule Upcoming Class Schedule St. M 12 Mon 7:00 pm Spanish Mass Dec. 11 Session 14, NCO Rosary &Music Practice 13 Tue 6:00 pm NO MASS 11:00 Mass Youth Choir (Gift Bearers FF Youth) St. M 14 Wed 6:00 pm NO MASS Youth Choir Practice at 6:00pm St. M 15 Thurs 7:00 pm Reconciliation Service Dec. 18 Session Fifteen, Youth Choir Practice and St. M 16 Fri 8:30 am Agnes Fischer Christmas Program Prep 6:00pm-7:30pm St. M 17 Sat 5:30 pm Rosemary Wessel Dec. 23 Live Nativity and Youth Choir at St. Francis Cantwell December 25 and January 1 Christmas Break St. FX 18 Sun 9:00 am .Sherill Roth St. M 18 Sun 11:00 am Bud & Corrine Ryan St. M 18 Sun 1:00 pm For the People St. Francis Live Nativity on December 22 and 23rd. Sat., Dec. 17 – 5:30 pm – St. Michael Youth from St. Michael will have a choir sing along with Eucharistic Ministers: S. Buit, G. Minnick the live Nativity on December 23rd. We will need young Server: C. Ledbetter voices. Practice is Sunday, December 11th and 18th at Gift Bearers: E. & P. Umbreit 6:00pm-7:30pm. We will also practice for the Christmas Cantors: T. Baltz & M.P. Beach Musician: K. White, K. Stamper, M. Stuecker Eve Program. These activities are open to any youth Lector: C. Stauffer regardless of the school they attend. Questions? Call Sun., Dec. 18– 9:00 am – St. Francis Xavier Juliann. Eucharistic Ministers: Janice Furnish, Jennifer Haycraft Servers: Emily Young, MacKenzie McNames St. Michael and St. Francis Xavier Sacrament Ushers: James Harbeson, JT Higdon Preparation: A child (grade 1 through high school) must Gift Bearers: Tony & Alice Sorg Family be enrolled and attend Faith Formation classes the YEAR Lector: Jack Murphy BEFORE and the YEAR of receiving the Sacrament of Sun., Dec. 18– 11:00 am – St. Michael First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, or Confirmation. Eucharistic Ministers: S. Fouts, J. Worley, J. Dean Baptism of children under school age requires the parents Servers: S. Patton, C. Jackson to meet with the pastor before the sacrament is received. Gift Bearers: J. & N. Williams Cantors: N. Rash Musician: C. Eickholtz Music Practice Tuesday, December 13 and Tuesday, th Lector: C. Peek December 20 7:00-8:30pm in the Church. Everyone is welcome to come and share your talents. ST. MICHAEL Classes (pre-school thru high school) 9:30 a.m. Children Liturgy of the Word will be during the 11:00 If your child is absent please call 256-3503 on Sun. a.m. Mass for children ages 2-5 beginning Sunday, January 8. Assistants needed every week. Father will call up the children before the first reading, he Rosary at 10:30 in the church will give them a blessing and they will come to the cry room. We will be using the Pflaum series “Seeds”. Each week we collect non-perishable canned goods for Catechist Aimee Stefan with help from her sister Jamie the North Clark Outreach Center. They will be in charge of the program. The children will return are in need of peanut butter, crackers, boxed cereal, to their parents after the homily. Parents are welcome to shampoo, toothpaste, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce and instant assist with Children Liturgy of the Word. oatmeal. St. Michael Birthday Bash Save this date: Sun., Faith Formation Jan 8, after 11:00 Mass in the Parish Hall sponsored by the Faith Formation Commission. It would be an honor to Preschool thru high school begins at 9:30am. Assistants have you at your birth month table. Bring a covered dish. are needed in the classrooms each week. Thanks to last Please RSVP by Dec. 26 to, Melissa Buit 502-299-3300 or week’s assistants: Jamie Stromblad, Cheryl Mann, and call the rectory 256-3200. Kim Stamper.If your child is going to be absent, please call the Faith Formation Office at 256-3503. Boy Scout Troop 80 would like to thank everyone that If your children have been absent, please contact the donated and/or attended our Chili Supper and Basket catechist to keep up with their current assignments either Auction. The funds raised at this event will enable our before or after faith formation classes. troop to continue to provide scouts with unique outdoor adventures and help them develop skills that will enable Faith Formation Commision Meeting – Tuesday, them to become productive young men in our community. January 10 at 7:00pm in the rectory chapel. Thank you for your Support. The Pastor’s Corner Faith Formation At St. Francis The Year Of The Liturgy Dec.18 - Class 19-Jan 2 – No Classes - Christmas Break 22 & 23 – Live Nativity Liturgical Bits & Bytes Snow Shovel Volunteers At St. Francis If you would like to help clean snow off the steps and Gospel Cycle sidewalks around St. Francis let me or Buddy Barret Since Vatican II we have heard three times as many Gospel know. readings as before. (This is also true of the epistles.) This is Weekday Mass Schedule because we now have three years in the cycle of Sunday Due to communal reconciliation services and the special readings. So the readings, except for certain feast days, occur mass on Monday, the only regular weekday mass will be only once every three years. The three years each feature one of on Friday at 8:30 am. the evangelists: A is the year of Matthew, B the year of Mark, C the year of Luke. The Gospel of John is read during the Easter season and on some specific other days throughout the year. On Good Friday we always hear St. John’s account of the Passion. Fr. Steve The Passion reading on Palm Sunday rotates among the other evangelists according to the year. ST. FRANCIS XAVIER Liturgical Bits and Bytes © 2010 Resource Publications, Inc. Rosary before Mass All rights reserved. www.rpinet.com Come out and enjoy St. Francis Xavier’s Fish Fry on Advent-Christmas-Epiphany Calendar the 1st Friday of every month, 5-7pm. Advent Communal Reconciliation The menu will include fish, fries, slaw, fried biscuits, For St. Michael & St. Francis drinks & desserts. Joyce and Tom Nolot would like to Thursday, December 15, 7:00 pm at St. Michael thank everyone for your support. 3rd Sunday of Advent “Gaudete Sunday” – Dec 11 Retired religious need your support By 2019, it is The Feast Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe projected that retired religious will outnumber wage We will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe earning religious by nearly four to one. Your gift to the on Dec. 12 at 7:00 pm with a Spanish Mass. Alter the Retirement Fund for Religious helps ensure that elderly mass there will be a “pitch-in fiesta” in the multi- Catholic sister, brothers, and religious order priests purpose room receive the care they so richly deserve, now and in the 4th Sunday of Advent – Dec. 18 future. Please give generously. Live Nativity At St. Francis Thursday, Dec 22-6-8:00 pm PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR MEN & WOMEN WHO Friday, Dec. 23 – 6-8:00 pm ARE SERVING IN THE MILITARY Christmas Eve Matthew Beer, Brandon Beswick, Donald Bloss, St. Michael – Children’s Program - 4:30pm Michael Bower, Jonathan Dean, Cathy Jo Donahue, English Mass - 5:00 pm Christopher Donahue, Joseph Kyle Donahue, John Spanish Mass – 7:00 pm Emery, David Fouts, Sam Goffinet, Bradley Guernsey, St. Francis – Mass at 9:00 pm Christopher Hahn, Steven Hahn, Alex Henson, Joseph Christmas Day Brent Kaelin, Dustin Kavanaugh, Cody Kelshaw, Kyle 9:00 am Adult Choir Mass at St. Michael Kelshaw, B. J. Meredith, Brian Meredith, John Mulhall, New Year Stephen Mulhall, Thomas Mulhall, Joshua Mullins, St. Francis – 5:00 pm Anticipation (Dec. 31) Roman Nalley, Ashton Napier, Jay Rutledge, Olivia St. Michael – 6:30 pm Hispanic Mass (Dec. 31) Vessels, Travis Williams, Troy Williams St. Michael – 9:00 am New Year’s Day If you know someone who needs to be put on this list, Epiphany – Sunday, Jan 8 please call the Rectory. Feast of The Baptism of Jesus – Monday, Jan 9 Collection Envelopes are in the back of church. Collections for December 4 prayer in the Parish Activity Center (old convent) chapel St. Michael $ 2,602.00 at Holy Family, 129 W. Daisy Lane, New Albany, St. Francis Xavier $ 1,181.57 Indiana. We can guarantee that the Lord will be there to meet you. If you have questions, e-mail Fr. Dan at [email protected], or Leah Cissell at Time to ski the slopes during our Deanery Paoli Peaks [email protected]. Ski Trip, Friday, December 23, 2011 from 9:00 AM- 4:00PM. Call 812-945-2000 or contact [email protected] with any questions. High School Ministry

To everything there is a season and a time to every High School Deanery Girls Basketball: We have purpose under heaven, a time to be born, a time to received some interest from a couple of churches love, a time to heal, a time to die and a time of regarding a possible high school girl’s basketball league peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 from January to early February. If you have interest, PLEASE PRAY FOR HEALTH & STRENGTH: please contact your youth minister ASAP, John Merk at Nolan Banet, John Barthold, Bea Beach, Joel Bischoff, St. Mary of the Knobs,812-923-0620, or Steve Shannon Jadyn Brooks, Melchor Carillo ,Wilma Conard, Sydney at St. Mary’s New Albany, 812-945-9506. We may Cole, Kaydance Couch, Bobby Cross, Brody Curtis, combine churches if necessary to fill teams. Please help Janice Dickman, Nashiea Edmiston & Child, Michael get this new ministry off the ground by participating. Deaton, Danny Fleming, Judi Foreman, Erma Fouts, Bob Hahn, Hector Hernandez, Kathleen Hensley, Attention High School Juniors and Seniors! Join Michael Hynson, Curtis Ingram, Kinney Jackson, Deanery youth in the ON THE JOURNEY RETREAT, Hayden Jent, Aiden Johnson, Peggy Kelshaw, Debbie JANUARY 14-15, 2012, at Mt. St. Francis Retreat Lyons, Rovilla Lyons, Bill Martin, Kelly Newland and Center. Where are you headed in life? Are you making twins, Mitch Newland, Mary Ann Pemberton, Ethan choices that lead you closer or further away from God? Phillips, Zachary Phillips, Pat Phillips, Lonnie Rager, It's not easy and sometimes the choices that lead us Lisa Reynolds, Bodie Riggs, Gail Saunders, Marie closer to God seem to lead us away from our friends or Schafer, Linda Scott, Joey Sullivan, Lucy Tormoehlen, how we might be living our lives. This retreat will help Bonnie Underwood, Lynn Vogt, Joyce Warren, Alice you make the right call when faced with what paths to Watson, Logan Westerhouse, Nancy Williams, Kenneth take in life that will help you discover who God has Yost, and Emma Yount. called and created you to be. Registration deadline is Names will remain on the list for 6 months unless you tell January 3. Cost is $85. Download a registration form at us to remove them or request that they be kept longer. www.nadyouth.org, or contact Leah Cissell at 812-945- 2000 or [email protected].

Junior High Ministry New Albany Deanery Youth Ministry All Deanery Jr. High Youth are invited to the Movie 812-945-2000 Morning at the Corydon Cinemas, 2025 Edsel Lane NW, Corydon, Indiana, on Saturday, January 7th. We College Ministry/Young Adults will gather between 9:30 - 9:45 a.m. The movie will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. The cost of the movie is Where does your light shine? Deanery winter retreat, $6.00 per person. Concessions will be available. For for college students and young adults, January 3-4 at more information call John Jacobi at St. Michael Church Camp Piomingo in Louisville, Kentucky. The cost is Bradford at 812-364-6173. only $30! Come to reconnect with old friends, meet new friends, continue to live the 4th, take an honest look at st your faith life, re-ignite your prayer life, play some 3 Sunday of Advent A man named John was sent games, just relax and chill, it’s all a part of this retreat from God. How do I see myself modeling the mission experience! Email [email protected] with any and ministry of John the Baptist?John 1:6-8, 19-28 questions. Register online at www.nadyouth.org, or call Leah at 812-945-2000. Registration due by Thursday, ST. MICHAEL EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER December 29,. 2011 812-256-3503, Rita Poff, Director Mon-Fri., 7AM-6PM HOUR OF POWER FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS Infant Care/Day Care: Full or part time AND YOUNG ADULTS: EVERY Wednesday at 9:00 Before & After Care: ages 6-12 p.m., all young adults are invited to an hour of quiet Summer Camp: ages 6-12 Pre-School: 9-11:30AM, Tues. & Thurs. Pre-K: 9-11:30AM or 12:30-3PM, Mon., Wed., & Fri. Full Day Accredited Kindergarten: 8:20AM-2:40PM Other Catholic Schools: Pre-K thru Grade 6: St. Paul 246-3266 Grades 7-12: Our Lady of Providence 945-2538