St. Teresa of Avila Parish

Rev. D. G. Davis III, Pastor St. Teresa Church Rev. Mr. Randy Kondrlik, Deacon Our Lady of Fatima Chapel (Union City) 9 Third Avenue (Canadohta Lake) Weekend Masses Union City, Pennsylvania 16438 Weekend Masses Saturday: 4:30 P.M. Fr. Davis: 663-3041 Office: 438-3408 (Memorial Day – Labor Day) Sunday: 10:45 A.M. Email: [email protected] Sunday: 9:30 A.M. Confessions: Saturday, 4:00 P.M. www.st-teresa-unioncity.org Confessions: before Mass

WELCOME If you are new to our parish, we extend a warm welcome and hope you will find our parish community a place where your faith will be nourished. Newcomers are asked to introduce themselves to the pastor and call the office to register.

WEEKDAY SERVICES See inside of bulletin for current weekday schedule.

BAPTISM By appointment. Parents must attend pre- baptismal instruction.

MARRIAGE Arrangements must be made six months in advance.

SACRAMENT OF THE SICK Please let the pastor know when a family member or a friend is ill, either at home, in the hospital or at a nursing home.

CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS

●ROSARY-ALTAR SOCIETY Meets the first Monday of each month at 7:00 P.M.

●KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Meet every third Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

●RELIGIOUS EDUCATION GUILD Meets during the school term.

●SCRIPTURE DISCUSSION GROUP 1:00 p.m. Wednesdays (Sept. – May)

●PARISH CENTER RENTAL Contact Matt Moon: 814-490-1494

MASS SCHEDULE AND INTENTIONS Saturday, December 5 Second Sunday of Advent TURTLE’S TOY BOX is an agency that accepts 4:30pm (St. Teresa)Donald Thomas by Ann Ranyak donations of new/gently loved toys to give to children 4:30pm (St. Thomas)Marilynn Knowlton, Mike who are victims of misfortune. Any donations that you Knowlton, Rod Knowlton & Mary Roehrig by Pun, might have can be dropped off at the parish office. Lana & Jenna Messina There will be an Advent Penance Celebration at St. Sunday, December 6 Second Sunday of Advent Thomas Church today, Dec 6, at 3pm with five confessors 8:45am (St. Thomas)Intentions of Our Parish available for confessions. Also, confessions will continue Family to be heard at St. Teresa before each Saturday Mass of 10:45am (St. Teresa) Jeanne Vallimont by Patrick Advent up to the Saturday before Christmas. Vallimont Monday, December 7 St. Ambrose Mass Readings for the Week 8:00am Margaret Campbell by family and friends Mon. Isaiah 35:1-10 ♦Luke 5:17-26 7:00pm (St. Thomas) Deceased Member of Knights Tue. Genesis 3:9-15,20. Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12♦ of Columbus by K of C Council #425 Luke 1:26-38 Tuesday, December 8 The Immaculate Wed Isaiah 40:25-31♦ Matthew 11:28-30 Conception of The Blessed Virgin Mary Thu. Isaiah 41:13-20 ♦ Matthew 11:11-15 8:00am (St. Teresa) Louise Zajack by Olga Zajack Fri. Isaiah 48:17-19 ♦ Matthew 11:16-19 7:00pm (St. Thomas) Zelda Kittell by The Morning Sat. Zechariah 2:14-17 or Revelation Prayer Group 11:19a;12:1-6a,10ab♦ Luke 1:39-47 Wednesday, December 9 Advent Weekday Sun. Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11 1 Thessalonians 5:16- 8:00am Stanley and Dorothy Gronostaj by Sophie 24♦ John 1:6-8,19-28 Combs Thursday, December 10 Advent Weekday 8:00am Alex J. Vielleux by William and Mary Ann 2020 Catholic Services Appeal Danley Goal - $31,004 Friday, December 11 Advent Weekday Amount Pledged to Date - $28,664 8:00am Elizabeth Wascak by Jennifer Stoka Amount Paid to Date - $27,169 Saturday, December 12 Third Sunday of Advent Reminder – Please make all CSA checks payable 4:30pm (St. Teresa) Paul Mongera, Jr. by family to St. Teresa Church 4:30pm (St. Thomas) Gary Munsee Sunday, December 13 Third Sunday of Advent Religious Education 8:45am (St. Thomas)Mickie Tomcho by Andy 12/6 REP Class w/Advent confessions grades 3-11 Tomcho 12/13 REP Class, Youth Mass/Grade 4 10:45am (St. Teresa) Intentions of our Parish 12/20 REP Class families 12/27 no REP Class, Christmas break

Sacrificial Giving: The offertory last weekend was Christmas Basket Raffle Currently, The Religious $1,481 for St. Teresa which includes $1,351 in Education Guild (who supports Religious Education) are envelopes and $130 in loose & $80 for Our Lady of having their annual Christmas Basket Raffle complete Fatima in envelopes. Offertory Goal $3,000 with a $50.00 Walmart gift card plus many things for wrapping gifts and Christmas itself. Ticket will be $1.00 The Union City Food Bank is in need of volunteers to help each or 6 for $5.00. Tickets will be sold before and after distribute food on Monday’s 9-12noon and/or 4-6pm. all liturgies till December 20 the date of the drawing. All Also, every other Friday morning 9-10::30am to unload religious education students will be given tickets to sell to deliveries from The Second Harvest Food Bank. For more complete for a class treat. information, call Pat Vallimont (460-8732) or Lynora Rumm (McLane Church 814-734-1907 ext 31) Anyone that is homebound and wishes to receive the Eucharist may contact Ken Calfo 746-8219, Yvonne The Parish Bulletin is available weekly on line at Stauffer 438-7017, Ilene Zakovitch 438-3664 or the st-teresa-unioncity.org parish office 438-3408

SCHEDULES FOR DECEMBER 12 & 13 Your creativity is earnestly solicited: In previous years, 4:30 10:45 you will remember how wonderfully St. Teresa’s Church LECTORS has been decorated – especially during the special seasons Marty Brown Youth of the year. Advent and Christmas is fast approaching. At the present time, we have no one who has volunteered to EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS be in charge of decorating. PLEASE we need someone to Dick Hasbrouck Deacon Randy step up to the plate and oversee this. If Father Davis asks for your help, please do what you can to help or just let him or the office know if you would be available to help Please Pray for Our Priests: Rev. Msgr. Henry J. in any way. Many hands make light work. Schauerman, Rev. William A. Rice, Rev. Howard J. King, Rev. Msgr. John W. Swoger, Rev. Glenn R. Masses for our deceased loved ones: The Church Whitman, Rev. William E. Sutherland teaches us to pray for the dead that they may live eternally in the presence of God. There is no greater prayer than the The monthly Bible Study, “Christology in Film” will holy sacrifice of the Mass. If you wish to have a memorial continue on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 7-9pm, Mass said, please place your request in the collection in the former St. Thomas School multi-purpose room, basket, and include your name and contact information through the end of 2020. All those previously in and the name(s) of the deceased. If you wish, you may attendance as well as any new participants are welcome request a specific date and time for the Mass; however, as we show and discuss the film “Jesus of Nazareth.” please be aware that the date and time you request may Please mark your calendars. already be filled, in which case the Mass will be scheduled as close as possible to your request. Alternatively, you Marriage Moment “Comfort, give comfort to my may contact Natalie Wilmoth directly at 814-397-4933 to people.” (Is 40:1) Elections are over, mostly. This is a arrange a specific schedule. The normal donation of $10 comfort to many in the USA. But Dec. 7 is also the should also be placed in the envelope with your request commemoration of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Life is often a mixture of comfort, pain, and waiting. Comfort This year, the parish will decorate it’s first annual each other when necessary. Christmas Remembrance Tree, with ornaments in memory of all those loved ones who have passed away. If A Family Perspective Why is it so hard to forgive, yet you have an ornament like that at home, please let us so easy to get even? Listen to John the Baptist in today’s borrow it for the Christmas season. Simply bring it to us gospel and repent of the anger and ugly feelings which before the day we decorate, December 20, so that we block your ability to forgive. This Christmas give a gift ensure it is hung. Also, all those parishioners who had a which makes a difference. Give forgiveness. funeral for a loved one in the past year, an ornament has been ordered for them, and will be hung on this same I want to thank everyone who donated food or money tree. All ornaments are yours and can be picked up after towards the 25 food baskets we made for those in we undecorate on January 10. need in our parish and the Union City Family Support Center. I would also like to thank Barb The parish will be decorating our sanctuary for Maloney for her help and Cheryl Nothum for having Christmas after the 10:45am Mass on December her class collect the food. Cheryl also kept track of 20. Please come and help us. We want our church to be the amount each class donated. Our town is truly fully reflective of the season. See you then, and thanks in blessed because of our parishioners. I am sure all of advance. Happy Advent and Merry Christmas!! the recipients were thankful and enjoyed their Thanksgiving day because of St. Teresa’s generosity. Grades 5-6 was the winning class for the contest. Tis the season. St. Teresa’s parish will have “Giving Their percentage per student was 15.1. Grades 9-11 Tags” to make Christmas a little brighter for those in came in second with 10.1 percent. Thank you and need in our community. These tags will have an age, God bless you. Ilene Zakovitch gender and size for a needed child/teenager. We would appreciate if you are able to take a tag or two and buy THE WORD AMONG US Advent edition is available a present for that child/teenager. Please wrap and Free of Charge in the back of the church. Please take one attach the tag to the present and put them in the back and use it for your Daily Meditations during Advent of the church or center by December 18.

.As everyone is aware of, due to Covid-19, we are not able to have any books left in the church so we have not been able to use the Word and Song books since this pandemic began. We have some By Water and the Holy Spirit available, if anyone would like to have their own personal copy. PLEASE NOTE – they cannot be left in the church. They must be taken home with Today’s Gospel is taken from the you when you leave and then brought back the Gospel of Mark, the earliest of the next time that you come to Mass. Our cost for gospels. In it, we encounter Jesus, who these books is $5 each so we are asking if anyone wants one, that they take it and put $5 in an came to understand His pivotal role in envelope and drop in the collection basket or take the salvation of the world and in His it to the parish office. These books can be found mission to bring the Good News to all in the back of the church. of creation. Child Protection and Creating Safe Environments- Keeping God’s Children We see today that John the Baptist Protected and Safe: The safe environment training of our children and youth is a key component in the anticipates the coming of the Messiah. Policy for the Protection of Children. Each year our He proclaims a baptism with water for schools and parishes are mandated to provide this the forgiveness of sins, while attesting training to all youth in catholic school and parish programs. Since 2003 over 200,000 children have to his belief that the one who is to come received age-appropriate abuse prevention after him will offer a baptism in the education. The Diocese maintains a working Holy Spirit that will provide the relationship with agencies in each of our 13 counties to provide training for our youth in schools and pathway to salvation. parishes. In addition, the Office for the Protection of Children and Youth maintains a media library Advent is a season when we are acutely containing videos for schools and parishes to provide child abuse prevention education. From 2016-19 aware of the promise made my Jesus over 31,000 parents have also received child abuse that He will return to us. Our prevention education. Visit preparation consists of being Jesus’ https://www.eriercd.org/childprotection/ to see what the diocese is doing to help maintain safe missionary disciples who feed the environments for children and youth. hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to those who thirst, and more, all the while Help our elders. In good times and bad, senior Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests proclaiming that Jesus is Lord. have dedicated themselves to service and acts of mercy. Today, they pray for an aching world. Yet Advent is a gift to us. It is an years of serving for little or no pay have left their religious communities without enough retirement opportunity to invite Jesus into our lives savings. Your gift to the Retirement Fund for anew and to reflect on what our baptism Religious helps provide medications, nursing care by water and the Holy Spirit requires of and other necessities. Please be generous. us.

STAY HAPPY-STAY SAFE-STAY HEALTHY