DECEMBER 2015 Newsletter of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish pastries. Peaches said she especially Cultural Traditions of Christmas likes the Christmas specialty puto by Pat Casucci bumbong – made from rice, grated coconut and sugar. ankind is a great and immense family...This is The Christmas Eve meal includes proved by what we feel in our hearts at roast pig, corn, rice, vegetables, Christmas." – Pope John XXIII fruits, and a favorite item: fresh egg MCustoms at Christmas, those traditions that endure and roll stuffed with a mix of shredded that we remember from childhood, stay in our hearts forever. cabbage and carrots. Dessert They may guide us or they add to the warmth, wonder, features flan. enjoyment and true meaning of Christmas. Peaches and her husband, Dr. Abraham Rodriguez, have Recently, several of our parishioners who came here from two sons. They have been in the United States for 23 years. other countries eagerly shared some of their own Christmas customs and memories. Common themes were: the beauty I Peru of Mass at midnight, the comfort of families and friends Christmas is a most important, meaningful and exciting who gather to celebrate, the tantalizing aroma of treasured time in Peru, said Betzy Courts who is a religious education traditional food. teacher at OLA. She said her large family gathered at her Christmas Eve is the most important time, the highlight grandmother’s home, waiting until after Midnight Mass of the season. Christmas day is spent visiting with additional for the first meal of Christmas Eve. family members and friends. Happily, she shared, Bells chime from the churches. It’s an exciting time for us as everyone cheers and hugs, I The Philippines wishing “Feliz Navidad.” Fireworks sparkle in the night. Peaches Rodriguez treasures her brightly colored parol A large branch cut from a tree and decorated which she brought from her native land. It’s a star-shaped, with colorful ornaments served as her family’s Christmas hollow lantern that is hung outside tree. A young child placed the Baby Jesus figure in the in a protected place as a Christmas nativity scene. decoration. Betzy noted that Baby Jesus brought just three gifts for a Beginning nine days before child. Our tradition is not to be that indulgent, (about gift Christmas Eve, in anticipation giving) she said. She still is delighted about a favorite gift of the birth of Christ, many people from her childhood – a Cabbage Patch doll. I grew up in her native Manila get up around in the 1970s and those dolls were the rage, she explained. 4:00AM to attend Mass at the – Continued on Page 4 Cathedral at dawn. Peaches added that children also happily anticipate Christmas when they walk from house to house singing carols and jingling Go Paperless! homemade noise makers. Kids love these noisemakers. They crush beer bottle caps and string them on wire. They add to We would like to send Vox Populi electronically the festivity, she said. to as many parishioners as possible to save Christmas in all its glory is celebrated at Midnight Mass, on printing and postage costs. Email Randy at then families gather to celebrate with a feast of traditional [email protected] to receive future foods. Then we open gifts. Especially on Christmas Eve, she said vendors set up stalls issues electronically. outside churches where they sell traditional Christmas 1 See OLA Parish on the World Wide Web! www.olabeloit.com Clement VI reduced it to every 33 Mission in February and adult years to correspond with the years education sessions. To begin the of Jesus Christ on earth. In 1470, year in our parish, we are inviting Pastor’s Pope Paul II issued a Bull to fix the all parishioners to participate in a Message ordinary Jubilee celebration Mass of Reconciliation and Mercy by the Very Rev. to every 25 years that led to the the weekend of December 12-13. Paul Ugo Arinze Jubilee celebration of 1475. The At each of the weekend liturgies year 2000 was the celebration we will ask for God’s mercy, of the great Jubilee since ushered forgiveness and healing in our in the turn of a new century and personal and family relationships the 2000 anniversary of Birth as well as in our relationships as a ope Francis has designated of Christ. parish family. We all need healing 2016 as an Extraordinary Why did Pope Francis decree for something and if there are any PJubilee Year of Mercy for the for a Jubilee in 2016 and not wait hurts or situations that keep you entire Catholic world. This will be until 2025? When a jubilee is from regularly attending Mass or observed beginning December 8, celebrated every 50 or 25 years, it other events, we invite you to one 2015 and will end on November is called the Ordinary Jubilee Year. of these Masses to allow God 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the The word ordinary here means to begin the healing. King. One may ask, what is a that it is following the pattern. Finally, as we enter the Season Jubilee Year or Holy Year? The However, when the Pope in his of Advent leading us to the concept of a Jubilee Year is derived sole authority as the Vicar of Solemnity of the Birth of our Lord, from the Old Testament from Christ, deems it necessary to open let us take time to reflect on what Leviticus 25:8-55. It states that a the doors of God’s mercy to the that means for each of us and our Jubilee Year be observed every 50 faithful before the next ordinary families. I truly invite you to share years to coincide with every Jubilee Year, then an extraordinary the joys of this great season seventh sabbatical (7x7 years). Jubilee year is announced. That beyond the confines of your This “year” was a special year was the case in 1933 family. Please remember the needs of remission of guilt and sin, (Commemoration of the death of of our parish and school as you of emancipation and the return Jesus) by Pope Pius XI and 1983 make that list and check it twice. of lands to their original owners. when Pope John Paul II declared We rely on your kindness and love (“Jubilee” Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic that year the Holy Year of to continue the mission that the Encyclopedia p. 542). According Redemption. This is usually done Lord has entrusted to us at OLA. to the Vatican, In the Roman through an official declaration I am also personally inviting you Catholic tradition, a Holy Year, or by the Pope called the Bull of all to join us in our Advent and Jubilee is a great religious event. Indiction. This year Pope Francis Christmas celebrations. I look It is a year of forgiveness of sins issued the Bull titled Misericordiae forward with great anticipation and also the punishment due Vultus (The Face of Mercy) given to celebrating the Christmas to sin, it is a year of reconciliation in Rome by Pope Francis on April Masses with you and your loved between adversaries, 11, 2015. ones. Please invite your friends of conversion and receiving the What does this mean for us to come worship with us at OLA Sacrament of Reconciliation, and at OLA Parish? OLA parish is parish. consequently of solidarity, hope, planning to truly take this From a grateful and joyful justice, commitment to serve God opportunity of a Jubilee Year to heart, I would like to wish you all with joy and in peace with our bring people together, to heal a Merry Christmas and a great brothers and sisters. A Jubilee year from our different wounds, to 2016! I is above all the year of Christ, forgive and be forgiven of past who brings life and grace hurts and to recommit ourselves Blessings, to humanity. The first Jubilee Year to our common destiny as Fr. Paul for the Catholic Church was Catholics. There will be a number instituted by Pope Boniface VIII in of different events and 1300. Subsequent Jubilee years opportunities in the parish and followed every 50 years until Pope diocese to celebrate the Year Mark your calendar! of Mercy including additional Parish Mission reconciliation times, a Parish February 21-24, 2016 2 make recommendations to reduce I Look for gifts and wrappings Social Justice Update: our impact on the environment. made from recycled materials Laudato Sí Environmental The group will consider ways that I Make a donation to Catholic Action Team we could save paper, for example, Charities or another organization by Ellen Joyce, or use more eco-friendly products that helps those displaced by war for the Social Justice Commission in printing and cleaning. A long- and climate change. he Social Justice committee term goal might be to raise I Purchase gifts with little or no was very pleased with the money for solar panels that would packaging (and remember Tgood attendance we had have the added benefit of cutting to recycle packaging and at the four sessions that we costs. wrapping after the holidays) co-sponsored with Adult Faith Another role that the Social If you would like to join this Formation about Pope Francis’ Justice committee hopes to play Environmental Action Team and environmental encyclical in the coming months is to join in the work that Pope in October. In the last session, to educate people about specific Francis has called us to do we discussed ways to spread actions we can all take in our to protect the earth, our common awareness of the pope’s message families, homes, and workplaces home, please join us on Monday, in the coming year and to take to reduce waste and to protect December 7 at 5:30 specific steps to reduce our energy the Earth’s precious resources.