THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS - DECEMBER 27, 2020 MISSION STATEMENT Faithful to the Teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, St. Raphael Parish and School promotes the Universal Call to Holiness for all the People of God. WORSHIP CONTACT SACRAMENTS Weekday Masses Fr. Michael Rudolph, Pastor x 205 Reconciliaon Monday - Saturday: *8:00 am [email protected] Weekdays: 7:30 - 7:50 am First Friday: 7:00 pm Fr. Robert Aler, Parochial Vicar x 206 Saturday: 7:30 - 7:50 am, Extraordinary Form Lan [email protected] 8:30 - 9:30 am and 4:00 - 5:15 pm Weekend Masses Parish Email: [email protected] Marriage Saturday: 5:30 pm Parish Phone: 763-537-8401 Please contact Fr. Rudolph. Sunday: 8:30 am, 10:30 am, and Parish Office Hours Bapsm *12:30 pm Monday-Thursday: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Please contact the Parish Office. * Masses also live-streamed. Friday: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm 7301 BASS LAKE ROAD, CRYSTAL, MN 55428 | WWW.STRAPHAELCRYSTAL.ORG PASTOR’S LETTER indeed, “Can anything good come out of Year of Saint Joseph Nazareth?” (cf. Jn 1:46). When, during a pilgrimage to Our Holy Father Pope Francis, on Jerusalem, Joseph and Mary lost December 8, 2020, proclaimed a “Year of track of the twelve-year-old Saint Joseph,” beginning the same date Jesus, they anxiously sought him and running through the Solemnity of the out and they found him in the Immaculate Concepon of the Blessed Temple, in discussion with the Virgin Mary next year. To go along with it, doctors of the Law (cf. Lk 2:41- he issued an apostolic leer with the tle 50). Patris Corde, Lan for “With a Father’s Heart.” This document, a er an introductory secon, looks at the life of A er Mary, the Mother of God, Saint Joseph under seven tles: “a beloved father,” “a tender no saint is menoned more and loving father,” “an obedient father,” “an accepng frequently in the papal father,” “a creavely courageous father,” “a working father” magisterium than Joseph, her and “a father in the shadows.” I think there is so much good spouse. My Predecessors reading in it that I would like to present secons of it for you reflected on the message contained in the limited informaon over a series of weekly bullen columns. Today we start with handed down by the Gospels in order to appreciate more fully the introducon, courtesy of the Vacan website, his central role in the history of salvaon. www.vacan.va. – Father Rudolph Blessed Pius IX declared him “Patron of the Catholic Church”, [2] Venerable Pius XII proposed him as “Patron of WITH A FATHER’S HEART: that is how Joseph loved Jesus, Workers”[3] and Saint John Paul II as “Guardian of the whom all four Gospels refer to as “the son of Joseph”.[1] Redeemer”.[4] Saint Joseph is universally invoked as the “patron of a happy death”.[5] Mahew and Luke, the two Evangelists who speak most of Now, one hundred and fi y years a er his proclamaon Joseph, tell us very lile, yet enough for us to appreciate what as Patron of the Catholic Church by Blessed Pius IX (8 sort of father he was, and the mission entrusted to him by December 1870), I would like to share some personal God’s providence. reflecons on this extraordinary figure, so close to our own We know that Joseph was a lowly carpenter (cf. Mt 13:55), human experience. For, as Jesus says, “out of the abundance betrothed to Mary (cf. Mt 1:18; Lk 1:27). He was a “just of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt 12:34). My desire to do so man” (Mt 1:19), ever ready to carry out God’s will as revealed increased during these months of pandemic, when we to him in the Law (cf. Lk 2:22.27.39) and through four dreams experienced, amid the crisis, how “our lives are woven (cf. Mt 1:20; 2:13.19.22). A er a long and ring journey from together and sustained by ordinary people, people o en Nazareth to Bethlehem, he beheld the birth of the Messiah in overlooked. People who do not appear in newspaper and a stable, since “there was no place for them” elsewhere magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in (cf. Lk 2:7). He witnessed the adoraon of the shepherds these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our (cf. Lk 2:8-20) and the Magi (cf. Mt 2:1-12), who represented history. Doctors, nurses, storekeepers and supermarket respecvely the people of Israel and the pagan peoples. workers, cleaning personnel, caregivers, transport workers, Joseph had the courage to become the legal father of Jesus, men and women working to provide essenal services and to whom he gave the name revealed by the angel: “You shall public safety, volunteers, priests, men and women religious, call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their and so very many others. They understood that no one is sins” (Mt 1:21). As we know, for ancient peoples, to give a saved alone… How many people daily exercise paence and name to a person or to a thing, as Adam did in the account in offer hope, taking care to spread not panic, but shared the Book of Genesis (cf. 2:19-20), was to establish a responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and relaonship. teachers are showing our children, in small everyday ways, how to accept and deal with a crisis by adjusng their In the Temple, forty days a er Jesus’ birth, Joseph and Mary rounes, looking ahead and encouraging the pracce of offered their child to the Lord and listened with amazement prayer. How many are praying, making sacrifices and to Simeon’s prophecy concerning Jesus and his Mother interceding for the good of all”.[6] Each of us can discover in (cf. Lk 2:22-35). To protect Jesus from Herod, Joseph dwelt as Joseph – the man who goes unnoced, a daily, discreet and a foreigner in Egypt (cf. Mt 2:13-18). A er returning to his hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in own country, he led a hidden life in the ny and obscure mes of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who village of Nazareth in Galilee, far from Bethlehem, his appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable ancestral town, and from Jerusalem and the Temple. Of role in the history of salvaon. A word of recognion and of Jn Nazareth it was said, “No prophet is to rise” (cf. 7:52) and gratude is due to them all. 2 SPOTLIGHT EVENTS SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD MASS SCHEDULE Thursday, December 31st Vigil Mass: 5:30 pm Midnight Mass: 12:00 am (see note below) Friday, January 1st Masses: 8:30 am 10:30 am 12:30 pm 7:00 pm (Lan Mass) SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD MIDNIGHT MASS Ring out the old and ring in the new year with prayer. We will have Exposion and Adoraon of the Blessed Sacrament from 9:00 pm - 11:45 pm on Thursday evening, December 31st followed by Mass at Midnight on January 1st. So, the last acon of the old year is Benedicon of the Blessed Sacrament and the first acon of the new year is the Sacrifice of the Mass. The Sacrament of Confession will also be available during this me. Please join us for any or all of the evening. ~ Fr. Aler SAINT OF THE DAY – SAINT FABIOLA Fabiola was a Roman woman who was born in the Fourth Century. She was a determined and independent woman of considerable material wealth. When she was fed up with her husband’s unfaithfulness, she got a civil divorce from him, which was not difficult under Roman law. She married again. Her second husband died, a er which she submied to Church law, did penance, and was readmied to the communion of the faithful by Pope Siricius. A er that, Fabiola devoted her great wealth to works of charity. She gave large sums of money to churches and communies in Italy and nearby islands and founded a hospital for the sick, whom she gathered from the streets and alleys of Rome, waing on them herself. In the year 395 Fabiola went with her a relave Oceanus to Jerusalem to visit Saint Jerome. While there she stayed with two other Saints, Saint Paula and her daughter Saint Eustochium. Eventually she returned to Rome, and again involved herself in works of charity, including founding another hospital. She was about to sail on a boat back to the Holy Land when she died, in the year 399. It is said that all of Rome came to her funeral. Saint Fabiola, pray for us! (Excerpted and adapted with permission of the Publisher from Butler’s Lives of the Saints, New Full Edion ©Paul Burns 2003, Published by Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.) 3 PARISH INFORMATION PARISH DIRECTORY FAITH FORMATION PASTORAL COUNCIL Parish Office: 763-537-8401 Director of Youth Ministry & Mario Chavez, Sco Gregory, Sharon Confirmaon Coordinator Hedman, Roselyn Lawrence, Jacob Nelson, PRIESTS Maricela Rodriguez Ocampo, Rose Pislli and Pastor Joseph Turner (x211) Family Discipleship Director Mike Vecellio Fr. Michael Rudolph (x205) Parochial Vicar Josh Stegman (x507) Pastoral Council Meengs Fr. Robert Aler (x206) RCIA Coordinator If you would like a parcular item on Mary Jo Smith (x511) the next Parish Council agenda please PARISH ADMINISTRATION contact Fr.