St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church Rectory/Parish Center: (973) 338-9190 . Fax: (973) 338-4224 . Religious Education: (973) 338-7400 School: (973) 338-8505 . Convent: (973) 338-9118 Address: 60 Byrd Avenue, Bloomfi eld, NJ 07003 . Website: www.stachurchbloomfi eld.com Facebook: Saint Thomas the Apostle Church Twitter: @stachurchnj Rev. Charles J. Miller, M. Div., Pastor Parochial Vicar: Rev. Antonio T. Sarento, M.Div. In Residence: Rev. John F. Gordon, M.Div., V.F. PERMANENT DEACONS: Deacon Albert H. Tizzano • Deacon Thomas J. Coyle • Deacon Brian J. Murphy Deacon Dennis J. Besida, Retired Eucharistic Liturgy Pastoral Associate for Elementary Catechetics: Saturday Eve: 5:00pm Tracey Hann Sundays: 7:30, 9:00, School Principal: 10:30am & 12:00 Noon Mr. Michael Petrillo Weekdays: 7:30, & 11:30am DIRECTOR OF LITURGICAL Saturday Mornings: 8:30am Only MUSIC MINISTRIES: Holy Days: Nancy A. Cardone 7:30, 11:30am & 7:30pm Assistant Liturgical Holidays: 8:30am Only Music MinisterS: Kimberley Mesiti Sacrament of Liturgy of Pastoral Associate for Family Reconciliation: the Word & Adult Formation Ministries: With Children: (Penance/Confessions) Robert P. Miller Saturday: 11:00am Sundays: 10:30am Mass September - June Coordinator of Youth Ministry: Marian Catholic Devotions: Community Mr. Timothy Dennin Mondays Services Novena Prayer Offering Social FINANCE CHAIRMEN: 11:30am Mass Service Assistance 1(800) CCS-7413 James McKittrick, Finance Council Fax: 596-3735 Patrick DeCotiis, Finance Committee December 4, 2016 . 2nd Sunday of Advent Second Sunday of Advent December 4, 2016 Masses for the Week Sunday, December 4 7:30 am Marion Crecco – Friend 9:00 am Natesan Senathiraja – Friends 10:30 am Peter Fagan – Family 12:00 pm JoAnne & Peter Wojtach – Family Monday, December 5 In this week's Gospel Reading and next week's, 7:30 am Esterina & Silvester Fusco – Family our Advent preparation for Christmas invites us to 11:30 am Mary Margaret Tizzano – Bequest consider John the Baptist and his relationship to Tuesday, December 6 Jesus. In this week's Gospel, Matthew describes 7:30 am Deceased of McInTyre Family – Bequest the work and preaching of John the Baptist. 11:30 am Rudy Luyao – 1st Anniversary – Friend John the Baptist appears in the tradition of the Wednesday, December 7 great prophets of Israel, preaching repentance and 7:30 am Dolores Freeman – Daughter reform to the people of Israel. In fact, the 11:30 am Ann Personette – Friend description of John found in this reading is Thursday, December 8 reminiscent of the description of the prophet Elijah. 7:30 am Antonina Ofsak – Friend In this reading, John directs a particularly pointed 11:30 am Immaculata & Orsilina DiMichele – Family call to repentance to the Pharisees and Sadducees, 7:30 pm Annemarie Coppola – Cousins parties within the Jewish community of the first Friday, December 9 century. 7:30 am Beverly Lynn Albanese – Family John marks the conversion of those who seek 11:30 am Lolita Tubal – Family him out with a baptism of repentance. Other groups in this period are thought to have practiced ritual Saturday, December 10 washings for similar purposes, and John's baptism 8:30 am Samuel Battista – Family may have been related to the practices of the Sunday, December 11 Essenes, a Jewish sect of the first century. John's Saturday, December 10 baptism can be understood as an anticipation of 5:00 pm Joseph Sawicki – Family Christian baptism. In this passage, John himself Sunday, December 11 alludes to the difference between his baptism and 7:30 am For The People the one yet to come: “I am baptizing you with water, 9:00 am Peter & Aurora Manetto – Family for repentance . He will baptize you with the Holy 10:30 am Virginia Ricciardi – Sister Spirit and fire.” 12:00 pm John McGovern –6th Anniversary – Family In this reading, John makes very clear that his relationship to the Messiah yet to come (Jesus) is one of service and subservience: “. the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not PRAY FOR OUR SICK worthy to carry his sandals”. In the context of Kiran Fernando, Matthew's Gospel, today's passage is followed by Nina Mattarazzo, Jesus' baptism by John, an event that is attested to Barbara Mazzola in all four of the Gospels and appears to have been the start of Jesus' public ministry. REST IN PEACE John's preaching of the coming of the Lord is a Kathleen Cahill key theme of the Advent season. As John's Theodore Cifelli message prepared the way for Jesus in the first century, we, too, are called to prepare ourselves for Jesus' coming. We respond to John's message by SANCTUARY CANDLES our repentance and reform of our lives. We are also Thoas V. DeGennaro & Paula Krahn Church: called to be prophets of Christ, who announce by our lives, as John did, the coming of the Lord. 2 595 Mass Schedule for Christmas STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE The main source of operating funds for Season at St. Thomas is our weekly / holyday offertory collections. The information below will show where the St. Thomas the Apostle Church Parish is as of November 20 compared to the budget amount for the year. The break even date is June 30, 2017. The amount needed each week is $17,630 and the amount collected last weekend was $17,008. Budget Amount Year to Date Remaining Amount $881,500 $336,246 $545,254 RECONCILIATION (CONFESSION) SCHEDULE The year to date amount is negative by $33,984 rd th th as of week number 21 in our budget year. Saturdays, December 3 , 10 , & 17 11:00 a.m. (St. Thomas the Apostle Church) St Thomas’ Monday, December 12, 7:30 p.m. Reconciliation Service at St. Thomas the Apostle Annual Christmas with Individual Confessions heard by the Priests from Concert & Reception the Churches of St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Valentine & Sacred Heart Church. CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE Saturday, December 24th Christmas Eve 4:00pm (Herron Hall – School) st 21 Year Christmas Music Prelude and Mass th 4:00pm (Church) Christmas Music Prelude and Mass Saturday December 10 6:00pm (Church) Mass 7PM 10:30pm (Church) Concelebrated Mass with Music Prelude at 10:00pm. (No Midnight Mass) FEATURING Sunday, December 25th (Christmas Day) THE GARDEN STATE CONCERT BAND 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon SOPRANO KIM MESITI (All Masses with traditional Christmas Carols) GUEST NARRATOR: FATHER CHARLES MILLER SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD Saturday, December 31st - 5:00pm ( Vigil Mass) Again this year, The Garden State Concert Band is Sunday, January 1st (New Year’s Day) sponsoring the whole night’s event! 7:30, 9:00, 10:30am & 12 noon Please Come & Celebrate a Free Traditional concert & reception SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY (Annual “Bell Sunday”) Saturday, January 7th - 5:00pm Vigil Mass Sunday, January 8th - 7:30, 9:00, &10:30am -12 noon St. Thomas Young Adult Winter Retreat (Children’s Epiphany Pageant following 12 noon Mass) January 7 – January 8 (2pm Saturday – 3pm Sunday) HOLIDAY SEASON Parishioners age 19 – 30 are invited to join the BULLETIN DEADLINES young adult ministry on a winter retreat at the Baptist Camp & Conference Center in Lebanon, NJ. DECEMBER 25th BULLETIN Registration fee: $55 Deadline: 5pm on Friday December 9th For registration information contact st Tim Dennin: [email protected] or JANUARY 1 BULLETIN Deadline: 5pm on Friday December 16th Maureen Scully: [email protected] 3 595 All are Invited to Pray the Rosary Advent Early Afternoon The Rosary Society will meet at the church to pray of Reflection the Rosary 7 pm on the following days: Sunday, Dec. 4th after noon Mass Dec. 5th (from 12:55 to 3:25 p.m.) Jan. 9th Feb. 6th March 6th April 3rd Jets don’t play & Giant’s game starts later at 4:25 May 1st June 5th St. Peter’s Room. Meetings follow in the Parish Center Light lunch included – Donation: $7 or Free will offering (Teens free) The September Club invites all seniors (55+) to join us for fun & fellowship. In “Now that Pope’s ‘Year of Mercy’ is Ending: addition to regular meetings, we sponsor special events Where Do We Go From Here with Mercy: and trips. Call Roz Frunzi at 973-785-0576 for more In Our Individual Lives, Parish Community & information or contact her via email at the World Beyond our parish borders?” [email protected]. 2016 - 2017 Meeting Dates Presenters: Dec 5th , 12th , Jan 9th, 23rd, 30th +Sister Gerrie Muller, SSJ, San Alfanso’s Retreat Feb 6th, 13th, 27th , House, a specialist March 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th April 3rd, 17th, 24th , in intergenerational spiritual formation & May 1st, 8th, Tuesday 16th, 22nd th th th +Ms. Linda Tober-Flores, Dir., Elizabeth June 5 , 12 , 19 Coalition to House Homeless (ECHH is assisting homeless hero who St. Thomas the Apostle discovered pipe bombs) Eucharist Adoration Schedule Presenters & facilitators will assist us to reflect & 2016 Dates: discern: Monday December 26 2017 Dates: Through Scripture, Church Teachings & Song Monday January 23 & Monday February 27 Simple, practical examples that are workable Monday March 27 Table discussions where you reflect & share Monday April 17 Monday May 22 Monday June 26 WE HAVE LAST MINUTE ROOM Itinerary: FOR YOU IF YOU 11:00 a.m. Holy Rosary DID NOT REGISTER YET! 11:30 a.m. Holy Mass 12:00 p.m. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Make check payable to: 3:00 p.m. Chaplet of Devine Mercy “St. Thomas the Apostle Church” 3:30 p.m. Holy Rosary 6:00 p.m. Angelus If you have any questions, call: 7:30 p.m. Respect for Life Holy Hour Steve St.