WWW.STANDREWCATHOLICCHURCH.ORG | (843) 448-5930 | 3501 N KINGS HWY, SUITE 102, MYRTLE BEACH, SC 29577 December 22, 2019 Dear Friends in Christ, This Wednesday we will celebrate the coming of the Son of God into the world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, born of the Virgin Mary. The birth of the baby Jesus, in an obscure part of the ancient world, in poor circumstances, unnoticed by the rich and powerful of his day, absolutely and forever transformed the face of the earth. For he is no ordinary baby boy. He is the Word made Flesh, born for our salvation. And not only does this child’s birth transform the earth. His coming also transforms the invisible realm of heaven. For in him, earth and heaven, the visible and the invisible realm of pure spirit, are perfectly joined. In this poor child, human and divine nature becomes one. And though few in the world noticed his birth, the hierarchies of heaven, with their pure spiritual vision, saw very clearly what had occurred, and upon seeing, they proclaim glory to all creation. On the night of his birth, scripture tells us that angels appeared in the sky, singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those of good will!” In response to the angel’s song, the shepherds in the fields surrounding Bethlehem came to see this miraculous child. And at Christmas each year, we too gather like the shepherds to gather round the Christ child, responding to the song of angels and the call of faith heard in our hearts. Because we know that by this child’s birth, and by the life he will lead and the death he will suffer, our lives have been transformed, made meaningful in this world, and assured the gift of life immortal when we join him in the next. This is what we celebrate at Christmas: that God so loved the world that he gave his Only-Begotten Son for our sake, who emptied himself and took the form of a slave, the form of human flesh, so that flesh, wounded by sin and separated from God, might be restored to original justice and holiness, and indeed elevated even beyond the goodness of our beginning, so that we are no longer mere creatures, but adopted sons and daughters of God through Christ Jesus. In us, the realms of flesh and spirit are united, and the spirit calls us by grace to that high and noble destiny, to live as children of God. So, this Christmas, let us celebrate and embrace this destiny with joy! Let us realize that our lives are not mere work and money-grubbing or the anxieties and fears that the enemy hisses in our ear; we are not defined by our moments of weakness or anger or meanness or woe-is-me or pure cussedness and self-righteous pride, or the temptations that worry us or even the sins we commit, which have no power where grace abounds all the more. We are called to serve the Lord in the beauty of holiness, to sing his praises, joyful and triumphant at all times, to know and love all that is true, good, and beautiful in this world and receive it infinitely in the next. This is why were made. This is who we are. And this is the gift that we receive (greater than any gift we can ever give) when we welcome the Christ Child into our hearts at Christmas, acknowledging him as Lord and Savior. Fr. Morgan ST ANDREW CATHOLIC CHURCH DECEMBER 22, 2019 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT MASS SCHEDULE THIS WEEK’S LITURGIES Weekend Saturday Saturday December 21 4:30pm | 6:15pm | 8pm (Vietnamese every 1st Sat) 4:30pm Thomas Marshall † Sunday 6:15pm Eleanora Ducanay † 7:30am | 9:15am | 11am | 5pm | 7pm (Spanish) Sunday December 22 7:30am Sajb - Special Intention Daily Mass 9:15am Thomas & Eleanor Hoban † Monday - Friday | 9am | 7pm Hora Santa (every 1st Fri) 11:00am Pro Populo 5:00pm Ann Marie Tighe & Rocky-Special Intention RECONCILIATION 7:00pm Santa Misa Monday December 23 Tuesday & Thursday | 8:15 to 8:45am 9:00am Phillip A. Miller † Wednesday | 4:30pm Tuesday December 24 - Christmas Eve (with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament) 4:00pm Frank Mantuano † Saturday | 3pm 4:30pm* Allen Smiegielski & Maryann Baranoski † 6:00pm Thomas Marshall † PARISH STAFF 8:00pm Misa de Nochebuena Rev Roger Morgan Wednesday December 25 - Christmas Day Parish Administrator 12:00am Pro Populo 8:00am Cynthia Ann Frunzi † Rev José Quilcate 10:00am Ryan Mancuso † Parochial Vicar 7:00pm Natividad de Nuestro Señor Thursday December 26 Deacon Robert Barlow Deacon George Ferland 9:00am Jo Ellen Sadowski † Deacon Robert Jones Deacon Anthony Russo Friday December 27 Deacon Robert Sprouse 9:00am Lorraine Kettleson † Saturday December 28 Gregory S. Allen, MA 4:30pm Thomas Marshall † Pastoral Associate 6:15pm Stephanie Dempster † Sunday December 29 Madeleine Elswick 7:30am Zenaida Dacanay † 9:15am Margaret & August Turak † Parish Business Manager 11:00am Pro Populo 5:00pm Thomas Marshall † Ceferina Meli 7:00pm Santa Misa Parish Administrative Assistant Patricia Carbonaro THIS WEEK AT ST ANDREW Parish Accounting Clerk Sun, Dec 22 12p SACS Basketball Game (Gym) Sr Deepa Kuppala 5pm Práctica del Música (CLC) Parish Coordinator of Liturgical Ministers Thu, Dec 26 4:30pm Wedding Rehearsal (Church) Laura Allison Sat, Dec 28 9pm Vietnamese Community (CLC) Barbara Bowers Jennifer Diaz Religious Education PARISH REGISTRATION Francesca Schaeffer Music Director It is a great joy to welcome new members to our parish community. Susan K. Underwood Please register in order to Homebound Coordinator participate in our various programs, ministries and activities. Clark Slawecki Either visit Facilities Manager www.standrewcatholicchurch.org, click Join/Registration then find and fill out the registration form. Or, pick up a OFFICE HOURS form in the narthex of the church and drop off the Monday - Thursday completed form in either the collection basket or at the 9am - 4pm parish office. Friday | 9am - 12n Thank you. PAGE 2 ST ANDREW CATHOLIC CHURCH DECEMBER 22, 2019 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT PARISH & AROUND THE DIOCESE NEWS CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE STEWARDSHIP FISCAL YEAR 2019-2020 Tuesday, December 24th Description December 8 Christmas Eve Sunday Collection .............................................. $023,488 Weekly Budget Needs ....................................... $021,500 4pm, 4:30pm (in Community Life Center), Year-to-Date Total ............................................. $510,093 6pm & 12 midnight | 8pm (Spanish) Year-to-Date Budget Needs ............................. $494,500 Surplus/Shortfall-to-Date ................................. $015,593 Wednesday, December 25th THIS WEEK’S COLLECTION Christmas Day RETIREMENT FUND FOR RELIGIOUS NEXT WEEK’S 8am, 10am & 7pm (Spanish) SOCIAL OUTREACH Tuesday, December 31st Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God 7pm (Vigil) Wednesday, January 1st Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Romans Bible Study 2020 Mother of God Beginning Wednesday, January 15th at 6:30pm 9am, 11am and 7pm (Spanish) For information, please contact Laura Allison at: [email protected] BUS TO STAND UP FOR LIFE MARCH AND -or- RALLY SATURDAY JANUARY 11, 2020 843-626-4685 Grand Strand Citizens for Life will again provide buses to the State March for Life and Rally in Columbia on Saturday, Support aging religious. Our second collection is for January 11, 2020. Pick-up times and locations are as the Retirement Fund for Religious. Many senior Catholic follows: sisters, brothers and religious order priests served for • St Michael’s Church parking lot, 542 Cyprus Dr, little or no pay. Today, religious communities often do Garden City - 6:15am not have enough savings to meet retirement needs. • St Andrew’s Community Life Center, 37th Ave N near Your gift helps provide medications, nursing care and Kings Hwy N, Myrtle Beach - 6:45am more for tens of thousands of elderly religious. It also • Belks Mall on Hwy 501 in Conway - 7:15am helps ensure younger members can continue the good works of their elders. Please be generous. Your cost to take the bus is only $10 per person and reservations are required. Please do not let the cost deter you from joining us. If you need assistance I am a student of St Andrew Catholic (Check covering the cost, please let us know. One): _____Grade School ____Religious Ed in grade _____. You must make reservations. Please call either Andrew Woitko at 843-734-0137 (home) or 302-981- _________________________________ Student’s Signature 1528 (cell) or John Kost at 843-626-8684. Your seat will be reserved when payment is received. Make checks Being a Good Steward of God’s Gift of Time to Me I am payable to GSCL and mail them to 154 Woodlyn Ave, attending Church on the Lord’s Day on _________________ at Little River, SC 29566. _________________Church. Please drop in collection basket or mail slip to: Please make every effort to join us in taking a stand for life. Madeleine Elswick Let our voices be the voice for the voiceless. St Andrew Catholic Church 3501 N Kings Hwy #102 Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 PAGE 3 ST ANDREW CATHOLIC CHURCH DECEMBER 22, 2019 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT FAITH FORMATION (CHILDREN) SOCIAL ISSUES 1st Friday Patriotic Rosary at St Elizabeth Ann Seton High School On December 6th (First Friday), the students from St Elizabeth Ann Seton High School gathered around the American Flag and joined Carol Jean Walters, Director of the South Carolina Catholics for Freedom of Religion in praying for our Church and our Country. CFFR started praying a monthly Patriotic Rosary for America in 2015 and have prayed in the public square on the beach, at Warbird Park as well as on the steps of St Andrew Catholic Church. The Religious Education department would like to take this opportunity to wish every one a very Merry Christmas.