St. Francis of Assisi Parish

Please remember in your prayers our sick and suffering:

 

 

 

 

MASSES FOR THE WEEK       

are available call into the office for mass cards.

Constantly in Prayer for Us – Sister M. Susanne Guglielmi of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament

has adopted us in prayer. We are most grateful. We send her our church bulletin each week. This week she sent a Christmas note of Love and Prayer!

 

           

LAY MINISTERS AT MASS –     

 

Confessions are Saturday at 4:30 PM just inside the rectory (door on the left offers screen & face-to-face options) or anytime by appointment. Make use of the Sacrament of Peace.

 

VAN SERVICE

 

Van Service to and from Sunday 10 AM Mass can now be offered to all who need it. Pleas contact the Rectory, if you have no way to get to Mass and would like a ride.

 

Lectors and Communion  Ministers – schedules through March 20 are  available in the back of church. Please pick yours up!

 

 Miraculous Medal –The Novena is every Monday at the Shrine at 500 E. Chelten Ave. 9:00 AM Mass: Noon, 2,3,4,5,6:30,7:30 PM services. Confessions are available. The preacher for January 4 is Fr. Patrick Flanagan, C.M., and the topic is “Mary & the Epiphany.”

 

Be sure to pick up and make use of your church envelopes December – February. Remember that you cannot outdo God’s giving. Simply thank him as best you can

 

December is Diabetes Awareness month. There are free materials on the table in back.

 

Please pick up your 2010 calendars in the back of church.

 

 

Attention All Parish Ministers! Liturgy Workshop has been re-scheduled to March 6, 2010, 10 AM – 12 Noon here at St. Francis. Parishioners who are active in ministry, or those who wish to become active, should plan to attend.

 

You are invited to join

His Eminence , Cardinal Justin Rigali

Archbishop of Philadelphia

for a Prayer Service in

Remembrance of the Life of

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King

Sunday, January 17, 2010, 3:00 PM

St. Patrick Catholic Church

714 DeKalb Street

Norristown, PA 19401

Sponsored by the Office of the Vicar for Hispanic Catholics~Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs~Office for Pastoral Care for Migrants and Refugees~Office for Black Catholics

A new Support Group for Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse is planned for January 12, 2010. The meeting place will be near the Philadelphia Airport and will be confirmed at the time of registration. The group will be facilitated by Network of Victim Assistance of Bucks County (NOVA). For more information or to enroll please call NOVA directly at 1.800.675.6900.

 

Worldwide Marriage Encounter – the next couples experience will be Jan. 29 – 31, 2010. For more info call 1-800-456-8330.

 

 

 

 

 

Are you trying to cope with a loved one in prison?

Mary, Mother of Captives, a support group for those with a loved one in prison, meets monthly at Catholic Social Services, 7340 Jackson St., 2^nd fl, NE Philadelphia. For info, go to www.MaryMotherofcaptivessupport.org or call Jack of Sophie at 215-698-2585.

 

Catholic Christmas Traditions

What four feasts or holy days occur after Christmas during the Christmas season?

The Feast of the Holy Family, honoring Jesus, Mary and Joseph as a family. It is celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas or on December 30 when Christmas falls on Sunday on Dec. 31.

The Feast of Mary the Mother of God, celebrated Jan. 1, commemorates Mary’s role as mother of God and her unique position in God’s redemptive plan. World Day of Peace is also celebrated on this day.

The Epiphany, the oldest of the Christmas feasts, is also known as Three Kings Day for the three magi who found the Christ Child after following a star to Bethlehem. It is celebrated on Jan. 6 and is the major holiday of the Christmas period in the Eastern Church.

The Baptism of Our Lord brings the Christmas season to a close. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Epiphany.

When did the title "Mother of God" originate?

The precise title “Mother of God” goes back at least to the third or fourth century. In the Greek form Theotokos (God-bearer), it became the touchstone of the Church’s teaching about the Incarnation. The Council of Ephesus in 431 insisted that the holy Fathers were right in calling the holy virgin Theotokos. At the end of this particular session, crowds of people marched through the street shouting: “Praised be the Theotokos!” The tradition reaches to our own day. In its chapter on Mary’s role in the Church, Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church calls Mary “Mother of God” 12 times.

When are the 12 days of Christmas?

The 12 days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day (December 25) and end on January 5, eve of the traditional date of the Epiphany.

Mark Your Calendars! Sunday, January 31, is the fifth Sunday of the month, and will feature our children in ministry roles at Mass.