Masses for  the Week  
November 24-30, 2008

     MONDAY

Memorial of St. Andrew Dung Lac & Martyrs

of Vietnam

7:00 AM—Richard Matt by family

11:30 AM – Julia Pannunzio by children

TUESDAY

7:00 AM—Armand Mancia by M/M Gene DeLuca

11:30 AM—Jerome Sauter by wife Josephine & family

WEDNESDAY

7:00 AM—John Naples, Sr. by Regina Gaffney & family

11:30 AM—Michael & Olympia Catell by family

 THURSDAY

Thanksgiving Day

7:00 AM—For Poor Souls

10:00 AM—Joseph Tomasetti by mother, wife,

son & family

  FRIDAY

7:00—Mario Pascolini by wife, sons & family

11:30 AM—ANN/Rose & Lorenzo Stella by children

  SATURDAY

7:30 AM—ANN/Jule Gallagher by daughters

4:00 PM—John J. Casey, Jr. by family
7:00 PM—James Silviano by family

   SUNDAY

1st Sunday of Advent

8:00 AM—Michael Ritz & dec’d Ritz family by

Barbara Foster

10:00 AM—Leo Benfante by sons & family

11:15 AM—For all Parishioners living & deceased

Healing Service this Tuesday, November 25 at 7PM during the regular prayer group meeting. All those who are facing serious medical problems and those who seek the Lord’s healing power for their personal struggles may participate in prayer and the Anointing of the Sick.

KEEP IN MIND the men and women who are serving in our military forces around the world. Our prayers go out to them and their families during this Holy Season. May our Holy Family  watch over us all.

ALTAR SERVER SCHEDULE

Saturday, (November 29)

4:00 PM—Montagna, Silinskie Srs.

7:00 PM—Sklanka Bros., Saporito

Sunday, (November 30)

8:00 AM—Fernando Children

10:00 AM—Desiderio, Remsky, Esposito

11:15 AM—J. & S. Piazza, Bubul

PASTOR’S THOUGHTS

 The Church lives a cycle of prayer in the course of its Liturgical Year. It follows a specific pattern which is designed to keep fresh in the life of a Catholic the great works of Jesus Christ and keep us in tune with the many graces He gives us when we spiritually unite ourselves to the saving activities of His life. The Church’s Liturgical year begins with the 1st Sunday of Advent, with each day and particularly each Sunday dedicated to preparing for the Coming of Christ, both His first earthly Coming at Bethlehem and His Second Coming at the End of the World. This Season leads up to Christmas, which the Church celebrates by recalling the Birth of Jesus, His Holy Family, Mary the Mother of God, the Coming of the Magi at the Epiphany and the Baptism of Jesus. A brief period of ordinary Time introduces us tot eh early ministry of miracles and teaching of Jesus. This leads us to the Lenten Season beginning with Ash Wednesday, an annual time of penance and conversion, mediating on the saving work of Jesus and leading us up to Holy Week when we spiritually walk in the footsteps of Jesus as He arrived in Jerusalem, ate the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, suffered and died on the Cross on Good Friday, lay in the tomb on Holy Saturday, and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. The Church then celebrates for eight weeks the glorious Resurrection of Jesus and His grace to save us all, leading up to the remembrance of The Ascension and of the Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We then recall the great central Mysteries of our Faith as we celebrate Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi Sunday, dedicated to the Eucharist. We then turn to Ordinary Time again, to resume following the life and teachings of Jesus which we hear proclaimed Sunday by Sunday finally concluding with the Feast of Christ the King to acknowledge that Jesus  is the Lord of all our lives. Along the way we also celebrate several Holy Days which mark particular elements of our faith: the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption and All Saints Day. In between, we celebrate numerous feast days recalling the specific moments of the life of Jesus that are important to us as well as the days when we honor individual Saints who lived their lives for Jesus and whose example and intercession are important for us. If we live our spiritual lives in harmony with this calendar, we will be continually drawn closer to the Lord Jesus and filled with His grace and love.

PARISH WEEKLY FINANCIAL STATEMENT:

Sunday                                         $3685.00

Dues                                                592.00

Loose                                                333.90

Repairs                                               94.00

Fuel                                                    55.00

Holy Days                                           23.00

Students                                               7.00

Christmas                                          219.00

Total                                              $5008.90

Everything you contribute supports all that we do in our Parish. Thank you!

Thank you on behalf of Birthright of Scranton  Your generosity raised  $409.00 to aid women facing crisis pregnancies and avoid the choice of having an abortion. We are grateful for your efforts to promote the cause of life.

DIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL: “Our Grateful Faith”, The Annual Appeal is underway. Over $3.2 million dollars has been raised so far from over 21,000 people across the Diocese. So far 153 parishioners have pledged $15,625. towards our parish goal of $41,000. We are grateful to the following parishioners who have contributed to the Appeal: M/M Brian Delaney; M/M Sam Rostock; Valarie Ruby; M/M John Adonizio; M/M Gerard Musto; Margaret Tomasetti; Rosemary Aldrich; M/M Howard W. Price; M/M Henry Malinoski; Mary Hensley.

Eucharistic Adoration in honor of Christ the King: Our Parish will observe its annual day of Eucharistic Adoration in honor of Christ the King this  Sunday, Nov. 23. Adoration will begin after the 11:15 Mass and continue throughout the afternoon until 6pm. At 6pm we will have a celebration of Vespers and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. We encourage all our Parishioners to come and spend time with Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Welcome to the Parish—Our Parish welcomes Robert & Candice Yeremsky to our Parish family. May God richly bless them.

2009 envelope sets have been mailed out to your homes. Anyone who is a parishioner of this parish, has had envelopes during this year and has not received your new set by December, please contact the rectory at 654-6902 during office hours: 9 to 5 Monday—Friday.

Altar & Rosary Society  Lottery Raffle (held the week of Nov. 3) Winners: Monday-Theresa Chiumento; Tuesday-Theresa Chiumento; Wednesday-NOT RETURNED; Thursday-Jack & Rose Thubbron; Friday-Mary Forlenza; Saturday-Gloria Musto; Sunday-Lisa Wallace. Thanks for all who participated in this fundraiser.

1224 PERFORMANCE” (Resounding recreation of  the great Trans-Siberian orchestra) will be held on our Parish Hall on Sunday, December 7. Showtime is 6:00 PM. Tickets are $15 each and available at the rectory office 9-5 Monday-Friday.  Tickets are going fast!

Our Parish is organizing a Young Adult Group comprised of young adults, ages 18-39, single or married, Catholic or Non-Catholic, who seek to grow in their faith, discuss current events, and participate in social outreach activities. Our first meeting will be held at 7PM on Wednesday, Dec. 3rd in the meeting room of the Parish Center.  Please contact Fr. Johnson at 654-6902 or Lynn Marie Busch at 690-0512 for more information.  

His Excellency The Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino, D.D., Hist. E.D., Bishop of Scranton, and the Office for Parish Life /Family Life wish to invite couples celebrating their 25th or 50th wedding anniversary in 2009 to a diocesan Wedding Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, May 10th. The event includes a 2:30 PM Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral followed by a reception. Requests for an invitation, with a mailing address that will be accurate in February, should be made through your pastor before January 10th.

The event is designated for 25th & 50th anniversary celebrants, but we can include couples who missed their special year. Cathedral seating will be reserved for anniversary couples, and we encourage them to limit their reception guests to two.

Youth Group will not meet on Thursday, Nov. 27  at  7PM due to the holiday. They will meet again on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7PM. All are invited to attend. 

THANKSGIVING DAY MASS is a wonderful opportunity for grateful prayer to God who has provided us with every good thing in our lives. We invite our parishioners to make Thanksgiving Day not just another holiday, but a true celebration with family and friends , ever mindful that is about thanking God for His goodness to us. To help give thanks, Masses will be celebrated at 7am and 10am. Come join us in prayer. Our priests and parish staff wish you and your family a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

Parish Office will be closed on Thursday, November 27,  due to the holiday. Our parish priests will be available for emergencies.

Advent Holy Hour: Rev. Paul  McDonnell, OSJ  will preside at the Advent Holy Hour, Sunday, Nov. 30th at St Maria Goretti Church, Laflin, from 4PM-5PM. Open the holy season of preparation for Christmas with an hour devoted to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Everyone is welcome .