november 2020
Christmas Giving Tree Inside 2 Living Out Gratitude and Stewardship, During Thanksgiving and Beyond
3 “ What’s in It For Us” May Surprise You
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Amid the Pandemic, Our Youth Ministry Continues to Bring Christ’s Light to Parish and Beyond Our Walls
6 Praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
7 Advent: A Season of
Renewal and Hopeful Anticipation
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SHARING CHRIST ’S LOVE
s the season of Advent approaches, be sure to watch for the appearance of the St. Vincent de Paul Giving Tree here at Our Lady Star of the Sea. It will be once again filled with gift tags that allow us to live in fellowship by sharing the love of Christ with others in celebration of the Christmas season. Parishioner Bill Brunscheen coordinates our Giving Tree for the Beaches St. Vincent de Paul Society that also includes St. Paul Parish. Paul Jennings is our parish liaison with St. Vincent de Paul. Preparations began in September at St. Vincent de Paul, where staffers have been gathering client information so gift tags can be sent to our parish and St. Paul. Most of the tags will be for children with requests for clothing, toys, books, and games. St. Vincent de Paul makes all the tags that will be hung on our tree. “We’ll be given a list of who the tags correspond to, so we can tell where the gifts will go,” Bill says. “Our job is to announce the giving tree to the parish, put the tags on the tree and collect the gifts.” Our parish rents several portable storage units that are used to house the gifts until St. Vincent de Paul staffers pick them up for distribution. The response from our parish has been overwhelming. “Every tag came back last year [with a gift],” Bill says. “It was wonderful. This promotes stewardship for me and for others. Our Lady Star of the Sea people are so generous, and they take it to heart. They buy gifts like they are for their own family. They know others are needy and
545 A1A North Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 (904) 285-2698│www.olsspvb.org
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Living Out Gratitude and Stewardship, During Thanksgiving and Beyond
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very November, as the holiday season fast approaches, we are filled with a deep sense of sentimentality and gratefulness for all of our blessings. At the same time, we encounter many wonderful ways to give — to cheerfully share our own gifts — during this time of Thanksgiving. It is with this spirit of gratitude that we can truly live out the stewardship way of life. This Thanksgiving, there are plenty of opportunities to do this in a direct way. Is there a family member or friend you haven’t spoken to for a long time, or someone who might be spending the holiday alone? Drop them an email, pick up the phone and call, or even catch up with them via Zoom or FaceTime — even virtually, such connections at this time are essential! Perhaps you may volunteer at a soup kitchen, or you might donate a Thanksgiving meal to a family in need who wouldn’t have one otherwise. For Black Friday, make it a point the next day to donate old clothes that you or your family members no longer
need. There are countless such opportunities to live in gratitude and thanksgiving — opportunities that go beyond just having a meal at home. Of course, we must remember that this spirit of thanksgiving does not end after Thanksgiving, nor does it end following Advent and Christmas. We must always consider how to give, even as the glow of the holiday season fades after the New Year. In January, if there is abundance in your closet, give away from that abundance. In February, if there are volunteers needed at the soup kitchen, give of your time. We need a renewed spirit of stewardship and thanksgiving that lasts the whole year so that our giving becomes habitual, and not just seasonal. This Thanksgiving, ask the Holy Spirit where He is calling you to give. And may the joy of the Thanksgiving season flow into our lives as good stewards, every day and throughout the entire year.
Of course, we must remember that this spirit of thanksgiving does not end after Thanksgiving, nor does it end following Advent and Christmas. We must always consider how to give, even as the glow of the holiday season fades after the New Year. In January, if there is abundance in your closet, give away from that abundance. In February, if there are volunteers needed at the soup kitchen, give of your time. We need a renewed spirit of stewardship and thanksgiving that lasts the whole year so that our giving becomes habitual, and not just seasonal.
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A Letter from Our Pastor
“What’s in It For Us” May Surprise You Dear Parishioners,
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ou already know that our parish is also the way to holiness. Our relationship with committed to living as intentional Christ is what we get in return. disciples of Christ through the holistic Our efforts as a parish to promote the practice of stewardship. What you may not spiritual benefits of active stewardship are know is that one of our inspirations and designed to foster a deeper relationship with mentors is the late Msgr. Thomas McGread of God for all of us. Membership in a parish the Diocese of Wichita. family should encourage, support, and celebrate Who was Msgr. McGread? that relationship with the living God, first and Msgr. McGread was a humble, servant foremost. Everything else flows from that. priest who created a model for how If we are not focused on our relationship stewardship should be practiced — both with God, then what will define our here and in many Catholic parishes across spirituality? the country. What began simply with Msgr. If we have embraced the blessings of McGread applying his stewardship principles at St. Francis stewardship as a practical way of being the disciples we are called of Assisi Parish in Wichita — where he served as pastor for to be, we will in turn know a deeper relationship with Christ. 31 years — has become a way of life for our parish family We celebrate Thanksgiving this month, which truly is and for Catholics around the nation. a stewardship holiday since stewardship begins with an With such an incredible blueprint from this visionary attitude of gratitude. I am truly thankful for all that is priest, how could we go wrong? done here at Our Lady Star of the Sea, and for the many We have truly embraced stewardship here at Our Lady parishioners willing to do so much. Star of the Sea, and for that, I am blessed and grateful. In closing, let me share one final thought to help you From the beginning, however, the question “What’s in it realize the gift that our parish is to each and every one of us. for us?” had to be on our minds as our efforts to educate Be grateful for all you have. parishioners and promote the stewardship way of life were Be generous in giving something back to God. introduced. Be faithful stewards, and you will have done both. At first, “What’s in it for us?” seemed to center on what That is what’s in it for you, and in turn, that is what’s in people were willing to do to give back to God as part of it for us! practicing their faith and living as disciples of Jesus Christ. And don’t forget — God has been doing this for centuries. While this is important, there is so much more to it. We’re just the latest and most fortunate recipients. The truth is, “What’s in it for us?” is really about “What’s Happy Thanksgiving, and may God bless you and your in it for you?” family. “What’s in it for you?” perhaps is best explained as one simple principle — cultivating a deeper relationship with Sincerely yours in Christ, Jesus Christ. When Christ calls us to discipleship, He is also calling us to be faithful stewards of our time, talent and treasure. Our gratitude for these gifts is best expressed through giving a portion of each Msgr. Keith Brennan back to God. Thus, stewardship becomes a way of life that is Pastor
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Amid the Pandemic, Ou
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Continues to Bring Christ’s Light
uring a World Youth Day 2013 address, Pope young parishioners serving others through week-long Francis spoke the following words to millions of diocesan summer camps. While COVID-19 prevented young Catholics who had gathered in Rio de Janeiro, these usual gatherings from taking place, nothing could Brazil: “You too, dear young people, can be joyful get in the way of our youth’s desire to serve! witnesses of His love, courageous witnesses of His “Of course, the summer camps were canceled this Gospel, carrying to this world a ray of His light.” Here year, so we decided to find things to do here,” says at Our Lady Star of the Sea, our Youth Ministry is Youth Ministry Director Catherine Savilla. “We found proving just how true these words can be. four one-day service events in June and July. The best Service to the Jacksonville community and beyond way to gather was outdoors, so one consistent thing we has always been a key component of our Youth Ministry could do was building and cleaning projects.” program. A typical summer would see many of our With this in mind, members of our youth ministry helped with the BEAM (Beach Emergency Assistance Ministry) garden and cleaned the playground and indoor facilities at Sanctuary on 8th Street. In July, they attended a Faith + Action day that drew over 60 youth and adult chaperones from around the diocese to perform service projects that had been approved for the Urban Plunge camp. “All these jobs get lined up months in advance,” Catherine says. “So, when Plunge was canceled, it meant that these people had already been waiting. It’s heartbreaking to know that we were lined up to go and serve and do this work, and then we couldn’t do it. Some of these houses are just incredibly run down. So the diocese figured out a way to do one-day events called Faith + Action. We were able to rebuild decks and porches, extend a woman’s handicap-accessible ramps, clean gutters and replace the diverters on her rainspouts.” Youth Ministry service opportunities continue this fall. In October, our middle and high schoolers participated in a beach cleanup, and this month they will again tend the BEAM garden, in addition to preparing and serving a Veterans Day dinner at the Mission House. Mary Kate Flynn, a senior at Ponte Vedra High School, tries to take advantage of every service opportunity that our Youth Ministry provides. This summer, our Youth Ministry helped clean the playground and “It is always so worth it,” Mary Kate says. “If I could facilities at Sanctuary on 8th Street in downtown Jacksonville. go back and do them all again, I would. I really enjoy
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Youth Ministry
t to Parish and Beyond Our Walls getting to know all the people we’re serving. It builds a lot of character and shows me how thankful I should be for everything I have, and that God just puts us where we need to be.” For Rebecca Cooper, a senior at Nease High School, participating in Youth Ministry service days and retreats has been a great way to make lifelong friendships while gaining a new perspective. “I’ve been raised to help around the house, but really getting down to it and tearing down fences and building things and getting out of my comfort zone to help someone in need — it humbles you, it really does, just being able to see that there are people who need help right outside your front door,” Rebecca says. “It doesn’t matter who they are — if they need help, God calls you to help them. I believe service is important for teens and youth because seeing people who don’t have necessities really changes your perspective.” Will Sammet, a senior at Bishop Kenny High School, has also found that his participation in the Youth Ministry helped make him the person he is today. “It’s really important to ground your faith because your faith gets you through everything,” he says. “We’re teenagers, we’re in high school, we’re going through the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’ll go through other stuff. When you have your faith and you have God, that will get you through — even in college and beyond.” Letting that faith shine for others is what service is all about. “You really do get joy out of helping people,” Will says. “If I can put a smile on someone’s face, then that’s a good day for me.” By answering the Gospel call to serve, our parish youth show all of us what it means to bring Christ’s love to the world. “It’s community building, and it’s all steeped in Christianity and Scripture,” Catherine says. “We do everything we can to shine the light of Christ.”
Youth Ministry at Our Lady Star of the Sea
Youth ministry participants helped extend a handicap accessible ramp at the home of an elderly woman in Interlachen.
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Praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
any Catholics are aware that the Church dedicates the first two days of November — All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2 — to commemorating and praying for the souls of the faithful departed. But did you know that during the entire month of November, the Church places a special emphasis on praying for the souls in purgatory? The Church has always taught us to pray for the souls of those who have passed on from this life. Even in Old Testament times, prayers and alms were offered for the souls of the dead by those who thought “well and religiously concerning the resurrection” (Liturgical Meditations, The Sisters of St. Dominic). And in the early days of the Church, St. Paul further emphasized the importance and responsibility of not only remembering our brothers and sisters who have passed away, but actively praying for them: “For the Lord himself... will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will first rise” (1 Thess 4:16). Because of the very state of the holy souls in purgatory, we as earthly brothers and sisters in Christ are closely connected to those who passed on from this life. We share in the peace of knowing that salvation will one day be obtained, but are simultaneously suffering in separation from God. The Church also teaches that we have the opportunity to play a big part in helping these souls through their period of purgation, so that they may soon enjoy eternal glory with the Lord. This month, please make a special effort to offer prayers for your deceased friends and loved ones, and all those who have passed away in the grace and friendship of God. Offering a Mass for someone who has passed away is an especially fruitful way to honor the memory and bring comfort to a holy soul in purgatory.
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Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory O Lord, who art ever merciful and bounteous with Thy gifts, look down upon the suffering souls in purgatory. Remember not their offenses and negligences, but be mindful of Thy loving mercy, which is from all eternity. Cleanse them of their sins and fulf ill their ardent desires that they may be made worthy to behold Thee face to face in Thy glory. May they soon be united with Thee and hear those blessed words which will call them to their heavenly home: “Come, blessed of My Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Amen.
Advent:
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A Season of Renewal and Hopeful Anticipation
f you think about the months that have made up the year 2020, they have been filled with waiting. Waiting for stay-at-home orders to subside. Waiting for COVID-19 numbers to decline and the pandemic to be over. Waiting for the turmoil caused by an election year to cease, and for peace to come upon our country. That’s why though Advent is traditionally associated with waiting and anticipating, this year we’re hoping to shift gears a little and adopt a new liturgical approach. “This Advent season, we are hoping to shift our focus to waiting on the Lord and the hopeful anticipation that the Advent season brings,” says Parochial Vicar Fr. Matt King. “Isaiah 40:31 says, ‘They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.’ There are many of us who desire a sense of renewal in our lives as we are on this spiritual journey. Our goal as a parish this Advent will be to encourage and strengthen this hope and sense of renewal in the Lord and all the joyful promises that Advent provides us.” One way the parish hopes to facilitate this hopeful anticipation is through an Advent day of Reflection and Holy Hour. Similar to the event held on Sept. 26 entitled “National Global Day of Prayer and Repentance,” Fr. Matt says this will be a time to come together as a faith community for encouragement, praise and personal prayer time. “We had a great turnout and very positive feedback from those that attended the Holy Hour in September,” Fr. Matt says. “Since this was such a success, we are planning on having another Holy Hour along with a day of reflection in Advent. This Holy Hour will take place on Saturday, December 5th at 10:00 am in the Cultural Center. We would like to have an opportunity for our parishioners to enter into the spirit of Advent by hosting this day of reflection. We will have a Holy Hour, a couple of reflective talks and hopefully music. The hope is that this day will engage our numerous groups and ministries in the parish.”
The parish also plans to host a daily reflection series with Zoom sessions available Monday-Friday for parishioners of all ages. These will begin at 7:30 a.m. and will last approximately 20 minutes. “We are hoping to provide our parish with the opportunity to start their day off with an Advent reflection before work, errands or other events they might have during the day,” Fr. Matt says. “The goal will be to leave each person that engages this daily reflection with a thought or word that they can pray about or reflect on throughout the day.” In these ways, Our Lady Star of the Sea hopes to journey together in joyful anticipation as the days draw closer to our Lord’s nativity.
Please refer to the parish bulletin for information about dates, times and registration, or contact the parish office at 904-285-2698. 7
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Ponte Vedra Bch., FL
Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church 545 A1A North│Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 (904) 285-2698│www.olsspvb.org
Christmas Giving Tree I’m amazed about how generous they are. They giftwrap them beautifully. This is a way of actually doing the buying themselves. They know they are giving a physical gift to someone.” By choosing a gift, wrapping it, and placing it under the Giving Tree, our parishioners can share Christ’s love with those in need in the Beaches area. “Jesus said that our mission is to provide to the disadvantaged, and St. Vincent de Paul does a wonderful job with that,” Bill says.
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During the two weekends that gifts are returned to the Giving Tree, Bill attends all the Masses so he can keep the area under the tree clear by moving the gifts to the storage units. That experience proves to be a special one for Bill in that he sees our parishioners living as disciples of Christ. “I see the faces of our people and how joyful they are, when they take the tags and when they bring the gifts back,” he says. “It’s a wonderful thing. Some families take multiple tags. They are so good about it.”
Volunteers are needed for help handling the gifts as they arrive and when they are picked up by St. Vincent de Paul staff. To volunteer, please call Ellen Wawrzyniak in the parish office at 904-285-2698.
For Current Mass schedule, please visit our website at www.olsspvb.org.