December 27, 2020

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph

Dec. 27 2020

JUST A WORD From our Pastor (Page 9)

FAITH FORMATION

(Page 6)

FIVE MINUTE JESUS (Page 8)

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Mission Statement

The Roman Catholic Parish of St. Monica-St. Elizabeth of Hungary-St. Stephen of Hungary opens its doors to welcome and embrace all in our community. We strive through worship, hospitality and service to receive those seeking a spiritual home. In the midst of diversity of thought, life style, nationality, economic status & age, we endeavor to live as a community of faith and invite you to join our family - a family seeking to know and love Jesus Christ.

Parish Staff Pastor: Rev. Donald C. Baker .......................... frdcab@stelmo79.org Rev. Msgr. Leslie J. Ivers ........................... msgrlivers@stelmo79.org Weekend Associates: ...............................................Rev. Tony Ciorra Pastoral Associate: Ms. Maryann Tyrer ........ mtyrer@stelmo79.org Pastoral Associate: Ms. Jasmine Gomez ..... jgomez@stelmo79.org Parish Manager: Mr. Michael Ward ............. mward@stelmo79.org Music Director: Mr. John Zupan .................... jzupan@stelmo79.org Wedding Coordinator: Ms. Debbi Burdett . dbweddingsnyc@gmail.com Plant Manager: Guillermo Vanegas ......... gvanegas@stelmo79.org Sacristan: Pedro Pizarro ................................ ppizarro@stelmo79.org Administrative Assistant: Gladys Tejada ..... gtejada@stelmo79.org Church Address: 413 East 79th Street, NY, NY 10075 Parish Center Address: 406 East 80th Street, NY, NY 10075 Tel: 212-288-6250 Fax: 212- 570-1562 Email: info@stelmo79.org Our Offices are open: Monday ............................................................. 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Tuesday - Thursday ....................................... 9:00 am - 7:00 pm Friday ....................................................... Closed Saturday ................................................. 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Sunday ..................................................... Closed Closed for Lunch Weekdays......................1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Visit us at: www.stelmo79.org Follow us on social media by searching STELMO79

Mass Intentions

Saturday, December 26th Vigil

5:30 pm

Sunday, December 27th The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph 8:00 am

Medardo Carpio

10:00 am Anna Corra 12:00 pm

All Parishioners

5:00 pm

Lynn Lemay

Monday, December 28th The Holy Innocent 9 am

Maria Litrenta

Tuesday, December 29th Fifth Day within

the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

12:00 pm

Daily Mass: Mon-Sat, 12 noon Saturday Vigil: 5:30pm Sunday: 8am, 10am, 12pm & 5pm Confessions: Saturdays at 5pm or by appointment

Geraldine Torrance

Wednesday, December 30th Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

12 pm

Kathleen M. Reddington

Thursday, December 31st Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord 12:00 pm

Maura Kiley

5:30 pm

Henry Lamour

Friday, January 1st The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord, Solemnity of Mary,

Mother of God 12:00 pm

Mass Schedule

Magdalena, Raimund Perz

Fred L. Wilkens

Saturday, January 2nd Ss. Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen 12pm

Teresa McNamara

For Mass Intentions, please visit the Parish Center.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Baptism Announcements

Every Friday after the Noon Mass to 3:00 pm.

Next Sunday, January 3rd there will be a baptism service at 1:30PM At this service we will be baptizing: Luke Tjerk De Ruiter

Devotions Miraculous Medal on Mondays after each Mass

Divine Mercy The Divine Mercy Chaplet is Prayed each Friday Afternoon at 3:00 pm.

Sacrament of Reconciliation: Saturdays at 5pm or by appointment

Baptisms & Marriages: Please call the rectory office for more information.

Communion for the Homebound: If you know of anyone who cannot attend church because of illness or age, and world like to have communion brought to them, please contact the Parish office, so that we can arrange for a Eucharistic Minister to bring communion to them.

PRAYERS FOR THE SICK Those ill with the COVID 19 virus & Joan Mckegney All Victims of Military Activities PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED

George Parashakis, Rev. Gerard Travers, Rev. James Flanagan, Vto Palumbo, Amalia Malchiodi & Victoria Tiongson

Please join us in congratulating: Hendrick J. De Ruiter & Alexandra N. Kass on their child’s new life in Christ Baptism Services are open for members of the parish to join in the welcoming of our newest members

Today’s Readings First Reading — Those who honor their parents will be greatly blessed and will atone for sins (Sirach 3:2-6,12-14) or Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3.

Psalm — Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways (Psalm 128) or Psalm 105.

Second Reading — Be thankful; do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:12-21 [12-17]) or Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19.

Gospel — The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom (Luke 2:22-40 [22, 39-40]).

The English translation of the Psalm Responses from the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

Readings for the week Monday: 1 Jn 1:5 — 2:2; Ps 124:2-5, 7b-8: Mt:13-18 Tuesday: 1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96:1-3, 5b-6; Lk 2:22-35 Wednesday: 1 Jn 2:12-17; Ps 96:7-10; Lk 2:36-40 Thursday: 1 Jn 2:18-21; Ps 96:1-2, 11-13; Jn 1:1-18 Friday: Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21 Saturday: 1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 1:19-28 Sunday: Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13;

Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

Bread & Wine

Sanctuary Lamp

This Week Sanctuary Lamp In Memory of Jozsef Tomahtsch Offered by Bridgette T

This Week’s Bread & Wine Intentions for Maria Litrenta Offered by Maria Litrenta

Parish Life Our Green Team has many new and exciting initiatives all centered around caring for our common home, Earth!

Join them for their first virtual meeting on the year, on Thursday, January 7th. If you are interested in joining them, please email greenteam@stelmo79.org so that you may be sent the Zoom link.

The Young Adult Ministry is a curated space for those ages 18 to 39.

In effort to combat the inattentiveness and anxiety that often accompanies the overuse of tech, in 2021, we will be hosting virtual events which will center on mindfulness and contemplative practices. These gatherings will seek to relieve stress, increase focus and help provide a sense of calm. In addition, we will continue to build our community and strengthening our faith. If you are interested in connecting with this group, or attending our events, please visit https://www.stelmo79.org/ya-ministry

We are hosting a 2nd Sunday Social on Sunday, January 10th at 1:00 PM! This is an opportunity to learn more about our parish and hear about opportunities to get involved. If you are interested in attending, please visit STELMO79.org to register by Thursday, January 9th.

The Church's social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents. -USCCB Seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching: 1. Life dignity and the human person 2. Call to family, community, and participation 3. Right and responsibilities 4. Option for the poor and vulnerable 5. The dignity of work and the rights of workers 6. Solidarity 7. Care for God's creation Through several initiatives, our Parish has incorporated elements of Catholic Social Teaching but in 2021, we are seeking to expand that.

If you are interested in forming a social justice ministry team that will work to help our Parish live out Catholic Social Teaching in a deeper way, please email Pastoral Associate, Jasmine Gomez at jgomez@stelmo79.org Please note: Our Green Team does a phenomenal job of carrying out theme 7 and so the Social Justice Ministry will primarily focus on the other 6 themes unless it is working on a project or initiative in collaboration with the Green Team.

K-8 Parish Religious Education:

• We continue to meet online each Sunday morning – but will be taking December 27 and January 3 off for the Christmas holiday. Sessions resume January 10, 2021.

Adult Faith Formation:

• Our Sunday morning Adult Faith Formation, an informal discussion of the Sunday Scriptures, led by a facilitator, is open to all. We meet on Sundays 10:15 to 11:30am, in the Parish Center. Social distancing and face masks are required. Please join us! We will not meet on December 27 or January 3, but will resume on January 10. Learning more about your faith as an adult is an awesome New Year’s resolution!

Adult Sacraments of Initiation (RCIA):

If you have ever thought about becoming Catholic, or if you are a baptized Catholic who has not yet celebrated First Communion or Confirmation, please contact Maryann Tyrer at mtyrer@stelmo79.org to discuss our adult initiation process (commonly known as the RCIA). You can begin this process at any time throughout the year, and options are available for face-to-face or Zoom meetings.

Bereavement Ministry Seasons of Hope is our parish grief support group. The

format is a 6-week series on Thursday evenings, led by trained facilitators, and including prayer, reflection, confidential discussion, and journaling, utilizing a program published by Ave Maria Press. We plan to meet live (socially distanced with facemasks), but we will utilize Zoom if necessary. The first series will be offered January 7, 14, 21, 28, and February 4 and 11. Please contact Maryann at mtyrer@stelmo79.org to register, or register online at www.stelmo79.org/bereavement.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – Mass on December 31 at 5:30pm, and on January 1 at 12 noon

The Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth On this first Sunday after Christmas, the Liturgy invites us to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Indeed, every nativity scene shows us Jesus together with Our Lady and St Joseph in the grotto of Bethlehem. God wanted to be born into a human family, he wanted to have a mother and father like us.

And today the Gospel presents the Holy Family to us on the sorrowful road of exile, seeking refuge in Egypt. Joseph, Mary and Jesus experienced the tragic fate of refugees, which is marked by fear, uncertainty and unease (cf. Mt 2:13-15; 19-23).

Unfortunately, in our own time, millions of families can identify with this sad reality. Almost every day the television and papers carry news of refugees fleeing from hunger, war and other grave dangers, in search of security and a dignified life for themselves and for their families.

In distant lands, even when they find work, refugees and immigrants do not always find a true welcome, respect and appreciation for the values they bring. Their legitimate expectations collide with complex and difficult situations which at times seem insurmountable. Therefore, as we fix our gaze on the Holy Family of Nazareth as they were forced to become refugees, let us think of the tragedy of those migrants and refugees who are victims of rejection and exploitation, who are victims of human trafficking and of slave labour. But let us also think of the other “exiles”: I would call them “hidden exiles”, those exiles who can be found within their own families: the elderly for example who are sometimes treated as a burdensome presence. I often think that a good indicator for knowing how a family is doing is seeing how their children and elderly are treated.

Jesus wanted to belong to a family who experienced these hardships, so that no one would feel excluded from the loving closeness of God. The flight into Egypt caused by Herod’s threat shows us that God is present where man is in danger, where man is suffering, where he is fleeing, where he experiences rejection and abandonment; but God is also present where man dreams, where he hopes to return in freedom to his homeland and plans and chooses life for his family and dignity for himself and his loved ones.

Today our gaze on the Holy Family lets us also be drawn into the simplicity of the life they led in Nazareth. It is an example that does our families great good, helping them increasingly to become communities of love and reconciliation, in which tenderness, mutual help, and mutual forgiveness is experienced. Let us remember the three key words for living in peace and joy in the family: “may I”, “thank you” and “sorry”. In our family, when we are not intrusive and ask “may I”, in our family when we are not selfish and learn to say “thank you”, and when in a family one realizes he has done something wrong and knows how to say “sorry”, in that family there is peace and joy. Let us remember these three words. Can we repeat them all together: may I, thank you, sorry. (Everyone: may I, thank you, sorry!) I would also like to encourage families to become aware of the importance they have in the Church and in society. The proclamation of the Gospel, in fact, first passes through the family to reach the various spheres of daily life.

Let us fervently call upon Mary Most Holy, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, and St Joseph her spouse. Let us ask them to enlighten, comfort and guide every family in the world, so that they may fulfil with dignity and peace the mission which God has entrusted to them.

(Pope Francis, Angelus Message, December 29, 2013)

Five Minute Jesus Using the Gospel for Prayer – Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord – January 3, 2021 It’s simple. 1. Read the Gospel for the following Sunday slowly, reflecting on the story it tells. 2. Reflect on the questions assigned for each day. 3. Make some resolution about how what you read can be lived that day. 4.

Then thank God for speaking to you through this reflection.

The Gospel according to Matthew 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel." Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

Monday

Was there something in this reading that spoke to me? Comforted me? Challenged me? What was it? Why did it have this effect on me?

Tuesday

In Luke’s gospel, local shepherds come to adore the newborn Jesus. In Matthew’s gospel, it is magi from the east who do him homage. In both stories, joy is the visitor’s reaction to seeing Jesus. What is my reaction when I encounter Jesus? If it is not joy, why do I think that is?

Wednesday

When King Herod inquired about the birth of the Christ, the priests and scribes quote the prophet Isaiah about a ruler “who is to shepherd my people Israel.” Herod’s kingship is one of jealousy and deception. Jesus’s kingship is one of service and sacrifice. How am I called to be a servant leader or a shepherd of others?

Thursday

The star leads the magi to Jesus. How can I be a “star” in my daily life, and lead others to Jesus?

Friday

The gifts of the magi are symbolic of who they recognize Jesus to be: gold for a king, frankincense for divinity, and myrrh, a burial ointment, for humanity. How do I recognize the kingship, the divinity, and the humanity of Jesus?

Saturday

The magi are warned not to go back to Herod, thus thwarting his attempt to locate Jesus to do him harm. Are there times when I am called not to cooperate with the evil intentions of others, to thwart their attempts to do others harm?

Christmas 2020 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (Jn 1:5) This verse is part of one of the Gospel readings for Christmas. We don’t often hear it. Most pastors choose to avoid this reading from the first chapter of John’s Gospel, preferring to read the familiar stories of the angels on high, the shepherds in the fields and the magi from the east in Matthew and Luke.

Those stories are the narrative of Christmas. And while to hear them is to hear something of the meaning of the feast, it is the first chapter of the Gospel of John that makes that meaning clear. John’s Gospel has no Christmas story.

Originally his story of the “Good News” of Jesus Christ probably began, as does the Gospel of Mark, with Jesus’ baptism as an adult. But early on, someone added the first chapter. It is a song, an early hymn. This hymn doesn’t tell us much about what happened at Christmas, but it shouts about the why.

In the beginning was the Word And the Word was with God, And the Word was God. (Jn 1:1) And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (Jn 1:14) What this ancient hymn is singing about goes beyond what the angels proclaimed, the shepherds saw, or the three kings came to adore. If the angels sang “Glory to God in the highest”, for John, that Glory is now on earth. If the shepherds came to behold a savior, or the Magi a king, according to John, Jesus was nothing less than God – in the flesh, as we say.

But why should it matter to us what God supposedly did two thousand years ago? That is the point of the song. And the Gospel. And the feast we celebrate this day.

What came to be through him was life, And this life was the light of the human race, The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. (Jn 1:4-5) 25 I have lived for 60 years. The assassination of JFK is one of my earliest memories. I grew up during the Cold War. I remember Vietnam, the Energy and the Iranian Hostage Crises of the 70s. I lived through the economic crises of the 70s and 80s, the dot com bubble of the 90s and the Great Recession. I was here for 9/11. I remember the way in which the nation convulsed over the disputed election of 2000 . . . and the election of 2016.

I have lived through many dark times. We all have. But I do not think we have ever lived through a year like 2020.

Protest and Pandemic, revolution and racism, fake news, alternative facts and real fear for our nation’s future have made this a dark time like no other in memory.

But in fact, there have ALWAYS been dark times. And even when things are going well, we can experience personal darkness, loss, disease, death. When those times come, and they always come, what do we yearn for, need and demand?

LIGHT. Something to help us see, to understand, to grasp the meaning of why things are the way they are and to lead us through the darkness.

This is what the hymn sings about. This is why it was added to John’s Gospel as an introduction; because it is what John proclaims. This is why God becomes flesh in Jesus and why we celebrate Christmas with the glow of candles and the brightness of music in the midst of a dark world.

For Christmas isn’t really about the baby in the manger. It is about the man. It is about what he taught, how he lived and why he died. In all of it God is speaking to us in the midst of our darkness. Jesus is Light. And to come to know him; to learn from him, to put what he taught into practice and to let his values become ours; in short, to believe in him, is to see, to understand, to grasp why things are the way they are and to know the way through the darkness.

Even though we have lost so much and so many this past year, we know the darkness does not last. It might currently be strong, but the light we celebrate today is stronger. Let that light shine in your life this Christmas and on into 2021. For I have it on good authority that the light of God’s word made flesh in Jesus, the real “reason for this season”, is stronger than death itself.

That is quite a Christmas gift. May we continue to share it with the world this coming year. Let the light of Peace shine on our conflicts. Let the light of forgiveness illumine our 26 prejudices. Let the light of righteousness outshine our self-righteousness. Let Christ who is our light guide us, so that more and more come to walk with us in the light of Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Father Baker

CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS 511510: Church of St. Monica/ St Elizabeth of Hungary / St Stephen of Hungary 406 East 80th Street, NYC., NY 10075 PHONE: 212 288-6250 CONTACT PERSON: Gladys Tejada/Office

SUNDAY DATE OF PUBLICATION: December 27th, 2020 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: PLEASE PRINT 450 BULLETINS FOR THIS WEEK’S ISSUE