4th Sunday of Advent 12/18/22

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 familya 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 Associate: .................................... Rev. Anthony Ciorra, IVD Weekend Associate:...............................................Rev. Edward Beck, CP

Pastoral Associate: Ms. Maryann Tyrer ........ mtyrer@stelmo79.org

Music Director: Mr. John Zupan .................... jzupan@stelmo79.org

Wedding Coordinator: Ms. Debbi Burdett.....dbweddingsnyc@gmail.com

Parish Manager: Jennifer DeSpirito.............................jdespirito@stelmo79.org

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 & Wednesday................................. . 9am - 4pm Tuesday - Thursday ....................................... 9am - 7pm Friday ....................................................... Closed Saturday ................................................. 10am - 2pm Sunday ..................................................... Closed Closed for Lunch Weekdays..................1pm - 2pm Visit us at: www.STELMO79.org

Follow us on social media by searching STELMO79

Mass Schedule

Daily Mass: Mon-Sat, 12 noon

Saturday Vigil: 5:30pm Sunday: 8am, 10am, 12pm & 5pm

Confessions: Saturdays at 5pm or by appointment

Mass Intentions

Saturday, December 17th Vigil 5:30pm Dennis H. DeMarco

Sunday, December 18th Fourth Sunday of Advent 8:00am Jerry O’Donoghue 10:00am Mary McAuvic (Living) 12:00pm All Parishioners 5pm Martin Burgess

Monday, December 19th Late Advent Weekday 12pm Alnbany Valderrama

Tuesday, December 20th Late Advent Weekday 12pm Souls in Purgatory

Wednesday, December 21st Late Advent Weekday 12pm Maria Mota

Thursday, December 22nd Late Advent Weekday 12pm Carol Stone

Friday, December 23rd Late Advent Weekday

9am Magdalena Raimund Perz Family & Mary, Matthew Tscherne & Family

Saturday, December 24th Late Advent Weekday 12pm Helen, John Flack & Family 5:30pm Walter & Mary Ferber 12mn Anita Spota

For Mass Intentions, please visit the Parish Center

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Every Friday after the Noon Mass until 3pm in the church and live on-line

Devotions

Miraculous Medal on Mondays after Mass in the church and live on-line

Divine Mercy

Prayed every Friday at 3pm in the church and live on-line

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

Every Friday at 5:10pm in the Chapel and live on-line

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Saturdays at 5pm or by appointment

Anointing of the sick

Every third Saturday of the Month after the noon Mass.

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 would 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 Sr. Suzanne LaChapelle, Susan Baldwin, Rev. Peter Bonventre, Rev. Thomas Fenlon, Andrew Lawler, Holly Leber, Angelica & Lilian Zarate, Alejandra Castillo, Msgr. Leslie Ivers, Joe Grande, Steve Janec, Cindy Garnica Castro, Kathleen Roche, Madeline Tipton, Jennie Marmo, and all those ill with or recovering from the COVID-19 virus and all Victims of Military Activities

PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED Madeleine McAvree, ed Moran,Arthur Gillians, Eileen Janec & Kathleen Bohan

Today’s Readings

First Reading — You will be given this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:10-14).

Psalm — The king of glory shall come in (Psalm 24).

Second Reading — God has called us to belong to Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1-7).

Gospel — The son born of Mary shall be called Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. He shall be Emmanuel, “God is with us” (Matthew 1:18-24).

Readings for the Week

Monday: Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a; Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17; Lk 1:5-25

Tuesday: Is 7:10-14; Ps 24:1-4ab, 5-6; Lk 1:26-38

Wednesday: Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a; Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Lk 1:39-45

Thursday: 1 Sm 1:24-28; 1 Sm 2:1, 4-8abcd; Lk 1:46-56

Friday: Mal 3:1-4, 23-34; Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-10, 14; Lk 1:57-66

Saturday: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:25, 27, 29;Lk 1:67-79

Sunday: Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:125 [18-25]

Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14

Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20

Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:16; Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14]

St. Stephen of Hungary School

Pre-K through 8th Grade Catholic Parochial School 408 East 82nd St., New York, NY 10028

(212) 288-1989 Fax: (212) 517 – 5788

Principal: Ms. Allyson Genova-Hall www.saintstephenschool.org

Interested in admissions to our parish school? admissions@saintstephenschool.org

Did You Know?

- St. Stephen of Hungary School, the parish school of St. Monica, St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Stephen of Hungary Church, is a warm, welcoming community on East 82nd Street between First & York Avenues.

- Our campus features unique learning spaces. Our dedicated, experienced faculty work collaboratively to offer our students top-notch educational opportunities. We are now accepting applications for PreK 3 – Gr. 8. -

Consider St. Stephen of Hungary School for your family! www.saintstephenschool.org admissions@saintstephenschool.org

An Incarnate Christmas

Atrip to Bethlehem inspired me to purchase a Nativity set hand carved from the wood of olive trees grown in the Holy Land. That set brings a piece of the traditional birthplace of Jesus into my home.

Since 1223, when St. Francis of Assisi assembled a Nativity scene with a live ox and donkey in a cave in central Italy, Christians have depicted Christ’s birth in the manger in settings in churches, towns, and homes. Whether simple or elaborate, the scenes bring comfort and joy, for they tell of the birth of a child and the fulfillment of God’s promise.

The Order for the Blessing of a Christmas Manger or Nativity Scene in the Book of Blessings articulates the story of the Incarnation. It is a story of how God loved his people so much he sent his Son to be with them:

God of every nation and people, from the very beginning of creation you have made manifest your love: when our need for a Savior was great you sent your Son to be born of the Virgin Mary. To our lives he brings joy and peace, justice, mercy, and love.

Lord, bless all who look upon this manger; may it remind us of the humble birth of Jesus, and raise up our thoughts to him, who is God-with-us and Savior of all, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

This blessing reveals how Jesus came for all, and that through our Savior, all are connected. It reveals, too, that the coming of Christ was part of God’s plan from the beginning of creation. Listening to these words, the faithful may understand that if the Messiah came through a humble person such as Mary, God can break through ordinary lives and can come in ways surprising and wondrous. When people surrender, like

Mary, to God’s will, they can bear Christ, becoming a vessel of joy and peace, justice, mercy, and love.

Christian lives can bear Christ even during a chaotic time where peace seems to be distant. Jesus was born into turbulence. He was conceived in an unmarried woman, at birth was placed in a feeding trough for animals, and soon was hunted by a jealous king. Despite these circumstances, God chose to be born anyway. Knowing this can strengthen people to bear witness to God’s presence even when uncertainty marks their lives.

May we who adorn our homes and churches with Nativity sets remember that Christmas is not only about the celebration of the birth of the baby Jesus two thousand years ago, but that God became flesh and lives with us now, today, forever.

Connecting the Liturgy with Our Lives © 2019 Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications. 800-933-1800; www.LTP.org. Text by Kathy Kuczka. Art by Michele Wood. Excerpts from the English translation of Book of Blessings © 1987, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. Permission to publish granted by the Archdiocese of Chicago on October 25, 2018.

Christmas celebrates that God became flesh and lives with us.

Five Minute Jesus

Using the Gospel for Prayer – Christmas (Mass at Midnight)

December 25, 2022

It is simple. Read the Gospel for the following Sunday slowly, reflecting on the story it tells. Consider the questions asked each day. What conversion of heart, mind, and life might the Lord be asking of you? Make a resolution about how what you read and reflect upon might be lived that day. Thank God for speaking to you through this reflection.

Gospel Lk 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Monday, December 19

What word or words in this passage caught my attention? Comforted me? Challenged me? What conversion of heart, mind, and life is the Lord asking of me?

Tuesday, December 20

Luke reminds us right at the start about history. For Luke, Jesus from the moment of his birth matters – He will change not just hearts but the world. Has Jesus changed our world? How? How does belief in Jesus change my relationships, my life? And if it doesn’t what not?

Wednesday, December 21

Luke makes sure we know the name of the city Jesus is born in is called Bethlehem. The name itself means “House of Bread” – a pregnant symbol for a community which believes that Jesus becomes our bread in communion and gives himself like bread for the life of the world. Do I visit our “house of bread”. i.e. the church? How often to I receive Jesus who is our bread? How often do I imitate him and give of myself in service of others?

Thursday, December 22

Jesus is laid in the manger. The manger (literally, the “feeding tough”) continues the motif of eating in this story. Jesus, who is our bread, born in the House of Bread, is laid not on a sumptuous table, but in the place where animals eat. Clearly Luke wants to situate Jesus amongst the lowly. And he challenges us to see ourselves there as well and to see others there as our brothers and sisters. In our consumerist “Holiday Season” have I done anything for the poor among whom the Christ child was born? If so, what was it? If not, why not?

Friday, December 23

When there was news most people found out about it because a messenger from the emperor came to town and proclaimed it. The message of Christ’s birth plays off that experience: however, in this case the emperor is God himself, and the message is not one of war and conquest but of peace. Peace is elusive, both in Jesus’ world and in ours. As we rocket towards tomorrow night, have I found moments to experience some peace? If so, where can I find them?

Saturday, December 24

IT is Christmas Eve! That day which is filled with so many unfulfilled expectations fostered by our secular celebrations. The promise of Christmas though is that even during war, poverty, injustice and violence, the birth of Christ points to a reality which is stronger than these problems. How do I celebrate that this night? How do I make this a truly “Holy Night”?

From the Pastor 12.18.22

Reconciliation Monday

Once back in my first parish, St. Francis de Chantal I asked the sixth-grade class a question: “How many sacraments are there?” a girl’s hand shot up in the back of the class. She replied: “Seven for men – six for women!”

if I were to ask that question today, I might respond to that student: “a better answer would be: six for men and five for women.” Because, despite the more obvious challenge her question implied, which should be dealt with - but not here! – the one sacrament which almost no one receives any more is the sacrament of reconciliation, otherwise known as confession.

It is not difficult to understand why. Our Church used and abused this a particular sacrament over the centuries making a torture, a punishment, the gateway to holy communion and the price of admission to heaven. Even if they were not the norm, stories about mean spirited priests and their harsh words in the confessional are so common that they have colored perceptions of the meaning and purpose of this sacrament for most.

Moreover, even if we have not grown up with these stories, and increasingly the young have not, confession is still avoided. As one perceptive kid said to me during his first co nfession, “Saying sins out loud is hard!” Exactly. And all the sacramental meaning of forgiveness and reconciliation notwithstanding, confession challenges us to be honest – not just with ourselves, but with someone else: the priest, the Church but really with God.

I believe it was Cardinal Egan who, in collaboration with the bishops of Brooklyn and Rockville Center created the idea of Reconciliation Monday. His goal was to make “saying it out loud” in the sacrament of confession easy. On the Monday before Christmas, and the Monday of Holy Week, priests are available in the churches of the Archdiocese so people can just walk in and go to confession.

I will be in the confessional on Monday, December 19th from 2-4pm and 6-8pm. Please note that that will be the last chance for you to go to confession here until after Christmas. There will be no confessions on Christmas Eve.

It took a while for it to catch on, but Reconciliation Monday has become that time of the year for many Catholics to come to the sacrament of Confession. I hope it will be of use for you as well.

Christmas

Next week it will be Christmas! On behalf of everyone in the parish I would like to wish you the merriest of holidays –may it also be a holy day for you and those you love. I will be leaving for a week, from the 26-31st, so that I can visit my brother, and celebrate with him his 75th birthday! I am still working out coverage for the week’s daily masses, but I am deeply appreciative for Father Antonio Almonte who is the chaplain at NY Presbyterian, and Bishop Whelan, who have been so gracious to take many of them.

Father Baker

A big thank you to all of our community members and STELMO79 parishioners who made the 14th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner a huge success. This was the first in-person dinner in two years, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the generous support. We would like to thank the local businesses who so graciously donate to this event:

Agata & Valentina

Big John’s Moving Browning School (Thank you for the beautiful cards!The attendees loved them!)

Costco D’Agostino’s East 82nd Street Farmers Martket

Eva’s Garden Shop F&F Supplies

Five Mile Stone

Gracie Mew’s Diner Morton Williams

Orwasher’s Bakery Ottomomanelli’s Butcher Shop

St. Stephen of Hungary School (Thank you for thebeautiful cards! The attendees loved them!)

St. Vincent Ferrer High School

We would also like to thank the numerous volunteers who gave so generously of their time, and to all of the parishioners and community members who donations helped to defer the cost of the dinner. All of this is possible because of our wonderful community. Thank you!