The Roman Catholic Parish of
Saint Monica Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Saint Stephen of Hungary ————————————————————————————————————— Church : 413 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075 Parish Center: 406 East 80th St. New York, NY 10075 Tel.:(212) 288-6250 Fax: (212) 570 - 1562 www.STELMO79.org www.facebook.com/stelmo79
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Fourth Sunday of Advent –December 22nd, 2019
Office Hours
Parish Staff
Our Offices are open: Mo. 9am – 5pm Tu.-Th. 9am – 7pm Fri. Closed Sat. 10am -2pm Sun. Closed Our offices close for lunch: 1pm – 2pm daily
Pastor:
Rev. Donald C. Baker
frdcab@stelmo79.org
Associate:
Rev. Msgr. Leslie J. Ivers
msgrlivers@stelmo79.org
Weekend Associates:
Parish Manager: Music Director:
Rev. Jim O’Shea Rev. Tony Ciorra Ms. Maryann Tyrer Ms. Jasmine Gomez Mr. Michael Ward Mr. John Zupan
mtyrer@stelmo79.org jgomez@stelmo79.org mward@stelmo79.org jzupan@stelmo79.org
Wedding Coordinator:
Ms. Debbi Burdett
DBweddingsnyc@gmail.com
Pastoral Associates:
Mass Schedule Saturday Vigil: 5:30pm Sunday: 8:00am,10:00am,12:00pm,5:00pm Monday – Saturday: 12:00pm Confessions: Saturday: 5:00 – 5:30pm and by appointment Our church is open: 7:15am – 3:30pm daily for private prayer Vespers (evening prayer): 5:10pm Fridays in Parish Center Chapel St.
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. Kelly Burke
www.saintstephenschool.org Interested in admissions to our parish school?
admissions@saintstephenschool.org
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MISSION STATEMENT The Roman Catholic Parish of St. Monica, St. Elizabeth of Hungary and 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 and 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.
SATURDAY 5:30PM
December 21st Vigil Brian Thompson
SUNDAY
December 22nd Fourth Sunday of Advent
8:00AM
Magdalena, Raimund Perz & Family
10:00AM
Mary, Matthew Tscherne & Family All Parishioners Walter & Mary Ferber
12NOON 5PM MONDAY
December 23rd Late Advent Weekday
12NOON
Helen, John Flack & Family
TUESDAY
December 24th Late Advent Weekday
12NOON 5:30PM
Ananias Angeles Maria Mota
TODAY’S READINGS First Reading — You will be given this sign: The virgin shall conceive and bear a son (Isaiah 7:1014). Psalm — Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory (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 (Matthew 1:18-24).
The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.
READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday:
Mal 3:1-4, 23-34; Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-10, 14;Lk 1:57-66 Tuesday: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89: 2-5, 27, 29;Lk 1:67-79 Wednesday: Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 [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, 1112;Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20 Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:1-6;Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14] Thursday: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 8ab,16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22 Friday: 1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Jn 20:1a, 2-8 Saturday: 1 Jn 1:5 — 2:2; Ps 124:2-5, 7cd-8; Mt 2:13-18 Sunday: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Ps 128:1-5; Col 3:12-21 [12-17]; Mt 2:13-15, 19-23
WEDNESDAY December 25th The Nativity of the Lord Midnight Vanes & Anna Bellevue 8:00AM William & Mary Mitchell 10:00AM Jozsef Tomahatsch 12NOON Patricia McGlinchey THURSDAY
December 26th St. Stephen
9AM
Ana Corra
FRIDAY 9AM
December 27th St. John Lynn LeMay
SATURDAY
December 28th The Holy Innocents
12NOON
Dr. Maria Litrenta (Living)
If you wish to add the name of a loved one to the prayer list, please notify the parish center: (212) 288-6250
K-8 Religious Education • No K-8 Religious Education or Adult Faith Formation on Sunday, December 22 and 29, due to the Christmas Holidays. • All sessions resume on January 5 at 10:15am, and will include an Epiphany Celebration and a visit from the Three Kings! Adult Faith Formation • Our Sunday Morning Scripture Discussion Group is in session, and runs 10:15-11:45am in the Parish Center each Sunday that Religious Education is in session. This group is open to any and all adults – you can become a “regular,” or just drop in occasionally as your schedule allows. Sessions resume at 10:15am on January 5. Make a New Year’s resolution to deepen your faith! Adult Sacraments • Adults thinking about becoming Catholic, or Catholic adults who have missed First Communion or Confirmation – it’s never too late! Contact Maryann Tyrer, Pastoral Associate, to discuss our adult initiation process. You can begin the process any time throughout the year. Sessions are held on Sunday in the Parish Center following the noon Mass. All inquirers are welcome! Christmas Season • The Christmas Season begins at sundown on December 24, and continues until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (which this year falls on January 12.) • The vestment color is white throughout this season, and the church will remain decorated for the season. We will continue to sing Christmas hymns, as well! • So even though stores switch over the Valentine’s Day on December 26, we as a church continue to rejoice in the birth of our Savior! So keep those decorations up at home, and keep playing Christmas Music all season long!
The 12 Days of Christmas are now most famous as a song about someone receiving lots of presents from their 'true love'. However, to get to the song there had to be the days to start with! The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and last until the evening of the 5th January - also known as Twelfth Night. The 12 Days have been celebrated in Europe since before the Middle Ages and were a time of celebration. The 12 Days each traditionally celebrate a feast day for a saint and/or have different celebrations: • Day 1 (25th December): Christmas Day - celebrating the Birth of Jesus • Day 2 (26th December also known as Boxing Day): St Stephen’s Day. He was the first Christian martyr (someone who dies for their faith). It's also the day when the Christmas Carol 'Good King Wenceslas' takes place. • •
Day 3 (27th December): St John the Apostle (One of Jesus's Disciples and friends) Day 4 (28th December): The Feast of the Holy Innocents - when people remember the baby boys which King Herod killed when he was trying to find and kill the Baby Jesus.
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Day 5 (29th December): St Thomas Becket. He was Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century and was murdered on 29th December 1170 for challenging the King’s authority over the Church. • Day 6 (30th December): St Egwin of Worcester. • Day 7 (31st December): New Year's Eve (known as Hogmanay in Scotland). Pope Sylvester I is traditionally celebrated on this day. He was one of the earliest popes (in the 4th Century). In many central and eastern European countries (including Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, Germany, • Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Slovenia) New Year's Eve is still sometimes called 'Silvester'. In the UK, New Year's Eve was a traditional day for ‘games’ and sporting competitions. Archery was a very popular sport and during the middle ages it was the law that it had to be practiced by all men between ages 17-60 on Sunday after Church! This was so the King had lots of very good archers ready in case he need to go to war! • Day 8 (1st January): 1st January - Mary, the Mother of Jesus •
Day 9 (2nd January): St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, two important 4th century Christians. • Day 10 (3rd January): Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. This remembers when Jesus was officially 'named' in the Jewish Temple. It's celebrated by different churches on a wide number of different dates! • Day 11 (4th January): St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the past it also celebrated the feast of Saint Simon Stylites (who lives on a small platform on the top of a pillar for 37 years!). • Day 12 (5th January also known as Epiphany Eve): St. John Neumann who was the first Bishop in American. He lived in the 19th century. Of course, the Sundays of the Christmas Season supersede any saint’s feast day. This year we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family on Sunday, December 29; the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord on Sunday, January 5; and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Sunday, January 12. (source: https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/12daysofchristmas.shtml)
Speaking of Celebrations, join us for our 4th Annual New Year’s Eve Wine and Cheese with Champagne toast (and sparkling cider) – open to all – in the church, following the 5:30pm Vigil Mass on December 31!
SPECIAL DEVOTIONS
TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION
After all weekday masses
SAINT STEPHEN (first century) December 26 “A man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5): thus Luke introduces Stephen, first of seven deacons chosen by the community for its ministry of charity, first to lay down his life in witness to Christ. As the church’s first martyr, Stephen’s life and death mirror the preaching and passion of Jesus, “the faithful witness” (Greek, martyr) (Revelation 1:5). Like Jesus, Stephen works “great signs and wonders among the people” (Acts 6:8). Like Jesus, when falsely accused, Stephen’s face radiates angelic serenity (Acts 6:15), though his tongue, like Jesus’, is a two-edged sword. As the dying Jesus forgave his executioners, even making excuses for them, then commended his spirit into his Father’s hands (Luke 23:34, 46), so Stephen intercedes for his murderers and begs Jesus to receive his spirit (Acts 7:60, 59). How fruitful both passions! The penitent thief inherits Paradise; Saul, who consented to Stephen’s killing, is transformed into the fearless preacher Paul. Thus Stephen challenges us to bear witness not in words only, but by Christ-like forgiveness toward all. —Peter Scagnelli, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Every Friday after the Noon Mass to 3 PM, with Benediction following the Divine Mercy Chaplet Devotions Miraculous Medal on Mondays after each Mass Divine Mercy The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed each Friday afternoon at 3 PM Sacrament of Reconciliation: 5:00 PM on Saturdays Anytime 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 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
SAINTS & SPECIAL OBSERVANCES
Please remember in your prayers Antoinette Paone, Luis Garcia, Aura Jimenez, Eileen Hedrickson, Jose Lebron, Luis Garcia, Judith Baron, Ananias Angeles, Richard Baldwin, Glenn Allen, Jean Stephens & Albert Walsh
ALL VICTIMS OF MILITARY ACTIVITY
Sunday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday:
Fourth Sunday of Advent Vigil of Christmas The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) St. Stephen St. John The Holy Innocents
Bread & Wine PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED
This Week’s Bread & Wine
Please pray for our deceased parishioners and family members
Intentions Maria Litrenta
Patricia McGlinchey, Charles Senner, Mona Senner, William Gemel, Vincent James Dana, Priscilla Morse, Kevin O’Sullivan
& the victims of the shootings this week at Pearl Harbor & Pensacola Fl.
Offered by Maria Litrenta
Sanctuary Lamp This Weeks’ Sanctuary Lamp Intentions for Maria Litrenta Offered by Maria Litrenta
Decorating the Church for Christmas
Like to decorate? Then come join us on December 23rd as we spruce up the church for Christmas. We are starting around 2PM.
New Year’s Eve Wine & Cheese
Toast the end of 2019 and the hope of 2020! All are invited to a wine and cheese reception in the church following the 5:30pm Vigil Mass on New Year's Eve. We'll have champagne and sparkling cider, in addition to wine and cheese.
ALL ARE WELCOME!!
BANS OF MARRIAGE III-Vladimir Normil Cadert & Jasmine Abla Attikese
Please join us!
CHRISTMAS A young mother, her eyes shining with fatigue, who is arranging her hair; a father who finds himself alone with his pretty wife and baby, straightening the stable to make himself useful in some way; shepherds who bring cheese and perhaps also some curdled milk; sheep who look at their shepherds while bleating; a donkey who is eyeing his manger changed into a cradle; an adorable swaddled baby whom one calls Savior, Christ and Lord: This is the manifestation of the goodness and the tenderness of God. This is the most fantastic birth in the history of humanity, the one which changed the face of the world! This is how far God humbled and compromised himself with us! This is Emmanuel! —From God’s Word Is Our Joy, Vol. 1 by Lucien Deiss, CSSp, copyright © 1998, World Library Publications. p. 73
From your Pastor December 22nd, 2019
The Coming Feast The coming week ranks with Holy Week as one of the most important times in the year. The frantic round of holiday parties and gift purchasing slows these last few days and the point of it all (at least for people of faith) comes into focus; the birth of Jesus, who for Christians is the Word of God, spoken into this world, made flesh to live with us, suffer with us, die for us. This week at St Monica – St. Elizabeth – St. Stephen gives expression to that faith in the one who came at Christmas. There will be beautiful music (certainly), familiar hymns (naturally), thoughtful preaching (hopefully), and the opportunity to reflect on what makes the “holiday” a Holy Day. After Christmas, I will be leaving for a visit with my brother. Many of you know that I fly to North Carolina every year to be with my brother on his birthday, December 27 th. Msgr. Ivers’ departure for treatment threatened that trip this year, but thanks to Fr. Antonio Almonte, the chaplain at Lennox Hill Hospital who is now living with us, I am able to fly down on the 26 th. I have to return on the 29th however for a wedding, so the trip will be short. After Christmas, the parish offices will be closed on the 26th and the 27th of December, and reopen on Saturday, December 28th. Mass on Thursday and Friday will be at 9am. There will be no Adoration or Benediction on Friday; nor will there be Evening Prayer at 5:10pm in the parish center chapel. After the weekend, on Tuesday, December 31st we will have a Vigil Mass for the Feast of Mary the Mother of God at 5:30pm. Following that mass, we will continue the custom we started a few years ago and offer a glass of champagne and some hors d’oeuvres to people in the back of the church. On the following day, January 1st, there will be one mass at 12 noon. And of course, the parish center is closed. But we are open for business the next day, January 2nd. And with that we begin the new decade. On behalf of all those who work at St. Monica – St. Elizabeth of Hungary – St. Stephen of Hungary Parish and School, I want to wish everyone the happiest of Christmases. Amidst the craziness and the crassness this time can sometimes bring, I wish for all of you moments where you can marvel at the meaning of the coming days: the Christ is born as one of us, to lead us back to God. Father Baker