December 19, 2021 - The Fourth Sunday of Advent

The parish of saint Mary A Catholic Community Proclaiming the Greatness of God in our Time One Phalanx Road, Colts Neck, NJ 07722 Phone: 732-780-2666 Fax: 732-780-0394 parishoffice@stmaryscoltsneck.org

Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton: Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C. M. Pastor: Reverend Fr. Jeffrey E. Lee Pastor Emeritus: Reverend Fr. William J. Bausch : Worship schedule inside.

Refer to website for more detailed information www.stmaryscoltsneck.org

The Fourth Sunday of Advent “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” - Luke 1:41-42

December 19, 2021 Please see page 5 for Abbreviated and Special Mass schedules for Christmas and through the new year.

www.stmaryscoltsneck.org

December 19, 2021

Mass Intentions for: Saturday, December 18th - Sunday, December 26th For * Requested by

Saturday, December 18 – 4 PM Church Dorothy Deckert * John and Susan Murphy Intentions of Leonidas Mavrookas * Suzanne Schlesinger Frank Baker * Rorie and Jack Coppola Sunday, December 19 – Church 10 AM Pro Populo Souls in Purgatory * Mary Soyka Betsy Boyle * Sharon Burlew and Family Monday, December 20 – 9 AM Chapel Rosa Amodio * Lorraine Lee William Gurkas * Rosalyn Gurkas Tuesday, December 21 – 9 AM Chapel William Hogan * Lorraine Lee Wednesday, December 22 – 9 AM Chapel Souls in Purgatory * Mary Soyka Thursday, December 23 – 9 AM Chapel Souls in Purgatory * Mary Soyka Gerard Carney * Brown Family Friday, December 24 3 PM, 5 PM, & 10 PM – Church All Masses offered for the People of the Parish Saturday, December 25 – Church THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM All Masses offered for the People of the Parish Sunday, December 26 9 AM - Church Florence and William O’Sullivan * Freda O’Doherty Sergio Dos Santos * Dos Santos Family 11 AM - Church Pro Populo Souls in Purgatory * Mary Soyka Anthony J. Garito * Arlene and Family

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Please pray for the following members of our parish family who are ill: Kathleen Amatel Janice Basilice Fr Bill Bausch Eileen Beckley Rita Bonamo John Boyle Anne Boyle Christen Chellis Blake Conley Kaitlin Donahue Nagle Sharon Evangellista Joann Feliciti Cynthia Fiedler James Fiedler Emily Gioacchini Edward Habrack Tom Hudak Elizabeth Lind Huseby

Anton Kopp Bridget Korn Bob Lind Lori Lettieri Donna Lodi Melissa Love Leonidas Mavrookas Ludwig Mendola Walter Moeller Kevin O’Shea Stanley Rembisz Owen Shoemaker Victoria Slater Gerard P. Thompson Seneida Tomasetti Lauren Vinci

To add a family member to the sick list for 8 weeks, please call or e-mail the Parish Office. Thank you! 732-780-2666 or parishbulletin@stmaryscoltsneck.org

GROTTO CANDLES The Grotto Candles are available for your prayer intentions.

Offering is $3.00 per candle.

Parish Office Hours Monday 9 am – 2 pm Tuesday 2 pm -7:30 pm Wednesday 9 am – 2 pm Thursday 9 am – 2 pm Sunday 9 am -12 noon No office hours on Friday or Saturday

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December 19, 2021

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Lifelong Catechesis Week of December 27th-January 2nd Almighty and eternal God, those who take refuge in you will be glad and forever will shout for joy.

Protect these soldiers as they discharge their duties.

Protect them with the shield of your strength and keep them safe from all evil and harm.

May the power of your love enable them to return home in safety, that with all who love them, they may ever praise you for your loving care.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

PRAY for Military & First Responders SN Colton Boag, USCG LCpl Devon Francis Chrzan, USMC Lt. Col. John Anthony Coppola, US Army Major Douglas Coppola, US Army Lt. Mary Herman, USN SN Christian Houlihan, USN LT. Jason Joseph Howe, USN SPC Michael John Mento, US Army SPC Nicholas Poskonka, US Army Captain Richard Savo, US Army 1st Lt. Adam Sjoholm, US Army Captain Ryan Tanguay, US Army TSgt Stephen Witherow, USAF LCpl Edward Zarzecki, USMC If there is a family member you wish to be placed on the list, please contact the Parish Bulletin at 732780-2666 or parishbulletin@stmaryscoltsneck.org.

The 2022 Mass Intention Book is open for date specific Mass Intentions.

Requests can be made via paper, by stopping at the parish office, or online HERE.

Baptism Preparation Sessions St Mary is offering Baptismal Preparation Sessions on:

JANUARY 11, 2022 JANUARY 23, 2022 Pre-registration is required. Contact Us

READINGS FOR THE WEEK 27 Monday: 1 John 1:1-4 / John 20: 1a, 2-8 28 Tuesday: 1 John 1:5-22 / Matthew 2:13-18 29 Wednesday: 1 John 2:3-11 / Luke 2:22-35 30 Thursday: 1 John 2:12-17 / Luke 2:36-40 31 Friday: 1 John 2:18-21 / John 1:1-18 1 Saturday: SOLEMNITY: MARY, MOTHER OF GOD Numbers 6:22-27 / Galatians 4:4-7 / Luke 2:16-21 2 Sunday: EPIPHANY OF THE LORD Isaiah 60:1-6 / Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 / Matthew 2:1-12

FOR DEEPER REFLECTION:

Consider donating the sanctuary lamp that burns in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church or in the Chapel in honor of a living or deceased loved one. Request Envelopes available at the office.

The suggested donation is $25.

Honor a loved one Weekly Intentions are available in the Chapel.

Available weeks listed below.

Chapel - 12/26, 1/2, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23 Church - 1/2, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23

Marie and Frank Ksenic * Dynof Family Special Intention

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December 19, 2021

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Andrew J. Macirowski Pastoral Coordinator for Worship & Music / Principal Organist Worship@stmaryscoltsneck.org Music@stmaryscoltsneck.org

The "O Antiphons" of Advent Better known as, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, these are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. The text can be traced all the way back to the 5th century, originally in Latin, and thus it is one of the oldest surviving texts of the early church. The familiar melody that we sing them to, VENI EMMANUEL, can be traced back to 15th century France. Although the music and text were not actually published together until 1851, in an English hymnal, they had been paired for some time prior to the first official printing.

Christmas Carols The oldest of Christmas Carols, can be traced back to early Christianity, when hymns that related specifically to Christmas were first recorded as being sung. One of these, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”, dates back to the 4th century, as is sometimes thought of as the world’s oldest Christmas Carol.

The Advent Hymn, “O Come O Come Emmanuel” has text that dates to the 5th century.

There is a noticeable gap in carols for many centuries, mostly due to the fact that music was mainly an aural tradition until notation systems developed in Greece around the 4th century, but still struggled to carry on through history. The development of Gregorian chant in the 9th century helped some of this music and more to endure through the ages. There was a resurgence of carols in the style of sacred motets during the Renaissance. During this same time, the singing of carols gained popularity in Russia, Poland, Hungary, and other Eastern European nations. In Eastern Europe, carols were common in some countries like Spain and Portugal around the same time, but became even more commonplace in the rest of Europe in the 18th century, and, after becoming popular in England, found their way to the colonies we now call home. Their popularity has remained ever since, and composers are writing new carols to this day.

Parking head-in on the grass: It is so wonderful that we are blessed with many parishioner families & visitors to our parish during the Christmas Season as well as big turnouts for many parish events. Please be reminded that all staff, ministry volunteers & choir members should park head-in on the grass around the parish campus. Visitors are invited to do the same for additional parking especially at: Christmas Eve - the 3 pm, 5 pm, & 10 pm Masses Christmas Day - the 9 am & 11 am Masses

Saint of the Week:

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December 19, 2021

Christmas Season Mass Schedules: Solemnity: The Nativity of the Lord (All Masses will be celebrated in the Church)

Christmas Eve - Friday, December 24th 3:00 pm Mass , 5:00 pm Mass, 10:00 pm Mass (9:30pm Choral Prelude)

Christmas Day - Saturday, December 25th Special Mass Schedule 9:00 am Mass, 11:00 am Mass No 4pm Mass December 25th

9:00AM Daily Mass will be held in the Church for the Octave of Christmas December 27th - December 30th Feast: Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Solemnity: Mary, Mother of God

26th

Friday, December 31st 4:00 pm Mass

Special Mass Schedule No 4pm Mass December 25th 9:00 am Mass , 11:00am Mass

Saturday, January 1st 10:00am Mass No 4pm Mass January 1st

Sunday, December

Solemnity: Epiphany of the Lord Sunday, January 2nd Special Mass Schedule No 4pm Mass January 1st 9:00 am Mass, 11:00am Mass

Feast: Baptism of the Lord Saturday, January 8th 4:00pm Mass Sunday, January 9th 8:00 am Mass , 10:00am Mass, 12:00 noon Mass

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December 19, 2021

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Worship Schedule: Christmas Eve - Friday, December 24th Altar Server

Friday, 3:00 PM (Church)

Daniel Austin Ashley Austin Mark Hines William Hines

Friday, 5:00 PM (Church)

Tesya Yaninas Larissa Yaninas Danek Yaninas SERVER NEEDED

Friday, 10:00 PM (Church)

Jonathan Stubbs Patrick Dickinson

Valeska Yaninas SERVER NEEDED

Cantor

Marybeth Jacobson

Bridget Farrow

Magnificat Choir

Reader 1

Anthony Bongiorno

Matt Yaninas

Jennifer Stubbs

Reader 2

Annette Raynor

EMHC Susan Murphy - Organ Host Gina Shute - Tabernacle Host Louise Habrack - Tabernacle Host Rosanne LaCava - Gathering Space 1 Mike LaCava– Gathering Space 2

Angela Kinlin

Monica Barr - Organ Host Louise Habrack - Tabernacle Host AVAILABLE - Tabernacle Host AVAILABLE - Gathering Space 1 AVAILABLE - Gathering Space 2 AVAILABLE - Alternate

Kathy Maher

Martha Cowles - Organ Host Linda Dickinson-Pancila Tabernacle Host Patricia Gesner - Tabernacle Host AVAILABLE - Alternate

Worship Schedule: Christmas Day - Saturday, December 25th Altar Server

Cantor

Reader 1

Reader 2

Saturday, 9:00 AM (Church)

Anthony Buzzetta SERVER NEEDED

Jill Russo

Barbara Schaflin

READER NEEDED

Saturday, 11:00 AM (Church)

Anthony Buzzeta SERVER NEEDED SERVER NEEDED SERVER NEEDED

Magnificat Choir

Richard Gerbino

Julia Cullen

EMHC

Jane Slattery - Organ Host AVAILABLE - Tabernacle Host AVAILABLE - Tabernacle Host AVAILABLE - Alternate

AVAILABLE - Organ Host Donna Sikorskas - Tabernacle Host AVAILABLE - Tabernacle Host AVAILABLE - Alternate

Worship Schedule: Feast: Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph - Sunday, December 26th Altar Server

Sunday, 9:00 AM (Church)

Sunday, 11:00 AM (Church)

Cantor

Reader 1

Reader 2

EMHC

Tessya Yaninas Larissa Yaninas

Jill Russo

Steve Rumsby

Barbara Schaflin

Carol Donahue - Organ Host Dawn Reinhardt - Tabernacle Host Gregory Calderaro Tabernacle Host Maureen Geiger- Alternate

Jonathan Stubbs

Magnificat Choir

Richard Gerbino

Jennifer Stubbs

Monica Barr - Organ Host Ron Gabbard - Tabernacle Host Patricia Gesner - Tabernacle Host Lee Gesner - Alternate

SERVER NEEDED

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December 19, 2021

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Faith Formation Rose Farrow

Julia Cullen

Coordinator of Faith Formation for Youth & Adult Catechesis YouthRE@stmaryscoltsneck.org 732-780-2666 X 310

Pastoral Coordinator of Religion Education Grade 1–8 ReligiousEd@stmaryscoltsneck.org 732-780-2666 X 309

Religious Education classes will be on break from December 23rd - January 8th.

Confirmation Prep classes resume Sunday, January 9th.

1st-6th Grade classes resume Tuesday, January 10th.

DECEMBER Religious Education Newsletter

We will begin Liturgy of the Word Dismissal again early in 2022. We are in need of parent volunteers to help facilitate the program. Please SIGN UP HERE if you are interested and we reach out with more details.

We are continuing to distributing and collect the MCA mite boxes again this year as part of our RE program until the end of January. Pick up the box outside the parish office at your convenience.

There are plenty of resources for all grades, artwork, etc. at: https://www.missio.org/resources.aspx? localization=EN

For updates, and more information about all Faith Formation programs please see the website: HERE

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December 19, 2021

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An Invitation from The Martha Mary Guild

Please join us on Wednesday, January 12th It’s coming to that time of year again when people start to think about “New Year Resolutions” and promising that they will take better care of themselves. The next meeting of the St. Mary Martha Mary Guild is going to concentrate on doing just that!

The guest speaker will be Christine Cernera, who is the owner of Reclaim Your Health L.L.C. and is a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP), a Restorative Wellness Practitioner and a Licensed RESTART Instructor.

Christine states that her goal “is to empower individuals to reclaim their health through nutrition/lifestyle education and support”. She wants people to realize that they can strive for good health by being mindful of what they eat and enjoying life. She will help us to understand that “achieving good health is a journey and a skill-set that must be learned and practiced to see the results, but it is well worth the time and effort.”

Join us in the Spiritual Center on Wednesday, Jan. 12 to jumpstart your New Year with a “New Outlook” on health and well-being. The rosary will be at 11:30 a.m. in the former chapel, followed by BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch) and Christine will start around 12:30pm.

We are asking our generous members to donate hats, gloves and scarves for needy children and adults, which will be distributed by Holiday Express.

Men’s Morning Office The Thursday Men’s Morning Office has been meeting since 1981 when it was formed by now Pastor Emeritus William J. Bausch. As of September 2021, we have about 20 men meeting in person every Thursday morning at 7:00 am in the Chapel for prayer. We usually conclude our prayer service by 7:30 am, and then enjoy some coffee, donuts & camaraderie for 15-20 minutes before all are on their way. With an active roster of 40 or so men ranging in age from their early 20s to 90+, we welcome any men in the Parish or cohort to come join us any Thursday morning for prayer & fellowship!

Feel free to CONTACT Bob Lutkewitte for more information.

www.stmaryscoltsneck.org

December 19, 2021

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Quo vadis…

My Dear Parishioners: Today we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

God’s plan of salvation is fulfilled by Christ’s obedience to the Father’s will. The way the mystery moves from annunciation to fulfillment is by obedience. The same dynamic defines our Christian way of living: we are overshadowed by the Holy Spirit in baptism when, in the midst of the Christian community, the Lord’s presence is announced. But our own annunciation only comes to fulfillment when we spend our lives being obedient to God’s will. Think about this: doing God’s will is an incarnation and annunciation! The circumstances of our obedience won’t be so spectacular as Mary’s and Elizabeth’s; but our obedience is no less fruitful. In our helping hand, God is present. In our visits to the sick and elderly, God is present. In our disciplining and forming our children, God is present. In all our daily dying to self, God is present.

This is incarnation: God is present. This is the depth of the Christmas mystery: our obedience.

During this period of Advent the Universal Church reflects on the ancient images of the Messiah known as the “O Antiphons”. These scriptural images provide for us an expansive historical collection of how the world waits for the coming of the Christ-child and also the coming of Christ at the end of time. December: 17 O Sapientia/Wisdom; 18 O Adonai/Adonai; 19 O Radix Jesse/Root of Jesse; 20 O Clavis David/Key of David; 21 O Oriens/Morning Star; 22 O Rex Gentium/ King of All Nations; 23 /Emmanuel. These images are the basis for the ancient latin hymn: Veni, Veni, Emanuel (O Come, O Come Emmanuel). During these days allow these images to shape your prayer and to open your eyes to the great mystery of the Incarnation.

Parish life continues to be nurtured and guided by the cooperation and collegiality of not a mere few, but rather of many committed members. This is most obvious during the Advent-Christmas Season. To be the pastor of this parish is a wonderful place to be during this time of the year. You may be thinking, “Where is this going?” My perspective affords me the rare glimpse of witnessing all the behind the scenes activity that makes our parish the welcoming and vibrant community that it is. Our staff effectively provides oversight to those who collaborate with them in caring for the aged and the deceased, in forming women and men for discipleship, in reaching out to the poor & needy, and in preparing our property and buildings

with adequate decorations and a fresh clean smell.

None of this is possible without a real commitment to our community. Cleaning, decorating, mailing, photo copying, polishing are all happening by scores and scores of parishioners. It is for this reason that I say THANK YOU to all who generously & selflessly give their time and talent to our Parish.

We have many beautiful traditions here in our parish community. The Advent Time of Penance and Reconciliation is a powerful witness that our community makes to one another. The boundless mercy of God, the Graces of this sacrament encourage us along the way. We congratulate those members of our parish who made their very first confession earlier this month.

Let us continue to support these children, their parents and family as they discover the beauty of our Roman Catholic Faith. We also congratulate those who have overseen the Light Up A Memory Tree Lighting celebration. What a great way to remember those who have gone before us during this Christmas Season.

May the Light of Christ radiate from this place.

I remind you to invite a family member or friend to join you at mass for the Solemnity of Christmas. Perhaps there is someone in your family who feels estranged or marginalized, invite them to come with you to give thanks to God for the many blessings that we continually receive. Make your celebration not just a social activity, but also a spiritual activity. For the hospitality of all please be welcoming and courteous when coming to church both inside the building and outside. Parking lot decorum can be sometimes tedious for big celebrations…utilize the parking spaces along the access road..park perpendicular not parallel to the road on these grassy areas. Please remember that all of us are evangelizers. Each one of us has the responsibility to welcome guests to our worship…even if they may be sitting in “my seat”.

Many thanks to those who have sent greetings to the parish office, sent home made goodies for us to share with our staff and guests here. If you would like to drop off something, please feel free to do so during the regular parish office hours. Please consult the bulletin for mass schedules during these coming weeks as we have “abbreviated mass schedules” and “special mass schedules” for the weekends in addition to the Christmas Eve & Day and New Years Eve & Day mass schedules. Have a great week. Let us remember one another in prayer.

Happy Sunday. Peace. Father Jeff

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Temporal Administration, Stewardship & Outreach Edwin A. Sevillano TemporalAdmin@stmaryscoltsneck.org Sharing Our Treasure December 12, 2021 Weekly Sacrificial Stewardship

$17,994

Envelope Contributions

$10,357

Electronic/Online Contributions

Loose Contributions

$7,152

$485

Weekly Avg. Contribution per Household $53.54 # of Contributing Households

327

# Registered Parishioner Households

997

Our monthly mortgage payment is $7,966.25.

"And the crowds asked him, 'What then should we do?'

He said to them in reply, 'Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise'."

- Luke 3:10-11 THANK YOU for the Sacrificial Stewardship Offerings as we support the ministries, programs and facilities of our parish. May God Bless you for the sacrifices that you make.

Support The Parish of Saint Mary through Online Giving! https://giving.parishsoft.com/smcn Sign-in for our Online Giving system to make your parish offerings from your bank account or Credit Card!

You can also download the ConnectNow Giving App for Android or iOS

Thank you for your continuous support!

Consider A Year-End Gift to St Mary Parish As you begin year-end tax planning, take advantage of the charitable tax deduction for gifts made before December 31 and consider making a gift to St Mary Parish.Your gift to our parish can make a great difference to us and help you as well.

Online Giving is a convenient way to make your gift to St Mary Parish. To create or update your St Mary Parish Online Giving account, visit https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/ giving/smcn If you choose to make a cash donation, please prepare your check and mail it so that your envelope is postmarked or received by the Parish Office by December 31 to qualify as a gift in the year 2021.

Contributions received on January 1st or after will be treated as 2022 gifts.

Thank you!

Your generosity has been a blessing to St Mary Parish throughout this past year.

Your continued support allows us to continue our ministries and mission to proclaim the Gospel in our time.

Shop now and AmazonSmile donates to St. Mary!

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Offerings at Francis House of Prayer Trenton Diocesan Spiritual Center and Retreat House 84 Walnford Road • Allentown, NJ 08501 609-877-0509 or FHOP@verizon.net

Please check www.FHOP.org for registration, directions and for our other offerings!

All programs will be offered online and in person unless otherwise indicated.

Offerings at The Upper Room Spiritual Center 3455 West Bangs Avenue, Building 2 Neptune, NJ 07753 e-mail: office@theupper-room.org Please check www.theupperroom.org for registration, directions and for our other offerings!

St. Joseph By the Sea Retreat Center 400 NJ-35, South Mantoloking, NJ 08738 Please see the website for more information www.sjbsea.org or call St. Joseph By the Sea at 732 -892-8494 to register.

The Church of Saint Catharine (Holmdel, N.J.) seeks an experienced Preschool Director to restart our parish preschool to open Sept 2022.

Candidates must be a practicing Catholic. Master’s degree preferred in any field related to children or business, OR have a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education or equivalent, AND have at least 3 years teaching experience with at least one year of managerial or supervisory experience.

Experience with NJ licensing and educational standards and proven leadership and communication skills are a must. Must be ready to start by January 10.

Submit current resume with cover letter and professional references to saiello@stcatharine.net or mail to Church of Saint Catharine, Attn: Preschool Director Search, 108 Middletown Road, PO 655, Holmdel, NJ 07733-2243

Will You Help Feed the Hungry at Christmas?

There are many of our neighbors – singles, couples, families with children – who will be without food this Christmas. The simple things we take for granted, such as milk, butter, eggs, bread, may be in short supply, or even non-existent, for those who struggle with the normal everyday expenses of life, and may be caught in difficult circumstances like low wages, job loss or illness.

Even government-sponsored food programs are being cut back to the point that non-governmental agencies supply a significant amount of food to the disadvantaged and are serving the marginalized throughout our great country of plenty. Please consider a generous donation to the St. Mary Food Voucher Program so that we may help the needy at this time of year, when need is most greatly felt. It’s easy; simply drop a check made out to “The Parish of St. Mary” (with “Food Voucher Program” noted on the memo line) in the Sunday collection basket.