Parish Bulletin

As the numerous gifts and gifts cards are brought to the altar this weekend we are reminded of the generosity of so many. These gifts represent how many people go without the basic freedom to buy those things most of us take for granted. These gifts represent the basic goodness in so many people who wish to give a helping hand to others. It is this Spirit, which is so basic to the meaning of Christmas and the gospel message. I thank the St. Vincent de Paul Society for coordinating the Adopt-a-Family project allowing Christmas to be experienced by so many.

Besides these gifts which you see at the altar there are countless gifts being gathered by the Health Care Ministry to take to the those who are isolated whether it be in a nursing home or their own home. So many people have been working consistently to wrap and deliver some Christmas cheer to the sick and elderly shut-ins. The parish is very grateful to all who helped and contributed to these efforts.

MSGR. ART’S ADDRESS: If you would like to send a card or note to Msgr. Art, the address is: St. Rose of Lima Rectory, 3803 4^th Street, Baltimore, MD 21225.

We need someone to sign up for the Wednesday morning 1-2 a.m. Adoration Hour as soon as possible. The current adorer’s work schedule will not allow him to continue filling that hour. Please call Agnes in the Parish Center if you are willing to cover this time slot.

The Advent Penance Service will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the church: Opening Prayer, Gospel, introduction of visiting priests, and individual confessions. All are encouraged to attend this service in preparation for the coming of the Lord.

CHRISTMAS SPIRITUAL BOUQUETS are available at the Parish Center or in the back of the church.

CHRISTMAS FLOWER MEMORIAL envelopes are available at the doors of the church and at the Parish Center. Please print or type the names of the loved ones you wish remembered, your donation, and envelope number and place in the collection basket. Donations should be received in the parish office by Monday, December 18 at 9:00 a.m. to be included in the bulletin.

WE WILL HAVE an INTERPRETER at MASS: Beginning Sunday, January 7, at the 9:15 a.m. Mass, services of an interpreter will be available weekly for the deaf and hearing impaired. Anyone desiring to utilize this service will be seated in the angled pews near the Baptism Font. To be notified of events of particular interest to persons having a hearing deficit or of last minute unavailability of the interpreter, or if you have questions about services to the deaf community, call Fr. Leo in the parish office.

Saturday, December 23 ~ 4^th Sunday of Advent

Monday, December 25 ~ Christmas Day

Note: Confessions before Mass on Sat., Dec. 23 from 4:00–4:45 p.m. and on Sun., Dec. 24 at 6:45, 8:45 & 10:45 a.m. There will be no 3:15 p.m. Spanish Mass on Christmas Eve.

WE PRAY for the REPOSE of Mary Klausmeyer, James Singer, Elizabeth Zizzo, Robert Ohler, James Ellis, Sr., and Randy Lee Rakes and for their families and friends.

BAPTISMS: Congratulations and welcome to Hayden Nicholas Brilhart, son of Elizabeth and Erin Brilhart; Noah Joseph Buss, son of Kristine DeVoge and Darren Buss; Alivia Loredonna Illiano, daughter of Alisa and Augusto Illiano.

TOTAL: $30,245.92

THANK YOU to all parishioners who have made a pledge. Memorial opportunities are still available. Please call the parish office to make, renew or extend your pledge.

SPECIAL COLLECTION: The Special Collection this weekend will be for retired religious.

THANK YOU to all who contributed to the Campaign for Human Development. The total collected was $7,076.58.

School Calendar

Dec. 11 – 3A & B Field Trip – 10:50-2 p.m.

Dec. 12 – St. Nicholas Program – Kindergarten 6 p.m. - gym

Dec. 15 - Grades 1-8 Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. - Church

Dec. 15 – High School applications due to St. John

INNISBROOK ON-GOING FUNDRAISER: Check out the website for gift giving ideas. The school receives 50% of all sales.

The school is participating in the grocery bonus programs for Giant, Martin’s and Safeway. Forms for this program are located at the entrances of the church. Please take a flyer for the appropriate store and fill out the information requested. You can place the forms in the collection basket or drop them off at school during the week. Call Darlene at 410-876-7031 or 410-848-1508.

GROCERY CERTIFICATES PROGRAMS: Please support the school by purchasing gift cards for Kohl’s, Boscov’s, and local grocery stores. There is no additional cost involved, but the school makes 5% on all sales. Cards are for sale in the school office as well as the Portico Book + Gifts Store.

Our parish will be holding a "Welcome Home" session for anyone who desires to return to the Church or would like to learn how to join the Catholic Church. We will meet from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Church, and all are invited. To learn more about this opportunity, please call or email Paul Gallagher in the Religious Ed. Office.

WHY CATHOLIC? Right after the first of the year, St. John will begin it's first six week session of Why Catholic? a wonderful and informative Adult Faith Formation program that is being offered throughout the Archdiocese. Small groups of 10-12 will meet throughout the week. To register, or to learn more, please call or email Paul Gallagher.

YANKEE CANDLES: Orders can be picked up Monday-Thursday 9- 4 p.m. and Friday from 10-2 p.m. at the Parish Center.

REMINDER: If your child is being prepared for First Communion, please make sure that you have turned in the form requesting baptismal information. The form was due Nov. 6^th. If you need another form, please call the Religious Ed. office.

Sun., Dec. 10 – Who’s ready for the Life Teen Retreat? We’re going to be spending the evening getting pumped up for the coming retreat. Even if you’re not coming with us, this is still a very different and “Out of the box” night that you will love!

Are you ready for some snow tubing? If you sign up for the Winter Retreat, that’s what you’ll be doing along with recharging yourself spiritually. Cost of admission is covered in the retreat price of $95.00. Call Kenn at 410-848-8443 or e-mail him to register. If money is an issue, financial assistance is available.

ITALY TRIP: There are still a few openings for our trip next summer, (June 26-July 5^th). You don’t have to be in Life Teen to join us as we travel throughout Italy. Fundraising is ongoing, so there are many opportunities for teens to offset the cost. Call Paul Gallagher for more information.

— THE EDGE (grades 7 & 8) —

We meet every 2^ndSunday and 4^th Friday from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria. This ministry is open to all 6^th , 7^th & 8^th graders.

Sun., Dec. 10 – TONIGHT! Christmas Party at Thunderhead from 7:30-9 p.m. in Taneytown. Thank you to all those who have registered for tonight. I can’t wait to see you there!

Fri., Dec. 22 – LIVE NATIVITY! This is such an awesome way to celebrate Christmas. We need volunteers to set up and serve refreshments, to play parts in the Nativity, and clean up at the end. Also, if you have tame animals that you can bring to help make this scene more realistic please call Kate ASAP. We can’t do this without volunteers!

— YOUTH ALIVE (Grades 5 - 6) —

We meet in the Cafeteria from 7-8:30 p.m. every 1^st and 3^rd Friday. Bring your friends and join the fun! Contact Kate for details.

Fri., Dec. 15 – Christmas Party. Please bring all of your friends to celebrate this very special time of year. Refreshment donations are welcome. Call Kate for more information.

Fri., Jan. 5 –Celebrating the Epiphany – Can’t wait to see you there for this very special Youth Alive Night!

THANK YOU to all the volunteers, committee chairpersons, set-up/clean-up crews and all who donated items to be sold at the bazaar and to all who purchased tickets for our raffle. This year’s event was a great success and the generosity of your time, talent and support was greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU for your generous donation that made it possible for us to send a team of volunteers to Covington, LA to build houses with Habitat for Humanity for some of the victims of Katrina. It was a very positive experience and much was accomplished. Bless each of you for your support!

THANKS, THANKS, THANKS…Health Care Ministry was overwhelmed by the generosity of the parish in donations for the shut-ins of the parish. The home bound and those in 14 different care facilities will all receive a gift bag. Many thanks for all the helping hands that brought in donations or helped to wrap.

VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED to help finish the wrapping and assembling of the bags for the shut-ins on Monday, December 11^th. We will work in the Marian Room from 9-noon.

CHILDREN’S LITURGY COMMITTEE invites children to participate in the Christmas Eve Liturgy at 4:30 p.m. at Westminster High School. Children are needed as readers and to portray characters in the Christmas Pageant. Call Marty Devilbiss at 410-346-7012.

HELP WANTED: Adult needed for paid position in St. John Nursery. Must be available to work every other weekend from 8:30a.m - 1:00 p.m. Position includes caring for children ages 1-5 as well as supervising a teenage volunteer. If interested, please call Peggy Rager at 410-848-0790.

HEALTH CARE MINISTRY has many different assistive devices—walkers, bedside commodes, etc. that are available for loan. We are currently accepting donations of wheelchairs. If you have one that you could donate, please call the Health Care Office, 410-848-4744, ext. 220 at the Parish Center.

Boy Scout Troop 420 is selling locally grown, freshly cut trees and is located behind the school. Hours are Monday - Friday 5-9 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Get your tree and support the scouts!

ANNUAL POINSETTIA SALE…Dec. 17-18

Don’t forget to stop by after Mass to buy your poinsettias for the holidays. On Dec. 10-11, poinsettias will be sold in the cafeteria after all Masses. On Dec. 17-18 sales will be in The Portico. All proceeds will benefit the Church Building Fund.

If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, this newly formed, spiritually based bereavement support group will be meeting monthly on Saturday mornings following the 8 a.m. Mass. A continental breakfast begins at 8:30 followed by the meeting from 9-10:30 a.m. in the Parish Center. For more details call Janet Tenney at 410-833-1542.

Please continue to help minister to the poor in Carroll County by remembering that next weekend (3^rd weekend) is Food Sunday. Please bring your donation of non-perishable food to church and place in the baskets by the doors. We especially need donations of canned meats, stews, spaghetti sauce, canned pasta meals, jelly, peanut butter, powdered milk, canned fruit and bottled juices. We also need paper goods, such as toilet paper, baby diapers, paper towels, etc. Thank you for your generosity!

This is the second of two retreats at the Seton Retreat & Conference Center in Emmitsburg, MD from 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. entitled “Spending Advent with Mary: The Gospel Made Flesh.” Dr. Thelma Steiger, PhD. will direct the retreat. The cost is $30/person. Call 301-447-7051 or email: setonretreat@doc.org.

St. Bartholomew’s Parish is having a bus trip to see “The Christmas Miracle” and dinner at the Hershey Farm Restaurant afterward. Call Linda Sterner at 410-239-8881 for more details.

The Lions Club will collect used eyeglasses for recycling in developing countries. These used eyeglasses will then be sent to Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers where they are cleaned, repaired and classified by prescription and then are distributed to those in need by Lion volunteers and other organizations that host optical missions in such countries. Look for the Lions Recycle for Sight boxes near the doors of the church on the 4th Sunday of each month (Dec. 23 and 24).

Placement tests are scheduled for those 8^th grade students currently attending public schools who are interested in attending Delone Catholic High School for the 2007-08 school year. Tests for English, Foreign Language, Math and Science will be administered on Saturday, Jan. 6^th from 8:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the school, 140 S. Oxford Ave., McSherrystown, PA. Call Sr. Maria Jude, CSJ, or Mrs. Donna Groft at Delone at 717-637-5969 for details.

Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM) strives to provide a place for Christian growth and fellowship on the campus of McDaniel College. Thanks to the support of St. John Church, we have been able to expand our ministries on campus. We have been blessed with a house on campus this year, which we use for our weekly events. We gather for open prayer and Rosary on Tuesday nights, a "Faith Forum" on Thursday nights, and a home-cooked dinner on Sunday nights before walking to the 6 pm Mass. In addition to our regular weekly events, we plan events like hiking trips, ice-cream nights at Friendly's, touring the Back From The Dead Cemetery walk, a big Thanksgiving dinner, and more. Learn more about our events, on our website: http://student.mcdaniel.edu/~ccm/CCM.htm

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are sponsoring an Advent Retreat Day at Holy Trinity Retreat Center, 8400 Park Heights Ave, Baltimore from 10 A.M. until 2 P.M. Presenter: Sr. Edna Maier, SND. Cost: $40, includes lunch. For reservations or further information call 410-581-1012. All are welcome.

Pax Christi/Baltimore, the Baltimore chapter of the Catholic-based peace and justice advocacy organization) will host the following Advent Prayer Series to emphasize the spiritual dimension of this special season of the year: Dec. 10, Krista Threefoot (CRS); Dec. 17, Rabbi Arthur Waskow (Tent of Abraham, Philadelphia, PA). All services will take place from 5-6 at the Mission Helpers of Sacred Heart Chapel, 1001 W. Joppa Road in Towson.

This coming January the Vocation Office of Baltimore will be starting a series of retreats that will be held in Bethany Beach, Delaware. The Retreat at the Beach series, kicking off January 4- 6, and held again in June, is a great opportunity for men between the ages of 18-35, single or married, to develop a deeper spiritual life. January's retreat theme, "Forming a Man for All Seasons," will offer participants a chance to better understand their spiritual life, and provide ways to further enrich it. This Retreat is open to 15 men & there is no cost to participate. Contact Fr. Leo at the Parish Center at 410-848-4744 x 241 for more information.

This mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen at 3:00 p.m., followed by a reception in the parish center. We will be honoring the Longest Married Couples from each parish, along with couples who are celebrating 50 and 25 years and all married couples and marriage preparation leaders. The Mass will be bilingual in English and Spanish and interpreted for the deaf. Everyone is welcome to attend.

THE GABRIEL NETWORK’S “Welcome the Child” Christmas Music CD is now available. Hear Pro Life singers from the Archdiocese of Baltimore! Suggested donation is $15 plus $3 shipping and handling. The Gabriel Network (formerly known as the Gabriel Project) is a faith-based nonprofit pregnancy support network that provides practical, emotional, and spiritual assistance to women and families facing crisis pregnancies. To order go to http://www.GabrielNetwork.org or contact Gabriel Network at 410-741-1228.

PASTORAL SPANISH @ College of Notre Dame of Maryland

If you have an interest in working with and ministering to the Hispanic community, this program is for you. Three classes will be offered during the spring semester: Spanish Language and Culture for Pastoral Settings (Part1); Spanish Language and Culture for Pastoral Settings (Part 2); and Spanish Language and Culture for Liturgical and Sacramental Ministry. Classes will be held at the College’s North Baltimore campus. For information, contact Linda Stilling, SSND, at 410-532-5306, or e-mail lstilling@ndm.edu

Feb. 15-18 – Women’s Cursillo weekend

Sat. Feb. 24 – Session 1 of Pre-Cana

Fri. March 2-3 – Session 1 of Pre-Cana

PORTICO BOOKS + GIFTS: Stretch your dollar this Christmas and support our Parish. Our store is Sales TAX-FREE. Please stop by and check out our St. John Christmas Cards, beautiful pictures of our Altar and Nativity.

Saturday, December 23 ~ 4th Sunday of Advent