HOLY FAMILY PARISH

Don Bosco Chapel Fortbaan 79 2900 Schoten www.holyfamilyantwerp.org

December 2016/January 2017 Year A Sunday Mass 10:30am

Fr. Francis Peerlinck, Pastor

MESSAGE FROM FATHER: OUR LITURGICAL CALENDER FOR DEC. & JAN.

Dear Parishioners!

A new liturgical year lies ahead of us. As we will follow the liturgical year A, the

evangelist Matthew will be our guide through this new parish year. Matthew's whole

gospel is characterized by telling Jesus' preaching to the people. December and

January ask our attention for the following special celebrations:

- December 11: We celebrate our Penitential Service as our preparation to

Christmas. At the beginning of the Mass we shall look back over the past months,

and see what could be otherwise or better in our life. We will feel sorry for our

shortcomings, and ask God for his forgiveness and help in our daily life.

- December 24: Christmas Eve. At 5:30 p.m. we will solemnly celebrate the birth of

Jesus in Bethlehem, the beginning of our redemption. All children are invited to

come to the sacristy and participate in the procession at the beginning of the Mass.

We also need two people who would be happy to represent Mary and Joseph and

join the Entrance procession. All parishioners, your friends and neighbors are

heartily invited to come and celebrate Christmas with us.

- December 25: Solemnity of Christmas. No English mass in our chapel. Our

Christmas Eve celebration fulfills the Sunday Mass obligation. If you like, you can go

and participate in a solemn Flemish Christmas celebration in one of the local

churches, visiting the wonderful Christmas cribs with the children.

- January 1: New Year's Day. No English mass in our chapel, as many parishioners

will be away or be tired of celebrating the end of the old year. You are invited to go

to a Flemish Mass in one of the local churches.

- January 8: Holy Family Parish celebrates its first Mass in the New Year. We call on

God's blessing for ourselves, our family and friends, our dear parish and the whole

Church and world.

– January 18-25: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Together with all Churches we

pray with Jesus' words: “That all may be one, as You, Father in Me, and I in You;

that all may be one in us, so that the world believes that you send me.”

Whether you spent Christmas with us or you are traveling abroad, we thank you for

joining Holy Family Parish in the past year, and wish you – and the whole family – a

'Merry Christmas' and a most 'Happy New Year'. Return home safely, and join us

again.

Father Francis Peerlinck

PRAYERS AND SPECIAL INTENTIONS

† For parishioners, past and present, who are going through difficult times with work, relationships, health and/or life in general. May God wrap them in Peace and Love this Christmas Season and bring them peace and contentment in the knowledge they will get through and be OK. † For all the members of our parish who are traveling over the holidays, that they have a wonderful holiday and a safe return trip home. † May we take time to thank God for all his

blessings, for our family and friends, our work and our homes and for all who have blessed us with friendship throughout the years.

HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS

Universal: End to Child-Soldiers That the scandal of child-soldiers may be eliminated the world over. Evangelization: Europe That the peoples of Europe may rediscover the beauty, goodness, and truth of the Gospel which gives joy and hope to life. ANNOUNCEMENT: Every Saturday night, at 5:00PM there is a mass said in English at the Antwerp Cathedral. Something to keep in mind for when we break for summer.

News From Pastor Steve and Barbara Swanson:

Hello Father Peerlinck,

Barbara and I send you warmest greetings from a chilly Minnesota.

We have settled into my sister's home while she is teaching in Alaska this year.

It is a good place to live just a few blocks from our family home. My father is still

doing very well and we see him and his new wife often.

We have been traveling around the USA, speaking about the church in Belgium and

our work with immigrants and refugees. We miss our times of prayer and worship

with you and the Holy Family Parish.

Thank you again for the beautiful gift you gave to us at our farewell.

Now we wait for our new assignment in Malmo, Sweden. We hope to move there

in July 2017.

We will work with a Protestant congregation that is reaching out to refugees. I will

not be the pastor, but rather an assistant and helper. It will be a new role for me.

We are starting to learn Swedish and hope to have some language skills before we

arrive.

AIPC is still waiting for their new pastor to arrive.

They have called a pastor from California. His name is Zeke Nelson.

He has a wife and 4 young children. I'm sure you will meet him in 2017.

God bless you and please greet Holy Family Parish from us.

Steven and Barbara Swanson

(Pastor Steve did include his mailing address and phone number but I did not print

it here. If you would like to have it, please send me an email and I would be happy

to forward that information privately.) (Rosanne)

ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING THE ADVENT WREATH is a simple way

to honor Advent. By using the symbolic power of candles within the four weeks of Advent, we illustrate that Advent is a time of solemn preparation, that during this time, we are awaiting the Light of the Word and the Dawning of Hope. Advent is a penitential season, just like Lent. We are called to fast, to pray, and to perform good works to prepare ourselves for the great Feast of Christmas. The liturgical color of violet, or purple, symbolizes humility and penitence. This is why the candles of the Advent Wreath are

purple, with the exception of the third candle, which is rose, or pink. On the Third Sunday of Advent, the 'mood' lifts as the Church begins to look forward to the Coming of the Christ Child, and this joyful waiting is represented by the lighter color of the candle and vestments. Christ came to bring us Eternal Life. He promised that "the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church" and "whatever was bound on Earth would be bound also in Heaven." This is why we use a circle of greenery for the Advent Wreath, the circle symbolizes eternity and the greenery symbolizes new life and our evergreen, ever growing, ever living faith. REMINDER: We have a book for our Prayer Intentions which can be found on the back table. During Mass, this book will be on the altar with Father and will be included in our general prayer intentions.

A CHRISTMAS PRAYER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALAN

Lord, I get into a rush as Christmas approaches. The frantic unease of feeling there's too much to do,

caught between the joy of giving and the worry of choosing presents or of not forgetting family and friends,

or leaving them off the Christmas card list. So today, Lord, may I remember the real meaning of Christmas.

Help me to stop all the rushing just for a moment, to slow down and remember that it is you

who is really at the heart of it all. Lord, it's not easy to remember you

among all the street decorations and festive lights, or to realize that they are connected to your birth.

Many seem almost to shut you out. We rejoice, nevertheless.

We celebrate the day of our Savior’s birth. May the lights and decorated trees, the baubles and beads and tinsel,

remind us of the marvel of your love, the wonder of sharing your life with our world, even if the world doesn't want to know. Amen.

Father Patrick Sayles, SSC - The Prayer Trust

GIVING TREE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VIVIANNE Our Advent Giving Tree is a way to connect with needy children in the Antwerp community at holiday time. The Giving Tree will be on the altar from the start of Advent. Feel free to take a tag or two from the tree and purchase a gift or a couple small gifts worth no more than 10 to 12 Euros. For babies (0-3 months): all baby clothes, also jackets, hats, fleece blankets, hood towels, baby bottles. Children: gloves, tights, trousers, socks, underwear and fleece blankets are welcome. Please no toys. Gifts should not be wrapped, but rather placed in a plastic or gift bag so they can be distributed to families evenly. If you have any questions or would like more information please contact Vivianne at:

Home: 03 6330797 Mobile: 0475 759303

E-Mail: viv@verijke.com

WHO’S DOING WHAT IN DEC AND JAN

LITURGY READERS AFTER MASS BAKERS 11/12/16 ~~~~~~~~~ Barbara 11/12/16 ~~~~~~~~~ Myra 18/12/16 ~~~~~~~~~ Rosanne 18/12/16 ~~~~~~~~~ Rosanne 25/12/16 ~~~~~~~~~ Graham 25/12/16 ~~~~~ Merry Christmas 08/01/17 ~~~~~~~~~ Alan 08/01/17 ~~~~~~~~~ Valentina 15/01/17 ~~~~~~~~~ Lisa 15/01/17 ~~~~~~~~~ Rosanne 22/01/17 ~~~~~~~~~ Brigitte 22/01/17 ~~~~~~~~~ Maylis 29/01/17 ~~~~~~~~~ Barbara 29/01/17 ~~~~~~~~~ Renee 05/02/17 ~~~~~~~~~ Rosanne 05/02/17 ~~~~~~~~~ Barbara

GREEN TIPS IN YOUR BULLETIN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OLGA

“And when they came into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his

mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their

treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

(Matthew 2:11)

As we near Christmas, shopping intensifies; parking lots and shopping centers

are crowded. Many people are discouraged and no longer take pleasure in giving

gifts. Environmentally-oriented people often feel bad giving so many presents,

knowing the impact this consumerism and depletion will have on the

environment.

When shopping for a gift for someone you love this year, ask yourself:

• Does this person really need this gift? It is useful and meaningful?

• What will be the environmental impact of buying this gift? (Wrapping,

transportation from where it was made, materials involved in making the

item, etc.)

• What will be the social impact of buying this gift? (Workers’ conditions, local economy, assistance to excluded people, organization financing, etc.)

MONTHLY PRAYER CONNECTION

You are herewith invited to the January prayer connection which will be held on Tuesday January 10 at the home of Marie-Louise, Valkenlaan 67, 2950 Kapellen. We start at the usual time of 10 o’clock in the morning. Prayer time 10.30h. Blessings, Sharmini (03-354 01 43) Barbara (03-644 20 46) Marie-Louise (03-605 71 88)

A Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree is a special thing. To tell the world that Jesus is king.

A Christmas tree can be tall or small.

To tell the world God loves us all.

A Christmas tree can be very bright. To tell the world of a holy night.

A Christmas tree can be full of toys

To tell the world of all God’s joys.

So let’s give thanks for our Christmas tree.

Jesus loves you and Jesus loves me!

Amen.

Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet

Dec 6th is Sinterklaas in Belgium. Sinterklaas is the holiday, but it's also the name of the mythical figure behind the holiday, a man with a long white beard and red outfit who brings presents to good little boys and girls. And yes, "Sinterklaas" does sound a lot like "Santa Claus." But they're not the same. Oh no. "Sinterklaas" is a corruption of the Dutch "Sint Niklaas" or Saint Nicholas, who in the Catholic tradition is the patron saint of children. Aha! you say. Santa Claus is also known as Jolly Old Saint Nick, and then there's that poem by Clement Clark Moore, "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" (otherwise known as "The Night Before Christmas"). So they must be the same guy, right? Not exactly. It seems that the American Santa Claus was based, at least in part, on the Sinterklaas legend of the Netherlands and Flanders (in other words, Dutch-speaking parts of Europe). But whereas the American St. Nick is a jolly fat man who lives at the North Pole and hangs out with elves and flying reindeer, Sinterklaas has retained the appearance of a Catholic saint. He wears red robes and a tall red miter, as befitting the fourth-century Bishop of Myra (in present-day Turkey). He carries a bishop's crozier too, and is portrayed as a sagacious but kindly old man. He is not fat. He is, however, accompanied by Zwarte Piet, a funny, black-skinned helper.

In Belgium, Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) is just a character, like Santa's elves. He doesn't represent a racial stereotype, or any race at all. Apparently, Zwarte Piet was originally a little devil that Sinterklaas had defeated, and later was portrayed as a Moorish slave that the good saint had liberated. Nowadays his skin color is attributed to black soot from popping in and out of chimneys to deliver presents on Sinterklaas' behalf.

Sinterklaas lives in Spain, not at a secret location in the Arctic Circle. No one seems to know why he lives there now, seeing as how the real saint lived and died in Turkey. But the Dutch and Flemish do love to vacation in Spain, so I'm guessing they just put Sinterklaas in their idea of the perfect place to live. I mean, if you're not real you can live anywhere, so why not Spain?

He arrives in the Netherlands and Belgium by steamboat every year in mid-November, and then proceeds on horseback, accompanied these days by a whole posse of Black Peters. Children start putting their shoes out by the fireplace, with a carrot for the horse, in the weeks leading up to December 6th so that Sinterklaas (or his Piets) can pop by and leave candy in them. But the best and final visit from Sinterklaas happens during the night of December 5th, when he leaves presents for good children. In Belgium, Sinterklaas is just for kids, and

although he is clearly a religious figure, he has nothing to do with Christmas. Which is not to say that it isn't a festive holiday, or that the decorations and sweets aren't mightily reminiscent of similar things you might see during this time of year in the U.S. But there is no link between the gift-giving saint and the anniversary of Christ's birth. At first, I was incredulous. How can Sinterklaas not be tied to Christmas? But then I realized that the more important question, and one that I have often asked myself over the years, is this: What does Santa Claus have to do with Christmas? Nothing. In fact, there are some who wonder whether our focus on that jolly elf and his role in the uneven distribution of material bounty hasn't overshadowed the "real" meaning of Christmas. What's really strange is that Sinterklaas, having traveled to the New World in the nineteenth century and undergone a transformation (and secularization) into a fat man with a sleigh, has now returned to Belgium... as the Kerstman. Yep, the American image of Santa Claus can now be seen infiltrating Belgian Christmas festivities, but here he goes by the euphemistic "Christmas-man." I wonder if Belgian children ever notice the similarity between Sinterklaas and the Kerstman and if so, what do they make of it?

by Diana Goodwin

PARISH COUNCIL 2016/2017 Pastor Fr. Francis Peerlinck .................. 03 232 2546 frans.peerlinck@scarlet.be President Graeme Stephan ....................... 03 366 6749 graemestephan@hotmail.com Vice President Alan Barnett ............................. 03 464 2468 Treasurer Brigitte Preuss .......................... 01 470 7828 brigitte.preusz@telenet.be Religious Ed. Marta Krzyskow ........................ 0485.56.88.80 marta.krzyskow@aol.com Parish Registration Paul Van den Bossche ................ 03 322.7753 44meurope@gmail.com Bulletin Rosanne Pizzella ...................... 03 322 7753 mswazoo@gmail.com Sunshine Vivianne Staplehurst .................. 03 633 0797 viv@verijke.com Hospitality Liturgy Rosanne Pizzella ...................... 03 322 7753 mswazoo@gmail.com Advisor Barbara Noels ........................... 03 664 7231 barbara.noels@hotmail.com Music EricWouters&OlgaVelez ............. ---------------- eandohfp@gmail.com

Upcoming Events: December ~~~ 11th Penitential Service 10:30 Mass

24th Christmas Eve Mass 5:30 PM 25th MERRY CHRISTMAS!

January~~~~~ 1st Happy New Year!! No English Mass 8th Celebration of Epiphany or Feast of the Three Kings 10:30 Mass

18-25th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

PLEASE SEND ROSANNE ALL SUBMISSIONS FOR THE FEBRUARY BULLETIN BY JANUARY 31ST. THANK YOU!