HOLY INNOCENTS PARISH 431 BEDFORD ROAD

PLEASANTVILLE, NY 10570

“WE GATHER TO PRAISE, TO BLESS AND TO PROCLAIM.”

PARISH STAFF Fr. Hugh L. Burns, OP, Pastor

Fr. Daniel Davies, OP Fr. Frank Sutman, OP Sr. Kathleen O’Hanlon, OP Fr. Gregory Doherty, OP (In Residence)

Maria Lamorgese 769-3297 Director of Religious Education Joe DeSanctis 514-8731 Music Director Loretta Hotter 769-0025 Sacristan Eileen Bruehl 769-0025 x11 Parish Coordinator Thomas Conaty 769-0025 x30 Youth Minister Barbara Mackin 769-0025 x22 Business Manager afortino@hiparish.org Bulletin Editor

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December 11, 2016

Evening Vigil 5:15 Elizabeth Alfonzetti THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 7:30 Thomas McCormack 9:00 Miles Coughlin 10:00 (OLP) Albert Antaki 11:00 Bridget Healy 5:15 Charles Zraly (10th Anniversary) Monday, Our Lady of Guadalupe 7:00 Francesco Marino 8:45 (OLP) Tony O’Brien Tuesday, Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr 7:00 Dennis Vaccaro 8:45 (OLP) Tony O’Brien Wednesday, Saint John of the Cross 7:00 Thomas McCormack 8:45 (OLP) Rosa Cantisani Thursday, Advent Weekday 7:00 Joe Prizeman 8:45 (OLP) Henry Grzeszkiewicz Friday, Advent Weekday 7:00 Matt Connolly 8:45 (OLP) Michele O’Callaghan Togneri Saturday, Late Advent Weekday 7:00 Kevin Meaney 8:45 (OLP) Pasquale Prospero Evening Vigil 5:15 Piccarelli & Civita Family FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 7:30 Our Parishioners 9:00 Rita Capasso 10:00 (OLP) Demitri Surace 11:00 Margaret & Patrick Flynn 5:15 Joanne Dejardin

2016 FINANCE CORNER

Regular Maintenance

Dec. 4 $ 8,810.54

Please pray for the safety of our men and women in the military, especially those who are

serving overseas.

Dennis Catozella, Jimmy Fleming, Joyce Scholz Deborah Migliorini, Antonio Soto, Mary Pat & Jack McMahon, Betty Burns, Meghan Rizzo, Mary Renna, Walter Salat, Barbara Walters, Juan Portillo, Jacques Padawer, Kathy FioRito, Edythe Proehl, Bonnie Proudian, Jeanne Cibirka, Lucia Carlucci, Jennifer Schneider, Elsie Vernon, Richard Colucci, Maria Provenzano, Lee Franco, Adele Casagrande, Joseph Drago, Gabrielle Sanchez, Rose Puller, Olivia Bendus, Linda Iorizzo, Judy Chriss, Jane Chitty, Jean Balzone, Bernadette Harris, Angela Lynch, Robert Iovino, Beth Frankoviac, Rocco Zacarolli, Robert Sarro, Irene Ramirez, Eleanor Stockel, Nate Smith, Matthew Ryan Taylor, Nicholas Torres, Baby Hazel, Cathy Policastro, Edwina Hickey, Mary Bachmann, Jaspare Miranda, Stephen Mercatili, Margaret Sardella, Ray Aldes, Cissy Patane, Arthur Woods, Rose Cipriano, Hernan Rebagliati, Bridget Tidd, Jane Richardson (Dublin, Ireland), Helen Burton, Maria Victoria Zulli, Adelaide Greco, Julia Sessa, Sean Murphy, Kathleen Shortall, Baby George Driscoll, Dorothea Lang, Michael Garris, Michele Weldon.

CONDOLENCES We send our sympathy and promise of prayers

to the family and friends of Dennis Vaccaro

(husband of Barbara)

We recently welcomed into the family of God and our parish family:

Liam Joseph Butler

Leo Agustin Franciamore Isla Claire Grover

Giovanni Hugh Luciano Vivienne Maya Luciano

Tyler Jorge Palermo Avery Alice Sharkey

Congratulations to the Parents and Sponsors.

OFFERTORY GIFTS Family members of those for whom a Mass is offered are welcome to present the Offertory Gifts to the celebrant at the Altar. Please identify yourself to one of the Ushers or the Celebrant before Mass begins.

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Pastor’s Poetry Post-It

Pastor’s Post-It December 11, 2016

Once again in this Sunday’s Gospel, we encounter John the Baptist. I’ve found a couple of pithy poems to accompany our reflection. To help us heed the Baptist’s call to turn our lives toward the Messiah, Pope Francis has presented us with an updated set of Beatitudes for today’s world. In his recent visit to Sweden, as a pilgrim for Christian unity, he issued Beatitudes for the modern Christian:

Father Hugh, OP

“Blessed are those who remain faithful, while enduring evils inflicted on them by others and forgive them from their hearts. Blessed are those who look into the eyes of the abandoned and marginalized and show them their closeness. Blessed are those who see God in every person, and strive to make others also discover Him. Blessed are those who protect and care for our common home. Blessed are those who renounce their own comfort in order to help others. Blessed are those who pray and work for full communion among Christians. All these are messengers of God’s mercy and tenderness. Surely they will receive from Him their merited reward.”

Pope Francis, Malmo Stadium Mass, Sweden, Nov. 1, 2016

“Thunder in the Desert”

Thunder in the desert A cry in the wilderness Advance man for God

Larry Warner

* * * * * “John the Baptist”

John the Baptist in a camel’s hair “suit” Girded with a leather belt to boot On a steady diet of wild honey and locusts It’s a wonder he was able to maintain his focus

Curtis Moorman

THE WEEK AHEAD IN THE PARISH

Monday, December 12th: 7:30-8:30am—Confessions at H.I. 7:00-8:00pm—Confessions at H.I. 9:30-10:00am—Confessions at OLP

Tuesday, December 13th: 11:00am—Lectio Divina 4:30pm—Christmas Pageant Rehearsal

Wednesday, December 14th: 6:00pm—Junior Choir 7:15pm—Adult Choir

Thursday, December 15th: 4:30pm—Christmas Pageant Rehearsal

Friday, December 16th: 9:30am-10:30am—Confessions at OLP 6:00pm—American Heritage Girls

Saturday, December 17th: 10:00am—Christmas Pageant/Visit with St. Nick 4:30-5:00pm—Confessions at H.I.

SPECIAL NEEDS FAMILY MASS TODAY

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11TH 1:30pm at Our Lady of Pompeii

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CYO YOUTH GROUP

The Youth Group meets on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month. All 9th-12th graders are welcome to join us. If you have any questions please contact: TomConaty@hiparish.org

DECEMBER/JANUARY

●Dec. 11th—Cottage School Visit at 2:30pm ●Dec. 11th—Youth Group Meeting at 6:45pm ●Dec. 18th—Breakfast Run at 6;45am ●Dec. 25th—Merry Christmas ●Jan. 8th—Youth Group Meeting at 6:15pm ●Jan. 22nd—Youth Group Meeting at 6:15pm ●Jan. 29th—Cottage School Visit at 2:30pm

CYO BASKETBALL

CYO Clinic got off to a great start last Sunday, Dec. 4th and will continue into February at BRS. If you are late and still want to register please to:

www.holyinnocentscyo.com

Today is the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. Time to light our rose colored candle on our Advent Wreaths! This day brings joy because we have passed the midpoint of Advent. The change in color provides us with encouragement to continue our spiritual preparation for the coming of Christ. Take a moment to observe the chasuble that our priest are wearing today as they celebrate Mass! It is such a blessing to witness the children and catechists as they journey through this beautiful Liturgical Season of Advent. It is so exciting to see all of our classes working on various projects, prayers and activities. What a wonderful time of the year! We want to acknowledge our students who participated in the Advent Lessons and Carols. They sang like angels! It was a beautiful night of Advent Music and Reflection. We are so proud of their talent, gift of voice, and their commitment to the Music Ministry. Thank you, boys and girls. You helped all of us in a very spiritual way. Our Eight Graders are doing such a wonderful job creating and designing Christmas decorations for the different units at St. Vincent’s Hospital. The time, effort, thought and love that is being put into this service should not go unnoticed. Thank you for doing your best! We cannot forget our Fifth Graders from our Monday Session who are led by Lorraine McDermott, Jim Horigan and Vanessa Kale. They are doing something very special —Keeping Christ in Christmas and showing that Jesus is the Reason for the Season! This particular class has reached out to help others. On Guadete Sunday these children and Catechists will be visiting the fifth grade class from St. Teresa’s in Sleepy Hollow. They will be celebrating Mass together and our students are decorating, preparing and cooking breakfast for the children at St. Teresa’s. Most important is that the gift of their presence is going to be the greatest gift of all! There is so much we can learn from our Fifth Graders. There is so much to learn from all of our children! Maria Lamorgese, Director ph 914-769-3297 mlamorgese@hiparish.org

CONGRATULATIONS John Edward Geier, Gregory James Hunter

Joseph Lawrence Trudo and

Jon Paul Watts on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

PLEASE, NO SWEETS The holiday season is upon us and in the interest of health I ask you, please do not send sweets (candy, pastries, cakes and cookies) to the rectory. Some of us are diabetics and the other half are striving not to be. We appreciate all the love and affirmation showered on us, particularly at this time of year, but we’re trying to stay healthy and low glycemic.

Fr. Hugh, OP

IN NEED OF HOUSING A very valued parishioner is on the verge of losing her apartment and is in urgent need of a 2 bedroom unit. If you know of such availability please contact the office for further information at 769-0025.

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REFUGEE OUTREACH UPDATE

Thanks to the generosity of our parishioners last spring, we were able to furnish many of the needs of four families new to our country. The Sosa family was from Honduras, the Ceesay family emigrated from Gambia, the Lambert-Fernandez family came to the U. S. from Honduras, and the Myos are originally from Burma. We’ve just heard that the Myos, who we got to know on several trips to their new home in Queens, are expecting a baby girl! We’ve also been asked by the NY Archdiocese to help welcome one more family, the Tandias from Mali. Ms. Tandia is a single woman with two sons, one of whom is attending LaGuardia College in NYC, the other in high school. We are delighted to have the opportunity to continue building a relationship with all of “our” families and new ones in the future and we know many parishioners would like to be involved in those efforts.

For the next two weeks (12/3-4 and 12/10-11) there will be signup sheets in the Social Hall after mass summarizing the needs of the Myos for baby items and winter clothing and bedding for Ms. Tandia and her sons. Please consider signing up to provide a few items. Since there is no stopping the winter weather and a newborn baby girl, we will need to deliver these items by December 16th. Thank you very much in advance!

The Music Ministry sends its warmest thanks to all of you who joined us for our presentation of Lessons and Carols this past weekend. It was a truly wonderful evening of song and reflection for the Advent season. We especially extend our thanks to the lectors who joined us, Nick Antonaccio, Marina Galeano, Edwina Hassi, Rebekah Lee, Jim O’Connell, Stephanie Robinson, and Kitt Vestal who made the “Lessons” part of the evening inspiring and meaningful. The Music Ministry is also most grateful to our Pastoral Team who not only make the evening possible by their participation, but also for their help, support and encouragement as we plan and prepare for the evening. Thank you to Fr. Burns, Fr. Sutman, Sr. Kathy, Fr. Davies, and, Fr. Doherty. We were privileged this year to have Ms. Maria Lamorgese, our new Director of Religious Education, join us and read for Sr. Kathy who could not join us this year. Thank you Maria! We also wish to thank John Apicelli from the Pleasantville Lions for photographing the event, and Jill Jameson for videotaping it for us. Thanks to Tom Conaty who provided our ushers for the evening from the Youth Group. Thanks to Jill Jameson for organizing, preparing, hosting and cleaning up our after event reception. It was a lovely end to our special evening. Last, but not least, we also thank the entire parish staff for their support each year in our annual Lessons and Carols. Special thanks to Alice and Eileen for their assistance with promotion and supplies and to Jim Keane for helping with set-up, and the “after event” clean-up.

Thank you all!

DECEMBER BULLETIN DEADLINES

Articles for the December 25th Bulletin must be submitted by Thursday, December 15th. Articles for the January 1st Bulletin must be submitted by Tuesday, December 20th.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT December 11, 2016

First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 Isaiah tells us that when Christ comes, the weak will be made strong, the deaf will hear, the blind will see, and, above all, “sorrow and mourning will flee.” Second Reading: James 5:7-10 As the farmer waits patiently through winter and spring for the “yield of the soil” so, too, must we wait patiently for the coming of the Messiah. Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11 While in prison, John sends a messenger to Jesus to ask, “Are you He who is to come or do we look for another?” Jesus replies by citing the miracles he has performed for the blind, the deaf, and the crippled. He concludes by identifying John as the messenger He has sent to prepare the way.

Thank you for celebrating the Eucharist with us. Please take a copy of the bulletin with you and

patronize the advertisers listed on the back of the bulletin.

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2016 CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

Monday, December 12th:

Holy Innocents: 7:30-8:00am & 7:00-8:00pm

Our Lady of Pompeii: 9:30-10:00am

Friday, December 16th:

Our Lady of Pompeii: 9:30-10:30am

Saturday, December 17th:

Holy Innocents: 4:30-5:00pm

Monday, December 19th:

Holy Innocents: 7:00-8:00pm

also

**Confesiones en español lunes 19 de diciembre a las 7-8pm

CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES—December 24th

Holy Innocents

4pm, 6pm & 10:00pm

CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES —December 25th

Holy Innocents: 7:30am; 9:00am; & 11:00am

(No 5:15pm Mass)

Our Lady of Pompeii: 10:00am

NEW YEAR’S EVE

December 31st - 5:15pm Vigil Mass

NEW YEAR’S DAY—(Holy Day of Obligation)

Holy Innocents—7:30am, 9:00am & 11:00am (No 5:15pm Mass)

Our Lady of Pompeii

10:00am