HOLY REDEEMER PARISH Parish Priest: Fr Gerard McCabe C.Ss.R Email: parishpriest@holyredeemer.co.za

Assistants: Fr Godwin Abbah C.Ss.R Fr Julius Maisiti C.Ss.R

BERGVLIET ROAD, BERGVLIET, 7945

Office hours 9.00 am. to 3.00 pm. Monday to Friday

TEL NO: 021 712-2210 or 712-1181. FAX: 021 712-4271

EMAIL: parish@holyredeemer.co.za WEBSITE: www.holyredeemer.co.za WEBMASTER: carmentlouw@gmail.com

THEME: Jesus, the Promised Messiah PAGE: 448 in New Sunday Missal. YEAR: B

Need somewhere to talk that is safe, where there is total confi-dentiality and where you will not be judged? Contact one of our trained coun-sellors Cynthia Wiese: 021 794-1601

WEEKEND MASS TIMES :

SAT: 6:00pm

SUN: 7:00am, 9:00am, 11:00am & 6:00pm

DAILY MASS TIMES:

MON - FRI: 6:15am & 8:30am. Sat 8.30 a.m

CONFESSION TIMES:

THURS: 7:00 - 7:30pm

SAT: 9:00 - 10:00am & 5:00 - 5:55pm

ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT:

MON - FRI: 9:00am - l0:00pm

NOVENA & BENEDICTION :

Thursday: -7:30pm

FRENCH MASS: SUNDAYS - 1:30pm

MORNING PRAYER—Mon to Fri at 8.00 am

WEEKLY DIARY MASS INTENTIONS

Dec 22 Mon 6.15am Private Intention 8.30am Elizabeth, Penny, Gary - That they would seek God

Dec 23 Tues 6.15am Private Intention 8.30am Private Intention

Dec 24 Wed. No 6.15am Mass Rosary after 8.30am Mass

8.30am Private Intention 6.00pm Special Intention midnight Parishioners

Dec 25 Thurs THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD Page 453 in New Sunday Missal.

7.00am Mervyn Whittle - Rip 9.00am Antonia Gorgulho - Rip 11.00am Bianca Mc Gowan (Lino) - Rip

Dec 26 Fri ST STEPHEN – 1ST MARTYR No 6.15am Mass

8.30am Leonard & Vivian Craig - Rip

Dec 27 Sat. 8.30am Private Intention 6.00pm Private Intention

Dec 28 Sun THE HOLY FAMILY

Page 455 in New Sunday Missal. Year: B Theme: Families Are Made up of Young and Old

7.00am Mortuary List 9.00am Private Intention 11.00am Parishioners 6.00pm Private Intention

20/21 December 2014 ~ 4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT

CHRISTMAS AT HOLY REDEEMER

22-23-24 Confessions after 8.30am mass

24 Dec 5.15pm Children's Nativity Play

(Each family is invited to bring a wrapped gift for a less fortu-nate child, wrapped with a tag indicating whether it is for a boy or girl) 6.00pm Family Mass

10.45pm Church Opens

11.15pm Carol Service

Midnight Mass

25 Dec Christmas Mass 7.00am 9.00am

11.00am (French Choir) Church closes after 11.00am Mass

26 Dec Mass at 8.30am only 27 Dec Mass at 8.30am

Vigil Mass at 6.00pm

28 Dec Feast of Holy Family- Masses at usual times 7.00am 9.00am 11.00am and 6.00pm

29-30 Dec Mass at 8.30am only 31 Dec. Mass at 8.30am and 6.00pm

1 Jan Mass at 8.30am only No Novena Service

2 Jan Mass at 8.30am and 6.00pm (First Friday) 3 Jan Mass at usual times

5 Jan Daily Mass - 6.15am & 8.30am as usual

REGISTRATION OF CATECHISM CLASSES AND TIMETABLE FOR 2015

Level 1 Friday 15h00-16h00 Colleen Murphy & Glenda Campbell

Level 2 Monday 17h00-18-00 Samantha September

Level 3 (First Confession) Tuesday 16h30-17h30 Bernadette Sheldon & Glynis Minnaar

Level 4 (First Communion) Monday 16h30- 18h00 Lydia van Schoor

Level 5 Friday 17h00- 18h00 Robyn Lynch

Level 6 Tuesday 17h00- 18h00 Naomi Duncan

Level 7 Sunday 10h30- 11h30 Cornelius Petersen

Registration on Sunday 25 January 2015. Level 1 parents or any new parents to the parish. Please bring a copy of the child's baptism certificate with you on registration. Catechism fees R120 payable on registration.

ADVENT BOOKS NOW IN THE REPOSITORY Advent and Christmas – Wisdom from St. Francis of Assisi A book complete with two Formula for private or group prayer and meditation which incorporates a prayer, a Scripture reading and words of St. Francis. There is also an Advent action suggestion for each day

Also available for Advent - Breakthrough to Joy by Thomas Merton R20.00; and

Welcome to the Light –Joyce Rupp, OSM

LITURGICAL CALENDARS FOR 2015 AND ADVENT CALENDARS

GIFTS OF ROSARIES, CRUCIFIX’S AND CANDLES

ALL AVAILABLE IN THE REPOSITORY

PLUMSTEAD RUSOORD PRESENTS Christmas Lights Festival

Come and enjoy our 1.2KM walkway of lights. Christmas gift market and variety of food

Finishes on 24 Dec 2014 Daily 6.30pm to 10.30pm

Tickets at Rusoord: R40 Adults; R15 for 7yrs to 13yrs; FREE under 7 and over 85

Venue. Plunstead Rusoord. Birmingham Road ( Behind 3 Arts Theatre and Mediclinic Constantiaberg)

The Tree of Jesse

This is a depiction of the ancestors of Christ shown in a tree which rises from

Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of king David.

It originates in a passage in the biblical Book of Isaiah which describes meta-

phorically the descent of the Messiah,. The various figures depicted in the line-

age of Jesus are drawn from those names listed in the Gospel of Matthew and

the Gospel of Luke.

Symbols:

World - Creation

Apple - Adam and Eve

Ark - Noah

Tent - Abraham and Sarah

Ram - Isaac and Rebecca

Ladder - Jacob and Rachel

Coat - Joseph

Tablets - Moses

Rod and the serpents - Aaron

Horn -Joshua

Tumbling pillars - Samson

Grain - Ruth

Stump with a shoot - Jesse

Star - David

Temple -Solomon

Chariot of fire - Elijah

Anvil and sword - Isaiah

Lion - Daniel

Whale - Jonah

Praying hands - Zechariah and

Elizabeth

Shell - John the Baptist

Book - Anne and Joachim

Heart - Mary

Carpenter tools - Joseph of

Nazareth

Star - Star of Bethlehem

Sheep and crook - Shepherds

Angel - Angel

Baby in the manger - Jesus

PRAY FOR OUR SICK

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

CLOSURE TIMES AND DATES The Chapel will re-open on Monday 12 January at 9am

Contact: Christine: 0824991718

1. Special 28-page Christmas Edition –

only R15

2. Round-up: This was the year 2014

3. 50-Question Christmas Quiz

4. A Priest’s Half-Century

5. Christian Division Stops Peace in Holy

Land

This week’s editorial:

Christmas Trek and Back

PLEASE ADVISE THE OFFICE IF A PERSON’S NAME IS NO LONGER NECESSARY TO BE ON THE LIST

2014 list Abrahamse, Bea Berry, Dylan

Castle, Dorothy

Dreyer, Moira

Hendricks , Sam

Jacobs, Genevieve

Johnson, Jerry Johnson, Margaret Louw, Mike

McDuma, Elenor Methven, Cherry

Morris, Alan

Perreira, Kathleen Petersen, Albert Ruiters, Sharon Rodgers, Alan Sassman, Kenneth

Previous year’s list Abrahams, George

Beukes, Matthew

Beukes, Janine

Boyles, Mrs Brindley, Bernadette

Coutriers, Douglas

Daames, Erin De Vos, Claudelle

Dewhurst, Vera

Erwin, Sharon

Esau, Mary-Anne

Ferreira, Pam

Forsdike, Dawn Fortuin, Mrs S

Fouten, Ma

Freeman, Mick Gomez, Keith Hall, Lee Hendricks, Patricia Hendricks, Rita Henriques, Carmelita

Herman, Mr H

Heynes, Dale

Heynes, Russell Heynes, Dawn Jacobs, Marlene

Jansen, Catherine

Jegels, Christine

Jegels, Gerard

Jenkins, Angeline Jenkins, Sadie King, James Klein, Edith Linnegar,Mafalda

Maggott, Michael Morkel, Joanna

Moses, Lisa Marie Nicolls, Clement Orgill, Rosetta Pasquallie, Monty

Peskin, Ernest Peters, Sylvia

Petersen, Jacqui Pietersen, Lindsy

Scott, Lizzie

Sheraton, Sylvia

Stevens, Stephane Steyn, Vera

Visser, George

Willemse, Mrs Zill, Blanche

SMS “CATHOLIC” to 31222

Receive a daily reflection from the Re-demptorist Community to your mobile phone. Support the Redemptorist Mis-

sion in South Africa.

NOVENA TO OUR MOTHER OF

PERPETUAL HELP

Normally Thursday evening at 7.30pm

No Novena this week as it is Christmas Day

PRAY FOR OUR DECEASED Philippe Souchon - RIP. Was a SVP stalwart

MILESTONES HOLIDAY CLOSURE DATES OFFICE: Monday 29 December 2014 to Friday 2 January 2015 inclusive. HALL: Monday 15 December 2014 to Sunday 11 January 2015 inclusive.

PARISH YEAR PLANNER Ministries/societies/fundraising groups: please advise the Parish Secretary of dates for future meetings/events for 2015 irrespective of whether you have had meet-ings in 2014. Only notices from leaders will be accepted. E-mail: parish@holyredeemer.co.za or Fax: 021-7124271

Just a thought

Happy Christmas.

There is a story told about a parish with an old church. When people en-

tered the church they would stop and bow in the direction of a wall that

was painted white. Nobody knew why they bowed to the wall, but every-

body had been doing it for so long that nobody questioned it. It was tra-

dition!

One day the parish decided to renovate the church and began to scrape

the paint from the wall. As they did so they discovered a centuries old

painting of Christ that had, for some reason, been painted over. Down the

generations, even though the people no longer knew about the painting,

they continued to reverence the wall. They knew there was something

there, they just weren't sure what it was any more.

Later this week the world will celebrate Christmas but for many people it

will be a bit like the people in the old church bowing towards the wall.

Christmas retains some significance beyond the commercial hype, but

many people are so disengaged from their religious roots, they miss the

real meaning of the feast.

Believers are those for whom Christmas is the opposite of the commercial

extravaganza. For us it is the sort of miracle which not only throws lights

on our human condition but initiates the profound change of our humanity.

In the mystery of Christmas we begin to share in the divinity of Christ

who humbled himself to share in our humanity.

All the beautiful words, the carols, all the celebrations focus on a tiny

baby: God-with-us. May this almost incredible love sustain us and propel

us to share with others the greatest good news of all. May we be able to

reveal to others what Christmas really means and why we continue to cel-

ebrate it with joy.

May you all have a beautiful feast,

Fr Sean Wales, C.Ss.R.

2nd COLLECTION This week: Advent Appeal

CHRISTMAS MASS COLLECTION

Only 1 collection will be taken up at all Masses in thanksgiving to the Redemptorist Community

CHANGES IN THE PARISH. The new parish priest will be Father Gerard McCabe, C,Ss.R. He will be assisted by Father Godwin Abbah, C.Ss.R and also by Fr Julius Maisiti C.Ss.R. who will also be studying for his Masters in Philosophy. Fr Sean Wales C.Ss.R. will continue to reside in the Monastery. As from January 1st 2015, he will be Provincial of the Redemptorists of South Africa.

SOUTHERN CROSS Christmas Edition to be sold after all Mass-es this weekend. Cost: R15.00

COUNCELLOR Annette Milner, counsellor at Holy Re-deemer, will be on a leave of absence until June next year

CHRISTMAS LETTER Please collect from the church porch, en-closed is an envelope for your offering to-wards the Redemptorist Community

ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS

NATIVITY PLAY 2014 Final practice at 9.30am on the 23rd Dec. For further info contact Aldina on 083 303 5149.

NEW YEAR’s EVE DANCE

Wednesday 31 December in Parish centre. Cost: R80.00 per person. Donations welcome, please drop off at Parish office. Contact: Ingrid 021-7128168 (office hours) or 021-7156090 (after hours)

PERSONNEL

I. Mr Martin Kaufmann, brother of Fr Larry is urgently seeking accommodation. His contact number is 078 533 3627.

II. Wanted: Piano Lessons. If you can help, please contact Emmanuel on 083 536 3681.

CHINESE AUCTION HAMPER DRAWCHINESE AUCTION HAMPER DRAWCHINESE AUCTION HAMPER DRAWCHINESE AUCTION HAMPER DRAW

There will be a total of 23 lucky Winners!!!!

This weekend is your last opportunity to buy tickets as the draw will take place on Monday 22nd December in the Atrium after the 8.30am Mass.

Bidding closes this Sunday 21st at 7.30pm.

All tickets must be in by closing time to be eligible for the draw.

EVERYONE WELCOME TO JOIN US IN THE ATRIUM FOR THE LUCKY DRAW AND

REFRESHMENTS!

.ALPHA Alpha is about getting to know Jesus Christ and about introducing Jesus Christ to peo-ple who do not know him. Join us on the next Alpha (or invite someone to join us) starting on Wed 28 January 2015 @ Holy Redeemer, Bergvliet. For further info contact pmiles@sweetvalleyprimary.co.za or checkout www.holyredeemer.co.za/alpha for information or to register.