st. lawrence the martyr parish
TRANSCRIPT
St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish
December 22, 2019 - The Fourth Sunday in Advent
Parish Office Hours:
9:00 am-2pm Monday9:00 am-3pm Tuesday
9:30 am-3pm Wednesday9:00 am-3pm Thursday
9:30 am-3pm Friday(office closes for a half hour at 12 noon)
Weekday Mass Schedule:Tuesday7:00pm
Wednesday9:00am
ThursdayConfession 6:15pm
Mass 7:00pmFriday9:00am
Sunday Mass: 11:00am
Sacraments of Marriage or Baptism:
Please contact the Parish Office tomake an appointment to meet
with Father Peter.
Phone: 905-529-3921 or email us:
125 Picton Street EastHamilton, Ontario L8L 0C5
Phone: 905-529-3921email: [email protected]
From the Pastor’s Desk
Drop down dew from above, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the Just One;
let the earth be opened and bring forth a Saviour
The Universal Church with the Entrance Antiphon of the 4th Sunday of Advent looks forward to the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord. As the earth is to be opened to bring forth a Saviour, so our hearts should be opened to receive him.
Today’s Gospel tells us about how Christ’s birth took place and how Joseph accepted the Child and His Mother. Accepting the Saviour into our hearts and homes will crown all the Advent preparations. May St. Joseph lead us through the final days of Advent!
God bless,
Fr. Peter
Pastor: Fr. Peter Jurzyk To contact Fr. Peter,
please call the Parish Office
905-529-3921In case of after hours emergency please call
365-888-1275
Parish Staff
Rev. Mr. Carmelo Campanella – DeaconKeith Jolie - Secretary
Pat Sullivan - Custodian
SUNDAY, December 22Fourth Sunday of Advent
11:00 a.m. – Parishioners of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish
TUESDAY, December 24 - Christmas Eve Christmas Vigil Masses
6:30 p.m. – Musical Prelude7:00 p.m. – Christmas Vigil Mass
with Children's PageantOffered for those who donated
to the Christmas Flowers
11:30 p.m. – Musical Prelude12:00 a.m. – Midnight Christmas Vigil Mass
Special intention of Fr. Peter
WEDNESDAY, December 2511:00 a.m. – Christmas Day Mass
Parishioners of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish
THURSDAY, December 26Feast of St. Stephen, the First Martyr
7:00 p.m. – Parishioners of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish
FRIDAY, December 27Feast of St. John the Apostle
9:00 a.m. -The Frisina, Camaniti & Fazzari Familiesby Giovanna Frisina
SUNDAY, December 29Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
11:00 a.m. – The Parishioners ofSt. Lawrence the Martyr Parish
TUESDAY, December 31New Year's Eve
7:00 p.m. – The Parishioners of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish
12:00 a.m. – Midnight MassSpecial Intention of Father Peter
WEDNESDAY, January 1Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God
11:00 a.m. – Graciosa Canao by Isabel Canao
THURSDAY, January 2Memorial of St. Basil the Great
and St. Gregory Nazianzen6:15 pm Confession and Adoration7:00 p.m. – Manuel & Maria Raposo
Maria Diogo
FRIDAY, January 39:00 a.m. – Giuseppe Cavigliano
by Rosa Cavigliano
SATURDAY, January 4First Saturday
10:00 a.m. – Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
SUNDAY, January 5Solemnity of the Epiphany of The Lord
11:00 a.m. – The Parishioners ofSt. Lawrence the Martyr Parish
Giuseppe Cavigliano
Hollier- Heddle & Greco Families.
Gilberto Pavao and Families.
Jackson, Joyce, Moorcroft & Jeffrey Families
The Grace, Dunn, Kennedy, Patterson & Nespal Families.
In the Parish
Parish Office Holiday Schedule:Monday Dec. 23 - ClosedTuesday Dec. 24 - ClosedWednesday Dec. 25 - ClosedThursday Dec. 26 - ClosedFriday Dec. 27 - ClosedMonday Dec. 30 - OpenTuesday Dec. 31 - OpenWednesday Jan 1 - ClosedThursday Jan 2 - Open & regular office hours resume
Mass Times and Intentions
In the Parish Continued...
2020 Bulletin In Memoriam - If you would like to add or renew a memorial listing for 2020, your continued support is appreciated. Please include your offering and the names of those to be listed in an envelope marked “In Memoriam”
Honour a friend or a loved one this Christmas - It’s not too late to make a donation to Good Shepherd in honour of a loved one - The perfect gift for the person who wants for nothing! flyers and the gift package envelopes can be found on the table at the back of the church.
2020 Collection Envelopes - Your 2020 collection envelopes are now available for pick-up at the back of the church. Please check your address information and notify the Parish Office as soon as possible with any changes. If you did not have envelopes in 2019, but would like a box this year, please contact the parish office or fill out the Parish Registration and Information update form that are available at the back of the church (checking the I would like envelopes box).
Please pray for the religious of our diocese Especially over the next two weeks we pray for:
Mon - Very Rev. Wojciech KuzmaTues - Rev. James McSharryThurs - Rev. Martin Mikulski, S.A.C.Fri - Rev. Joseph Okoko, i.v.Dei.Sat - Rev. Franjo Sprajc-The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sunday-
Mon - Rev. Mark MorleyTues - Rev. Jason KuntzWed - Diocesan PriestsThurs - Rev. Mark SullivanFri - Very Rev. Wayne LobsingerSat - Rev. Gregory Merkley
Venite, adoremus Dominum!
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us” (Luke 2:13-15).
May the Newborn bestow upon you His gracious gifts of love, joy and peace, and may the splendour of this holy night dispel any darkness of sadness and sin, so that we may now sing along with Mary, Joseph, the Angels and Shepherds: “Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis” , and in eternity: “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus”!
With my best wishes,
Father Peter JurzykPastor of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish
December 15, Sunday Collection $ 1,385.60
Do we really know the exact day when Christ was born?
Every year we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord on December 25th, but it does not mean that Christ was born precisely on that day. None of the Gospels indicates the day of Christ’s birth. The Evangelists do not mention even a month or a season of the year, however, there are some pieces of information that can help us with dating Christ’s birthday. St. Luke states that Jesus was born when Augustus was a Roman Emperor and that John the Baptist, who was 6 months older than Jesus, began proclaiming a baptism of repentance in the 15th year of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius when Jesus was about 30 years old. St. Matthew tells us that Jesus was born when Herod the Great was a ruler of Judea. These facts mentioned by the Evangelists give us some time frames.
Before we proceed with the dating, first, we should remind ourselves of the calendar we use. We count years according to a specific time rule, in according to which the year 1 is indicated as the year of Christ’s birth. Therefore, we talk about years either before or after Christ was born or shortly either before or after Christ. We also use the abbreviations: B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Latin Anno Domini which means “in the year of the Lord”). Up to the 6th century in the Roman Empire people counted years beginning from the foundation of Rome.
Although the accounts of the beginning of Rome are legendary, we accept that the city of Rome was founded in 753 B.C. The change was made by the monk Dionysius Exiguus (means: humble) in the 6th century. Although, Dionysius was well educated, he made a mistake. He missed at least 4 years. According to Josephus Flavius, Romano-Jewish historian living in the 1st century, Herod the Great died in the year 750 from the foundation of Rome, which means in 4 B.C. So Jesus could not be born after this year. It might sound strange to suggest that Jesus Christ was born no later than 4 B.C. since B.C. means 'before Christ.' According to some researches Jesus was born between 8 and 4 B.C. We know nothing certain either about the month or the day; however, some scholars claim that September is the month of Christ’s birth.
Bishop Crosby’s Christmas Letter
For many, Christmas is a wonderful time of year! Homes are decorated, families gather, gifts are shared, the best meal of the year is served, and the music at Christmas Masses is always uplifting – to say nothing of the Christmas homily!
Sadly, for others Christmas is a time to dread! The unemployed, those who are on the streets, those who are alone perhaps isolated from family, those who are in prison, those who are in hospitals or suffering from mental health or other serious illnesses, and those who are mourning the loss of a loved one, can find this time of year challenging and very difficult indeed!
If we have been blessed, we must bless. Can we make the Christmas season a time of blessing for others? We bless when we recognize others to be sisters and brothers, and treat them with the dignity that is theirs, listening to them and speaking to them with respect and affirmation. We bless when we support the Good
Shepherd Ministries of the Brothers of St. John of God, the DeMazenod Door at St. Patrick Parish, Hamilton, the Out of the Cold programs, hospice care and other similar programs in our Diocese, where people are respectfully cared for and lovingly nourished!
At Christmas, we celebrate our belief that “God comes to us”! God comes to us as a baby, unthreatening, dependent, and in simplicity. All we have to do is open our hearts to welcome the Lord of life and love. We recognize and welcome Him in every person who comes to us in the same simplicity of spirit, seeking from us the same generous greeting of peace.
May God bless you this Christmas and always! Let us pray for one another.
Our Lady of the Annunciation, pray for us!
Ex corde, + Douglas, OMI