Offertory 2016 Needed

Balance to cover expenses Week $3375.00 Month $13500.00

Dec 4th $3,342.88 $10,157.12

Dec 8th $ 795.50 $ 9,361.62

Dec 11th $3,449.71 $ 5,911.91

Dec. 18th

Dec. 25th

Total

“Remember: sparse sowing, sparse reaping; sow bountifully, and you will reap bountifully.” (2Cor.9:6) “Ademas fíjense: quien siembra con mezquindad, con mezquindad cosechara, y quien hace siembras generosas, generosas cosechas tendrá.” (2 Corintios 9,6)

St. Joseph Catholic Church 150 E. First St P.O. Box 1315 Prineville, OR 97754 Rev. Fr. Joseph Kunnelaya T, Administrator

Vigil Mass Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday Mass 9:00 am English 12:00 Noon Spanish

Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 18, 2016 Parish Office Administrative Assistant: Anne Greenwood Office Hours: Monday -Thursday 9:00am-12:00 noon and 1:00 pm- 5:00 pm Office: 541-447-6475 Rectory: Evenings 7pm-9pm 541-420-4458 Office Fax 541-416-9141 Email: stjosephparish@bendbroadband.com

Sacraments Sacrament of Penance Saturday: 3:30- 4:30pm Other times by appointment Sacrament of Baptism or Marriage Contact Fr. Joseph for preparation Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick Mass Intentions Dec. 17th – Dec. 23th Sat. 8am – Paul Paquin (health) Sat. 5pm – Joan Gerke (RIP) Sun. 9am – Lu Streetman (RIP) Sun. Noon – For the Parish Mon. 8am – Edward Salgado (Sp.Int) Tues. 8am – David Geiman (b-day) Wed. 8am – Bruce Greenwood (Sp.Int.) Thurs. 8am – Fernando Salgado (RIP) Fri. – 12:15pm- Justo Salgado (RIP) 1 hour Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament following Mass

Mass Schedule

Sun. Rosary: half hour before Mass Date: December 25th, 2016 Led by: The Youth Daily Readings Dec 19th – Dec. 25th Mon – Jdg. 13:2-7, 24-25a; Lk. 1:5-25 Tues – Isa. 7:10-14; Lk. 1:26-38 Wed – Song of Songs 2:8-14; Lk. 1:39-45 Thurs – Sam. 1:24-28; Lk.1:46-56 Fri – Mal.3:1-4, 23-24; Lk.1:57-66 Sat – 2Sam.7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Lk.1:67-79 Sun. – Isa. 52:7-10; Heb.1:1-6; Jn.1:1-18

Please Remember the Following: Lloy McDaniel; Linda Arian; Lorin; Jack Thompson; Ron & Tanya Deasly; Dan Browning; Patricia Carroll; Savanna King; Rita Witchman; David & Carol Leonard; Billie Lanier; Kate Erickson; Born Family; Dan Christ; Linda Christ; Sammi Pedersen; Bob & Lola Godat; Fred Vandehey; Gal Kessel; Debbie Enneberg Carmen Orsi; Katie Jordon; Mindy Hopfer; Joanne Besio; Mike Mulvihill; Jennifer Christy; Chuck & Dee Wettstein; Paul Paquin; Carlos Coit; Rosemary Boe; Jeff Born; Peggy Kasberger; Glen Johnston; Jessie Sharp; Hazel Engstrom; Ann Pedersen; Jan Sletager; Richard Moore; Hans Kaumanns; Margaret Tomaszewski; Jim Lanning; Cal and Bernice Dubisar; Dolores Myers; Heather Messick; Family of Ralph and Mary Lee; Jeanne Enos; Kim Remppel; Deborah Horrell; Hernan Enrique Caceres; Verconica Natalia Chavez; Maria Sol Montel; Veronica Rodriguez; Luz Alejandra Bringas,; Carolina Silvia Brizuela Perez; Rodolfo Martin Arruabarrena; Gustavo Caceres, Susan Markie, Ben Ryan, Anne Pimentel Hehr; Nettie Irene Downing, Kara Bachand, Doug Bristow, Harley Mayfield for the special intentions of our parishioners and others.

Fr. Joseph’s Corner…

The Eucharist: Part 3

Messages for Our Lives:

1) Each of us is meant to be a Eucharistic

person. In simple terms, this means imitating

Jesus in our thoughts, words, and actions. The

Eucharist is Body-broken and Blood-poured-

out for others. Accordingly, we will participate

fully in the benefits of the Eucharist only to

the extent that we imitate, in all aspects of

our lives, the generosity and unselfishness

that we see in the life and death of Jesus

himself.

The Eucharist will certainly help us to be

more thoughtful, more compassionate, and

more forgiving Eucharistic persons. But this

cannot happen without our own serious

commitment to love and serve others.

Just as Jesus brought the Good News of

God’s love, salvation, and healing to the

world, so must we. This means that we must

care for others, feed them, forgive them,

accept them, and help them to become

children of God. In these ways, we may truly

become Eucharistic persons.

2) We need to live a Eucharistic life by

extending the celebration of the Paschal

Mystery into our daily lives. This means that,

“As faithful followers of Jesus, our praise,

sufferings, prayer, and work must be united

with His total offering. In this way, our actions

acquire a new value” (CCC #1368).

In the light of the Eucharistic Mystery,

no life is without meaning or worth. Where

there appears to be no meaning or worth, the

Eucharist brings hope and inspiration.

3) We need to receive Jesus in Holy

Communion with proper preparation. The

Catechism of the Catholic

Church reminds us of two requisites for

receiving Communion. First, our conscience

must be free from mortal sin. “To respond to

this invitation, we must prepare ourselves for

so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges

us to examine our conscience: ‘Whoever,

therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of

the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty

of profaning the Body and Blood of the

Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat

of the Bread and drink of the Cup. For anyone

who eats and drinks without discerning the

Body, eats and drinks judgment upon himself.’

Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive

the Sacrament of Reconciliation before taking

Holy Communion” (CCC #1385).

The frequent use of the Sacrament of

Reconciliation (confession), is an indication

that the person’s spiritual life is in good shape

and is struggling to overcome sins and

weaknesses. Secondly, we must fast one hour

before we receive Holy Communion. “To

prepare for worthy reception of this

Sacrament, the faithful should observe the

fast required in their Church. Bodily demeanor

(gestures, clothing) ought to convey the

respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment

when Christ becomes our guest” (CCC

#1387).

—Prayerful Wishes, Father Joseph

Rosary Schedule

December 18th – Choir December 25th – The Youth January 1st – Ushers January 8th – Eucharistic Ministers January 15th Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus Offer breakfast every first Sunday of the month after the 9am Mass.

Social Time Please join us for coffee after the Sunday 9:00 am Mass Sunday Coffee Hour Schedule December 18th – Carol Smith December 25th – Albina Stagnoli January 8th - Betty Viescas January 15- Carol Smith January 22 – Albina Stagnoli January 29th- Sammie Petersen and Karin Davis

Choir Practice Choir on Wednesday’s from 5:00pm – 6:00 pm

Respect Life News "One who has hope lives differently”. What can we do to give hope to those with an unplanned pregnancy or suffering from an abortion? ~Pope Benedict XVI~ The RELIGIOUS RETIREMENT COLLECTION which will be held on December 10th and 11th, you will find envelopes in the pews. The need to generously support this fund is self-evident. The Priests, generally speaking, have never been a well-paid category so that it is not rare to find the retired individuals among them, after having spent themselves in the service of the people, lacking funds to enjoy the well-deserved rest and comforts of old age. As for the Religious, formerly the retired individuals among them used to be supported with what was saved from the earnings of the active members. But now, since the ratio of the active members to the retired ones has reduced drastically, the Religious Congregations find it extremely difficult to find enough funds to meet the needs of the latter. The purpose of the RETIREMENT FUND is precisely to make good this deficiency. It is up to the faithful in whose service the Priests and the Religious spend themselves, to make sure that the latter do not lack the funds that are needed to make it possible for them to spend their last days on this earth in relative ease and comfort. So do contribute generously to the Fund in token of your love and concern for them.

Parish News

Christmas Eve Vigil Mass December 24th at 6pm. Traditionally this is a family mass with special focus on children.

Christmas Day Mass December 25th, will be celebrated at 10a.m. Only one mass will be celebrated on Christmas Day.

Confession times have changed to 3:30pm to 4:30pm on Saturdays The offertory envelopes for 2017 are ready in the vestibule for pick up. Please take yours. If you want to use the new 2017 envelopes we have more in the Parish Office. Religious Ed. Classes: There will be no classes Dec 21st 22nd, 28th and 29th, resuming January 4th 2017. There will be no Bible Study December 21st and 28th because of the holiday break. We will resume January 4th. RCIA Classes: There will be no classes on December 22nd and 29th and will resume January 5th.

Winter is here. The Parish needs volunteers to remove snow from the sidewalks, stairs and areas around the Church, Rectory and Parish Hall. There is a sign-up sheet in the Vestibule for volunteers. Please sign up for a week you will be available. Then, pray for sunshine. Thank you!

The Crook County Holiday Partnership with the assistance of local businesses, churches and numerous volunteers are gearing up to provide low income members ot our community with food boxes and gifts for Crook County families this Christmas. Many familes, especially children would go without if this program was not in place. St. Vincent de Paul volunteers staff a clothing room for this event as well. You may notice “Trees of Joy” with tags on them when you are out and about in the next weeks. The gifts that are purchased and returned by donors all need to be wrapped. I would like to ask for your help in this effort. Hours for wrapping are 10am to 6pm., Monday through Friday beginning December 6th at the fairgrounds in Carey Foster Hall. Supplies are provided. You may sign to come in and wrap on a specific day or drop-in for an hour or two as you have the time. You may also make a tax deductible donation to support Holiday Partnership effort. There are a few pamphlets about this program in the vestibule of the church or you may call Kate Mura Erickson 541-678-8495 for more information.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

1st R. Isa. 7: 10-14 Res. Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 2nd R. Rom.1:1-7 Gospel Accl. Mat.1:23 Gospel Mat 1:18-24

Introduction: Loving, responsive

obedience to God as modeled for us

by St. Joseph is the central theme of

today’s readings, with special

emphasis on the Virgin Birth of

Jesus.

Scripture lessons:

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah

gives a sign from God to King Ahaz

of Judah: “Behold, a virgin shall

conceive and bear a son, and his

name shall be called Emmanuel” (Is

7:14). Matthew considers this

prophecy as one of the most

descriptive and definite prophecies

foretelling the future Messianic

King, the Christ, to be born as a

descendant of David.

In the second reading, Paul also

asserts that Jesus was a descendant of

David and thus the Messiah: “from

David according to the flesh” (Rom

1:3). Paul explains that the only-

begotten Son of God, become

Incarnate as Jesus, was revealed and

established by the Father as Son of

God in power by his Resurrection

from the dead. Then Paul provides a

sweeping summary of God’s mighty

acts in history through Jesus Christ.

Today’s Gospel, from Matthew,

focuses on the person and role of

Joseph. For Jesus to fulfill the

Messianic prophecy given by Isaiah,

Joseph had to accept Jesus as his son,

making Jesus a legal descendant of

David because Joseph was a

descendant of David. Hence,

Matthew makes it clear that Jesus

was not the biological child of

Joseph. But because Joseph was the

husband of Mary at the time Jesus

was born, Jesus was legally the son

of Joseph and thus a descendant of

David.

Life messages:

1) Like Joseph, we need to trust in

God, listen to Him and be

faithful. Although we may face

financial problems, job insecurity,

tensions in the family and health

concerns, let us try to be like St.

Joseph, trusting and faithful. Instead

of relying on our own schemes to get

us through life, let us trust in God and

be strengthened by talking to Him in

fervent prayer and by listening to

Him speaking through the Bible.

2) We need to experience Emmanuel

in our lives and change the world:

The Good News and the consoling

message of Christmas is that the

Child Jesus still waits today to step

into our hearts—your heart and

mine—and to change us and the

world around us by the beauty of

God’s love, kindness, mercy and

compassion. Let us take some time

to welcome the Christ Child into our

hearts and lives this week, so that He

may change our world of miseries

with the beauty of that love.

3) Do we have any gift for our

“Birthday Boy?” Let us check to see

if Jesus is on our list this Christmas

and if we have a special gift in mind

for him. A heart filled with love for

God and our fellow-human beings is

the birthday gift which Jesus really

wants from us. Hence, let us prepare

our heart for Jesus, filling it with

love, mercy, compassion and

forgiveness on this Christmas and

every day of our lives.

4) Let us be a Christmas gift to

others: The greatest gift we can give

to those we love, is to have faith in

them, believe in their dreams and try

to help them realize them. We need

to believe in the dreams of our

husband, wife, children, parents,

heroes, leaders and friends, then try

our best to help them realize those

dreams.