Fourth Sunday of Advent December 20, 2015

Rectory

Rev. Dennis M. McNeil, Pastor Rev. Joseph H. Kraker, Pastor Emeritus Mrs. Betsy Tavolier, Office Manager Mrs. Connie Pacanovsky, Business Manager Mrs. Ellen Dies, Y outh Minister Ms. Nancy Daley, Music Director Mr. Herman Allshouse, Maintenance Director

Ms. Marimargaret Roberts, Office Staff

Phone: .............................. 330-535-3135

Fax: .................................. 234-571-2919

Web Site: www.stvincentchurch.com

Office Hours: Monday- Friday: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

School Mrs. Maria Meeker, Principal Mrs. Laurie Belair, Secretary Phone: .............................. 330-762-5912 Address: 17 S. Maple St., Akron, OH 44303

PSR Mrs. Ellen Dies, Principal, 330-864-5484

Bulletin Deadline: 12:00 Noon Monday in Writing

Masses: Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM • Sunday: 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM Weekdays: 6:30 AM Holy Days: 6:30, 9:00 AM and 5:30 PM Confessions: Saturday: 11:00 to 12:00 Noon and Thur sday before Fir st Friday; 3:30-4:30 PM Parish Registration: New Parishioners are most welcome and should register at the rectory as soon as possible. If moving out of the parish, please notify the rectory. Baptisms: It is necessary that parents attend a Baptism Preparation Program before the Baptism of their first child. Baptism Preparation classes can be complet-ed at either St. Hilary (Beth Rado, 330-867-1055) or at St. Sebastian (Cathy Sivec 330-836-2233 ext. 134 or sivecc@stsebastian.org). Call either parish for times and registration details. Proof of attendance should be presented to St. Vincent Church prior to the baptism. Marriages: Couples intending to marry should call at the rectory at least SIX MONTHS prior to the marriage. It is required to have copies of Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation records, if these Sacraments are not re-ceived at St. Vincent. Wedding times on Saturday are at 2:00 PM. Parish School of Religion (PSR) Pre-School - 8th: Classes are September through May. Classes are held in St. Vincent Grade School on Sundays from 9:45 AM to 10:45 AM. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (Convert Classes): Classes begin in September: For information, call 330-535-3135. Hospital/Sick/Shut-in Visitation : Please notify the Rectory when a par ish-ioner is hospitalized, shut-in or ill. Funerals: Please notify a Pr iest as soon as possible regarding ar range-ments, either personally or through the funeral director.

St. Vincent de Paul Church

164 West Market Street ● Akron, OH 44303-2373

Masses

SATURDAY, December 19 5:00 PM James McCafferty SUNDAY, December 20 * Fourth Sunday of Advent 8:30 For Our Parish 11:00 Louis and Angie Maglione MONDAY, December 21 * St. Peter Canisius 6:30 Fr. Gordon Yahner TUESDAY, December 22 6:30 Olga Inman WEDNESDAY, December 23 * St. John of Kanty 6:30 A. J. McAllister THURSDAY, December 24 * Christmas Eve 4:00 Eleanor and Gerald Fulkerson 6:00 Blanche O’Neil 10:00 Jack and Catherine Gannon FRIDAY, December 25 * Nativity of the Lord * Christmas Day 10:00 AM Michael Ziga– Anniversary SATURDAY, December 26 * St. Stephen 5:00 The Estadt Family SUNDAY, December 27 * The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph 8:30 Nick Ardelian Sr. 11:00 Alberta Lenke

COLLECTION FOR SUNDAY, December 6, 2015

Thanks for your Support!

Collection of December 6 ................................. $9,988.47 Retirement Fund For Religious………………..$1,125.00 Children’s Envelopes ........................................... $61.53 E-Give................................................................$3,755.00

HOLIDAY PARISH OFFICE CLOSINGS Please note that the parish office will be closed Thursday, December 24th, Friday, December 25th, Monday, December 28th, Thursday, December 31st and Friday, January 1st in observance of the holidays!

St. Vincent de Paul Church Page Two Sunday, December 20, 2015

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT December 20, 2015

O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven and see; take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted. -- Psalm 80:15-16

A NEW ORDER "O, Little Town of Bethlehem." A Philadelphia clergyman named Phillips Brooks penned these popular words back in the mid-1800s, but the prophet Micah could have used them first. Micah knew that from small packages great treasures come. In today's first reading, he knew that from tiny Bethlehem would come the Lord. The writer in He-brews explains that Christ came to us to do the will of God by establishing a new order and by becoming our perfect sacrifice. And Luke tells us that Elizabeth and John, the infant in her womb, understand that great and wondrous things are at hand with the coming of the Lord. This is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Soon we celebrate anew the fruit of Mary's womb. As we are told in He-brews, Jesus' new order is being established even today. And as Micah proclaims, his greatness is reaching even now to the ends of the earth. Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co.

CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART

Christmas! ’Tis the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial fire of charity in the heart. —Washington Irving

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday: Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a; Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Lk 1:39-45 Tuesday: 1 Sm 1:24-28; 1 Sm 2:1, 4-8abcd; Lk 1:46-56 Wednesday: Mal 3:1-4, 23-34; Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-10, 14; Lk 1:57-66 Thursday: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29; Lk 1:67-79 Friday: Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 [18-25] Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20 Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14] Saturday: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 8ab, 16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22 Sunday: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 or 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28; Ps 128:1-5 or Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10; Col 3:12-21 [12-17] or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24; Lk 2:41-52

St. Vincent de Paul Church Page Three December 20, 2015

ALTAR SOCIETY

The Altar Society would like to wish you a very blessed and Merry Christmas! CYO BOOSTER CLUB The St. Vincent de Paul Parish Booster Club wishes everyone a safe, joyous and blessed Christmas, and a very happy New Year!

DISCIPLES FOR THE DYING The schedule is as follows: There will not be a First Friday Mass in January at St. Vincent as it is New Year’s Day; Mass on February 5 at St. Sebastian at 5:00 p.m. All are Welcome.

CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE

CHRISTMAS EVE: Thursday, December 24, 2015 4:00 p.m. –Family Mass

6:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m. – (Christmas Carols begin at 9:30 p.m.)

NO MIDNIGHT MASS

CHRISTMAS DAY: Friday, December 25, 2015 Mass at 10:00 a.m.

NEW YEAR’S MASS SCHEDULE

NEW YEAR’S EVE: Thursday, December 31, 2015 Mass is at 5:00 p.m.

NEW YEAR’S DAY: Friday, January 1, 2016 Mass will be at 10:00 a.m.

KNIGHT AT THE RACES

Mark your calendar! The St. Vincent Knights of Columbus will be holding a “Knight at the Races” on Saturday, January 16, 2016. In support of this

effort please consider an ad for the “Knight at the Rac-es” racing form. The ads are $25.00, $50.00, and $100.00 respectively; all you need to do is to supply a business card or brochure and it can be placed into the racing form. A $50.00 ad will offer the extra publicity that comes with being a race sponsor; a $100.00 ad will fill a whole page. Considering the inexpensive cost of these ads and the benefit to our parish, the good will to your company is not such a bad value. For more infor-mation call Fred Neugebauer at 867-2019 or Brian Walsh at 864-1242, or send your information to our mailbox at the rectory by January 7, 2015.

Eucharistic Adoration will begin again on the First Friday of every month following the 8:15 a.m. Mass until 5:00 p. m. Please consider joining us for an hour of silent prayer. If you have any questions, please contact Kerri Schneider at 267-234-4898. All are welcome!

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SACRAMENT OF

CONFIRMATION? Are you an adult, practicing your faith but have not received the Sacrament of Con-

firmation??? Now is your chance to learn more about the Sacrament and to consider whether or not you wish to receive the many blessings that come from the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Meetings will be on the following Sundays: January 10th, 24th, and 31st, and February 7th, 14th and 28th following the 11:00 Mass. Confir-mation will be celebrated with Bishop Lennon on Satur-day, March 12th at the 5:00 Mass. Just want to learn more??? You too are welcome to join us. Please call Ellen Dies at 330-535-3135 X 101 or email her at el-lendies588@gmail.com to reserve a spot!

CYO BASKETBALL SEASON IS UNDERWAY!

CONCESSION STAND Did you know that our CYO Booster Club offers conces-sions at our home basketball games? Outside of the gymnasium doors, you will find an assortment of drinks, candy, hot dogs and more! The concession sales help defray the cost for the families who wish to participate in CYO sports! Be sure to stop by and grab a bite to eat– it’s game time!

On behalf of Fr. McNeil and the parish staff, we wish each of you a wonderful and blessed

Christmas!

WIN A 2016 CHEVY CRUZE!

HANDEL’S MESSIAH PART I St. Sebastian Parish presents Handel’s Messiah Part I– Music and Art Meet Scripture on Sunday, December 20, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. in St. Sebastian Church. It will feature the Parish Choir and members of the Singers Companye, orchestra soloists and art projections. Bring your messiah

score and join in on the choruses. A freewill offering will be taken. We hope to see you there!

RETROUVAILLE WEEKEND Someone once said “marriages may be made in heaven, but they sure take a lot of work on earth.” Have you be-come so distracted by outside pressure that you neglect your spouse? The Retrouvaille program can help you put your troubled marriage back on track. This program is supported by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. The next Cleveland Retrouvaille weekend will be held on January 15-17, 2016. A registration fee of $150 is required to con-firm your reservation. For more information concerning the program, or to register, please call Diane or Al Miskinis in complete confidence at (330) 665-3506 or (from a 216 or 440 area code) 1-800-470-2230. For addi-tional information or to register online, please go to www.helpourmarriage.org. FIRST FRIDAY CLUB OF AKRON The First Friday Club of Akron will meet on Friday, Janu-ary 8, 2016 at its new location, Tangier, 532 W. Mar-ket St., Akron, 44303 and will feature a Clergy Panel speaking on the topic The Joys and Challenges of the Modern Priesthood. The panel includes newly ordained Rev. Jeremy Merzweiler, parochial vicar at St. Gabriel Parish in New Concord; Rev. Michael McCandless, Di-rector of Priesthood Vocations for the Diocese; Rev. Ste-ven Brunovsky, Pastor at St. Hilary Parish; Rev. Norm Douglas, Director of Heart to Heart Communications and campus minister at the University of Akron. The cost of the luncheon program is $20.00. Doors open at 11:00 AM; the program begins at noon, and ends promptly at 1:00 PM. Reservations can be made by sending a check to the First Friday Club of Greater Akron, 795 Russell Ave., Akron, OH 44307, by calling the office, at 330-535-7668 or visit www.firstfridayclubofgreaterakron.org. See the website for information on subscriptions for the 2016 luncheon series.

HOST A STUDENT! CHANGE A LIFE! Twinn Palms Homestay Services is seeking qualified indi-viduals and families to provide a safe and nurturing home environment for international high school students from China. The students will arrive in August 2016 and attend a private Catholic high school in the local area. A stipend of $1,000 per month is provided. Please contact Lisa Munoz at 859-443-1980 or lisam@twinnpalms.com for additional information. Apply now!

AM 1260 THE ROCK AM 1260 The Rock, Cleveland’s Catholic radio station, is looking for small businesses interested in advertising on air. Reaching over two million people in the Cleveland area, this may be the perfect opportunity for you or a friend. For more information visit http://am1260therock.com/advertising/ or call (216) 227-1260. You can help share the faith in this time of confusion and misplaced priorities!

St. Vincent de Paul Church Page Six December 20, 2015

SVDP Parish School’s 6th Grade Class has embraced the project of creating Little Free

Libraries around West Akron! How does a group of learners accomplish a task like this? Learning about literacy, and about how they can

spread literacy in our world. Researching the prospective Little Library sites:

geographically and demographically; assessing need and the feasibility of maintaining a site.

Presenting their ideas to owners of prospective sites: SVDP, St. Vincent– St. Mary High School, Harvest Home, and the City of Akron, to name a few.

Collaborating with fellow learners, teachers, par-ents, grandparents, and friends of SVDP: sharing ideas and materials to create the best outcome.

Designing and constructing the actual Little Librar-ies– using math science and engineering, and artis-tic skills.

Receiving a grant though the First Energy STEM program which will help to cover costs associated with the project. Additionally, funds raised from our recent Book Fair will help to purchase books for the libraries.

Our learners and staff believe in the mission of Lit-tle Free Library.org.

To promote literacy and the love of reading by build-ing free book exchanges worldwide and to build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and

wisdom across generations. There are over 32,000

Little Free Library book exchanges around the world, bringing curbside literacy home and sharing over 1 million books annually.

Middle School and High School Youth Ministry

January 2015 Calendar 5th – 3:00 – 4:30 A service project for the month! Continuing with our service to the nursing homes, we will be making new treats for those at Hickory Ridge and The Merriman. Meet Mrs. Dies in the Scullen Room after school. 10 - Middle School and High School Regular Meeting- Let’s start the New Year off with a bang! Come and help us plan February's events! Bring your ideas to share. ALL ARE WELCOMED… EVEN IF YOU HAVE NEVER COME BEFORE! Open gym from 5:00 – 6:00. I’ll provide the gym; you provide board games, movies, etc. Meeting from 6:00 – 6:30. Be sure to bring ideas for service projects, and fun activities. I can get tickets for the Lake Erie Monsters if interested??? I will provide the drink and light snacks. 21 – One of a Kind Pet Volunteer Opportunity- Leave St. Vincent at 3:15 or meet us there on West Market Street by 3:30. Work until 5:00 and return to St. Vincent by 5:30. 23 - SkyMax in North Canton- Leave St. Vincent at 11:00. Arrive in North Canton at 11:30 to jump! $13 for an hour of jumping. Add $4 if you would like to go another ½ hour. Return to St. Vincent by 2:00 at the latest. If more than 14 attend, I will need parents to help drive. WAIVER MUST BE SIGNED BEFOREHAND BY PARENTS:WWW.SKYMAXARENA.COM/WAIVER 30 – St. Vincent Confirmation Retreat and Confirmandi Presentation at 5:00 Mass- Day begins at

St. Vincent School and will end with the 5:00 Mass. Confirmandi and parents will attend Mass and be presented to the parish.

Ellen Dies Youth Ministry Director St. Vincent:

(330)535-3135 ext. 101 ellendies588@gmail.com

THANK YOU BOY SCOUT PACK 3063 A special thanks to Boy Scout Pack 3063 for their special collection of toiletry items for our St. Vincent de Paul Society's Women's Auxiliary. They collected well over 100 items that will help those in need this Christmas season. May God Bless their generous spirit and may all of us follow their kind example.

St. Vincent de Paul Church Page Seven December 20, 2015

The beautiful tradition concluded with tears in many eyes. Your generosity was overwhelming. We were able to grant over 385 wishes to many families at King, Harris, Saint Vincent de Paul and Portage Path Elementary schools. Thank you for making Christmas so beautiful for so many.

Please visit the parish website: www.stvincentchurch.com for more photos of our 2015 Giving Tree donations.

Our St. Vincent de Paul Parish School campaign has begun!

Earn 5% cash back for your non-profit organization on all

purchases of Acme Fresh Market brands! These brands

include Academix, Acme Fresh Market, Domestix,

Electrix, Food Club, Full Cir-cle, Paws, Top Care, Valu Time and World Classics.

Qualifying receipts are dated between Au-gust 20, 2015 and Jan-uary 6, 2016. Simply place your receipts in the box marked Acme Receipts (at the back center entrance of the church), or put them in the collection basket at Mass. Our school will turn in the receipts to Acme and will receive 5% cash back! Thank you for your

support!