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SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
DECEMBER 7, 2003 MASS INTENTIONS Saturday, December 6 Gail Carol Medeiros Martin Sunday, December 7 8 a.m. Nicholas Family 9:30 a.m. Richard Lister, Elizabeth Peaston, and Agnes Lister 11 a.m. Emma and Eugene Dessert and Mary Dumont Tues. Dec. 9 Antone Neves, Jr. Wed. Dec. 10 Manuel and Mary Oliveira Thurs. December 11 Raymond Furtado Fri. Dec. 12 Antonio de Lima Sat. Dec. 13 John J. F. Murphy Sun Dec. 14 8 a.m. Manuel and Fatima Almeida and Family 9:30 Joseph Bender 11:00 Jesse Pacheco
VISIT ST. JAMES’ WEB SITE CORRECTED Web Site ADDRESS http://www.saintjames-nb.org PRAYER LINE Program a prayer line has been established. Call Alice Lester 508-9978040 with any prayer requests. She will communicate your requests to the other members of the prayer line who will pray for your requests. Pilgrimage to Medjugorje March 15-22 Call Fr. Tom Washburn (603)432-5000 . SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF MARY MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2003 HOLYDAY OF OBLIGATION MASSES ON MONDAY: 9 A.M. AND 7 P.M. COMING PARISH EVENTS *Christmas caroling to parish shut-ins. Dec. 14 at 2p.m. from the rectory. *Winter Concert Sunday, December 7 at 3 p.m. in the church. sponsored by the New Bedford Choral Society. Admission $10 *Meat Pie Supper Saturday, February 7, 2004 in the church hall. Special Mass to pray for parishioners who were buried form St. James Church in 2003 will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2004 at 4 p.m. The Hospitality Committee will serve refreshments after the Mass in the gathering area. Renew celebration on Saturday, January 24 in the church hall. All who participated in Renew are invited to come.ADULT CONFIRMATION CLASSES Anyone who is 18 years old and over, who has been baptized in the Catholic Church and who has made First Communion but who has not been confirmed, may register.Please call Fr. Ed at the rectory. Parish Finacial Council reports the collections for the month of November.Sunday, November 2 $ 2,342.90; Maintenance $1,159; All Saints $472 Sunday, November 9 $2,552.85 Sunday, November 16 $2,208.59 Sunday, November 23 $2,268.50 Campaign for Human Development $872
DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER JUBILEE 2004 The centennial celebration of the Diocese begins with the first Sunday of Advent. On Sunday, November 23, the Feast of Christ the King an icon will be given to each parish to enthrone in a place of honor for this diocesan jubilee year. Parishioners of St. James are familiar with this celebration because we received a special Icon of the Holy Trinity for the Holy Year 2000. The Icon will be solemnly enthroned next to the Holy Trinity Icon on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception December 8 at 9 a.m. Mass. The icon of the Diocesan Jubilee is depicting the Pentecost event. It presents Mary in the middle of the Apostles. (Mary is the patroness of our diocese under the title of St. Mary of the Assumption.) Above Mary and the Apostles is the dove that is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. (The theme of this centennial year is : The Spirit gives life.)
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK The Diocese requires that every parish count the number of people who come to weekend Masses in the month of November. Parishes have been doing this for more than twenty years. When we publish our numbers in the bulletin, as we have done each year; it will be noted that the number of people attending Mass is diminishing. Ten years ago we averaged about 800 parishioners coming to Mass each weekend. This year our count has been in the high 500’s. This may bring us to the discussion of whether we should have three Masses on Sunday morning. Should we have two Masses instead of three? The Parish Pastoral Council will need time to consider this. We are preparing to receive Mass intentions for the year 2004. The Mass book will be open on Tuesday, December 9 for parishioners to schedule Masses. If you call on the phone, please just leave your name and phone number. Please do not leave the dates for the Masses because they may not be available. Fr. Ed will return your call and will arrange the Masses with you. We need to address the matter of how many Masses that we will have in 2004. It is necessary that we select one of the Sunday morning Masses to be open without any intentions. If we were to go to two Masses, we would be able to honor the intentions already received. We will keep the 11 a.m. Mass open with no intentions. We will use this Mass for the required intention "for the people of the parish". All of the other Masses on the weekend will be available for intentions.
SEASON OF ADVENT 2003 *Four weeks before Christmas to prepare for the coming of the Lord. *Purple is used as a sign of preparation not penance as in Lent. Flowers may be used. *The Gloria in the Mass is eliminated during Advent to give it more emphasis on Christmas. *The Advent wreath marks the Sundays of Preparation. ADVENT PENANCE SERVICES **TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16 @ 1 P.M. AT ST. JOSEPH CHURCH IN FAIRHAVEN Memorial Flower Envelopes are available at the entrances of the church. We ask that parishioners return them by Sunday, December 20. The list of the memorials will be published on the weekend of December 28 |
