PASTOR Rev. Vincent Chirichella

PERMANENT DEACON Deacon Philip J. Siani

IN RESIDENCE Rev. Dominick F. Cutrone

PASTOR EMERITUS  

Rev. Edward A. Cassar

- RECTORY OFFICE HOURS -

MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9AM TO 12NOON AND 1PM TO 8PM

SATURDAY: 9AM TO 1PM

PHONE: (718) 627-2020 FAX: (718) 336-8033

FAITH FORMATION

Ms. Phyllis Niwinski, Director (718) 375-0404

CATHOLIC ACADEMY Mrs. Meghan Sarno, Principal

(718) 375-2081

PASTORAL MINISTRY Mrs. Annette Bonvino, Coordinator

(718) 375-0668

MUSIC MINISTRIES Mr. Edward Radonic, Director

(718) 627-2020

YOUTH MINISTRY Mr. Louis Nuñez, Director

(718) 627-2020

UPPER & LOWER CHURCH ARE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

PARKING LOT AVAILABLE

ourladyofgrace7@gmail.com www.ologchurch.com

The Epiphany of the Lord – January 3rd, 2016

Our Lady of Grace R.C. Church “A Family Tradition”

430 AVENUE W, BROOKLYN, NY 11223

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM: Baptisms are celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of each month at 1pm. Registration is done at the Rectory. Instruction class is required of Parents & Godparents which will be on the Thursday two weeks before Baptism at 7pm.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Confessions are held on Saturdays from 4:15pm to 4:45pm or at other reasonable times by making an appointment at the Rectory.

SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE: Arrangements must be made at least 6 months prior to the wedding date.

SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING OF THE SICK: Contact the Rectory to make arrangements for the Sacrament of Anointing. Please contact the Pastoral Ministry Office to arrange home visitation and Communion.

CHAPEL OF ADORATION: Open from 6am to 9pm daily. Enter on E. 4th St.

DEVOTIONS: Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal & St. Anthony Novena on Tuesdays and the Daily Holy Rosary immediately following the 8:45am daily Mass; 8am Saturday Mass and 8:30am Sunday Mass.

Our Mission Statement

The Parish of Our Lady of Grace, Gravesend, as a family of faith motivated by love for God welcomes all to join us as we worship in the Roman Catholic tradition. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we strive to form ourselves and our children in the love and truths taught by our Savior Jesus Christ, and to instill a deep respect for all that God, our Father, has created. We willingly share our time, talents, and treasure through diverse ministries in the service of others.

MASS SCHEDULE WEEKDAYS: 8:30AM

SATURDAYS: 8:30AM, 5PM (VIGIL), 7:15PM (SPANISH)

SUNDAYS: 8:30AM, (BI-LINGUAL), 10:15AM (FAMILY), 11:45AM

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK Saturday, January 2nd 5:00pm Raffaele Persechino 7:15pm People of the Parish

Sunday, January 3rd 8:30am Sebastiano Mannino 10:15am Leonardo Galati 11:45am Immacolata Ruzzo

Monday, January 4th 8:30am Russell Basile

Tuesday, January 5th 8:30am In Honor of Li Wai King & the Ng family

Wednesday, January 6th 8:30am Purgatorial Society

Thursday, January 7th 8:30am Vito Cutrone’s Brothers & Sisters

Friday, January 8th 8:30am Luciano Germano

Saturday, January 9th 8:30am Holy Name Society 11:00am Petronilla Longobardi (Missa Cantata) 5:00pm John Susino 7:15pm People of the Parish

Sunday, January 10th 8:30am Losito & Lieggi Families 10:15am Vincent Serrentino, Alfred Cardone, Russell Basile, in Honor of Cathy DiMartino 11:45am Josephine Damone

Thaddeus Matthew Lesinski, Anthony LaRocca, John Soranno, Maya Gorelick, Tony Cristo, Daniel Stracquadaine, Willie Aldrige, Alison Reidy, Thomas D’Angelo, Jacqueline Garrity, Jerry Ruflin, Carol Fitzsimmons, Claudine Cope

Pray for the Sick OUR WEEKLY COLLECTION

- DECEMBER 20TH -

1ST COLLECTION: $5,100

2ND COLLECTION: $518

WHEN THIS BULLETIN WAS SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION ON DECEMBER 23RD, THE COLLECTION DATA FOR DECEMBER 27TH WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THEREFORE, IT WILL BE PUBLISHED IN NEXT WEEK’S BULLETIN.

AVERAGE WEEKLY EXPENSES $10,970

Please pray for the deceased of our

parish, especially

Concetta Raffa

The American Flag will be flown this week

in honor of Hon. Philip E. Lagana

requested by the Parish Community

The Sanctuary Lamp has been donated this week

in memory of Sister Jane Talbot

requested by the Parish Community

The Altar Candles have been donated this week

in memory of Angelina Boccanfuso

requested by the Paolillo family

The Chapel Candles have been donated this week

in memory of Barbara Dattilo

requested by the Parish Community

Wine and Hosts have been donated this week

in memory of Alfred Cardone

requested by Sue Fortunato

GOAL REACHED! 2015 ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL

I would like to thank our parishion-ers for their generous pledges to the Annual Catholic Appeal. You have pledged $50,954 which is over our goal of $49,488. Thank you for sup-porting our Diocese and our Parish. Congratulations!

On behalf of the entire Parish Staff, myself, Father Cassar, Father Cutrone, Deacon Phil and the newest edition to the parish family, our mascot Harry, we wish you and your families a Happy New Year.

Regards in Christ, Father Vincent

Alive in the Spirit

Faith Sharing Monday, January 4th: 10:30am to 12:30pm

and 7:30pm to 10pm In the Father Murtagh Library

Prayer Group Tuesday, January 5th: 8pm to 10pm

in the Rectory Meeting Room

Bible Study Tuesday, January 5th: 7pm to 10pm

in Veltri Hall (Spanish) Friday, January 8th: 1pm to 2:30pm

in the Father Murtagh Library

Bereavement Group Wednesdays, 8pm to 10pm (every other week)

in the Pastoral Ministry Waiting Room Call 718-375-0668 for information

Youth Ministry Saturday, January 9th: 6pm in the School Cafeteria

Holy Name Society

Mass and Breakfast Saturday, January 9th at 8am

Meeting Monday, January 11th at 8pm

All are welcome

+ Healing Mass + Our Saint Therese Group and healing ministry will be held on Monday, January 18th at 7pm.

Sing a New Song unto the Lord !

It is heart-warming to see all the children come up to the altar to sit with Father Vincent and share in his homily at our 10:15 Sunday Family Mass. How wonderful it would be to hear them singing in the choir. If you have children from the first grade on up who would like to sit with the choir and sing at that Mass, please speak to Ed Radonic our Music Director after any Mass or call the Rectory at 718-627-2020.

The Administration, Staff, and Faculty of

Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy

wish all our parishioners A very Happy New Year.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday: 1 Jn 3:22 -- 4:6; Ps 2:7bc-8, 10-12a; Mt 4:12-17, 23-25 Tuesday: 1 Jn 4:7-10; Ps 72:1-4, 7-8; Mk 6:34-44 Wednesday: 1 Jn 4:11-18; Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13; Mk 6:45-52 Thursday: 1Jn 4:19 -- 5:4; Ps 72:1-2, 14, 15bc, 17; Lk 4:14-22a Friday: 1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20; Lk 5:12-16 Saturday: 1 Jn 5:14-21; Ps 149:1-6a, 9b; Jn 3:22-30 Sunday: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 or Is 40:1-5, 9-11; Ps 29:1-4, 3, 9-10 or Ps 104:1b-4, 24-25, 27-30; Acts 10:34-38 or Ti 2:11-14; 3:4-7; Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

Th_ So]i_ty of th_ Littl_ Flow_r of S[int Th_r_s_

The Society will meet on the first Satur-day of each month for an 11am Holy Hour followed by Benediction. Refresh-

ments in the Rectory after the Holy Hour. If you are in-terested in signing up, please call the Rectory.

Family Fundraiser

Join Us For Dinner & Dancing! Saturday, January 16th

7pm to 10pm Our Lady of Grace School Gym

Avenue W & East 2nd Street

The Columbiettes Monsignor Cafiero Council will be holding a Social Potluck Night in order to raise money for a dear friend, Celia Derise and her fam-ily. The family had a fire in their apartment on December 6th and everything was lost. We are reaching out to help them replace furniture, cloth-ing, and all that was lost in the fire. At the event we will have dinner, music, dancing, 50/50 raffle and a professional portrait photographer. (half of the proceeds from the raffle and the photographer go to the family) The cost for admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 years and younger. (portrait is an additional $20). If you can’t attend the celebration, we are accepting donations.

A Holy Year of Mercy

Mercy, as it is here contemplated, is said to be a virtue influencing one’s will to have compassion for, and, if possible, to alleviate another’s misfortune. It is the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas that although mercy is the spontaneous product of charity, it is to be reckoned a special virtue adequately distinguishable from this latter. In fact, the Scholastics consider it to be referable to the quality of justice mainly because, like jus-tice, it controls relations between distinct persons. It is, as they say, ad alterum. Its

motive is the misery which one discerns in another, particularly insofar as this condition is deemed to be, in some sense, at least involuntary. Obviously the necessity which is to be succored can be either of body or soul. Hence it is customary to enumerate both the Corporal and Spiritual works of mercy.

The Corporal Works of Mercy To feed the hungry To give drink to the thirsty To clothe the naked To shelter the homeless To visit the sick To visit the imprisoned To bury the dead Our Holy Father Pope Francis encourages all of us to exercise these Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy throughout the year. We, as disciples of Christ, are called to show mercy to all as Christ shows his mercy to each of us.

The Spiritual works of Mercy To instruct the ignorant To counsel the doubtful To admonish the sinner To bear wrongs patiently To forgive all injuries To comfort the sorrowful To pray for the living and the dead

Our Indoor Nativity

Every year at Christmas, the Nativity scene inside our church provides us with an inspirational opportunity to focus in prayer on the birth of the Infant Jesus. Our Nativity is unique in that it contains various symbolic elements. The presence of birds and sea shells, along with the traditional Nativity figures proclaim that all living creation was present to celebrate the incarnation: the angels of heaven, humanity, animals, birds of the air, and creatures of the sea.

As you approach the Nativity, you will see on a scroll a scriptural account of the divine event. The beautiful figures of our Nativity set are original to Our Lady of Grace, having been displayed for the first time 80 years ago.

Our Nativity is blessed every year at a special cere-mony during Christmas Midnight Mass. It is a sacra-mental that is meant to help us embrace in our hearts the mystery of the incarnation. As we ponder these thoughts, let us recognize the connection between the Infant Jesus and the suffering poor in our community.

A donation box is provided to receive your offerings which will be used to feed and clothe these needy peo-ple. Please visit the Nativity before or after Mass with your children and grandchildren, offer your prayers for the poor and, if you can, leave a small donation in thanksgiving for God’s blessings upon us.

May God bless you for your kindness this Christmas Season and always.

Diocesan Pilgrimage 51st International Eucharistic Congress

Cebu, Philippines

January 22—February 1, 2016 Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio & Timothy Cardinal Dolan

Chaplains

For a brochure, call Peters Way Travel at 516-605-1551.

Our N_w M[ss S]h_^ul_

B_ginning in 2016 our n_w M[ss S]h_^ul_ is [s follows

Monday through Saturday 8:30am

Saturday Vigil Mass 5pm and 7:15pm (Spanish)

Sunday 8:30am Bi-Lingual

10:15am Family Mass 11:45am

There will be no evening Mass on Sundays

~ Take Care of Your Loved Ones ~

Independent Retirement Community is an Assisted Living Residence that plans to host 4 open houses during each month of 2016. The first one will be on Saturday, January 9th from 1pm to 3pm at 555 Al-bany Avenue, Amityville, NY 11701. For more in-formation, or to schedule a tour at your conven-ience, call 631-842-6091 or email us at: info@dominicanvillage.org