40 Santa Maria Way Orinda, CA 94563

Phone: 925-254-2426 Fax: 925-254-2468

Emergency Anointing of the Sick: 925-695-7677

www.SantaMariaOrinda.com

Parish Office Hours Mon-Fri 9:00am-5:00pm

Mass and Liturgy Schedule

Daily Mass 8:00am (Chapel)

Eucharistic Adoration Noon-3:00pm Tues from

Sept through May (Chapel Reconciliation

4:00pm Sat (Church) Sunday Masses

5:00pm Sat Vigil (Church) 8:30am; 10:30am; 5:00pm

Sunday (Church) Holy Days

8:00am and 7:30pm (Church)

Baptisms: Call the Parish Office

Marriage: Call the Parish Office

Church of Santa Maria Third Sunday of Advent

December 15, 2019 Helping the Hungry Santa Maria’s Christmas food drive for St. Peter Martyr 104 years after the parish began, Pittsburg’s St. Peter Martyr Church is packed at its eight weekend Masses. St. Peter began by serving Italian immigrants as coal mining, ranching, fishing, canning, and manufacturing grew in the area. Today, it mostly serves first– and second-generation Hispanic families. Many parishioners live near the economic edge, working low-paying jobs with modest benefits and uncertain hours.

The parish attends to both spiritual and material needs of all its parishioners, with the food pantry, educational and civic involvement, attention to human and civil rights, and a parochial school.

The parish food pantry is a critical ministry that helps many families keep good meals on the table. Maintaining a stocked food pantry is a challenge—especially this time of the year, when its stocks are low and demand is high.

This Christmas season, Santa Maria parishioners can help our brothers and sisters in Pittsburg by contributing food to help restock the food pantry!

Please put together a box or bag of groceries to help replenish St. Peter’s food pantry, and bring them to church December 21 and 22. Our Santa Maria Knights of Columbus will receive food donations after the 5pm Mass on Saturday, December 21, and the 8:30am and 10:30am Masses on Sunday, December 22. They will deliver them to Pittsburg. Please be generous!

Sunday collection or bring them by the Parish Office.

Here we come a-caroling! On Monday, December 16th, members of our parish choir will be caroling at the Orinda Senior Village and the Orinda Care Center (formerly Orinda Convalescent Hospital). The morning of Christmas songs begins at 10am at the Orinda Senior Village. If you would like to sing with us, contact Tony at tmillette@smparish.org.

A Holy Day for a “calendar-shattering” event It is fitting that on New Year’s Day, we celebrate the calendar-shattering event in human history: the extraordinary role that a young woman in Galilee played in God’s plan for the human race.

In the Western Church, the young woman is titled “Mother of God.” This signifies a relationship: a loving, nurturing relationship. We know that it encompassed both a mother’s tenderness in raising a young man, and also the horror of seeing her son tortured and put to death on the Cross.

Yes, she was a mother—and Mother of God.

Bible Reading a blessing A reflection by Mari Kay Breazeale

My part in the Pastoral Care Ministry of Santa Maria is the Bible Reading at the Orinda Care Center (formerly the Orinda Convalescent Hospital). Because I’ve long been interested in and involved in Scripture Study, this is a ministry that I greatly enjoy.

Your responses help us plan our mission in action

As we begin a new church year, we are also looking ahead to the 2020 budget year. The pledges promised on your Commitment Cards help us budget for another year of ministry, service, education, faith formation, worship, and more for our parish community!

Thank you to the parishioners who have responded (as of this printing) with their Commitment Card for our His Heart, Our Hands program! We are humbled by your sacrifice and are grateful for your generosity.

This number includes those who have made a financial commitment to our parish as well as those who have pledged to pray for the program.

Christmas Poinsettias You are invited to help us decorate our church for the season of Christmas by making a donation for our Christmas Poinsettias. In the narthex you will find envelopes for your offering. Please place them in the

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS

PASTORAL CARE

megan@smparish.org. Christmas Food Boxes by the Knights of Columbus Please see the front page of the bulletin for more details on another Christmas service project!

Weekly Food Collection 1st/2nd Weekends: St. Cornelius School 3rd/4th Weekends: St. Peter Martyr Church Pantry

Please put all donations in the bins in the Narthex.

The patients, and sometimes even the staff, in attendance seem to appreciate my being there, so I feel doubly blessed. My participation is just one Wednesday a month, and other parishioners do the other weeks.

If you enjoy working with elderly people, whether Bible Reading or not, let Sister Mary Magdalene know. She will find something rewarding for you to do, too.

Contact Sr. Mary Magdalene at sistermn@smparish.org or at 925-254-2426.

Spirit of Giving helped another 14 families CYO and Youth Ministry’s annual Spirit of Giving program with Contra Costa Interfaith Housing was another success!

14 families who participate in CCIH’s housing programs, many of whom are single-parent families or are transitioning out of homelessness, were gifted with wrapped and tagged Christmas presents, holiday cards, and grocery gift cards for their Christmas feast.

Pictured to the left is our 7th grade Girls American team, who sponsored two families. Other participants included YM families and even the Parent Bible Study group!

Please keep all the recipient families in your prayers this Advent and Christmas season!

For more information on our annual Christmas service project, contact

OUTREACH

Christmas Mass Schedule

Christmas Eve Tuesday, December 24

Children’s Mass: 4:00pm in the Church Youth Mass: 4:00pm in the Parish Hall

Mass: 6:00pm in the Church Mass with Adult Choir: 10:00pm in the Church

(Christmas Carols begin at 9:30pm)

Christmas Day Wednesday, December 25

Masses: 8:30am and 10:30am in the Church

New Year’s Day (Solemnity of Mary) Wednesday, January 1

Mass for the Solemnity of Mary: 10:00am

We encourage you to register in the parish so that you can receive regular communication via both email and regular

mail. Registration information is essential for responding to request to be sponsors/godparents and other ministries.

Please register at www.santamariaorinda.com/registration

TREASURE

PRAYER INTENTIONS

December 8, 2019 Plate: $10,919.00 Faith Direct: $ 3,873.98

Total: $14,792.98 Goal: $10,350.00

Positive: $ 4,442.98 Retirement Fund Religious: $1,450.00

PASTORAL TEAM Reverend George Mockel Pastor gmockel@smparish.org

Reverend Jude Pooppana Priest in Residence

Reverend Michael Amabisco, OP Sacramental Assistance

Reverend Christopher Fadok, OP Sacramental Assistance

Deacon Rey Encarnacion dcn.rey@smparish.org x310

Deacon James Pearce dcnpearce@smparish.org x301

Mirna Wong Administrative Assistant mirnawong@smparish.org x301

Tony Millette Liturgy and Music tmillette@smparish.org x303

Sister Mary Margaret Phan, LHC Faith Formation (Grades K-5) srmmphan@smparish.org; x306

Megan Arteaga Youth Ministry (Grades 6-12), Communications, and CYO megan@smparish.org x308

Sister Mary Magdalene Nguyen, LHC Pastoral Care of the Sick sistermn@smparish.org x309

Sister Magdalena Duong, LHC Bookkeeper sistermagdalena@smparish.org x305

For the Sick

Liduvina Acosta, Sonny Acosta, Mary Beth Alban, Joan Artmann, Shoaib Aryan, Kristy Blackey-Taylor, Kathie Brady, Cara Bradbury, Mike Buzzell, Maria Carmen, Rosemary Catton, Delores Codde, Grace Parent DeBoodt, Rich Delany, Lorna Elliott, Anne Emery, Nora Enriquez, Emidio Fonseca, Liam Foley, Patricia Fox, Bridget Gallagher, Noreen Gillham, Paul Guess, Doris Hale, Florentino Ibabao, Brian Kelly, Mason Kelly, Aileen Kelly, Jim Kennedy, Jerry Kirk, Lawrence Knapp, Carol Koupus, Judy Lazarus, Jim Marchetti, Rose Mary McPhee, Robert Nick, Arsi Orihuella, Deacon Jim Pearce, Kathleen Pelz, Ann Powell, Mark Ricci, Ben Richey, Patrick Sheehy, Faye Young

Would you like to add yourself or someone else to the prayer list? Please contact Mirna in the Parish Office at 925-254-2426 or at mirnawong@smparish.org.

Monday, December 16 8:00am: Al Christian (D)

Tuesday, December 17 8:00am: Joseph Phan Dien (D)

Wednesday, December 18

8:00am: Peter Phan Hanh (D)

Thursday, December 19 8:00am: Ana Govednik Rogina (D)

Friday, December 20 8:00am: Karen Anderson (D)

Saturday, December 21 5:00pm: Maria Phan Thuoc (D)

Sunday, December 22 8:30am: (I) Mary & Tom Meehan

10:30am: Rose Rogina (D)

5:00pm: Parishioners of Santa Maria

I=Intentions of [N.]; D=Deceased

To request a Mass Intention, please contact Mirna in the Parish Office.

The offering of the Mass is “the perfect prayer.” Masses can be said for a living person’s intentions, or for the repose of the soul of someone who has died.

We encourage you to have Masses said for all of your loved ones, or for your own intentions!

MASS INTENTIONS

WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS!

The 12 Days

of Christmas Party

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our

annual Parish Christmas Party last

week! Thanks especially to the planning committee for

making it happen!